Stormy Galle harbour project coming in new form

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

Despite being rocked by bribery scandals and heavy criticism, the trouble-plagued Galle Harbour project is to be given the greenlight shortly, government sources said. A fresh Cabinet paper is to be submitted with new proposals, they said.

At a special meeting chaired by Treasury Secretary Dixon Nilaweera, the Galle Harbour Project received support over the proposed Hambantota port project.

After serious consideration of the draft proposals, a high powered committee decided that preliminary designs for the Galle project should be given the go ahead after being approved by Minister M. H. M. Ashraff.

The Technical Evaluation Committee which came under fire during the stormy days of bribery charges and the alleged non- viability of the Galle project has expressed satisfaction at the Colombo-Galle transport system, location of various industries in close proximity and hence given approval.

The sources said that out of the estimated cost of US $ 247 million, breakwater construction and dredging cost alone would be as high as US$ 196 million.

However, the committee has also expressed concern over environmental considerations with members highlighting that enormous funding would also require an equally competent environment impact assessments and market surveys.

The new proposals are expected to be submitted to Minister Ashraff for approval.

FM reaching out to Tamil diaspora

Legal loopholes and poor intelligence are hurting efforts to counter secessionist LTTE, Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has told the prestigious defence journal Jane's Defence Weekly.

Mr. Kadirgamar detailed out the LTTE's fund raising activities and other related matter in the interview with the journal's Asia Pacific Editor, Robert Karniol.

Mr. Karnoil says the mission charged to Mr. Kadirgamar's ministry includes lobbying foreign governments to help curtail the LTTE's funding, together with the flow of illicit arms that much of this money supports.

We publish below excerpts from the article based on the interview with Mr. Kadirgamar:

"It's crucial that foreign ministries and foreign intelligence agencies work closely together. However, we didn't even have an external intelligence agency until last year,'' the minister said adding with unusual candour that "our intelligence services are [still] very poor indeed".

Colombo has long sought to reform and restructure its civilian intelligence agency, the National Intelligence Bureau. This was replaced a year ago by two new organisations, the Directorate of Internal Intelligence (DII) and the Directorate of Foreign Intelligence (DFI).

"It's a good move, on paper. But the DFI isn't very efficient," Kadirgamar acknowledges. Independent sources say that a shortage of Tamil-speakers is among its deficiencies, and one result is that there is little detailed information on LTTE activities abroad.

Just how this can undermine the Foreign Ministry's diplomacy was shown during Kadirgamar's recent visit to Cambodia, where he sought the government's support in shutting this important black market source for LTTE arms and ammunition. The minister accepted Phnom Penh's explanation, blaming the problem on Khmer Rouge rebels, unaware that the illicit arms trade is largely fed by undisciplined government troops.

Legislative constraints often present a similar hurdle. Kadirgamar illustrates the point by noting a legal loophole in the UK, closed only last year but still mirrored elsewhere. "There was a serious gap in British law where there was no provision for making it an offence to conspire in the UK to commit an offence abroad," he says.

Fund-raising activity is a key area that Colombo would like to see contained by such legislation. The LTTE has established more than 40 overseas offices since launching its rebellion in 1983 and, by one estimate, these generate 4 to 6 million dollars monthly in support of its cause.

Sri Lankan lobbying produced limited results until several developed countries suffered a series of unrelated terrorist bombings in the mid 1990s. These led to the 1996 Lyons summit meeting and the Paris Declaration on combating terrorism. Colombo then helped draft the United Nations Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Bombing, adopted by the General Assembly in last 1997.

"We were the very first country to sign," says Kadirgamar. "Then my campaign moved into a different gear. I have since tried to encourage countries to adopt national laws [conforming to the convention]."

Colombo gained a significant victory in 1997 when Washington declared the LTTE a terrorist organisation under a law it had adopted the previous year.

