The Sunday TimesNews/Comment

25th May 1997

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Blow up to cover up dastardly act

By S.S. Selvanayagam

The barbaric rape and murder of a young mother allegedly by some policemen has sent shockwaves around Batticaloa with the area’s MP appealing to President Kumaratunga to order a full probe.

Parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham in a letter to the President has said the 35 year old mother of four children had allegedly been raped last Saturday night in her house at the 11th colony village bordering Ampara.

He said the policeman who committed this alleged offence had in a dastardly attempt to cover up the act exploded a hand grenade in the private parts of the victim.

Police had then told relatives to bury the body without a medical examination.

The MP has told the President the atrocity has caused deep concern to the people of Batticaloa and she must ensure the culprits are brought to justice.


Protest over Premadasa show

The Premadasa Centre has lashed out at a private TV station for using their late leader President Premadasa a satirical programme and ridiculing him.

The centre claims that it was a disgrace to see how an LTTE suicide bomber could be described as a deity to whom the Sinhalese pray for deliverance.

“It may be said that this programme should not be seriously objected to because it is a piece of light hearted political satire, but we cannot accept this.”


Colombo Varsity 34th in Asia

The University of Colombo has been ranked 34 on a list of 50 best universities of Asia by the Asia Week magazine.

The ranking has been made on the information supplied by each of the universities on faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, value for money, students per teacher, teachers with post-graduate degrees, average annual pay and benefits, average annual tuition and fees. The University of Tokyo has been ranked number one, the Kyoto University of Singapore second and the University of Hong Kong third.

The Colombo University has been placed at 47th in academic reputation, 35th in faculty resources, fourth in student selectivity, 31st in financial resources, 11th in value for money, 30th in students per teachers, etc. Universities in East Asia are on top, according to the list, while Colombo is far behind other universities except in average annual tuition and fees and student selectivity.

The Peking University has been ranked No. 1 in faculty resources, while the Monash University of Australia has the most number of teachers with post-graduate degrees.


No food in Wanni, not even talk

By S.S. Selvanayagam

Starvation and death are hovering over thousands of civilians displaced by the current military operation in Wanni district, a Hindu movement has warned.

The All Ceylon Hindu Congress, deeply concerned about the plight of the refugees has appealed to the government to send more food and medicines to the district immediately.

ACHC General Secretary Kandiah Neelakandan said Kilinochchi’s Government Agent S. Thillainadarajah had wanted to come to Colombo to personally explain the gravity of the crisis faced by civilians in the Wanni but security forces had prevented him from leaving the area. In addition to the torment of the refugees the ACHC has also received other disturbing reports such as the rape of a mother of four children, he said.


12 year huff over a puff

It took an incredible 12 years to wrap up a court case involving the theft of a few beedies worth about a rupee.

Five suspects had been charged in this case in Welipenna and it dragged year after year till an angry magistrate put his foot down. “At a time when murder and other crimes are rampant, it is a shame and a disgrace that the police should waste so much of the courts time over such a trivial matter”, the magistrate said.

The magistrate discharged the only suspect who had been produced, remarking that no one knew where the others were.


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