Tamil parties have expressed dismay or pessimism over the indictment of LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, saying it would be unrealistic, in practical and unhelpful in solving the ethnic conflict.
Moderate TULF Secretary General R. Sampanthan said the indictment of Prabhakaran for last January's Central Bank bombing might have some international propaganda value for the government but the reality was that the LTTE chief had never been formally arrested and whether he could be is highly improbable. He said if there could be negotiations including the LTTE and a political solution the indictment would become irrelevant.
ACTC leader Kumar Ponnambalam, an outspoken critic of government policy on the ethnic conflict said the indictment confirmed his view that the government was not really interested in talks for a political solution.
"Without the LTTE a political solution cannot be found or implemented. Indicting Prabhakaran means shutting the LTTE out of negotiations and slamming the door on a political solution. It is a slap in the face for the Tamil people and all the Tamil parties", the fiery Mr. Ponnambalam said.
TELO leader, N. Srikanthan appeared to be more balanced in his response. He said none should or could be above the law, but as long as the LTTE was militarily powerful it would have to be brought into any effective political settlement.
EPRLF leader Suresh Premachandran said the indictment of Prabhakaran would certainly please the Sinhala people but its practical value was doubtful. He pointed out that though India had indicted Prabhakaran, the LTTE continued to function as an effective force.
Mr. Premachandran said he felt every effort should be made to bring the LTTE to the negotiation table, if necessary through third party mediation.
A spokesman for PLOTE said that while the charges against the LTTE might be valid, the reality was that there could be no effective political solution without it.
EROS leader Shankar Raji bluntly dismissed the indictment as a meaningless political exercise.
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has pointed out that there were practical difficulties in withholding plans to privatize the State Mortgage Bank among which is a condition laid down by the Asian Development Bank.
The President who met a delegation from the Bank Employees Union had explained some of the difficulties in implementing the proposals made by the Union.
Among them is the ADB offer to provide a loan of Rs. 3.5 billion in December 1995. Of this Rs. 240 million had been used so far.
The union has now decided to suspend the half day's token strike at the State Mortgage Bank and the island wide picketing campaign during the lunch interval.
The union had suggested to the President that PERC should call off its privatization of the bank because it could lead to further restiveness among the members.
The union had reiterated its position that the bank should be developed and expanded to cater to a larger section of the public instead of privatizing it, either wholly or partly.
A German NGO has implemented a program to supply food, kitchen utensils, shelter and toilets for over 1,000 displaced families in Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Ampara.
Mandolin U. Srinivas, a prodigy in South Indian Music will be presenting a recital today at the Saraswathy Hall, Bamabalapitiya at 5.00 pm.
The concert is organized by Sri Muthukrishna Mission Trust as a part of their Saraswathy Pooja programs.
The Yala Wild Life sanctuary and its surrounding villages are again being threatened by terrorists - and a leading monk in the area has accused the Minister concerned of living in a dream world in Colombo while Yala villagers are facing death.
The Chief Incumbent of the Sithulpauwwa Temple, Ven. Unawatune Rathnajothi Thera told The Sunday Times that last week's incidents showed that LTTE cadres were roaming in the area and asked why the government was refusing to face reality and provide more security.
We have on many occasions pointed out the threats and the movements of LTTE cadres, but unfortunately due to a dispute between the Minister of Plantations and the Wild Life Department, no action has been taken, the monk said.
The monk said he would be meeting Deputy Defense Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte today to tell him the full story and ask for urgent action.
He also challenged the Minister in charge of Yala to come and see the situation instead of living in Colombo and making wrong assessments.
The presidential commission of inquiry into involuntary removals and disappearances of persons in the central zone will sit at Kuliyapitiya for two weeks from tomorrow.
Complaints received from Wewagama, Kirimetiyawa, Metiyagane, Nawatha-lawatta, Kudumulla and other areas will be inquired into.
The Chairman of the Commission is T. Suntheralingam.
A school in the Central Province was closed for three days after a politico's relative threatened an acting principal for drawing the "red line" on the attendance register which prevented his school teacher wife from signing in time.
The PA politician's relative also had attempted to assault the acting principal and bomb the school.
With the threats the school had been closed down for three days. The Education Department has so far not held an inquiry into the matter.
Steps have been taken by the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA) to provide training to Indian audit officers on public accounts and finance administration in Sri Lanka.
A residential training course inaugurated by Director of the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration P. B. Wanninayake, was conducted for twelve days. Deputy Secretary to the Treasury D. Y. Liyanage made the key-note address.
A training in various fields like administrative structure, administrative powers vested by the Constitution of Sri Lanka Financial Administration in public organization, national planning and five-year plan budget and budget system of Sri Lanka was provided.
An awareness was created on computerization of public auditing new trends and improvements in public accounts, revenue structure of Sri Lanka, financial control in Provincial Councils and Local Govt. Institution functioning of Divisional Secretary's offices and District Secretary's offices and accounts systems.