"France earlier this year proposed a new convention, a UN convention against fund-raising for terrorist activities," Kadirgamar notes. "This was tabled at the UN in March and will be considered by the General Assembly during its forthcoming session."

Most recently, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry launched a new initiative that could represent an important change in Colombo's approach to the LTTE's long-standing rebellion. In an imaginative twist to the "hearts-and-minds" component of counter-insurgency doctrine, it is for the first time trying to reach out to the extensive Tamil diaspora.

This group numbers about 2.4 million, of which roughly one-third now live abroad.

"There are 600,000 to 800,000 people of Sri Lankan Tamil origin overseas but we've traditionally had very little contact with them. For example, there are thousands in Canada but our mailing list there didn't have a single Tamil name until just a few years ago," says Kadirgamar.

"Earlier this year [the Foreign Ministry] started a monthly newsletter in Tamil for the expatriate community. The main aim is to explain that Sri Lanka has changed, and to provide them with an alternative source of information about the country."

Kadirgamar, an Oxford-trained lawyer who has held his post for nearly five years, says the vast majority of Sri Lanka's Tamil community - both within the country and abroad — is "not in the slightest in support of the LTTE". But his assessment of Colombo's track record is brutally frank. "Our history of bungling and mismanagement is quite astonishing," he says.

Sajith says he'll go where he wants to

The dispute between the main opposition United National Party (UNP) leadership and the Premadasa Centre headed by Sirisena Cooray has intensified following last Wednesday's commemoration of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa's 75th birth anniversary.

Last Monday, the UNP parliamentary group had decided that its members should not attend the commemoration meeting at the Sugathadasa Stadium because they believed the Premadasa Centre is trying to divide the UNP or form a new party.

The main casualty of the latest controversy appears to be Sajith Premadasa, son and of the late president.

Sajith Premadasa is a member of the UNP but also billed to be one of the main speakers at the Premadasa Centre meeting.

Mr. Cooray told The Sunday Times he was disappointed that Sajith did not come after he had promised to speak at Wednesday's ceremony. "He did not come though he promised. His mother came.

Perhaps, he may have wanted to abide by the party decision," Mr. Cooray said. He again insisted that he had no plans to form a new party but was doing only what he felt the UNP should be doing.

Sajith Premadasa told The Sunday Times that he commemorated his father's birth anniversary in his own way by helping people.

"No one can tell me where I should go. I have a right to decide what I should do.

I have my own programmes. On that day too I had another programme and I did not attend the ceremony," he said.

Former first lady Hema Premadasa cut it both ways. She was at the stadium ceremonies as well as at an official UNP ceremony where party leaders made donations to an orphanage at Sri Jayawardenapura.

Paddy Board in boiling pot

With the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) in a boiling pot, a bill is being introduced in Parliament next month to abolish the PMB which has been set up with much hype to get a better price for farmers.

The abolition of the PMB will among other things throw more than 200 employees out of work with little compensation, a spokesman for the employees charged.

PMB officials said the institution had run into a financial mudhole and would be able to pay only three months' salary as compensation.

NMAT fumes at Perumal

The National Movement Against Terrorism has reacted strongly to proposals made by former EPRLF Chief Minister Varatharaja Perumal for more devolution of power to the provinces.

NMAT spokesman Champika Ranawaka said President Kumaratunga instead of meeting Mr. Perumal should have arrested him.

He said Mr. Perumal's proposal to change the national flag would destroy the historical nature behind it.

He said the flag had been designed in 1947 not just by the Sinhala majority but by Tamils, Muslims and others also.

Mr. Ranawaka said Mr. Perumal had violated the constitution and the law by hoisting the Eelam flag in 1990 and he should have been arrested instead of being given an audience with the president.

Kuwait agony in queues

By Nilika de Silva

Nine years after the Gulf War, thousands of Sri Lankans who fled Kuwait are still queuing up daily at the Jawatte Road office of the Bureau of Foreign Employment to claim compensation due to them.

