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 9th May 1999 |
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Deluge drowns dreams of West Asia returneesBy Nilika de Silva and Faraza FarookReturnee migrant workers from West Asia suffered heavy losses as a result of the recent heavy rains causing virtual irreparable damage to luxury items that they had purchased with their hard earned money whilst abroad. The goods had been lying in the clearing yard of the agents unprotected by the vagaries of the weather. The much fancied items included washing machines, TV sets, CD players, VCRs, cassette recorders, clothes, irons, antennas, and hair dryers Forty year old mother of four A.V. Irene was not able to conceal her deep disappointment when she told. The Sunday Times that she had saved all her earnings in order that she bring the purchases on her return. She expressed dismay that the doll that she had bought for her little daughter was completely ruined due to the rampaging waters. Her expensive 14" colour TV was beyond repair Professional driver Shantha Pathiraja also among the returnees estimated his personal loss at around rupees one and a half lakhs. His items included the whole gamut of luxury items Many of the disappointed returnees blamed the Customs for the situation The recent go-slow by Customs personnel and the prolonged Sinhala and Hindu New Year holidays resulted in the delayed movement of goods to the clearing yards of Trico Group of Companies. The Customs however said that they are only responsible for collection of revenue and the responsibility for the condition of the goods lay squarely with the clearing agent. The returnees also said the inter- monsoonal deluge that caused most parts of the city to go under a splurge of water damaged the goods since the premises of Trico Ltd. is located in a notoriously flood prone area-Bloemendhal Road. Colombo 13. When the director of the Trico Group of Companies, Jayantha Kannangara was contacted he was critical that the government had not remedied the recurring problem of floods that he maintained was due to the faulty drainage system in that part of the city. Kannangara said the company was extremely sorry for the plight of the returnees and had offered compensation to the owners. However the latter expressed indignation at the extent of the compensation being paid They were the losers at the end of it all.
Potato aid goes undergroundBy Dilrukshi HandunnettiAbout Rs. 150 million allocated for payment of subsidy for potato cultivators has been diverted to enrich bogus cultivators, it is alleged. Agriculture Minister D.M. Jayaratne told The Sunday Times that stringent checks and measures were required to prevent such malpractice in the future. The minister said he had instructed his officials to display at Pradeshiya Sabha secretariats lists of the names of genuine cultivators and those of who had received the subsidy so that bogus claimants could be discouraged and detected. Mr. Jayaratne has also appealed to genuine cultivators to come forward and expose those indulging in the practice. Meanwhile Minister Jayaratne and Trade Minister Kingsley Wickremaratne who had earlier been at odds over the guaranteed price paid for the potato crop have now settled for the figure of Rs. 37. 50.
Fine too much; killed himselfBy Shane SeneviratneBogahawattage Punchibanda of 'Riverside", Mawathura, in Gampola , was found guilty of possessing two bottles of toddy and was fined Rs.15,000. But the next day he was found hanging in the lock-up room. He had closed the door and with the sarong he was wearing, he had hanged himself from the roof of the lock-up room. A post-mortem was held and the verdict was given as death by hanging. Family sources said he had committed suicide as he was unable to pay the fine.
