Bloody hell as officials play bamboo

Madampe horrified by tragedy but the danger remains

By Faraza Farook and Nilika de Silva

Madampe was angry and shocked over the latest road horror that killed among others a young couple and their baby daughter.

Samadara Sobhini (31) and her husband Leyard Tillekaratne (31) were teachers at Madampe Senanayake Madhya Maha Vidyalaya.

They were taking their child to be left with an aunt before going to school when all hell was let loose on them. The sight of their two and a half year old daughter, Baby Upasama Ashcharya, placed in a coffin between the coffins of her parents was a heart rending sight.

The people at the funeral were shocked and furious, complaining that while politicians busted up millions for their personal comfort and privilege, they did not care to put up even a bamboo gate to save lives of innocent people.

To add injustice to tragedy, Railway officials insist they cannot afford to protect every level corssing.

When we visited the place of the accident, we found buses and school vans also using the unprotected level crossing. We found that until a vehicle came right up to the rail track the driver was unable to see an approaching train due to thick shrubs on either side.

The trains do not even sound their horns when approaching the unprotected level crossing and thereby no warning is given to motorists. Even the signboard stating 'Beware of the Train' was often unseen and ineffective.

Negligence of various parties, including officials and motorists and unsafe roads have led to an alarming increase in the number of fatal accidents.

Unprotected railway crossings, bad motoring habits and drunken driving have all contributed to the calamity.

The two major accidents with terribly fatal consequences took place last week, leaving seven people, including a child, killed with a strong message that this crisis needs to be addressed urgently.

Madampe residents said some years ago there had been a bamboo gate but it had later been removed, for unknown reasons. Since then this road has been a virtual death trap for motorists.

A Tillekeratne family and another family member were killed when their van stalled on the railway track and was hit by an oncoming train.

The fourth victim of this tragic accident K. A. Gamini (36), was the grama sevaka of Mahawewa, and the brother in law of Mr. Tillekeratne.

On May 6 as on other schooldays, Samadara with her husband was going to her parents' home to drop their little daughter to be looked after by her sister while they were at work. Though they usually went on their motorcycle, on that fateful day they travelled in Gamini's van.

The accident which took place around 7.20 a.m was witnessed by many people, who are still suffering from the emotional trauma of the scene of carnage.

"We were shouting, asking them to stop the vehicle as the train was approaching, but the van stalled on the tracks," Nalaka, an eye witness said. He said that after the collision, the van had been dragged for some distance before the train derailed and stopped.

Aruna Bandu Jayasena, another witness said "We always stop vehicles when we see a train coming.

Even this time we warned the driver but he was unable to get the vehicle started when it stalled."

"On several occasions terrible accidents had been avoided by our shouting and warning the drivers that a train was coming," said a man clearing the weeds beside the track. "But it is essential that a level crossing gate be put up immediately to prevent any further tragedies."

When The Sunday Times contacted the Chief Trains Controller J. Dassanayake, he said it was not practical to have a level crossing gate at every point. Since two or three people man the place in shifts, the cost involved was high.

"We will have to spend about Rs. 30,000 a month to maintain a level crossing. Therefore we can't afford to have a guarded level crossing except on main roads," he said.

Mr. Dassanayake stressed that although level crossings were important, motorists too should be vigilant while using level crossings. On the Kandy road in Kelaniya, motorists break level crossing at least once every day, he said.

Meanwhile in Panadura, two youths and a pedestrian were killed when a racing car used a highway as a race track.

Eye witnesses told police that the 12.00cc turbo racing car had been racing at 120 to130 mph on the Kalutara-Colombo road when the tragedy occurred.

According to Panadura Police Chief Inspector Kumarasiri, the pedestrian had been knocked down at Nalluruwa and the car had proceeded about a mile before it collided with an oncoming bus, while attempting to overtake another vehicle.

One of the boys in the car who survived the accident was admitted to the Accident Service in Colombo.

Thousands of people duped at racketeer's bargain shop

Police launch countrywide search for the racketeer

A 'five-star' wheeler-dealer with suspected terrorist connections has caused chaos in Kandana by swindling thousands of customers.

More than 800 people have complained to the police that they were swindled by the racketeer who ran a hire-purchase shop, offering items ranging from TVs to refrigerators at incredibly low prices.

The police have launched a countrywide search for the racketeer identified as Sinnathamby Muralitharan who disappeared last Tuesday, after hoodwinking customers to part with more than Rs. 50 million.

The racketeer's hire-purchase shop at Kandana, with a high-sounding name Five Star Enterprises, even sold small items such as soap and milk powder at astonishingly low prices.

A 14 inch Japanese colour TV costing Rs. 22,000 was offered at Rs. 7,500. A washing machine worth Rs. 23,000 was offered at Rs. 8,100.