When we visited the bureau, we found queues upon queues of Kuwait returnees who had come from all over the island.

They were patiently waiting to get a chance to speak to officials about the money due to them. For many it was not the first visit.

For many it was a case of being indifferently or shabbily treated at a bureau which was maintained by the earnings of migrant workers.

Rasika Priyangi , a young mother of three, said she had come from Minuwangoda about 15 times to get the compensation.

But the officers were giving various excuses, justifyingtheir action.

"They say I have registered twice, but I have not. Each time I come they say I will get it in two weeks. The weeks have become months and years but still I have got nothing," she lamented.

We also spoke to Saroja who had come with her husband Gunasiri from Hikkaduwa several times to get the compensation.

She said first there had been a delay due to some mix up with the name, but next time the officials had said it was a mistake they had made.

Claiming compensation money has proved to be an expensive business.

Sumana Dissanayake, 44, said she and her friend, another Kuwaiti returnee had come from Hingurakgoda, in Polonnaruwa to see about their compensation.

Sumana said they had boarded the train at 6.45 the previous evening and reached Colombo, stayed at the station until dawn, and then came in a three wheeler to the Bureau at 5.30 in the morning. The three wheeler ride had cost them Rs. 150.

A UN body in a phased out operation is making available the funds to pay these migrant workers who had to flee from Kuwait when the war broke out in 1990.

Sri Lanka's largest source of foreign exchange, migrant workers in West Asia are treated in a shoddy way when they visit the Head Office of the Bureau at Isipatana Road to seek information regarding compensation due to them.

On visiting this office, we saw how officials deal with migrant workers who are entirely at their mercy.

As one onlooker commented "perhaps these officials have forgotten that without these men and women seeking out the Bureau, there would be no use of having such an office or so many well dressed if not ill mannered officials."

The Bureau's Kuwait Compensation Division Manager H.M.. Sunil told The Sunday Times Sri Lanka had received special acknowledgment for its efficient method of compensation payment.

"There are practical problems involved in paying out the compensation money. One has to ensure that no impersonation takes place. Therefore we are careful in establishing the identity of all those claiming compensation money," he said.

About 10,000 Kuwaiti returnees had not registered therefore they are ineligible for compensation according to the ruling of the UN compensation body, he said.

So far we are paying money to those within the first five phases of the payments. Payments have been approved by the UN for more than 75,000 returnees.

Our chairman has proposed that henceforth payment of compensation money be made from the district centres so as to cut down the expenses of claimants who otherwise have to travel to Colombo, Mr. Sunil said.

Wayamba games continue

By Shelani de Silva

The Northern Western provincial Council which was elected amidst unprecedented allegations of wholesale fraud, is still in crisis six months after the elections.

The 19 UNP councillors have been boycotting sittings in protest against the alleged malpractices during the elections. Legally, these members lose their seats when they absent themselves for three months but the party reappoints them in terms of the constitution.

To counter this constitutional game, the ruling PA recently used its simple majority to pass a motion, expelling the 19 UNP members. The JVP did not support the motion.

Chief Minister Sarath Nawinna said development work was being seriously affected by the political games of the UNP becuase the budgetary allocations of these councillors were going unutilised.

But the UNP's NWP leader Gamini Jayawickreme Perera and party General Secretary Gamini Atukorale scoffed at the motion to expel the UNP members. They said the PA had no such right and the issue would be decided by the superior courts which are hearing a host of pettions agaisn the Wayamba elections.

Publishers dip the banner for Mervyn

The Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka comprising publishers of major media groups has added its voice to the tributes paid to Mervyn de Silva, describing him as the doyen of Sri Lankan journalists and one of Asia's top professionals in the field.

In a statement, the Society said:

"The Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka joins the general public and all media personnel in expressing its grief at the loss of Mervyn de Silva, the doyen of Sri Lanka journalists, and one of the brightest journalists in Asia.