Sri Lanka too at The Hague crusade for peaceful millenniumA new initiative declaring warfare illegal, wrongful and fundamentally unjust, launched by The Hague Appeal for Peace, has been gathering momentum worldwide on the eve of a new millennium. The initiative is aimed at creating a more peaceful and violence free 21st century. To this end, the campaign will bring together civil society groups, representing social movements across the world, in The Hague from Tuesday to next Sunday. Among those who will address the meeting are UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, South African peace crusader Archbishop Desmond Tutu and many other Nobel laureates and international figures. Sri Lanka will be represented at this international gathering by several peace, women's and human rights organizations. These activists have already been involved in consciousness-raising meetings locally and regionally to promote the agenda for peace. The Sri Lanka Coalition for The Hague Appeal which met in Kandy recently expressed concern over the continued violence and militarism of the state as well as armed groups within civil society. The Coalition has appealed to the government and civil society to work towards demilitarisation and an immediate halt to the armed conflict and a return to the negotiating table. The Sri Lanka Coalition also proposes the following for imediate action based on the four major themes around which the conference has been organized: human rights, conflict prevention, nuclear disarmament and the root causes of war. * For civil groups to pressurise the Sri Lankan government into signing the agreement to create an International Criminal Court; * Urge the government to sign the Ottawa sponsored International Treaty banning landmines; * Condemn unequivocally the recent missile tests carried out by India and Pakistan; * Condemn the hideous genocidal policy pursued by the Yugoslav state under Slobodan Milosovic against its minorities; * Condemn the NATO military air strikes and bombings against Yugoslavia; * Urge the international community to bring pressure on the Yugoslav government and the political parties representing people from Kosovo to end the violence and carnage and arrive at a peaceful settlement to the conflict.
Saudi workers' families hit by bank go-slowBy Mohammed Qassim in Saudi ArabiaThousands of Sri Lankan expatriates in West Asia are perturbed over the long delay in cashing bank drafts they send to their family members in Sri Lanka due to the "go slow" campaign of state banks. Those affected include dependants of housemaids who eagerly await their monthly remittances and dependants of workers who had received drafts to celebrate Avurudda and Vesak in a fitting manner. Lucky Jayasuriya, the Bank of Ceylon's Representative in the Saudi capital, told a Saudi newspaper that the action by bank unions had resulted in the non-payment of remittances in Sri Lanka. Mr. Jayasuriya said those remitters who were affected by the Banks' action, are Sri Lankans who have done so through the Al Rajhi Express Remittance Services on or after April 6. Since these payments are effected through electronic messages, he said, the agitation in the Banks has crippled the payment procedures in Sri Lanka. Mr. Jayasuriya pointed out that more than 16,000 Sri Lankan remitters had been affected due to the work-to-rule campaign of the Bank of Ceylon. Nearly half of these remittances are from the Kingdom, he added. He noted that there are nearly 2,000 Sri Lankans in Saudi Arabia who regularly remit their funds through the Al Rajhi Express Remittance Service. However, Mr. Jayasuriya said that those people who have received bank drafts from the Kingdom drawn on the Bank of Ceylon will receive instant cash on production of the drafts. The Bank of Ceylon has a network of 345 branches spread throughout Sri Lanka. It enjoys the largest market share of the non-resident foreign currency accounts in the island. Nearly 49 percent of the remittances made by Sri Lankans in the Kingdom are diverted through the Bank of Ceylon. It is the only Bank in Sri Lanka which has overseas branches in London, Karachi and Madras. Recently, the Bank introduced a new scheme for its customers where the payees of the foreign remittances in Sri Lanka are eligible for prizes when they encash the foreign drafts at any of the Bank of Ceylon's branches. Mr. Jayasuriya assured his customers that there is no cause for concern about the safety of their money. The Al Rajhi Bank, he said, will assure all its customers prompt payments of their remittances in Sri Lanka when the trade unions ended their agitation.
Estate women call for equal payBy S.S. SelvanayagamEstate women are seeking a minimum wage of Rs. 5,000 a month and an end to evils such as sexual harassment and child abuse. These and other demands are included in a resolution adopted by the Working Women's Front (WWF) at a May Day rally in Pussellawa. The demands include: end gender discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace, limit working hours of estate workers to six hours., equate women's rights with human rights, equal salary for all workers and proper implementation of legislation against child abuse.