Kandana police said they had taken in three suspects, including the brother of the bogus tycoon and were questioning them.

The brother who is an accountant by profession was paid by Mr. Muralitharan for carrying out auditing work on his business. But the brother claims he is completely unaware of Mr. Muralitharan's dealings.

Meanwhile, complainants were queuing up at a special counter of the Kandana police station to give details of how they had been attracted by the give-away offer and then defrauded.

The shop which was launched with a lot of fanfare in February reportedly built a customer base by giving items at low prices to the first customers. Through these customers, handbills and other forms of advertising, the word was spread till huge crowds turned up at the shop, sometimes causing even traffic jams.

The too-good-to-be-true leaflets were distributed in and around the area and even to passengers on trains and buses.

The accounting records of Five Star Enterprises being investigated at the police station showed that Rs. 27,000 had been spent on advertising over private radio stations.

Kandana Police Inspector Haroon Dole said they had strong suspicion about the dealings of this enterprise and had even questioned some employees but no substantial evidence was available.

One victim, Shyamali Kumaraperuma, said: "The way those girls in the shop spoke we really believed we were getting a fantastic deal. We paid more than Rs. 4,000 for a bicycle and dinner set. And now we don't know what to do."

The racketeer apparently built confidence among customers by various tricks. People had even been given the choice of withdrawing the money if they suspected anything.

"The first time I paid money at Five Star Enterprises I received the goods. But I came again and paid money for a gas cooker and a steel wardrobe which I was to get next month," said another victim.

The receipts issued to the customers by Five Star did not state what items had been bought. It gave only a code number.

Another housewife who was in the queue to complain and wished to remain anonymous said that at first she did not suspect anything because they saw many customers taking away their goods at bargain prices. Now it is believed that some of those customers also might have been hired to hoodwink others.

The premises where the racketeer ran his plunder shop is said to belong to an Excise Superintendent.

When customers realised they had been duped and the racketeer had bolted, hundreds of people stormed the shop on Wednesday night and carried away all the available goods, a resident said.

The police rushed to the scene and seized the goods the people were taking away. But later that night another crowd broke into the shop and took away various items, including washing machines, wash basins and sewing machines.

Police are now investigating reports that Mr. Muralitharan might be linked to a terrorist group and was involved in weapons smuggling also. He is reported to have a previous conviction for a robbery in Thimbirigasyaya.

About 20 young men and women from surrounding areas were employed in the shop.

Inspector Dole said every step has been taken to prevent the racketeer from leaving the country but he could have slipped away in a boat to India.

Bills unpaid, boss missing

By Ayesha R. Rafiq

A Swiss businessman who came here along with a Russian crew to set up a local air service to Jaffna is alleged to have disappeared or even died after leaving massive bills unpaid in two Colombo hotels.

The man identified as J. Paraloni had first come to Sri Lanka in December last year reportedly with the intention of opening a local branch of a foreign airline to start a domestic air service to Jaffna.

He had run up a bill of more than Rs. 1.6 million at the Trans Asia Hotel and left without settling it, a hotel official said.

He said the hotel had written to the Swiss Embassy but little progress had been made in the effort to recover the money.

Later, Mr. Parolini along with his Russian air crew had gone over to Hotel Ceylon Intercontinental where they ran up a bill of over Rs. 1 million before he allegedly disappeared without settling it.

The Russian crew is still stranded at the hotel and reportedly say they don't know what to do or where to go.

The private plane in which Mr. Parolini and his crew flew is still at the Katunayake airport, but officials there declined any further comment.

One crew member reportedly said they now feared whether Mr. Parolini might even have died in Switzerland, but they had no confirmation of anything.

Trafficking in raffle tickets

It happened to a private bus on Thursday. A traffic cop signalled the bus to a halt. The driver was surprised as he believed he had not committed any offence. But he told the conductor to get down and see what the problem was.

When the conductor returned to the bus, he said the traffic policeman had not given him a traffic ticket but persuaded him to buy Police Seva Vanitha tickets.

Surely, there are other ways of filling the Seva Vanitha coffers than by blocking traffic or trafficking in raffle tickets through policemen. Over to you, Mr. IGP

Remanded again

The cases of the two paedophiles arrested in Negombo recently is to be argued again on May 21, with both suspects being further remanded until that date. Alleged Swedish paedophile Eric Ove Lenhert when arrested on April 23 was remanded until May 7 but was released on May 2 by the Negombo Magistrate.

In keeping with an order made by Negombo High Court Judge A.L. Abyeratne Lenhert was however rearrested on May 4.

Mr. Lenhert was allegedly apprehended at a hotel near the airport with an AirLanka ticket and a new passport.

The Police Women and Child Abuse Desk Chief Nihal Karunaratne asked the Negombo Magistrate that Mr. Lenhert be not kept at the Negombo remand, but transferred to the Welikada remand prison.

