| News |
||||
| Hakeem
calls for silent diplomacy The unprecedented aid pledge was a "necessary milestone" in the vital transitional phase leading to a final resolution of the conflict, he said. "I suggest we follow the South African formula where the ANC and the apartheid regime continued talks behind the scenes without publicity whenever official talks broke down, as they did several times," Mr. Hakeem said. "We must move into silent diplomacy behind the scenes. We have well-meaning friends who can help us overcome the current impasse. Let us remember that this window of opportunity will not always remain open since there are enough trouble spots in the world to which the international community's focus can shift." Mr. Hakeem also said the two sides should stop the exchange of correspondence which he said "leads us nowhere" and that President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the opposition consider a "new approach" to cohabitation. "I'm sure the prime minister would be ever too willing to co-operate." Mr. Hakeem said he was also pleased that the Muslim dimension to the peace effort had been recognised in the opening statement of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the final declaration of the international community at the donor meeting. "They very clearly urged the LTTE to include the participation of a separate Muslim delegation in the peace talks as has been agreed earlier," he said. "In any negotiations, recognition of stakeholders and elevation of their status as a necessary party is imperative. I'm pleased with the fact that the PM was very sensitive to this important dimension and he lent support to me to articulate my point of view." Four
Bills in House next week The Courts determination is expected to be conveyed to the Speaker to be announced in Parliament this week. The other three Bills to be debated are the Information Communication Technology Bill, the Betting and Gaming Levy (Amendment) Bill and the Common Amenities Board (Amendment) Bill. Meanwhile, a Bill to provide for the exploration and recovery of petroleum resources in Sri Lanka and for the regulation of the same was presented to Parliament by the Minister of Power and Energy recently. The Bill entitled 'Petroleum Resources Bill' vests ownership of all petroleum resources to the state but allows partnership with the private sector in accordance with international practice. Dead
petitioner's mother gets compensation The Bench comprising Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva and Justices Shirani Bandaranayake and Ameer Ismail awarded Rs. 25,000 as compensation payable by the State to the mother of a young farmer who died in custody subsequent to filing an FR application for which leave to proceed was granted for the alleged torture, cruel or degrading treatment. Josephine Mary Kanmany was awarded compensation for the torture inflicted on her son, the petitioner, 31-year-old Anthonypille Jesudasen who died at the hands of prison guards in the Kalutara prison where he was detained for 44 days. In a twist of events 47 days subsequent to the death of the petitioner, the Attorney General's Department had indicted him in the Vavuniya High Court under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the recording in the journal indicated that the indictment had been served on the dead petitioner and his finger prints had been recorded. Mahinda-Anura
war hots up The most important has been the appointment of Newton Gunaratne as the new media advisor to the Opposition leader along with Anura Siriwardena. Mr. Rajapakse confirmed these new appointments. Sources close to Mr. Rajapakse said that he had also appointed an advisory committee headed by a Cambridge scholar to co-ordinate all his activities in the context of an election as well as to advise him in future political decisions. The fortification
of the Rajapakse camp comes in the wake of reports that Mr. Bandaranaike
also had formed a group of experts to advise him on image-building. Out
of hand The much favoured hand symbol as the possible election symbol was earlier proposed informally by the SLFP and accepted by the JVP. The sources said the two sides would look for a new symbol besides taking up other important issues like electoral arrangements when they meet again tomorrow. Warm
Heart, Cool Head and Deep Breath Former Indian Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujaral in his foreword has said that Mr. Moragoda's speeches, in Parliament and elsewhere, "are a fine example of parliamentary energy" and that they "bespeak an earnest study of subjects, a commitment to democratic methods of inquiry and redressal". Senator McCain, writes in his introduction that "the collection will entertain, aggravate and energize readers who recognize that it is not only a scarcity but a failure of leadership that has condemned too many people around the world to enjoy neither prosperity nor security." Australian Prime Minister John Howard observes that Mr. Moragoda has set out the fresh challenges that Sri Lanka is facing along with new opportunities as the country emerges from decades of bitter conflict. Mr. Moragoda, according to him, "offers answers, opens thought-provoking debate along the way". According to Mr. Petersen, "inspiring speeches collected in this book" flow from "the ideas of democracy, human rights and free enterprise as well as the desire to promote the peaceful resolution of the conflict; ideals shared by Sri Lanka's United National Party and the Norwegian Conservative Party." Esto
perpetua, sir A student of S. Thomas' Mt. Lavinia from 1946 to 1957, he had a distinguished academic career and won many coveted prizes and was a School Prefect. Upon leaving school in 1957, he was invited to join the tutorial staff. After a short stint as a teacher, he proceeded to read for his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Ceylon. After graduation he once again served as a teacher from 1961 to 1964 before he went on to pursue his Bachelor of Laws Degree as an external student while serving as a Research Assistant at the Official Languages Department. He was called
to the Bar in June 1969. From 1970 to 1971 he served as a Crown
Counsel at the Attorney-General's Department and later joined the
Legal Draftsman's Department in 1972 where he rose to be a Senior
Assistant Legal Draftsman. He resigned from his post in 1982 to join his alma mater. The third longest serving Warden after Canon de Saram, and Warden Stone, Neville de Alwis held office for fifteen and a half years. Born on June 25, 1937, as the youngest son of the late Wilfred and Gladys de Alwis of Mt. Lavinia, he had four brothers and two sisters. |
||||
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