New brigadiersFollowing Colonels have been promoted as brigadiers: D.N.Wijesuriya, B.L.N.Tissera, S.T.Abeyratne, S.Samarasekera, C.J.Kottachchi, H.K.Hendavitharana, M.Isarath, V.N.Wijegunawardena, Niranjan Ranasinghe, Asoka Thoradeniya, P.Chandrawansa, Nimal Jayasuriya, Sarath Karunaratne, W.G.M.U.R.Perera, Parakrama Pannipitiya, Tissa Jayawardena, L.B.Aluvihara, Sunil Silva. Following Lt. Colonels have been promoted to the rank of Colonels: K.D.Tillekeratne, Mohanthika Peiris, W.R.Vasantha Kumara, R.K.D.Ranaweera, Sunil Dharmaratne, B.P.I.I.S. Mendis, Lalith Wijetunga, T.G.Moseth, A.D.G.A.Jayawardena, Susil Udumalgala, S.D.Vidurapola, Bhatiya Jayatilleke, Janaka Masakkara, Roshan Silva, Milinda Peiris, L.A.Ameratunga, H.M.M.Herath, Lalith Daulagala, L.B.R.Mark, I.G.C.R.Jayaweera, V.K.Jayasinghe, A.D.U.Krishnaratne.
UNP crucified me charges AmarasiriBy Dilrukshi Handunnetti
Amidst widespread speculation after he met President Kumar atunga at Temple Trees on Thursday, Mr. Amarasiri said though he was deeply hurt by what the UNP did to him, he had not sought or been offered membership or any post in the PA. He said he would not campaign for the PA or for any other party in the June 10 southern provincial elections but would quietly watch the situation and take a decision later. Mr. Amarasiri who was a cabinet minister and later chief minister of the southern province said he had not resigned from the UNP but had quit the working committee. The widely publicised meeting between Mr. Amarasiri and the President was attended by the PA's southern heavy weights Richard Pathirana and Mahinda Rajapakse along with chief ministerial candidate Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene. Mr. Amarasiri said he was not offered PA membership nor was he keen to seek it, and he expressed his wish to be a silent observer for some time. He said there was a disturbing trend in the UNP of marginalising senior members. This also had been discussed at the Temple Trees meeting. Mr. Amarasiri stressed he would not work for the UNP as he was deeply hurt but he would find other means of serving the country. After nominations were called for the southern provincial elections last month, Mr. Amarasiri was widely tipped to be the UNP's chief ministerial candidate. But the party decided against it and Mr. Amarasiri angrily withdrew from the UNP list. Two former UNP MPs also met President Kumar atunga last week and joined the PA, dealing a serious blow to the UNP's chances in the south. Mr. Amarasiri's outburst comes in the wake of a crisis involving another UNP stalwart Wijeyapala Mendis and reports of a growing rift betweent the party leadership and the old guard.
No quorum for sleeping media committeeBy Our Legal Corr.A scheduled meeting of the Parliamentary Select Committee examining media laws was postponed last Tuesday due to a lack of a quorum with none of the Government MPs being present. Senior lawyer R.K.W. Goonasekera had turned up before the Select Committee to make submissions on behalf of Wijeya Newspapers. Ironically it was Mr. Goonasekera who was appointed by this Government to head a committee on Media Law Reforms. That committee had already made far reaching recommendations to reform media laws, and the Select Committee had been studying the R. K. W. Goonasekera committee report as well. The 29-member Select Committee is one of the largest of its kind and is chaired by the Media Minister himself. The absence of Government MPs from the Select Committee proceedings came only 24 hours after the Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera in a statement to mark International Press Freedom day said 'I hope the work of this Select Committee is expedited and its report made available for public discussion at an early date.' The Select Committee began its deliberations more than one and a half years ago. The absence of Government MPs was also felt in the main chamber. Speaker K. B. Ratnayake reprimanded Ministers and deputies for not being present. "They are not little children. I have told the Leader of the House to make them aware of the sad state of affairs," an angry Speaker said, lamenting it appeared to be elections, elections all the
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Former
Minister M. S. Amarasiri says he has been crucified by the UNP which he
served for 35 years, but he has no immediate plans to rush into any other
party and will remain a 'silent observer' in the upcoming polls.