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• Rumblings from the LSSP and Communists 
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Who's responsible for 11 drownings? 

By Shelani de Silva

The Diyawanna Oya bathing project which cost Rs. 300,000 was completed last month but since then eleven people have drowned while bathing. The latest victim was a teenager who drowned last week, while bathing with friends.

Diyawanna Oya has been frequented by many for bathing and washing vehicles but the question arises as to why the Kotte MC spent such a large sum to encourage more people to bath in this dangerous area by installing garden benches and doing up the turf. 

Two prominent notice boards are displayed at the site. One is a warning to people not to bathe beyond the steps as it is dangerous whereas the other quite ironically reads as the 'famous bathing spot'.

Sri Jayawardenepura Hospital Coroner Dr. W. Gamage told The Sunday Times he had conducted 11 postmortems since the opening of the bathing spot and he had called on MC to close the place before it takes more lives.

"Diyawanna Oya has always been a dangerous area. In 1995 I conducted seven postmortems within six months on victims of drowning. By making this area an official bathing place more problems have been created. Before the additions were made I, along with the police, made arrangements to put up notices warning the public not to bathe at this spot, the coroner said.

He said the garden benches, and the mermaid statue encouraged people to bathe there.

"This was confirmed by a friend of last week's victim who said that they had wanted to go for a swim once they saw the area newly built and it looked inviting. I strongly feel that this place should be closed and people not allowed to bathe. This is not a bathing area," Dr. Gamage said.

Meanwhile Kotte Mayor Chandra Silva denied allegations that there were more deaths after the bathing spot was built. He said interested parties were spreading rumours that it was a dangerous area.

"We never put up anything new. This area was always a bathing spot. What we did was to provide more facilities and made it a safer area by building steps," he said.

The Mayor said that many youths after consuming liquor came for a swim and thus drowned.

"Many would get into the water from the other side of the river, which is a dangerous area. Finally the blame comes on us. We will not close down the place," he said.

Kotte MC's Chief Engineer D. C. A. Wanigasekera said the main reason for developing the site was to prevent drowning and pollution of the area.

"Vehicles were brought right up to the lake bank and this was causing a lot of environmental problems. We erected a fence and stopped it. We have put a notice asking people not to go beyond the, steps," he said.

Rumblings from the LSSP and Communists

In a statement, LSSP General Secretary Batty Weerakoon, a cabinet Minister, has said the failure to carry out these and other pledges had caused disillusionment among the people as seen in recent election results. 

He said the left parties felt they were not being given the proper place in the People's Alliance. He said the LSSP believed that if the PA was to defeat the UNP again at the next parliamentary elections, it would have to depend on the progressive forces within the PA. Thus the LSSP believes that it along with the Communist Party will be called upon to play a major role. 

The LSSP has accused the Government of not fulfilling its promises which the party feels has led to much disillusionment and disappointment. The main failure the party sees is the failure to take meaningful steps to carry through Parliament its twin commitments — the abolition of the executive presidency and a political solution to the ethnic conflict. 

The lack of transparency on the P&O deal on the Queen Elizabeth Quay project and the effect of it on the Hambantota District, the PA's failure to enact the Industrial Disputes Act and proclaim the Workers' Charter are among the other failures the LSSP has highlighted.

In another turn of events, the Communist Party too is said to be reconsidering its position in the PA following a dispute over appointments to the board of ministers in the newly elected Southern Provincial Council.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle told The Sunday Times Mr. Weerakoon could have brought up such issues at a Cabinet meeting but he has not done so. 

Sports Minister's no-faith match put off

They said the postponement was due to a delay in submitting the motion in which the UNP is accusing Mr. Dissanayake of misconduct and mismanagement in the fields of cricket and athletics especially.

National cricket has plunged into crisis after the disaster at the world cup and the turmoil in the cricket board where at least four court cases are running concurrently. 

In athletics, Sri Lanka's supersprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe is operating from the United States. Critics have accused Mr. Dissanayake of having a hand in both these disputes. 

The UNP is expected to field some of its top sportsmen MPs in launching the attacks on Mr. Dissanayake while senior ministers will defend him during he debate.

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