Pay more for post soon

In keeping with the new Budget proposals, postal charges will go up with effect from December 1.

Accordingly, the postage of an ordinary letter will rise from Rs. 2.50 to Rs. 3.50, a registered letter from Rs. 8.50 to Rs. 10.00. Small stamped envelopes will cost Rs. 4 and the larger ones Rs. 5., Postal Chief Soma Kotakadeniya said.

Foul play in sports club: excise men blow whistle

By Chris Kamalendran

Recent raids on sports club bars and Chinese restaurants in Colombo have led to the recovery of more than Rs. two million worth of liquor, Colombo's Excise Chief T. Mahendran said."We found various types of liquor sold at these clubs without licence," he said. "Some of the sports clubs in Colombo have been operating for more than 50 years without a proper licence."

Mr. Mahendran said that in one such raid on a leading club at Bauddhaloka Mawatha, the excise men seized Rs. 200,000 worth local and foreign liquor.

He said a Sports Ministry approval to run a sports club alone would not enable one to sell liquor.

"Though these clubs have an exclusive membership they have to obtain a licence under the Excise Ordinance."

"Most of these leading clubs operate without a licence because they have the backing of influential persons," he said. "The courts imposed heavy fines on the illegal liquor bars after our raids, but we understand they are back in business."

Mr. Mahendran said the government was losing revenue in the form of Rs. 50,000 annual licence fee and other taxes.

CP sets out policy for provincial polls

By Roshan Peiris

The Communist Party's campaign for the forthcoming Provincial Council elections will centre around abolishing the executive presidential system, bringing the war to an end and exempting certain items from GST.

General Secretary of the Party, Raja Collure said that together with other Left parties in the Peoples Alliance they will do their utmost to obtain the support of left-leaning voters to elect PA administrations at these elections.

Mr. Collure said "The Defence Levy is a burden cast on the people due to the on-going war. It is the responsibility of all political parties to help resolve the ethnic problem to bring the war to an end and relieve the people of this burden."

Kenneth: A man who lived well and died well

Veteran journalist Kenneth Amarasekera- an old sailor-who smiled and saw sunshine through every storm passed away peacefully in his sleep last Tuesday. He was 76.

From the Navy, where he was trained to be a workhorse, the gentle giant Kenneth moved to the media scene where he continued to be a workhorse, perhaps arising out of a lifelong scientific or sporting interest in international horse-racing.

Kenneth began his career in mass communications at the Lake House Bookshop in Anuradhapura from where he moved to Lake House itself and then to the Sun/Davasa group where he established himself as a top news reporter and political columnist, rising to be news editor.

Simply dressed, humble and full of humour Kenneth was the man who eased the tension with a delightful joke when newspaper deadlines put others on edge.

He wined and dined with the highest in the land but never lost the common touch and till the end was the jolly old Kenneth to his colleagues and friends.

Though suffering a severe heart attack and undergoing multiple by-pass surgery abroad in 1985, Kenneth quickly bounced back to a full-blown life.

That was his nature. Till the last days he was seen on his motor cycle or sometimes on his push cycle and family members said he insisted on washing his clothes and handling other household chores which most others would have given up after 70.

Kenneth was always confident and positive while setbacks or ailments were seldom taken seriously.

Last Monday he complained of a pain in the leg but thought it was not serious enough to go to a doctor. So he called a doctor friend on the telephone, got a painkiller and went to sleep. He did not wake up but died peacefully and without problems for anyone just as Kenneth would have liked it.

Typical of his generous spirit Kenneth's last request was that his body be given to the Medical Faculty. He was a mighty big man with a mighty big heart and whatever he did he did it well. He lived well and died well.

Thank you, Kenneth and farewell.

Resistance to Lumbini ranveta ends

By Nilika de Silva

Construction of a gold-plated railing around a Bo sapling planted in Lumbini, the birth place of the Buddha, will begin soon, after a Trust in charge of the area gave up its resistance to the project. Captain D.A. Wickramasinghe, President of Sri Lanka-Nepal Friendship Society told The Sunday Times the dispute with the Lumbini Development Trust over the construction of the railing ended after the UNESCO, which declared Lumbini as a world heritage site, assured the trust the construction of a 'ranveta' would not pose any danger to the site.

"The Lumbini Development Trust had refused to grant permission on the grounds that the master plan drawn up 25 years ago did not allow excavation on this site," Captain Wickramasinghe said.

The Sri Lanka-Nepal Friendship Society in 1996 presented the sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhiya to be replanted in Lumbini as there were no symbols associated with Buddhism in the area.

Bloody error, patient dies

By Faraza Farook

A fatal blunder by a medical officer in identifying the blood group of a patient at a provincial hospital is being investigated by health authorities.

K. Kusumawathie, 41, a mother of six, died at the Mahamodera Teaching Hospital due to what a coroner described as "incompatible blood transfusion."

Dr. Sanjaya Wanniarachchi of the Mahamodera Teaching Hospital told an inquest he had made a mistake in identifying the blood group of the patient as 'A' Positive.

The woman who was operated on for a womb related problem, was given the wrongly identified blood by an anaesthetist after the surgery. However, the anaesthetist had made no note of it in the bed ticket. The patient then developed some complications. When a resident doctor who examined the patient inquired from Dr. Wanniarachchi about blood transfusion, he asked for another sample. It was identified as 'O' Positive. By this time, at least half the blood in the packet had been transfused, the inquest was told.

Later that day Kusumawathie's condition turned serious and was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit of the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital. Having no beds in the I.C.U. she was transferred to ward 15 where she died at 7.15 p.m., the inquest was told.

Charity bazaar promotes family values

Asian family values will be the theme of a bustling bazaar to be conducted by the women of the Chinmaya Mission at the Bambalapitya Saraswathie Hall on December 5.

The Chinmaya Mission Ladies Movement says the bazaar while attempting to restore the lost shopping tradition of the past, will channel the proceed towards worthy charities such as setting up of free medical camps and free edcuation for the poor.

The stalls will display garments, including Indian sarees, computer games and food from various regions of India with cookery demonstrations.

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