• Zero welcome for hero
• Ghost-busting in polling booths
• Iron curtain for Temple Trees
• Committee to probe debacle
• Army-UK firm clash over body armour

Zero welcome for hero

By Nihal Fernando, our Airport photographer

When they came in triumph with the World Cup in March 1996, there were tens of thousands to greet them. But when they came on Friday in the aftermath of the 1999 World Cup disaster, there was hardly any one to meet them — only police officers to protect them from possible threats from angry fanatics.

Here Sanath Jayasuriya, the sensational star of 1996 is seen at the BIA on his arrival.

There were no fans, or garlands and the cricketers who often were given VIP privileges had to use the normal passenger terminals this time. Among others who arrived with Sanath Jayasuriya are Romesh Kaluwitharana, Chaminda Vaas, Upul Chandana, Mahela Jayawardena and Ruwan Kalpage along with officials Duleep Mendis, Roy Dias and D. S. De Silva. Captain Arjuna Ranatunga — under strong pressure to quit — did not come with the team and is reported to have gone on an extended tour elsewhere in Europe as has vice captain Aravinda de Silva with his newly wed wife.

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Ghost-busting in polling booths

By Shelani de Silva

For the first time the Elections Department has worked out a strategy to track down ghost voters who might turn up in their thousands at Thursday's elections to the Southern Provincial Councils.

As political parties wind up their campaign with final rallies scheduled for tomorrow, an elections official said they were armed with a list of more than 12,000 people who had died in the southern districts of Galle, Matara and Hambantota after the last polls list was compiled.

Officers at polling booths would be given these lists to check and apprehend anyone who tries to vote in the name of a dead person.

The new operation is being implemented amidst allegations that thousands of impersonators helped by politicians had been voting for dead people at previous elections, with a grave influence on the ultimate results.

The official said the lists of deaths had been obtained from the Registrar General and any suspected ghost voter would be handed over to the police for action.

Political parties have welcomed the new move to track down the ghost voters. But at their final meeting with the commissioner of elections, opposition parties expressed concern that despite new efforts by the department, state vehicles were still being misused widely for party work in the south.

Meanwhile police have set up four operation centres in the south and are on full alert to prevent violence or malpractices though the south had been relatively quiet, a spokesman said.

Deputy Inspector General Bodhi Liyanage who is in charge of security said that every operation centre would have hotlines for the public to call and report any incidents.

He said there would be a mobile patrol for every three polling booths while additional security would be given to areas which were known to be vulnerable.

He assured that where any valid complaint was made on the hot-line, a mobile patrol would be rushed to the area within 15 minutes.

The hot-line numbers are as follows: Galle 09-34499, Elpitiya - 09-91222, Matara - 041- 22996 and Tangalle 047 - 40222. Meanwhile, Government Agents of Galle, Matara and Hambantota who would be acting as returning officers for the June 10 elections have vowed they would cancel polling in any booth where there was substantial evidence of impersonation, stuffing of ballot boxes or intimidation of voters.

As officials finalised arrangements, the political big guns were all moved to the south with President Kumaratunga scheduled to address the final PA rally in Galle and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe presiding at the party rally in Matara.

Some 13,200 officials will be on duty at the 1,322 booths in the three districts where 53 members are to be elected from 707 candidates who are contesting elections.

Iron curtain for Temple Trees

A security wall costing Rs. 32 million is to be built around Temple Trees, even while plans are afoot to build a presidential complex in Battaramulla at a cost of more than Rs. 1.5 billion.

The Sunday Times learns that the contract for the building of this high security wall has been given to Lanka Trading and Construction (Private) Limited. and the project is to be carried out on an urgent basis.

After President Kumaratunga moved into Temple Trees five years ago, the area has been cordoned off, causing severe traffic jams at peak hours on other main roads. Businesses and residents in the vicinity are also complaining of severe hardships or inconveniences.

Meanwhile, the official President's house at Janadhipathi Mawatha is being maintained at a high cost though it is used only for state functions.

Committee to probe debacle

By Marlon

Amidst mounting criticism and calls for changes the Cricket Board yesterday invited an eminent panel of past cricketers and top administrators to probe what went wrong at the World Cup and work out a new strategy to resurrect Sri Lanka Cricket.

According to a high ranking official of the BCCSL these eminent personalities together with members of the executive committee will hold their first meeting on Friday.

