All set for elections in South

More than 1.5 million Southerners will cast their votes on Thursday to elect the councillors for the Province, amidst tight security.

By Friday afternoon all arrangements have been finalised in the Galle, Matara and Hambantota districts .

A total of 529 polling booths will come up in the Galle District, for over six lakhs of voters in the district.

Galle District Secretary P Hewawasam told The Sunday Times that security arrangements have been tightened with an ASP to every polling booth and riot police also being deployed.

'In addition, a mobile patrol will also be deployed. This way we can assure free and fair elections. Apart from the security we will have a total of 6000 officers on election duty. Of this number only 110 officers are from Colombo and the rest are from Galle' he said.

Galle District will have 39 main counting centres and five postal counting centres. Transport arrangements have also been finalised with the use of some 500 vehicles for the elections.

According to the GA all Senior Presiding Officers have been briefed on the elections and the responsibility towards a free and fair election.

'There are nine political parties and three Independent Groups contesting for seats in the Galle district' he said.

More than 500,000 voters from the Matara District will cast their votes on Thursday. A total of 418 polling booths will be set up in the district, with 23 main counting centre and 3 postal counting centres.

Matara District Secretary G S Ediriweera said that 11 political parties and 9 Independent Groups will contest the elections in the districts.

'There will be around 2500 officers in the polling booths, and another 621 Junior Presiding Officers and 418 Senior Presiding Officers. We have also set up a 'pool' where a total of 580 officers will be available. We will also have at least four police personnel to every polling booth and there will be a police mobile every five minutes' he said.

More than 300,000 voters from the Hambantota District will cast their votes for candidates belonging to 7 political parties and 4 Independent Groups.

There will be 357 polling booths and 20 main counting centres with around 3000 officers on election duty.

Meanwhile the Commissioner of Elections has issued a directive that cellular phones be banned from counting centres.

This directive, according to Divisional Secretaries, will be adhered to. The Commissioner has also requested the media to publicise the election process in order to educate the public on voting procedures.

'Four more months of UNP rule and state banks would have crashed'

If the UNP had stayed in power for another four months the state banks would have collapsed as they had given vast sums of money to UNP cronies which have not been repaid, said President Chandrika Kumaratunga in her election speeches in the Galle District.

She claimed that she was chasing after these culprits to get the money back and they were chasing after her to kill her.She pointed out how President Premadasa had spent millions of rupees celebrating his birthday and also paid lakhs to Soththi Upali to grow grass. "We stopped this wastage", she said.

Within 24 hours of coming to power, the terror was stopped and bribery and corruption halted.

The PA salvaged the economy which was ruined by the UNP, she said.

Foreign investment started flowing into the country, only as a new government with a new work plan had come in.

She queried as to why Ranil is asking for power now. "Why couldn't they develop the country during the 17 years they were in power?" she asked.

Speaking on the employment problem she said, "when ten people are given employment in one area another hundred ask for jobs.

Jobs do not pour down like rain from the skies".

The President addressed rallies in Akuressa, Ambalangoda, Hikkaduwa and Kamburupitiya during the week.

Education sector runs on cigarette sales tax: Ranil

In the many pocket meetings held in the South, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said that President Chandrika Kumaratunga was unable to develop this country since she had no plans when she came to power.

He said that this was proved when she asked him for advice to develop the country, five years after coming to power.

The education sector of this country runs on the tax collected on cigarette sales, he said. This government, while running on revenue from cigarette sales, has deceived the WHO and won awards stating that smoking has been banned in Sri Lanka, he said

By bringing politics into cricket we lost the World Cup. To become world champions at everything, he asked the people to vote for the UNP.

"I cannot destroy the nation and the South like Chandrika Kumaratunga by giving false promises," he said.

"The biggest problem in this country is politics based on promises.

Giving promises that cannot be fulfilled and cheating the people and being unable to govern has resulted in the deterioration of this country", he said.

Ahangama, Elpitiya, Ratgama, and Angunukolapelassa were some of the places where UNP rallies were addressed by Mr. Wickremesinghe.

CMEV men file rights case

Journalist Varuna Karunathillake and two other persons, who served on the Committee for Monitoring of Election Violence (CMEV) have filed a Fundamental Rights case complaining that they had been unduly implicated in a criminal defamation plaint, by the officers of the Wattala Police station.

