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 4th April 1999 |
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"Tell the Police," Police tell UNPPolice have responded positively to a letter by the UNP highlighting instances of election law violations and urging action to curb such activities which contravened a recent Supreme Court ruling and urged such violations to be brought to the attention of the police for immediate action. The letter has been written in reply to a letter by UNP Legal Secretary Daya Pelpola drawing the attention of the police to various letters, circulars and instructions issued by the IGP and the Commissioner of Elections to their subordinate officers for the conduct of free and fair polls, which were also submitted in court. Senior Superintendent of Police Gamini Karunathileke has given a written assurance that the IGP has instructed all police stations to accept complaints and to investigate them. In the event of non-compliance, the victims are directed to inform the DIG of the respective Range. Meanwhile, UNP lawyers and activists have commenced gathering information about police officers who are violating the instructions of the IGP, commended by the Supreme Court, which said violation was deemed as contempt of court. The UNP group has already made several complaints against alleged violations or biased conduct of officers, to the IGP and other authorities.
CMEV anathema to ministerThe Centre for Monitoring Election Violence has alleged that Minister D.M.Jayaratne has told PA supporters to chase away CMEV monitors thereby making it obvious that he has felt threatened and vulnerable under the impartial scrutiny of the CMEV. In a media communique the CMEV stated that Mr Jayaratne had made the observation at a PA rally in Kandy, and has repeatedly gone on record in the state media , recently that the CMEV is functioning as a branch organisation of the UNP, and that reports published by the CMEV are fabricated, that the CMEV obtains funds in dollars and pounds but never discloses where it gets its money from and that no one should assist it in any of its work. The CMEV states that Mr Jayaratne felt very threatened and vulnerable under the impartial scrutiny of the Centre and has exposed both himself and the government in his attempt to incite and provoke antagonism against CMEV in the independent election-monitoring process. The CMEV further stated that they have cited Mr. D.M. Jayaratne as one of the alleged perpetrators of election offences on January 25 at the Wayamba Provincial Council election. Mr.Jayaratne responded that he would sue CMEV for criminal defamation and the CMEV replied that it stood by its reports and invited him to do so but nothing has happened to date, the CMEV said. Meanwhile, the CMEV states that if they are in fact fabricating election related incidents, Mr Jayaratne has only to initiate legal action and the truth will triumph. However the signatories of CMEV press releases who have been crudely maligned and maliciously defamed by Mr Jayaratne are to take legal action against the Minister. As a responsible representative of the party in power he should know better than to stoop so low as he has done, misusing his position and his access to the state media in order to make blatantly false and defamatory statements against CMEV purely because its impartiality stings him to the quick , the statement stated. The CMEV has also stated that already its field office staff in Badulla, Ratnapura, Matale, Kalutara, Nuwara Eliya and Polonnaruwa have received anonymous phone threats. On March 31 the PA polls watch requested the telephone numbers and addresses of all field officers of the CMEV, the communique further stated. This was complied with on April 1 and within hours the threats began in earnest, it stated. The demand by PA officials for complaints received against PA supporters does not augur well for it end up in a witch-hunt of the complainants, the CMEV stated. In the light of these events, the CMEV states that it places before the public the facts of the situation so that they can make the judgement.
Govt. politicos violate directive says PAFFRELBy Chamintha ThilakarathnaElection monitors have observed that government MPs, including ministers, are violating a presidential directive not to interfere in election matters of provinces they do not represent. "A majority of complaints have been made against the PA and we have reports that certain ministers and MPs along with supporters from the Southern Province are crowding themselves in the Uva and Central Province," said Kingsley Rodrigo, Executive Director of People's Action Front for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL). The Presidential directive forbids PA parliamentarians to get involved in election activities in other provinces. The don'ts were sent down when the President briefed PA candidates at Temple Trees last month. The instructions were given to prevent incidents that marred the Wayamba elections in January from recurring. Mr. Rodrigo alleged that hundreds of persons from the Southern province had been reported to have moved into the Uva province and a fairly large number was also seen in the Kegalle district. They fear that Kegalle, Mahiyangana, Matale and Hanguraketha would prove to be the worst of all in terms of violence. "We will not allow such interferences especially when the president has issued strict orders not to interfere with election related activities in other provinces," said Minister Alavi Moulana. According to Mr. Moulana, they are facing a grave problem of insufficient police officers to control violence that may erupt. He said that when the election was held in one province, police were unable to handle the situation, now that elections are held in five provinces at the same time, they could only hope that violence would be controlled.