The inquiry panel will comprise S. Skandakumar, C. H. Gunasekera, Gerry Gunaratne Ari Kannangara, Tita Nathanielsz, Tyronne Fernando, Neville de Alwis and Neil Perera along with team manager Duleep Mendis, sources said.

The panel is also likely to discuss the tour report submitted by Mr. Mendis.

Army-UK firm clash over body armour

By The Sunday Times Defence Correspondent

Army Headquarters and a British supplier were locked in a row yesterday over the controversial consignment of body armour for soldiers.

Senior Army officials told a supplier's representative they have rejected the entire consignment. The only way out for them would be to replace the armour plates in the 3,000 pieces now lying in an Army depot, and face fresh test before acceptance, he was told.

But A.F. Dedman, Regional Sales Manager of the British firm Lightweight Body Armour Limited, has rejected the new Army demand, sources said. According to him, that would mean the shipment of the consignment to Britain, re-assembly and re-reshipment — which would all result in a heavy cost . Moreover, he had insisted that his company had met all specifications set out by the Army before effecting shipments.

But Army officials have strongly countered this charge on the grounds that out of eight randomly selected pieces three had failed tests. Mr. Dedman met a team of senior Army officials at Army Headquarters yesterday. They were led by Army Deputy Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Janaka Perera.

It is not immediately clear what the firm would do in the wake of the Army's rejection of the body armour in its existing condition. Although a Letter of Credit has been opened for this shipment, the terms had covered a 50 percent down payment once an Acceptance Certificate is issued after tests. The Army, however, had not issued this certificate since the tests (on three pieces failed) and hence no payments have been made to the firm.

These developments came after The Sunday Times last week revealed how an almost two year long effort by the Sri Lanka Army to procure 3,000 pieces of body armour has ended up in a fiasco. Situation Report in The Sunday Times of May 30 revealed how a British supplier who won the tender in January this year, shipped the consignment to Colombo on April 10.

Tests were carried out on the eight randomly selected pieces, at the Commando Regiment Headquarters at Ganemulla. Three pieces failed the test. Army officials who said they could not accept the consignment placed three conditions. One of them was an unprecedented demand for a "guarantee" from the supplier that "in the event of an injury to a soldier" the supplier would pay compensation. The other demands were "to replace the plates with new ones" (though the quantity was not specified) and "replace the jackets marked "small" with either "Large" or "Extra."

At yesterday's discussion Army officials insisted they would not accept the body armour in its present condition. They said soldiers would not be confident adorning them particularly after the exposure in The Sunday Times had received wide publicity. Mr. Dedman flew down to Colombo after this report for talks with Army officials.

At yesterday's talks Army officials did not refer to their unusual demand for a "guarantee" for "compensation" if soldiers were injured due to faulty body armour. After the report appeared in Situation Report, The Sunday Times learns that Army Commander, Lt. Gen. Srilal Weerasooriya, initiated inquiries to ascertain how such an unprecedented demand had come to be made. It was revealed that a senior officer had drafted a fax message that incorporated the demand and passed it on to a subordinate to place his signature. An embarrassed Army Commander told his senior staff that greater caution should be exercised by those who had his mandate to sign on his behalf. This is in order to avoid the organisation from being brought to ridicule by those who were ill informed and ignorant of the nuances involved.

Mr Dedman himself is learnt to have described the claim for compensation guarantee as "something never heard of." He had pointed out that the "plates are fully in accordance with specifications" and "in the event of a soldier being injured", it would have to be "concluded that the type and/or velocity of that particular bullet was not in accordance with NIJ (National Institute of Justice) specification.

On the question of changing armour plates, according to military sources, Mr Dedman has said "plates supplied are fully in accordance with tender specification, official order, letter of credit and therefore do not require replacement."

Commenting on the free replacement of small size jackets, he has gone on to say "that they have been supplied in accordance with the three chest sizes required by the tender specification, official order and the letter of credit." The British firm has refused to accede to the Army's request to replace them with large and extra large sizes."

Now senior Army officials are checking on correspondence and other details of the deal to ascertain whether there had been any omissions by any officials. This is in respect of the specifications and the material supplied.

"However, there is no question of our accepting the 3,000 pieces (of body armour) in its present condition. As far as the Army is concerned, that much is certain. We have also not raised the question of guarantees and compensation. That's a mistake," a high ranking Army official, who did not wish to be identified, told The Sunday Times.