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28th December 1997

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Don’t go to Galle Face

Galle Face Green where thousands of people traditionally gather to usher in the new year, will be under severe restrictions this year.

A sposkesman for the Traffic Police said they were advising the people to avoid the Galle Face Green in view of rehabilitation work there and for security reasons.

He said parking of vehicles on the Green and the nearby Chaitya Road would be restricted.

Traffic Police would also be on the alert for drunken drivers or those breaking speed limits, and tough action would be taken, the spokesman said.

All those found speeding would be subjected to breathalyser test.


We are left out, say Jaffna Muslims

By S.S.Selvanayagam

After nominations closed last Tuesday, campaigning for the controversial northern polls got underway with the latest outburst coming from Muslims who say they have been left out of the process.

A spokesman for an organisation of displaced Muslims said that some decades ago Jaffna district had some 48,000 Muslims with 30,000 of them in the municipal area. The northern capital also had one Muslim mayor and two deputy mayors at different stages.

But after the October 1990 expulsion of Muslims, they were scattered all over and even a fraction of them would not be able to vote in the January 29 elections, according to S.A.C. Mubeen who heads a group known as the organisation for displaced northern Muslims.

Tamil party leaders, while acknowledging the sad situation of displaced Muslims said they had given the community a fair share in the nomination list.

EPDP leader Douglas Devananda said his party had included two Muslims in its list for the 23-seat Jaffna Municipal Council while TELO leader S. Vinothalingam said his party had included three. But Mr. Mubeen pointed out that at one time the Jaffna MC had upto four Muslims and it was unlikely the community would see any members elected at the upcoming election.


Car licence turns turtle

Has the car lincence for 1998 been printed upside down and are officials adapting delaying or devious tactics to cover this up?

At the Maligakande office, those who went to collect car licences were told that the owners themsel-eves must come.

Even family members cannot collect it on their behalf. They were told the new orders had come from Transport Minister A. H. M. Fowzie.

But the Minister, responding positively to an early morning call from The Sunday Times, said he had given no such orders to any authority. He was not aware whether licences had been printed upside down, but promised to inquire.

Motor Traffic chief, D. S. Edirisinghe said he was not aware of such matters and passed the responsibility to the Western Provincial Council.


Servicemen hit in politico’s land rumpus in Panadura

The rumpus over a plot of land in Panadura for disabled servicemen — as highlighted in The Sunday Times two weeks ago — has produced more shocks with allegations that a former minister of state and area politician had taken disabled servicemen for a ride.

It is alleged the politician had issued letters to several applicants promising allotments on the 92-perches plot of land, contrary to the wishes of the philanthropist who had made the donation.

The philanthropist had donated the land to the National Housing Authority with a request that it be partitioned into 12 blocks, of which 8 should be given to the most deserving shelterless families of dead or disabled servicemen and to the poorest of the poor in the area.

The donor had also requested that he be appointed to a committee which makes the selection. But that too had been disregarded by the former minister of state, it is alleged.

The Housing Ministry had wanted the donation to be vested in the Housing Authority, but the area politician allegedly wanted to handle it himself through the Sevana Vanitha.

The Sunday Times learns that this resulted in a back-stage battle between the area politico and the Housing Ministry, leaving the land unattended. Gradually, drug anddicts and other nefarious elements moved into the area.

The donor, P.N. Fernando said that when the government changed in 1994, he had made representations to the Minister of Housing through the new MP. Reginald Cooray. Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva visited the place and promised to build the 12 houses as planned earlier.

“After the land was surveyed , two disabled soldiers forcibly started putting up houses and on the instructions of the authorities they were removed. Just before the laying of foundation stones of the houses, a naval officer built two rooms with bricks.

Minister Nimal de Silva asked these servicemen, who had letters promising plots of land from the ex-minister of state, to come before the committee to see whether they too deserved the houses” Mr. Fernando explained.

“When the houses were being completed some disabled servicemen came one night and entered them through windows forcibly; threatening the security men there.

“That seems to be a high-handed act as these servicemen are still in service and drawing salaries from the government.

“They have no right to break the law. If they had a problem they could have settled it in courts,” he added.

The four servicemen who were taken into custody for encroaching upon State land have now been released on bail.


JVP still awaits President’s reply

By Shyamal A. Collure

The JVP’s written request to President Chandrika Kumaratunga asking for an appointment to discuss the threats to the party and wider democratic rights of society following reports of a possible armed insurrection has not yet received any response, JVP spokesman Wimal Weerawansa said.

Mr. Weerawansa told ‘ The Sunday Times” that copies of the letter in question had already been posted to almost all the diplomatic missions in the country and in addition JVP’s International Headquarters in Paris too had been kept on alert.

He said that the headquarters had also been requested to keep all foreign organisations having connections with the JVP, other progressive organisations and human rights watch-dogs on the international plane informed of any developments in this regard.


Order unreasonable, say Kamal’s lawyers

Film actor Kamal Addararachchi who was found guilty of abduction and rape by Colombo High Court judge Shiranee Tillekewardene and sentenced to ten years rigorous imprisonment plus one million rupees as penalty, has appealed to the Court of Appeal on the basis that the order is contary to law and is against the weight of the evidence in the case.

His lawyers have said the order is unreasonable in that the evidence led at the trial pointed irresistibly to the claim that the complainant had agreed to have sexual intercourse with the accused. She had come in search of the accused and willingly went with him to spend the night. Her evidence is said to narrate a “set of impossible events” that include her saying that she never felt any sense of apprehension or danger while being seated with the accused in a locked room, that when her blouse was forcibly removed by the accused, her brassiere too came out of her body along with the blouse and that the accused held her mouth with one hand and her hands with the other and removed her skirt, underskirt and her panty with his toes. Equally unbelievable is said to be the complainant’s evidence that despite being allegedly raped by the accused, she had trusted and believed him when he had offered to help her financially with her education, and that she had absolutely no illwill or hard feelings against him even after the alleged incident.

The petition of appeal filed by Addararachchi through his lawyers also draws attention to the fact that though the complainant had gone to a friend’s house after being dropped off by the accused, she had not informed either the friend nor the friend’s father about the alleged rape. The friend’s father had gone to the police and lodged a complaint that the complainant had run away from home and was residing at his place. Subsequently, the police had come and taken the complainant to the police station. It was only several hours later that the complainant had told the Matron who was with her that the accused had raped her.

Addararachchi has complained that High Court judge Tillekewardene had erred in rejecting the evidence of the accused, and had failed to consider whether a reasonable doubt in the complainant’s story had been created to his benefit. It has also been stated that in any event, the sentence imposed on the accused is excessive in the circumstances of the case.

The filing of Addararachchi’s petition of appeal this week was accompanied by an application made for bail pending appeal


Continue to the News/Comment page 4 * Mulberry push again * Prayer for peace * Ex-principal dies in road accident * Dubai flour no good for bread * Won’t talk to police * Days for pensioners

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