Ranil to CBKTime to prove you mean what you sayBy Dilrukshi HandunnettiOpposition UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has warned the PA will face moral and electoral defeats if Tuesday's provincial polls are held in a manner similar to the Wayamba fraud. Mr. Wickremesinghe addressing a public rally in Moneragala on Friday said the government had to tread carefully and ensure free and fair polls as agreed at the all-party monitoring committee, and this heavy duty was reposed on her. "This is one task she cannot delegate to others and it would be up to the President to prove her bona fides by clearly proving that the government genuinely regretted the Wayamba fiasco and was intent on holding clean polls," he said. Criticising the President's belated move to appoint an all-party monitoring body as a move to escape public wrath, he said her motive was to camouflage the government's villainy. "We were advised not to attend the APC but we decided to give it a chance as democracy is all about giving and taking. Despite the regular meetings, nothing concrete has come about and supporters of many political parties have been at the receiving end of PA violence. Yet we continued to attend the meetings hoping that it might give a few openings to usher in a new and vibrant political culture where candidates and supporters would not declare war on each other at election time," he said.
Do your duty or face punishment, UNP warns police, public officersThe UNP has warned all ministry secretaries, corporation heads and chief inspectors of police that if they failed to take measures to prevent election malpractices, a future UNP government will take legal action against them . In strongly worded letters sent to police officers, UNP General Secretary Gamini Atukorale has pointed out that at the recent elections some police officers had become government stooges and carried out anti-social and unfair orders from politicians to curry favour with them. The UNP statement said the duty of the police was to protect law abiding citizens and to maintain law and order. The UNP in another letter to all ministry secretaries and corporation heads has urged them not to allow misappropriation of public property by releasing institutional resources and property in support of the PA campaign.
'Peace' delegation to talk refugee crisis with PresidentBy Shelani de SilvaA peace group comprising religious leaders will hand over a report on the refugee problem in the north to President Kumaratunga shortly. Ven. Kumburugamuwe Vajira Thera who headed the delegation that visited the uncleared areas last month and held talks with LTTE leaders said they would convey their observations on the refugee crisis in the Wanni area when they meet the President soon after the April 6 provincial polls. "The meeting is important. We need to get permission to go back to the North and provide basic facilities to the refugees. Already we have delayed too long," he said. The prelate said although the delegation would give priority to the refugee problem in its discussion with the President , it will also brief the President on the LTTE's interest in dialogue. Commenting on the government's recent military victories, the Ven Vajira Thera said he believed only dialogue could solve the conflict. The prelate also said if they got clearance to go back to the North for refugee work and were invited by the LTTE for a discussion they would accept. "We will try to persuade them to enter a process of dialogue with the government," he said. Meanwhile Professor Tissa Vitharana who was also in the delegation said that given the opportunity of meeting the LTTE they would always stress the need for dialogue.
Prelates call for alliance with mediaA non-political alliance between leaders of all religions and the independent media has been proposed as part of a fresh effort to salvage the country from the path of destruction and moral decay. The proposal was made by well known prelates of all religions at a media conference held at the auditorium of the National Library Services Board in Colombo. The Ven. Kotugoda Dhammavasa Anunayake Thera and Anuradhapura Bishop Oswald Gomis who mooted the proposal said leaders of all religions were now prepared to come forward in a campaign to tackle the cult of violence gripping our country, but they needed the active though critical support of the independent media in carrying the message to the people. They proposed regular meetings with the media including editors and publishers for a dialogue on how to get public cooperation to end violence and restore values and principles in society. The Ven. Madihe Pannasiha Mahanayake Thera who also addressed the media conference said excessive party politics was the root cause of all ills and evils in Sri Lanka. He said that while many other democracies had only two or three political parties, Sri Lanka had as many as 32 and the quality of the politicians was getting so bad that it was like a political madhouse. The Ven. Dr. Bellanwila Vimalaratana Thera and the Ven. Maduluwawe Sobhita Nayake Thera also spoke out strongly for direct links between religious leaders and the media, bypassing or overriding party politics. They called for a code of ethics and strict discipline in political parties to ensure that only people of integrity and a sincere love for the country come into mainstream politics. The prelates pointed out that in some countries a special university degree and a further course of training were essential for anyone who wished to contest even for a small local council. But in Sri Lanka any thug or rogue could come into the high places of politics if he had the right or wrong connections along with an armed gang to support him. The Ven. Sobhita Thera called for urgent action to set up an independent elections commission, police commission and public services commission. He warned that if politicians continued to kill democracy as they did in Wayamba more youth would have no option but to turn to the gun and Sri Lanka would be plunged into fascism. The religious prelates appealed to journalists to become aware of the powerful role they could play and to play that role with responsibility. They said journalists needed to be aware that what they wrote would either help build or destroy the country and the people. Hindu and Muslim religious leaders who also spoke called on all Sri Lankans to cooperate with them in restoring a just and fair society through unity in diversity. Moulavi Al-Alim A.R. M. Zarook said the Panchaseela precepts of Buddhism were also preached by other religions and if all the people lived according to those principles, the violence would end and a new social order ushered in. Professor Dr. V. Kailasapillai President of the All Ceylon Hindu Congress said the religious leaders with the cooperation of the media would work to turn the youth from the bloody path of destruction to the new way of using their boundless energy in building a new Sri Lanka for the new millennium.
