Unemployed grads bring their fight to the city

By Bernard Liyanarachchi

Thousands of unemployed graduates who have held protest meetings in Kurunegala and Kandy brought their campaign to the heart of Colombo with a massive demonstration at high noon outside Fort railway station.

A spokesman for the combined association of unemployed graduates said there were upto 30,000 graduates languishing in different degrees of deprivation. He said the government appeared to have no policy and little interest in dealing with what could turn out to be a potentially explosive social issue.

Members of trade unions, political parties and other associations joined the graduates in their protest on Friday.

The spokesman said President Kum-aratunga and Education Minister Richard Pathirana were speaking a great deal about education reforms and Minister S. B. Dissanayake was boasting of the Samurdhi Scheme for young people, while little or nothing was being done for 30,000 unemployed graduates.

Why TULF voted against budget

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga clarifying her position regarding the statement made on a South African television station has said she never intended hurting the feelings of the Tamils.

The President last week told a TULF delegation that as the said TV interview ended abruptly, she was not able to go into complete details.

The TULF had not raised the issue with the President.

They said that the issue on the President's controversial statement on the origin of the Tamils in Sri Lanka cropped up when the President wanted to know why the TULF had decided to vote against the budget.

The President asked the delegation whether the TULF decided to vote against the budget in protest against her assertion to the South African TV regarding the origin of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, the sources said.

The TULF delegation responded that their party had decided to vote against the budget as a protest against the ongoing war.

Then they brought to the notice of the President that the her statement to the South African TV had hurt the feelings of the Tamil people and caused anguish and dissatisfaction among them, the sources said.

Remembering Lalith

The 62nd birth anniversary of the late Minister of Defence, Lalith Athulathmudali, is to be commemorated over these two weeks. The United Lalith Front and the Lalith Athulathmudali Foundation have organised several events to mark this solemn occasion.

This morning a Free Medical Clinic for children will be held at the Mount Lavinia Creche & Day Care Centre. And at the Y.M.B.A., Ratmalana, at four o'clock in the afternoon, copies of the Biography of Lalith Athulathmudali will be distributed to school and pirivena libraries.

A blood donation programme will be held at the Sri Dhammendraramaya in Mount Lavinia on Tuesday morning.

On Thursday morning, laying of floral tributes will take place at the Lalith Athulathmudali Memorial, and later floral tributes will be laid at the Lalith Athulathmudali Statue at Cambridge Place. An alms giving will also be held at the Ratmalana Paramadhamma Chetiya Pirivena.

In Kataragama a Mal Pahan Pooja will take place at the Kirivehera on Saturday evening and on the following day lunch is to be provided to the Kataragama Gangarama Children's Home.

Lake House reporter assaulted again

By Shane Seneviratne

The journalist, who exposed the illicit kasippu trade in Aranayake, Pradeep Kumara Dharmaratne was assaulted on Friday, while returning home after attending court.

Following his investigative articles shedding light on the alleged links between the Aranayake Police and the thriving kasippu business in the village, Dharmaratne, who is the Lake House correspondent for Aranayake, was framed for possessing illicit drugs, assaulted by the Police and charged in court with having committed this same offence.

Early last week he was fined Rs. 25,000. Dharmaratne had gone to court on Friday and as he left the court a man, allegedly involved in the kasippu business and who is known to have three warrants, attacked Dharmaratne and assaulted him.

Dharmaratne lodged a complaint with the Aranayake Police and following this the aggressor, the alleged kasippu dealer , too came to the Police Station to make an entry. Interestingly inspite of three warrants on him Police had not taken him in when he come to the police station.

As picketing had taken place and serious complaints lodged against the assault of the Lake House correspondent by the Police, the President ordered a committee to inquire into the incident. Subsequent four police officers including OIC Dharmaratne were interdicted.

Miracle visions continue

The miraculous vision on the wall of a Catholic Church at Rawatawatte is continuing into its fourth month with more spectacular apparitions being seen by hundreds of devotees during a three-hour Service of Adoration on Fridays.

Rev.Fr.Edward Ravel , Parish Priest of the Queen of Angels Church at Rawatawatte near Moratuwa said, brilliant flashes of multicoloured light were seen coming from the Blessed Sacrament and they left imprints on the wall in the shape of Sri Lanka and the Rosary.

The first apparition took place on August 16, leaving an imprint of a figure like the Blessed Virgin Mary holding a Cross. That figure could yet be seen on the wall behind the altar while the five apparitions since then have lasted from 10 to 15 minutes. Significantly every apparition took place on a Friday around 3.30 p.m — the time at which it is believed Jesus Christ died on the Cross.

Fr.Ravel said the miracle of the Blessed Sacrament among other things gave reassurance that though Sri Lanka seemed to be going to pieces when the apparition of the map broke apart, the image of the Rosary outlined in the form of the map of Sri Lanka again suggested the country would see peace and unity soon. He said the Christians were called to participate more frequently and fervently in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Another calling was for more prayer individually in the family and in Church gatherings.

Every Friday a Service of Adoration with the Blessed Sacrament exposed is held from 3 p.m to 6 p.m followed by Holy Mass.

ABC bosses in the net

Two top executives of the Asian Broadcasting Corporation, which runs FM private radio stations in Sri Lanka, have been taken in by Scotland Yard for questioning over allegations of corruption.

While Sunrise Radio Chief Executive Dr.Avtar Lit was taken in on November 9, Janet Lee, Deputy Head of Programming, was taekn in for questioning on November 5.

ABC's local Managing Director Rena de Silva confirmed the arrest but said the local radio stations — Sun, Hiru, Tharu, Suriyan and Gold — would not be affected.

220,000 kg of infected cashew

By Mahinda Nissannka.

Eleven container loads of cashew infected with six varieties of harmful insects are lying in Colombo Port.

The containers sent from Ivory Coast weighing 220,000kg of cashew each were detected by the Preventive Customs Division.

Investigations have revealed that these six varieties of insects could be harmful to the local cashew cultivation.

No licences are issued to import cashew to the country. But these had been imported by a private company under special privilege from the Board of Investment (BOI).

"The six strong insects can be very dangerous to the local cashew cultivation also", said a top official of the National Plant Quarantine Service.

SOS for blood

A critically ill patient at the Medical Intensive Care Unit at the Nawaloka Hospital urgently requires AB Positive Blood. Donors please call over at the Central Blood Bank or Nawaloka Blood Bank at the earliest.

Please contact Nawaloka Hospital on  544444.

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