• Coming home after months of horror
• Alleged child abuse: teacher fired
• 'Police pushing for marriage in school girl rape case'
• Medical NGO pulling out
• Big racket at CEB stores
• Kandy SSP goes to Jaffna
• Cargo ship hits rock off Trinco
• Singer's son petitions against Seeduwa cops
• Tornado hits Moratuwa, Piliyandala
• Inderfurth talks extradition pact
• New transformer security, but guards not paid
• SLMC-PA ties: decision soon
• Police close eye on political striptease
• Right of reply
• Breach of privilege
• Underworld gets guns
• 'People disempowered, police and polls officers paralysed'
• He dug his grave before he was killed?
• Bishop Calls for democratic values
• All together or none, says UNP
• "Unuth Ekai, Munuth Ekai" - The Presidency
• Wayamba violence screams for reforms
• From Koggala to diplomacy and back - News Maker
• Small arms: big problem world over - inside the glass house

Coming home after months of horror

By Chris Kamalendran 

A batch of over 100 housemaids, most of whom had undergone severe difficulties during their period of employment in Lebanon and Kuwait were flown in this week by the Government.

Most of them complained about breaches of contract, including non-payment of salaries, heary workload, food problems and inadequate medical care.

The other complaints varied from sexual harassment, to assault and not allowing them to communicate with their family members.

The Sunday Times spoke to a crosssection of the Sri Lankans who returned and were received by the FEB at the Bandaranaike International Air port.

Ms. Nilanthi Athukorala, hailing from Horana who was returning to the country after five years said she was happy only in the first two months. Since then she was treated virtually as a slave.

'I was working on the 11th floor of a building. Not even on a single day was I allowed to go out of the house. I was served only with one meal. I had decided to escape, but I had no way. One day when the owners were out of the house I managed to escape,' Nilanthi said.

Nilanthi had escaped with the help of a friend and managed to get to the Sri Lankan Mission where she had to spend three months before returning to the country.

Mrs. K.C.Perera, 40, a mother of five children from Kandana who had spent seven months in Kuwait said her master was a ruthless person and continued to harass her throughout her stay there.

'The first two months my salary was paid, but the mistress of the house collected the money and never gave it to me', she said.

Mrs. Perera had suffered a spinal injury after her master beat her with a rod. She arrived in a wheel chair.

After severe ill-treatment Mrs. Perera had made a previous attempt to escape, but failed and was beaten by her master. Finally her master had realised she could not continue her work and had handed her over to the Sri Lankan Mission.

Mrs.Sujatha Kumarihamy, 28 from Rideegama in Kurunegala who had spent seven months in Lebanon said she had asked for her salary, was beaten up and later escaped to the Lankan Mission.

Alleged child abuse: teacher fired

By Kumudini Hettiarachchi

The girl had been in tears after the teacher allegedly attempted to fondle her in the school library. When asked by a friend as to what was upsetting her, the girl, weeping uncontrollably, had come out with the story, parents said.

School authorities admitted that the incident had taken place on January 28, but stressed it was a "minor" one. "It was a one-off incident. We took immediate action. The teacher concerned has been dismissed after an internal inquiry. The parents are satisfied. The child came back to school the next day," a spokesman for the school said urging The Sunday Times not to tarnish the image of the school over such a "minor" incident.

The school has around 300 children, both local and foreign on its roll. The ratio of locals and foreigners among the 35 teachers is also about 50-50.

Asked whether teachers' credentials were checked before recruitment, the school authorities said the teacher involved in the incident had been working in an African country before he joined the international school. "He was working for that country's Ministry of Education. What more can you ask for?" one official said.

Had they informed the police? No, the authorities admitted last Wednesday, but the school board had now decided to do so. Questioned as to when they will inform the police, the official said, "today or tomorrow."

Police, independently informed of the incident, said they were probing the allegations and would question school authorities. The teacher was not available for comment or clarification of the incident. 