His standing as a perceptive analyst and a commentator both on national and international affairs and as a brilliant writer was acknowledged worldwide.

His passing away is a loss not only to Sri Lanka but to all countries in the developing world. Up to the very last, he was deeply involved with efforts to improve journalistic standards and to protect the freedom of the media. The Society is particularly sad because the very first series of programs designed to be of practical benefit to journalists launched by the Society was inspired and guided by him and he is no longer with us.

The Society conveys its condolence to the members of his family."

The Society comprises publishers of Express Newspapers (Ceylon) Ltd., Leader Publications (Pvt) Ltd., Sumathi Newspapers Ltd., Upali Newspapers Ltd., Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.

Tilvin says people behind today's JVP

By Roshan Peiris

It is the people's support and the dedication of members that has made today's JVP, says its leader Tilvin Silva. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Mr. Silva spoke of the party's rise as an emerging political force. He also says that in a future JVP government, private sector will have a role to play, but its activites will have to conform to a well-planned national economic policy.

Excerpts:

Q: The JVP's performance at the recent provincial polls was seen as an emergence of a third force. How does the party see this?

A: Though some would like to label the JVP as a third force after the recent polls, the party sees it as a recognition as a mainstream political party. We strive to become an alternative but proletarian political party which will rise against corrupt capitalist regimes.

We saw the great strides the party was making even at the 1994 general elections. The JVP which contested under the banner of Sri Lanka Progressive Front in 1994 received 90,000 votes islandwide. Today this figure has increased to 300,000. This rise shows, the JVP is eating into the vote banks of the two traditional capitalist parties. Some 25 JVPers are provincial council members while more than 100 members serve in various local government bodies. This analysis is clear enough to prove that the JVP is the only progressive force in the country.

Q: How did the JVP achieve this success?

A: It was a difficult task. In Wayamba, we faced, the ugliest ever thug politics allegedly perpetrated by the PA. Then during the southern campaign, which came after our success in the Western Province, every other political party turned its guns against the JVP. The PA organised the worst mud-slinging campaign, using posters, leaflets, booklets, propaganda and the state media. Despite the threats, slander and thuggery, we achieved a significant victory in the South, because the people supported us and our party members worked tirelessly.

Q: Will the JVP support the PA or the UNP in councils where it holds the balance of power?

A: No. The two main parties have proved that the capitalist governments cannot solve the problems of our country. The need is therefore a new path and a new type of politics. The people have understood that the JVP is the only alternative to build crippled Sri Lanka. They have seen the devotion and care the JVP has for the future of this country.

We practise what we preach. JVP councillors and local council members, do not go behind the perks and privileges that come along with the elections to various bodies. They use the strength they have in those councils for the public betterment.

We support neither the PA nor the UNP. No support will be given to establish a provincial administration. But we won't be the cause of the downfall of a provincial council either.

Q: But many people still do not have a clear understanding of the JVP policies and principles.

A: It is difficult to describe our principles in brief. But I must say that we are a party which still believes in socialism. Our aim is to establish a socialist economy. It can be clarified; to eliminate social inequality of income and to distribute the outcome of national production fairly among all the people of Sri Lanka.

Within that planned socialist economic system, there may exist state property, collective property and some amount of private property too. Private sector will not be allowed to implement its plans outside the framework of national economy. We are ready to change our socialist economic plans according to the economic changes in the world.

No more feasts, if a drop of blood is shed — Bishop

By Shelani de Silva

Bishop of Mannar Rev. Rayappu Joseph says anything could happen in a war situation though assurances have been given by the Army and the LTTE that they would ensure the safety of the pilgrims to the Madhu Church.

If a drop of blood is shed in the hallowed premises, not the coming feast but even 100 feasts will be cancelled.

Excerpts:

Q: The Church has called for the withdrawal of the Army from the Madhu area. What was the response?

