• Through Censor
• Shanthi is here
• Police purge: over 100 heads roll
• Saboteurs destroy Galle Test pitches
• Rs.98 m spent, no one stayed
• Censor's delay backfires
• Kash crew grilled in Chennai
• Hema pooh poohs posters about her

Through Censor

All material relating to military operations, past or present, published in The Sunday Times is subject to the approval of army censorship

Police purge: over 100 heads roll

By Chris Kamalendran

In a major shake up of the police service, more than 100 top officers allegedly involved in illegal activities during the UNP regime are to be sent on compulsory leave within the next few weeks.

By Friday, 16 of these officers, including a Deputy Inspector General, had been sent on compulsory leave for their alleged involvement in the Batalanda torture chamber and disappearances.

In addition to the police officers, some military officers who also were allegedly involved in illegal activities are due to be sent on compulsory leave.

The allegations against these officers had been made during the inquiries held by the commissions probing the Batalanda tortures, Vijaya Kumaratunga and Lalith Athulathmudali assassinations and malpractices during the local elections in the eastern province in 1994.

Police Chief W. B. Rajaguru has sent orders for the withdrawal of vehicles given to officers who are being sent on compulsory leave.

Among the officers who were sent on compulsory leave last Wednesday are DIG Meril Guneratne, SSPs H. G. Wickramasinghe and Wilfred Mahanayake, SP H. P. Dharmaratne and ASP H. Chandradasa. Ahead of the move to send these officers on compulsory leave some of them were transferred to operational areas in the north- east while the others were sidelined by relieving them of their responsibilities.

The shake-up precedes a change at the top where senior DIG Lucky Kodithuwakku is tipped to be the next police chief, replacing Mr. Rajaguru who is expected to retire end of this month.

In another significant development, the police Officer In Charge of Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe's official Security Unit was sent on compulsory leave on Thursday night.

The officer, Inspector Sugath Chandraratna who was on duty at the Opposition leader's residence at Fifth Lane, Kollupititya was served the letter signed by the Defence Secretary Chandrananda de Silva.

Inspector Chandraratna told The Sunday Times no reasons were given for sending him on compulsory leave. He said he had met Superintendent S.C.P. Jayasuriya, who heads the Ministerial Security Division but he claimed that he too was unaware of any reasons.

Police sources said Inspector Chandraratne had been with Mr. Wickremesinghe for 14 years, when he was a minister and then Prime Minister.

Saboteurs destroy Galle Test pitches

By Gamini Mahadura

All ten turf pitches at the newly opened Galle Cricket Stadium were sabotaged yesterday by an unidentified gang which dug holes and dumped oil on the turf.

Southern Province cricket Association President and Stadium Chief Jayananda Warnaweera said the gang had attacked the newly-laid pitches about 2 a.m. They had dug holes in the pitches and poured engine oil to virtually ruin the turf strips which had come in for much praise after the first Test match there between Sri Lanka and New Zealand a few months ago.

Mr. Warnaweera said all the Test pitches would have to be re-laid at a cost of more than Rs 1 million.

Police said they had arrested one suspect and investigations are centred on whether the sabotage was linked to some professional jealousy among cricket and other sports officials in Galle.

The incident came in the wake of a group of people including a few politicians protesting and calling for the stadium to be made available for other sports as well.

SAARC Summit

Rs.98 m spent, no one stayed

By Dilrukshi Handunnetti

Despite stringent financial discipline imposed by the Finance Ministry on government spending, Rs. 98 million has been spent on the renovation of the President's House for SAARC Summit. But none of the visiting leaders stayed there.

The South Asian leaders stayed at the heavily fortified Taj Samudra Hotel. Only the official state banquet was held at the President's House. Except for a few tasks undertaken by state agencies, refurbishing and other requirements of the President's House have been met by selected contractors and without the calling of tenders, The Sunday Times learns.

Recently, as a preliminary step to curb spending, a Cabinet Memorandum was issued to ministries to halt project plans and supplementary estimates. It came after several ministries sought further allocations to support various programmes.

Finance Ministry sources said several ministries were spendthrifts which made it difficult to manage a third world economy, in the midst of a costly war.

Censor's delay backfires

President Chandrika Kumaratunga has asked the Army Censors to explain why they did not approve the Presidential Secretariat statement on the bombing of the Indian vessel Princess Kash.

The President's call for an explanation came after The Sunday Times reported how a foreign correspondent's copy on the bombing was delayed for 12 hours, on the basis that the censors had not received the presidential statement.

The Sunday Times learns that the correspondent's copy to the censor had included paragraphs of the release issued by the Presidential Secretariat.

Kash crew grilled in Chennai

Mystery ship Princess Kash crew members who were flown out of Sri Lanka last Wednesday after their drama in Mullaitivu were subjected to severe grilling by Indian security personnel when they arrived at Chennai airport, reports said.

The crew members, except the Captain R.N. Karkera and his Chief Officer who were held back for questioning by Naval authorities in Sri Lanka, were held for more than two hours at the Chennai airport for questioning by the central and state security officers.

Reports from Chennai said the crew members were held at the airport as they had come with 'emergency travel documents' which had to be carefully checked.

Meanwhile the CID here is continuing investigations on how the cargo ship carrying hundreds of tons of food other items and vehicles to the north, fell into the hands of the LTTE on August 13. CID chief Bandula Wickramasinghe said yesterday.

The Sri Lanka Navy reportedly warned the cargo ship to move away from the coast of Mullaitivu which is known to be the key base of the LTTE.

When the orders were not obeyed, the Sri Lanka Air Force sent in Kfir bombers to destroy the vessel on August 14, the government said.

The Sunday Times learns the CID has not recorded the statements of the crew members but it questioned the local shipping agents. Two Sri Lanka Naval officials had gone to the BIA last Wednesday and got the captain and the Chief Officer to disembark to record their statements.

They missed their flight, while the others left but they were sent to Chennai on an AirLanka flight later.

Meanwhile the four Sri Lankan crew members are still being held by the LTTE somewhere in Wanni, while ICRC officials continue talks for their release.

Hema pooh poohs posters about her

By Roshan Peiris

Former First Lady Hema Premadasa has angrily washed her hands of thousands of posters that came up on city walls last week urging her to come forward to lead the people.

The appearance of the posters coincided with a highly publicised UNP rally at Hyde Park on August 14 to protest against the postponement of provincial elections. Some political sources alleged that Hema Premadasa posters had been pasted over those of UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

When The Sunday Times asked Hema Premadasa about the posters, she said, "What nonsense! Neither I nor my family had any hand in it. The people who did it, I presume had too much money to waste." She said she had received news that thousands of such posters were pasted along Galle Road, Duplication Road and other parts of Colombo. "I asked someone to bring me a poster torn off a wall. It said the people were inviting me to come forward to carry out the Premadasa policies. I had nothing to do with those posters nor had my family."