The other petitioners are Dr. P. Saravanamuttu of the Centre for Policy Alternatives and Dr. Arjuna Parakrama, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Colombo Campus.

The Fundamental Rights Violation plea filed in the Supreme Court by these three petitioners of the C.M.E.V. had said that on March 19 this year, they published a news report which referred to an alleged election violence on an employee of the Sathosa office at Welisara.

The respondents are OIC of the Wattala Police Station, R.M.J. Camillus, Inspector Wasantha Perera of the same police station and convenor of the Media Convenor Unit of the People's Alliance Sripathy Suriarachchi.

Chief Inspector Camillus and Inspector Perera at the instigation of a Media Convenor of the People's Alliance, had entertained a criminal defamation plaint against the petitioners and filed a case in the Wattala Magistrate's Court without seeking the sanction of the Attorney General.

The petition said that the procedure followed by the police officers, is arbitrary and in violation of the petitioner's Right to Freedom of Expression and the Right to engage in a lawful profession.

The petition requested the Supreme Court to direct the OIC of the Wattala police station, to direct the complaint against the petitioners to the Attorney General for his scrutiny and opinion.

The application also requested the Supreme Court to stay the proceedings against the petitioners at the Magistrate's Court of Wattala and to declare the violation of the petitioners' Fundamental Rights by the Police Department.

Rajitha ponders rotten egg case

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

Controversial UNP parliamentarian Rajitha Senaratne has said he is considering legal action against the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd for allegedly publishing articles defamatory of him.

Dr. Senaratne told The Sunday Times that a Lake House newspaper story which talked about rotten eggs being thrown at him at a propaganda meeting in Matara was a malicious fabrication and his lawyers had informed the paper to rectify the matter within a week.

"It seems that the state media are conducting a campaign against me.

The state media were duty bound to give equal coverage to all contesting political parties and many political parties have complained about this," he said.

"At least they should get their facts rights when they park back-up vehicles near UNP meetings to report or record our speeches.

I have not insulted the President or her children, I only criticised her role as head of state," he claimed.

Dr. Senaratne who spearheads the UNP Matara district campaign, said he had also prepared lists of people who have gone abroad and voters who are dead.

He said he would hand them over to the Elections Commissioner to prevent any impersonation.

Huge poster bill for SLFP

By M. Ismeth

The SLFP Administrative Secretary was in for a rude shock when he received a letter from the Manager, Commercial Printing Department of Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited, asking him to settle a bill amounting to a staggering Rs 24 million for the printing of posters and other election-related material.

In a letter dated May 27 addressed to SLFP Administrative Secretary S. H. Ariyasena, the ANCL's commercial printing manager states: … as instructed by the management on orders given by the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Media, we had printed and supplied propaganda material for 22 invoices."

Southern news in brief:

Rotten egg treatment

With the Southern region of the country hotting up as election day draws near, charges and counter charges are being freely made by all political parties.

The UNP's Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, a vociferous critic of the PA, received a continuous battering. The PA went to town on a certain speech made by the maverick parliamentarian allegedly making wild allegations against the head of state and her children. And the story got even better, with the state media spicing it up and giving maximum publicity to it.

Government media in addition to publishing photographs of PA supporters demanding decency in UNP politics also claimed that Dr. Senaratne's comments were greeted with public jeering, and UNPers who were offended by his remarks have turned on him and given him the rotten egg treatment.

The dentist turned politician couldn't resist following up. So he got on to the stage the very next day and asked the people there:

"Are Sri Lankans so rich that they can throw eggs at others? Even then, do they make a habit of carrying rotten eggs to meetings?"

The people queried him as to why the government showed only his speeches on TV, and pat came the reply: "I have a pact with the Media Minister the nature of which you would never know!"

Eavesdropping

As if the government had nothing to fear at the forthcoming polls, some of the PA politicians were too busy eavesdropping at others' meetings. This according to Southern reports has become such a common occurrence that the UNP and the JVP have actually begun to recognize their presence- sometimes with verbal attacks.

The man hated by the PA, Rajitha Senaratne was addressing one of the UNP public rallies in Matara when a very powerful minister's back-up vehicle, so identified by the people, parked close by and started to record his speech.

While the NIB and the minister's police unit were busy recording his speech, the politician turned his guns on the police and thundered about 'some police junkies who venerate third grade politicians for petty gain'. The audience reacted by jeering at the cops. The cops beat a fast retreat amidst wild hooting!