A: After several requests, the Army has moved one mile away from the Church. But the soldiers still come to the area to fetch water and to bathe. This is not a problem. But when ten or fifteen armed soldiers hang around the area, it is going to be a problem. We begin to think that the Army does not take our request seriously. We made the request because we wanted to ensure the safety of the pilgrims and to preserve the sanctity of the area.

Q: How has the LTTE responded to the Church's call to keep away from the Madhu area?

A: The appeal was made to LTTE political leaders. But the LTTE movements have been noticed in the area. We cannot do much about it. But the LTTE has agreed to abide by our request.

Q: Before the Army moved in, it is said the LTTE was visiting the area. Did this pose a security threat?

A: The senior LTTE members never visited the Church premises armed. It was only the lower cadres. Whenever we saw the cadres armed, we complained to their leaders and they never came again. The LTTE leaders have informed me that action had been taken against such cadres. The LTTE had that kind of respect towards me.

Q: With the withdrawal of the Army from the Madhu area, the families who were living there were also evacuated. How are these families now?

A: It is sad to think that these people who had lost everything were forced to leave the Madu area, especially those who were evacuated to other camps. We are going to monitor the welfare of these people, many of whom have now been resettled in camps in Vavuniya and Mannar. We will ensure they are given a place and resettled. Facilities wise, I won't say they have been given the best, but they do have the basic facilities. There is room for improvement.

Q: What are the chances of normalcy returning to the Madhu area?

A: As long as the Army remains in the area, it is difficult to think of normalcy. The Church has been appealing to the government and the LTTE to make the Madhu area a peace zone. But there is not much interest shown by the President or the Army. The Government talks of peace and normalcy but little is done.

Q: Have you sought any government help to conduct the Madhu feast this year?

A: This year we have decided to conduct the feast on a low key. Facilities such as water and sanitation are not up to standard. The Government has installed electricity and telephone facilities. We have also been promised Rs. 1.5 million rupees for the development of the area. We have started work but the money is yet to be received.

Q: What measures have you taken to ensure the safety of the pilgrims?

A: Unlike in the past, this year we have to be mindful of the two adversaries. That is why we made an appeal to both the Army and the LTTE to respect the concern of the church. Not a drop of blood should be shed and if it happens I would cancel even hundred feasts. We have got assurances. But in a war situation, anything could happen. One party may try to get political mileage by harming the pilgrims and putting the blame for it on the other. All should realise that this is a spiritual event.

Q: Many Catholics from the South are also planning to visit the areas? Are you expecting a large crowd?

A: There won't be that many people visiting the church feast because of the security situation and the lack of facilities.

Q: A religious alliance including several Buddhist monks from the south has made several goodwill missions to the north. How has this helped to build trust between the two communities?

A: It was a good move. On the first visit, they met LTTE top rungers and discussed peace. However on their second visit, the LTTE refused to talk to them, because the Government had begun a fresh military operation. The LTTE felt that the government was not interested in peace. They now say that every time they held talks, the Government launched a military operation. The LTTE became wary of the delegation and refused to meet them. But the main objective of the peace delegation was not to meet the LTTE but to work for the welfare of thousands of refugees.

Q: You are living in an area where people talk of LTTE moves. Are the Tigers willing to give up their armed struggle and enter into negotiations or do they want to fight on?

A: Fundamentally they want peace. But at the same time they won't give up the struggle. The LTTE wants the government to accept some basic concepts, such as equality, respect, and acceptance. Negotiations have to be conducted on an equal footing. The Government has to realise that they cannot weaken the LTTE and then thrust upon them a solution. The LTTE will never accept that.

Q: Do you think that foreign mediation will help solve the crisis?

A: Third party mediation is definitely needed at this point.

Q: Are you hoping to meet with LTTE hierarchy in the near future?

A: Once the feast is over, I am hoping to meet the LTTE to know their mind on various issues mainly relating to the conduct of the feast.

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