Hilton case: summons on GL

By Ayesha R. Rafiq

Minister G.L. Peiris has been served summons to appear before the District Court of Colombo, in connection with the Hilton settlement case.

Dr. Peiris, who has been summoned to appear in court on December 4, is being sued for Rs. 100 million by Nihal Amarasekera, a Director of Hotel Developers (Lanka) Ltd. (HDL), which owns the Hilton Hotel.

Mr. Amarasekera has charged that by wrongfully and unlawfully suspending the implementation of a settlement agreement brought about by an earlier case in which HDL was involved, Dr. Peiris had caused heavy monetary losses to HDL.

The settlement agreement which was finalised in 1993, was only executed two years later, in 1995.

Mr. Amarasekera has charged that upon Dr. Peiris discovering in the settlement agreement a condition which affected the members of the Securities and Exchange Commission, of which Dr. Peiris was formerly one, misused and abused his office as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and Deputy Minister of Finance.

The petitioner claimed that the minister has interfered and intervened to cause the suspension of the implementation of the settlement agreement.

He said the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, had addressed letters to the companies involved in the settlement, that it would not be implemented until the determination of the Special Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the matter.

The petitioner said that the wrongful and unlawful suspension of the implementation of the settlement agreements in toto, caused the first defendant substantial loss and damage to the second defendant company and its shareholders, including the Government, the plaintiff and the public.

He charged that due to the delay in implementing the settlement agreement, HDL could not pursue the feasibility of building a third tower of hotel rooms, which would have enhanced the company’s profitability and debt service ability.

He has also charged that HDL has lost a large sum of money in terms of interest and additional loans having to be taken from the government as a result of the delay in implementing the settlement.

J.W.D. Perera of De Silva & Perera is appearing for Mr. Amarasekera.

Two more apparitions at the church

Two new apparitions have taken place at a Rawatawatta Catholic church where a mysterious vision on the wall for the past ten weeks has been drawing thousands of devotees.

Father Edward Ravel, parish priest of the Queen of Angels church at Rawatawatta, Moratuwa said both new apparitions significantly had taken place during the past two Fridays when hundreds gathered for a three hour adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.

On Friday October 23, a ball of light was seen emerging from the Blessed Sacrament on the altar and appeared to rest on the hand of the image of Mary on the wall, parishioners said. It took place at 3.40 pm. Significantly the historic new West Asia peace accord was signed the same day and the ceremony took place at 3.40 am. Sri Lanka time, parishioners said. The vision on the wall which most devotees see as the Blessed Mother Mary holding out a cross first appeared on August 16. Father Ravel said a special three hour adoration with the Blessed Sacrament exposed would take place every Friday from 3 pm to 6 pm followed by Holy Mass. The adoration service is conducted in Sinhala, Tamil and English.

Srimani welcomes move to set up joint security council

Untied Lalith Front (ULF) leader Srimani Athulathmudali has welcomed the call by the Association of Retired Flag Rank Officers (ARFRO) to set up a National Security Council, chaired by the Head of State and including the opposition leader.

Ms. Athulathmudali in a statement said: “As Minister of National Security, Lalith continually requested the inclusion of the Leader of Opposition in the Security Council.

“At the recent meeting initiated by the Chambers of Commerce and Industry, I too made this suggestion.

“I firmly believe that if this could be achieved, the opposition would have a shared responsibility in matters concerning the security of the country.

The United Lalith Front therefore wholeheartedly supports ARFRO in its efforts to set up a National Security Council and hopes that these efforts would bear fruit.”

Relief for 500 on greasy polls

On-coming amendments to the Provincial Council Act will enable the cancellation of existing nominations and give the commissioner of elections the power to fix a fresh date for elections, government sources said.

The provincial elections scheduled for August 28 were postponed indefinitely under emergency regulations and opposition parties have challenged this move in courts.

Furthermore, some 500 public servants who took leave to contest the elections now find themselves in a dire situation — no job and no elections.

These candidates are mainly from the JVP, MEP and other opposition parties who have been agitating that their plight should be looked into.