Consumers and dealers are up in arms against the latest price hike by the Shell Company, which they claim has taken another slice of the poor man's earnings.
The Public Enterprise Reform Commission (PERC) has defended the 25 rupee price hike of cylinders of gas with immediate effect.
The PERC says according to the agreement it has with Shell, the company is entitled to increase prices by 10% every year. However, in 1995, the Shell company had deferred the price increase to 1996.
PERC Transaction Manager Harim Peris told The Sunday Times, there was no violation in the contract between them. He was quick to add however, that had there been a breach of contract, they would not hesitate to take them to court. "Our lawyers are continuously monitoring the agreement to make sure there are no violations," he said.
Mr. Peris said that with the rate of inflation being about 20% these days, according to Central Bank statistics, it was difficult not to raise the prices of gas.
Most consumers have been taken by shock due to the second price hike made by Shell this year and students and laborers complain that even the price of a cup of tea, has been now increased by fifty cents.
Meanwhile, gas dealers have also been angered by the lack of response shown by the management of Shell, in connection with issuing proper distribution and dealership rights. However, The Sunday Times, learns that a date for the two parties to meet has finally been set for the following Wednesday.
The Committee appointed to look into the possibility of advancing the clock is drafting its final report, and will hand it over to President Chandrika Kumaratunga.
According to a member of the committee, they are not in a position to discuss the contents of the report until it is presented to the President.
In next year's budget estimates, a large amount of funds have been allocated for development activities but the allowances of the President have not been increased as reported in the press, a statement from the Information Department said.
A sum of Rs. 340 million of the total allocations under President's vote has been set apart for the Northern Province Resettlement and Rehabilitation Authority.
The statement also said:
"The estimated provisions of next year's President's Vote have been formulated devoting unprecedented attention to the development activities of the country as well. The President's Vote for 1997 is about Rs. 625 million (Rs. 625,090,000/-). Out of this amount, Rs. 340 million has been allocated to the Northern Province Resettlement and Rehabilitation Authority. No such allocation of funds was made under President's Vote for 1996. Earlier to that too, no funds has been allocated under this Vote for development activities of this nature.
"The President's Vote for 1997 consists of two programs. Under the first program, provision has been made for General Administration and Purchase of Equipment. The estimated provision for this purpose is Rs. 5,419,000.
"The exact provision under this Vote for General Administration is Rs. 5,269,000. This shows that no change in the allowance paid to the President has been contemplated and no additional provision has been made under the Vote for the salaries of the Secretary to the President and the Members of the Staff of her Office. Payments to ex-Presidents and their staffs too remain unchanged.
"The particulars stated above regarding the President's Vote of 1997 make it clear that there is no truth at all in the rumors spread by certain newspapers to the effect that the emoluments of the President and her Staff are going to be increased under next year's Vote.
"Provision has been made under the second program of the President's Vote toward expenditure for functions assigned to the President or functions which have not been assigned to any other ministries and are being executed under the responsibility of the President.
"Moneys allocated to non-profit making state institutions such as the Sri Lanka Foundation, Sri Lanka Institute of Fundamental Studies, Superior Courts Complex and the Human Rights Task Force, ultimately will flow into the development process. For this purpose alone the provision made for 1997 exceeds the amount for 1996 by about Rs. 48 million says a press release.
Earlier the finance ministry clarifying 'The Sunday Times' news report last week on the increase of President's allowances said that the Presidential allowances have not been revised and remain at the 1996 level. The ministry said the salaries of the Secretary to the President and other staff also have not been revised.
The staff of the Lady Ridgeway Hospital will launch a protest march tomorrow with a march along Colombo streets, demanding the immediate removal of their hospital director.
This strike would spread to the entire island, if suitable action is not taken, the hospital staff warned.
"We understand that the Health Minister had given instructions to his Secretary, not to hold interviews for the director's appointment, until he returns from abroad," a hospital spokesman said.
But this doesn't conform to the government's transparency policy, he said.
The spokesman said President Chandrika Kumaratunga had called for independent reports on this issue from various quarters, and those reports find fault with the manner in which this issue is dragged on. The appointment for the director's post was advertised nine months ago and a court order calls for expedition.
The spokesman said the President was soon expected to resolve this crisis. "If the appointment is made without any further delay, we might even consider calling off our strike action tomorrow," he said.
A villager who pleaded guilty for failing to give information about an LTTE suspect was given a suspended jail term.
Sivapragasam Thiaga-rajah of Muttur was indicted under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. North-East High Court Judge U.L.A. Majeed sentenced him to two years rigorous imprisonment, suspended for seven years.
Continue to the News/Comment page 2 - * Funds run out, erosion creeps in, * HRTF wants to set up office in Jaffna, * Srimani sees green industrial zones to protect environment, * New administrative boundaries finalized, * Telecom employees seek job security, * Not building power base: Ashraff
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