The kingpins of some houses of illfame in Colombo are some retired police officers and rich mudalalis, it was alleged at the monthly general meeting of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC).
Innocent girls were brought down to Colombo from distant villages on the pretext of providing them employment and then introduced into these houses. These women have no alternative but to become women of easy virtue, opposition leader Ananda Premasinghe said speaking on a resolution moved by PA's Eric Chandrasena. Minor children are being used by unscrupulous men for illegal sex. He requested the Justice Minister to take urgent steps to put an end to this to save generations to come.
"The police do not prosecute the owners of these joints as a few retired police officers are manning these places. As a lawyer I am aware that under the existing law the owners of houses of illfame can be prosecuted. They were so powerful and wealthy that most of them travelled in Benz and BMW crass".
Meanwhile the Council decided to rename Deal Place in Kollupitiya as "Duncan Fernando Mawatha." Eric Chandrasena moving the resolution said the late Mr. Fernando served the public both as an MMC and WP Councillor without considering class, creed or ethnic differences. He even spent his own earnings to serve the public and it was our duty to pay tribute to him in this fashion.
UNP's Titus Perera seconded the resolution.
The 1996 Gandhi Peace Prize will be awarded to Sri Lanka's Sarvodaya leader A. T. Ariyaratne by Indian President Shanker Dayal Sharma at a ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Jan. 1. The ceremony will be attended by Prime Minister H. D. Deve Gowda and other leaders.
The Gandhi Peace Prize was instituted by India to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 1995. .Dr Julius Nyerere, former President of Tanzania was awarded the 1995 Gandhi Peace Price.
Dr. Ariyaratne was selected to receive the 1996 Gandhi Peace Prize by a special Jury headed by Prime Minister Gowda while the other members included the Vice President, Leader of the Opposition, and the Chief Justice. Dr. Ariyaratne was selected unanimously from among nearly sixty nominations around the world. The prize includes a cash award one crore (10 million) Indian Rupees.
Colombo will be placed on alert on New Year's Eve, with hundreds of police personnel brought from outstations to handle the crowds, expected to converge here for the celebrations, the police said.
DIG Colombo D.M.T.B. Dissanayake told "The Sunday Times" that special teams of police officers will be placed at strategic points to monitor the activities of people moving about the city in a bid to curb any unwanted incidents.
According to police sources, a major plan has been drafted by them to ensure that there are no mishaps during the festive season. A large number of police officers in civvies have been deployed for the purpose.
"Lighting crackers, sky-rockets and other means of creating commotion will not be entertained by the police and stringent measures are to be taken against those exeeding the limits", said Mr. Dissanayake.
The regular police force is being backed by trainee policemen who have been deployed in the city.
Police jointly with the Army will be carrying out sudden checks and search operations.
Meanwhile, Security personnel operating in the North have been warned against buying stamps, envelopes, or even food items from traders in the North as a security precaution.
Security officials have come across instances of attempts to poison security personnel by the enemy, by introducing cyanide into food items the personnel might buy from shops and eating houses there.
It is stated that some security men had suffered from cyanide poisoning during the last few weeks, according to an army spokesman.
Illegal Tamil immigrants have been allegedly sent to several European countries by a Sri Lankan sports official using his position and letterheads of an international federation in a multimillion rupee racket, a local association has charged.
The allegation of international political billiards have been made by the Sri Lanka Billiards & Snooker Association Secretary, T.H. Jayah, to the National Intelligence Bureau.
Mr. Jayah, himself a police superintendent has alleged that a millionaire Sri Lankan businessman, who earlier headed an international federation had sent Tamils with false Sinhala names, passports and visas to Switzerland, Malta, Finland and other countries on the pretext of participating in world snooker or billiards tournaments.
The allegation involves millions of rupees, he has told the NIB.
SP Jayah has handed over various documents to the NIB in support of his charges. Copies have also been sent to the Ministry of Sports.
SP Jayah has said that because of the alleged misuse of authority by one individual the whole association and even the country have been brought to disrepute, with even genuine sportsmen wearing the Sri Lankan emblem being treated with suspicion at international airports.
In what could be described as "shame on all Sri Lankans" shocking details of a child-sex racket are surfacing as police and the Child Care and Probation Department launch top-level investigations.
A police team led by a senior superintendent on Friday got into action to investigate allegations that girls ranging from seven to 15 years at a children's home in the Kalutara District were sent for sex with tourists and locals and used in blue films and other pornographic material.
Police are also investigating whether the mystery death of a top official of a leading Buddhist organisation was connected to the racket.
The Child Care and Probation Dept. has also promptly launched a parallel investigation following a complaint from All Ceylon Buddhist Congress President Sudath Devapura, who had received a number of petitions about children being sexually abused at a home managed by the ACBC in Beruwela with the assistance from a group of hoteliers and a Lion's club
SSP Kalutara M. Sivaratnam on Friday directed Assistant Superintendent M.S. Wimalasena to record a statement from the present Matron of the home. A 14 year old girl from the home is to be produced before the District Medical Officer to ascertain whether she had been sexually abused.
Stories about the alleged nefarious activities of the children's home which houses 25 children below the age of 15 began to emerge some six months ago with signed and anonymous petitions gradually flowing in.