JVP '99 style

The JVP, now committed to a different style of politics is still found reverting to previous practices on occasions - this by compelling people to do their bidding when it suits them, though not in the '89 style.

So when a certain JVP candidate in Tissama–harama who is also a teacher of a nearby school got O/L and A/L students to put up posters on his behalf on Vesak full moon poya day, parents were furious but not surprised.

"Habitually imposed their will on the people. Can a tiger change its stripes?" said a perky Southerner. If such things came naturally to the JVP, there were certain other things which took the people completely by surprise.

The JVP which made a habit of castigating the UNP and the PA for inventing and nurturing the 'preferential votes war' has resorted to the same this time.

So when the JVP's attractive posters hit the Southern walls, they were striking as usual and complete with the vital preference numbers. So mush for rhetoric!

Worried man

And that genial Local Government Minister Alavi Moulana was a worried man last week- making appeal after appeal to Public Administration Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake and later to the President herself.

Having had first hand experience of post election violence and the usual chaos in the aftermath of the polls, he wasn't taking any chances. So sought to pay the pensioners in advance- so that jubilation and vilification would not mar the happiness of pensioners.

Quotable quotes

The UNP, now zealously campaigning in the political hotbed of south to recapture its lost glory, had its leader uttering some quotable quotes during the campaign.

In Keembiya, a remote village in Galle, people questioned Ranil Wickremesinghe of the vision he had for the country. "Vote for the PA to make this another Somalia or the JVP to make another Cuba. Or be wise and vote for the UNP to transform this to a Singapore" he said.

Instant development

As instant development never witnessed in the past 50 years hit the South during the last few weeks, there were moves to distribute land, and this in landslide- prone Deniyaya, the picturesque Sinharaja border.

The offer was made on public platforms by the governing types, and the people of Deniyaya weren't too pleased to witness what happened the next day. Another landslide in the same area earmarked for 'political land' distribution!

NATO bombing :

Lankan Judge in minority vote

By Our Legal Editor

Sri Lankan President of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Dr. Christopher Weeramantry was among judges who gave a dissenting verdict in the recently concluded case filed against NATO bombings over former Yugoslavia.

Dr. Weeramantry was one of four minority judges, the majority of whom refused to order NATO countries to halt their bombings. By majority decision the World Court also declined to discuss Belgrade's demand to be paid for war damages.

The tribunal comprised 15 permanent and 4 ad-hoc judges. The President of the court, an American declined to chair the hearings and Dr. Weeramantry, the Vice President of the Court chaired the sittings.

The Court deliberations took three weeks, and insiders said they produced 'fierce arguments' among the judges. The strongest dissents were by judges from Sri Lanka, China and Russia.

Dr. Weeramantry who is due for re-election to the Court, and possibly its next presidency as well, is likely to run into rough weather with the US and European states for his dissenting judgment.

A highly placed legal scholar however said that Dr. Weeramantry has obviously voted with his conscience knowing very well it could jeopardise his chances at re-election to the ICJ.

Dr. Weeramantry's election to the ICJ itself was a controversial affair with the then Sri Lankan (UNP) Government under President J.R. Jayawardena refusing to support his candidature. Subsequently President Ranasinghe Premadasa backed his nomination and he was elected.

The incumbent (PA) Government will be backing Dr. Weeramantry's re-election.

Most Governments, including Sri Lanka have no influence over judges they support for international tribunals.

The Government's official position on the current NATO bombings, now on for over 70 days, is for a reconsideration of the bombing strategy while blaming the Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic for atrocities in his country. This is the basic line adopted by the Non-Aligned Movement.

Announcing the decision, Dr. Weeramantry said a large majority had found that the court had no jurisdiction to consider the Yugoslav claims. Belgrade had asked the court to declare the bombing illegal and for an immediate injunction to end the strikes.

According to reports the judges at the Court, the highest judicial body of the United Nations, used veiled language to say the bombing was breaking international law.

'The Court is profoundly concerned about the use of force in Yugoslavia," Judge Christopher Weeramantry said. 'Under the present circumstances this raises very serious issues of international law'.

But the Judges did not address the legality, saying they were addressing only whether they had jurisdiction.