Jani Nielson, the alleged Norwegian paedophile who was also arrested on April 23 was remanded until May 21.

Docs: She must go

Doctors in the Wayamba have warned of yet another strike if a Deputy Director of Health Service in the province is not transferred by tomorrow.

The GMOA's Puttalam branch chief, Dr. P.S. Hemachandra, said the doctors had called off their strike last Friday on assurances that the transfer would be carried out by tomorrow.

If that was not done, all-out strike action would be launched again.

He said that despite the Public Service Commission having levelled thirteen charges on the deputy director concerned, she continues to disregard the order.

He said the transfer order was given about five months ago but the provincial ministry had been looking the other way at her refusal to go.

Big guns moving to the Southern Province

By Shelani de Silva

The main political parties contesting the southern provincial elections will this week push their campaign into full gear.

President Kumaratunga will go to the southern capital of Galle on Saturday for the PA's first major rally with others also billed to be held in Matara and Hambantota.

Chief Ministerial candidate Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene said the theme and thrust of the PA campaign would be the development work carried out in the south.

He said the party will not waste time and money on poster campaign but instead would go from house-to house to bring about a balanced awareness among the people.

The main opposition UNP which held an election-oriented May Day rally in Galle will also hold its first major election meetings on Saturday in Bad-degama, Elpitiya, Kamburupitiya and Weligama.

With former Minister M. S. Amarasiri and two former MPs going against the UNP, most political observers believe the party would face an uphill task.

The JVP, emerging as a third force after its good performance in the April 6 elections, will hold its first major election rally in Tangalle on Friday with all the top-rungers on stage.

The south was the original power base of this radical youth party and a spokesman said they would hold more than 30 meetings along with a host of pocket meetings, house-to-house campaign and street dramas to carry its message to the people.

The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna will hold its first meeting today with the focus on unsolved problems or broken promises, especially the unemployment crisis, party leader Dinesh Gunawardena said.

He again called on President Kumaratunga to reconvene the all-party election monitoring committee.

Two ministers, two deputies to quit

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

Two ministers and two deputy ministers are expected to resign their portfolios and seats in parliament next month to take up their posts as chief ministers of provinces, government sources said.

They said the Attorney General after a month-long study had given the legal greenlight for them to resign and take up the new post.

This was conveyed to them at a meeting at Temple Trees on Thursday by Presidential Secretary K. Balapatabendi, but some did not attend. In line with this, Minister Bertie Premalal Dissanayake is expected to resign and take over as chief minister of the North Central Province, Minister Nandimitra Ekanayake in the Central Province, Deputy Minister Weerawanni in Uva and Deputy Minister Athauda Seneviratne in Sabaragamuwa.

They were earlier expected to take over as chief ministers after the April 6 elections but a legal snag about their position delayed the move and President Kumaratunga had directed the Attorney General to study the issue fully.

Temporarily the wives of Mr. Dissanayake and Mr. Weerawanni and the brother of Mr. Ekanayake have been sworn in as chief ministers.

PA monitor in each electorate

The PA Polls Watch group will appoint a non-party election monitor for each electorate in the upcoming southern provincial election, an official said.

The group's co-ordinator, S A Sripathi, said this was being done on a directive by President Kumaratunga who recently met the Polls Watch members and requested that the system of monitoring be made more effective. It is learnt that a retired principal or an impartial person in a similar capacity will be appointed as a monitor in each electorate.

Mr. Sripathi said the campaigning was generally peaceful but the monitors would be on alert. Meanwhile an official of PAFFREL said only four complaints had been received so far.

The monitoring group is expected to meet the province's party leaders tomorrow.

Small parties lobby for fair polls

Small political parties contesting the southern polls have urged the two main parties to ensure a violence-free campaign in the run-up to the June 10 elections — and both the PA and the UNP have assured that steps are being taken towards this end.

The MEP and Sinhale Maha Sammatha Bhoomiputra Party have agreed on a common programme to be pursued by the all-party election monitoring committee and their proposals for a free and fair poll were sent to the ruling PA and the main Opposition UNP. The proposals urge the two main parties to educate and encourage their members to refrain from confrontational politics.

UNP General Secretary Gamini Atukorale said their candidates had been briefed on campaign strategies, non-confrontational conduct of polls and to refrain from putting up posters and banners in violation of election laws.

PA leaders in Galle, Matara and Hambantota have initiated district level monitoring offices to counter violence. Ministers Richard Pathirana, Mahinda Rajapakse and parliamentarian Dallas Alahapperuma have already begun their monitoring activities with the assistance of representatives from other parties. In addition, Mr. Alahapperuma has sent a common appeal to candidates from all political parties to ensure a pollution-free environment by the non-use of polythene decorations and to ensure exemplary campaign conduct and non-violation of election laws.

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