Sri Lanka's Child Protection Authority Chairman Harendra de Silva said: "Offences against children are criminal acts, however minor they are. Under the Penal Code it is mandatory for anyone who sees, hears or knows about such an incident to report the matter to the police."

Giving an example, Prof. de Silva said a labourer of a hospital in the south had sexually abused a child who had been with a patient. The hospital administrator had held an internal inquiry and "punished" him by transferring him out. Now the administrator was in trouble for not informing the police, as it is obligatory under the Penal Code.

SSP Nihal Karunaratne who is investigating the alleged incident said offences against children came under Section 360B of the Penal Code Amendment Act 22 of 1995. Such offences were punishable by imprisonment of a minimum of five years going up to 20 years.

'Police pushing for marriage in school girl rape case'

By Shane Seneviratne

The father in a letter to the DIG and SSP of Kandy said his daughter, year 13 student of a leading girls' school, had been taken to a house in Aruppola and raped several times. He said the police had so far failed to carry out an impartial inquiry.

His daughter had been admitted to the Kandy hospital and the medical report confirmed she had been raped several times.

The father also said he had made a complaint to the Kandy police station but they had advised that his daughter should marry the boy who had raped her.

He said he believed that the police were not conducting a proper investigation despite sufficient evidence to prove the case.

Medical NGO pulling out

By Faraza Farook

The NGO, Memisa Medicus Mundi (MMM) was to assume duties in January this year. But it is unable to proceed with its work since the Health Ministry has not given them the go-ahead, sources said.

The team of medical officials have been in Sri Lanka since September last year waiting to serve at the Mannar Hospital after the withdrawal of another NGO, Medicin Sans Frontiers in December. 

Big racket at CEB stores

By Frederica Jansz 

CEB General Manager Ana Seneviratne has called in the CID to probe the fraud which he says amounts to about Rs. 5.7 million. A storekeeper who is alleged to have acted in connivance with the supplier has been interdicted. 

CEB sources said the detection was made after checking vehicle movement records of the store. The supplier's vehicles had not entered the stores premises on the dates shown in the delivery orders but on different dates. 

Kandy SSP goes to Jaffna

Cargo ship hits rock off Trinco

The merchant vessel 'Bropondis' ground to a halt at around 8.20 a.m. yesterday. 

An official from the Sri Lanka Ports Authority in Trincomalee said last afternoon that the ship was still in the same position. 

The crew and captain were remaining on board.

The Deputy Harbour Master had visited the vessel together with Naval officers. 

Meanwhile, an officer from the Navy Camp in Trincomalee said the damage to the ship was very minor. He told The Sunday Times last afternoon that the ship should be able to sail again by evening.

Singer's son petitions against Seeduwa cops

Chaminda's brother had allegedly been stabbed by a well-known businessman of the area, Lakshman Fernando.

The petitioner submitted that when he had gone to the police station along with his brother and some others in a van to make the complaint, Fernando's vehicle had been parked there.

The OIC and SI of the police station had allegedly assaulted the petitioner and the others in the van and thrown them into a police cell. Although he had pleaded that his brother be taken to hospital it had been of no avail.

The petitioner has submitted that the OIC and the SI abused and humiliated him asked him to state that no stabbing incident took place and to sign a document, the contents of which he did not know.

Meanwhile, his injured brother had got into the van and driven towards Negombo. The police had allegedly opened fire, further injuring him. He was admitted to the Negombo Base Hospital and thereafter transferred to the General Hospital.

The petitioner has asked for a sum of five million rupees as compensation.

Tornado hits Moratuwa, Piliyandala

More than 15 houses and 10 vehicles were damaged in the heavy winds which lasted seven minutes.

According to Moratuwa and Piliyandala police many vehicles were damaged by flying objects such as roofing sheets and coconut palms. Met Department official S. Premalal said, "when a down draught forms in the thunder clouds, it is likely that a gale or a tornado can take place. We suspect that what hit Moratuwa and Piliyandala was a tornado."

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