Swarnavahini gets clearer channel for World CupCricket fans will be in for treat next month with Swarnavahini opening a channel exclusively to telecast the 1999 World Cup tournament to be held in England next month. More than 90% of the viewers will be able to watch the World Cup Cricket Tournament from May 14 to June 20 with Swarnavahini's high capacity transmitter. The transmitter is situated on Kikiliyamanne mountain in Nuwara Eliya with relay stations in Colombo, Hunnasgiriya, Gongala (Deniyaya), Gammaduwa (Matale), Nayabedda (Bandarawela), Minu-wangala (Ratnapura) and Hantane (Kandy) for better reception in those areas. The new transmitter will have the most powerful channel with the largest coverage among other private TV stations in Sri Lanka, Swarnavahini officials said. Cricket fans are advised to tune to channel 33 though some may have other options and a better reception because of the relay stations. Meanwhile the ITN is opening a new transmitting station at Hunnasgiriya to strengthen signals and enhance the reception in the Matale and Kandy districts. The new transmitting station will be declared open by Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera at 11.00 a.m. today.
Armed with recognition, KDA offers degreesBy Nilika de SilvaThe Kotelawela Defence Academy (KDA) has become the first military academy in the world to gain the recognition of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, according to a senior officer. Deputy Commandant A.V. Abeysena said that this was a great honour to this academy which was opened in 1981. For the first time cadets will be enrolled this year at the KDA to read for the Bachelor of Commerce Degree, he said. Located at Ratmalana in the spacious gardens of the walauwa which was the home of Sir John Kotelwela, a one-time prime minister, the KDA is made up of an academic wing and a training wing, enabling the military training to run parallel with the academic training. Yet, as Colonel Udaya Perera, the commanding officer in charge of the Cadet Wing explained "only 25 percent of the military training is done at the KDA, during the first and second years." The classes are conducted in English. "Our aim is not only to produce graduates but to produce graduates with military background - 'an officer and a gentleman'. This is why even ballroom dancing is taught at the KDA," said an official. A five-month full-time, English intensive course is held from August to December. This will prepare the students for the classes which are conducted in English. The familiarity with the language will also make them better able to use the library facilities. The sporting facilities at hand provide an opportunity for the cadets to specialize in any chosen recreational activity. Squash, basketball and tennis courts, a swimming pool and a gymnasium are some of the facilities available to cadets. Among the courses on offer at the Kotelawela Defence Academy are civil, mechanical, electronic, electrical, marine and aeronautical engineering, management and technical sciences.
Chocolate contract in tattersThe Board of Investment (BOI) has cancelled its agreement with a local confectionary group following the discovery that the chocolate meant for export is being sold in the local market. The BOI cancelled its agreement with Edna Chocolates Exports Ltd with effect from November 19, 1998. It is learnt that the company had said it was selling the products locally because it could not meet the export standards due to a fault in a machine. BOI Deputy Director General M. P. T.Cooray said the agreement was cancelled after it was mutually agreed that the company was in violation of BOI law. A machine imported for this company did not give the required quality but proved to have a technical defect. As a result the chocolates could not be exported. Mr. Cooray said the company could not then continue to function as an export oriented firm and so the agreement with the BOI had to be cancelled. Edna officials when contacted by The Sunday Times said they did not want to comment on the matter.
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