ACBC officials told The Sunday Times that following these petitions, they acted promptly and made few changes in the staff. They said only little incriminating evidence could be found after their initial investigations.
The officials got activated again after some children started opening up and talked about alleged sexual harassment. With more details flowing, ACBC Chairman Devapura himself undertook the task of investigating into the activities of the home.
Mr. Devapura lodged a complaint with the Commissioner for Child Care and Probation, Sugath Rannuge early this month.
"These incidents are reported to have taken place before I took office. We want these matters fully investigated and prompt action taken against the perpetrators," Mr. Devapura told The Sunday Times,
ACBC Secretary Lal de Silva visited the Children's Home on December 5 and recorded statements of the inmates and the present matron. The children were given a blank paper and were told to write about any sexual harassment they had experienced during their stay at the home.
On Dec. 8, some of the inmates who are reportedly have fallen victim made confession to the present matron, a retired English teacher from the North Central Province, who took over duties recently.
The matron who wished not to be named told The Sunday Times some of the children told her that they had been removed from the home on the pretext of taking them for medical check-ups. "Once they were out, they were blind folded and packed into a vehicle to end up in cottages, private houses and even shrub jungles where they allegedly underwent sexual abuse.
The chief incumbent of the Beruwela Abinavaramaya, the Ven. Sri Sobitha Thera told The Sunday Times, he also had complained to the ACBC and other authorities about the alleged child-sex scandal, following information from villagers and other sources.
The monk claimed that some leading businessmen in the area were involved in the racket and some foreigners, too, visited the home.
"We also know that there are genuine donors and some of the foreigners are even foster parents to the children. But we want these cases investigated as it is a crime to abuse these girls, most of them do not have parents or have undergone various traumas at their homes," the Ven. Sobitha Thera said.
In a dramatic development, the former head of the ACBC's National Childcare Committee, Rani Thilakaratna, a well-known social worker in Panadura was found dead early this week. Police believe that Ms. Thilakaratna would have been able to shed more light into the investigations as she was in office when the alleged crimes are said to have taken place.
The Colombo City Coroner has returned an open verdict on the death while investigations into the death are continuing.
Child Care and Probation Commissioner Rannuge told The Sunday Times that he was taking this case very seriously and added: "When the ACBC officials first complained, I called for more information. After I received sufficient information, I asked the police chief to appoint a top level investigation team.
SSP Sivaratnam told The Sunday Times: "We have just started our investigations. We are recording statements from the inmates."
The sacked Justice Ministry Secretary Dhara Wijetilleka calm but tough in the face of the crisis has rejected charges that she obstructed or went against government policy.
In an interview with The Sunday Times Ms. Wijetilleka was crisp and candid in her comments.
Excerpts:
Q: Do you know why you were removed as the Secretary to the Justice Ministry?
A: No.
Q: Which means no reasons have been given for your removal?
A: No reasons. Absolutely nothing.
Q: Was there consultation prior to your removal; even a hint as a matter of courtesy?
A: No, none at all.
Q: Was your working relationship with the Justice Minister a pleasant one?
A: No comment.
Q: Just prior to your removal the Minister referred to public servants who obstructed the work of government. Any comment?
A: The cap doesn't fit and I will not put it on.
Q: You are reported to have refused to authorise some money for what you felt was an improper procurement. Can you confirm and elaborate?
A: I can't comment on that now.
Q: So, was this improper procurement to the tune of about Rs. 100,000 for the printing of some posters?
A: No comment.
Q: The rumour at Hulftsdorp is that you were sacked for getting former Attorney General Shibly Aziz to argue a petition against Justice Shirani Bandaranayake. Is that true?
A: Bunkum!
Q: There is also this story that you were having "irrevocable" and "irreconcilable" differences with the Justice Minister; that there was a "wall" between the Ministry and the Minister, comprising the Minister's own staff?
A: I built no walls.
Q: Sometime back you were asked to become a High Court Judge. Why did you refuse?
A: Many years ago I was asked. But I had many reasons to refuse, one of which was that there were those much senior to me who deserved the appointment before I did.
Q: Any regrets now?
A: None whatsoever.
Q: How do you reflect on your years as Justice Secretary?
A: I have been extremely happy. I have no regrets as I have had extremely good relationships with those in the Bar, the Judges, with my staff and Heads of Departments. I was never one who had difficulties in having good relations with people in my entire 22 years in Public Service.
Q: Do you intend leaving the Public Service?
A: I will act on advice.
Q: Do you intend taking this matter up any further?
A: No comment.
Q: Are you disappointed with the President's decision?
A: No. I have nothing against the President and I accept her right to take that decision.
Speaking in Parliament during the debate on the votes of the Justice Ministry on Dec. 5 last year Minister G.L. Peiris had this to say about secretary Dhara Wijetilleka and others.
We quote from Hansard:
....... "the officials of the Ministry of Justice who have worked in unison in order to make these achievements possible. I would refer in particular to the secretary to the Ministry, Mrs. Dhara Wijetilleka, the Hon. Attorney General, Shibly Aziz, the Legal Draughtsman Nalin Abeysekera and all the officials who have contributed in whatever way they can to make the work of the Ministry a success".
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