The decision was based on separate complaints filed by Yugoslavia in April against each of the 10 countries involved in the air attacks. Yugoslavia could not sue NATO, because the court deals with disputes between nations. In effect, Yugoslavia had little hope of obtaining a blanket order to stop the bombings when it sued, experts said. But because different NATO countries accept different degrees of jurisdiction by the Court, Belgrade had hoped to divide NATO and embarrass at least a few member governments.

'"Yugoslavia has gambled wrong and it made mistakes on technicalities," a legal scholar said.

The panel of 15 judges threw out Belgrade's request for 'provisional measure', or injunctions, to stop the air strikes on two counts.

On April 25, Yugoslavia recognised the Court's jurisdiction in the dispute but it stipulated that it would not apply to prior disputes. Legal experts said in that way Yugoslavia wanted to insure that the Court could not consider charges of ethnic cleansing or genocide for incidents before April 25.

But that backfired. The Court said it could not consider the dispute with the NATO countries because the bombing had started before April 25.

Second, the Court rejected Belgrade's contention that NATO countries were committing genocide in Yugoslavia. Legal scholars said Yugoslavia was using that accusation mostly as a procedural ploy.

Although some countries do not recognise the Court, they have signed the Genocide Convention, and that would broaden the Court's jurisdiction. But the judges said there was no evidence that the air strikes were intended to commit genocide.

Actions against a state are not actions against a group, the Court said.

In presenting its case on May 10 and 11, Belgrade gave a lengthy overview of damage caused to civilian installations and said that at the time 1200 people had been killed and more than 4500 wounded. Yugoslavia included no damage caused to the military, nor did it mention its campaign in Kosovo.

The Court deliberations have taken three weeks, and insiders said they produced fierce arguments among the 15 permanent and five ad-hoc judges. The strongest dissents were by judges from China, Russia and Sri Lanka.

Disagreement was also reflected in the vague wording that the court used to call for an end to the violence. The Court said it was deeply concerned with the enormous suffering in Kosovo' and the 'continuing loss of life and human suffering in all parts of Yugoslavia'.

The court said in eight of the 10 cases it would continue to examine its jurisdiction and the 'legality of use of force'. But it dropped the cases against the United Sates and Spain because they had not recognised the Court's authority in this case.

The other eight are Belgium, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal. Future deliberations can take months or even years and will deprive Yugoslavia of any immediate result that it had sought.

TV cricket deal coming up again

The much debated and highly controversial international television rights deal for matches for Sri Lanka will be taken up at the next meeting of the Cricket Board in the aftermath of the World Cup disaster, an official said.

An official of the media unit of the trouble plagued Cricket Board said a short list had been made regarding the contract which hit the headlines earlier when allegations of bribery were hurled at VIPs after a deal was reached with World Tel.

The big question being asked is why the deal was not negotiated earlier, when the marketing value of the team was at its highest.

Now with the World Cup fiasco the value of the team and the contract has plunged.

The television contract was taken up at a Cricket Board executive Committee meeting in January and a six member team was appointed to examine it. It was also decided that tender applicants be called upon to pay a non refundable deposit of US$ 500.

Meanwhile a letter sent out in October last year by the Sports Ministry stated that the Board should ensure World Tel was not considered for the deal because of allegations made earlier.

Editors rally against curbs

Sri Lanka's Editors have come out strongly against government proposals to curb the reporting of cabinet news, saying it made a mockery of all the PA's promises of media freedom.

The Editors Guild of Sri Lanka in a strongly worded statement called on the media, civic rights group and freedom-loving people to come together in fighting the move to reimpose an outdated act when the world was moving towards greater liberalism.

The statement said: "The Editors Guild of Sri Lanka strongly condemns attempts to use the Official Secrets Act of 1953 to prevent the publication of Cabinet proceedings. This violates the basic democratic and human rights principle of the people's right to know.

"It is the business of the members of the Cabinet to keep their discussions confidential if that is necessary. It is a sorry commentary of the government's inability to discipline its ministers that it has to resort to an outdated law to prevent the press from publishing information on Cabinet discussions.

"The government has claimed in its election manifesto and elsewhere that it is committed to broaden press freedom in this country and strengthen the people's right to know. The proposed use of the Official Secrets Act to stifle publication of matters of public interest makes a mockery of those promises, especially at a time that the world is moving towards greater liberalism on this score."

The Editors Guild of Sri Lanka calls upon the media and all those valuing democracy and press freedom to make known their unequivocal opposition to this undemocratic measure that has been proposed.

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