The proposed cancellation of the nomination list will enable these 500 candidates to get back to their jobs in the public service. Informed sources said PA and UNP leaders at a meeting in parliament had reached a consensus on the amendments to the Provincial Councils Act.

Provincial Councils Minister Alavi Moulana and Minister D. M. Jayaratne, who is also the general secretary of the PA, confirmed that amendments to the Act would be presented soon.

Analysts point out that as long as emergency regulations are in force, the President could over-rule any one with or without the amendments.

Journalists see strength in unity

The Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association will work in co-operation with other media movements to promote and safeguard the welfare of journalists.

At the first meeting of the newly appointed executive committee of the SLWJA, it was decided that the association work closely with the Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka, the Free Media Movement and the Sri Lanka Journalists’ Association to extend the retirement age of journalists to 65. It was also decided to issue identity cards to every member of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association.

Meanwhile, the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (Lake House) has quit the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka with effect from October 23. No reasons for this move have been given.

The Newspaper Society established in September 1995 counts among its membership Wijeya Newspapers, Upali Newspapers, Leader Publications, Express Newspapers, and Sumathi Newspapers.

Goebbels reborn!

By Chamintha Thilakarathna

A London based Tamil group is believed to be transmitting anti-Sri Lankan propaganda by using German state broadcasting facilities.

This group calling itself ‘International Broadcasting Corporation - Tamil (IBC) has bought air time from a transmitting station owned by Deutsche Telecom.

The programme can be heard in Sri Lanka from 6 to 7.am in Tamil with a 10 minute English news bulletin at 6.50 a.m. on the frequency 7150 kHz in the 49 metre band, The Sunday Times learns.

Listeners told The Sunday Times the programmes were hostile, referring to the government as the Sinhala regime’ and the Army as ‘invading forces.’

The transmitters used for this purpose are located in the German city of Julich, which at one time was used by the German external broadcasting service, Deutsche Welle.

The facilities are also said to be rented to at least two other rebel broadcasters — one againstthe millitary regime in Burma and the other against the Nigerian junta.

Germany’s Deputy Ambassador Von. Bothmer told The Sunday Times the embassy in Colombo was not aware of such broadcasts.

“I am not aware of a transmission which is hostile to the Sri Lankan government. Besides, it is not possible for Sri Lankans to tune into German transmissions because they are not broadcast to Sri Lanka,” he said.

However radio listeners say even programmes from Germany can be heard thousands of miles away because the short-wave frequencies used are intended for international transmission.

Some listeners question the German action of allowing hostile broadcasts to a friendly governemnt particularly in the light of Sri Lanka having permitted the German state broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, to operate a relay station from Trincomalee.

CBK calls for progress report

To counter opposition allegations that the government has promised much but produced little in terms of development, President Chandrika Kumaratunga has ordered all ministers to immediately prepare full reports on all that they had done during the past four years.

Minister Alavi Moulana told The Sunday Times the reports would contain full details of various projects started and completed.

All these reports would be collected and presented to the people to show how much the government had done, he said.

The preparation of the government’s progress report and list of achievements comes amidst speculation of a snap presidential election next year.

Jayalath: release all prisoners

UNP MP Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena has made a public appeal to the LTTE to release all prisoners of war to relieve the suffering of many innocent families.

Dr. Jayawardene, getting set for another trip to Madhu, said the recent release of nine soldiers and sailors was a laudable gesture by the LTTE and he prayed that more such gestures of goodwill will follow.

“It was indeed a positive gesture to have those nine people released but there are many more still in captivity, whose families are living in continuous suspense and agony,” he said.

Study economic implications of package, NJC tells businessmen

The National Joint Committee in a strongly worded statement has challenged the business leaders who mooted the adoption of a ‘common policy criteria’ that should remain unchanged for over a decade to make a thorough survey of the economic implications of the so-called ‘peace package’ and to make their views known.

Though item 7 of the businessmen’ agenda of the recently held ‘Private Sector Initiative to Resolve the Ethnic conflict’ called for the adoption of a ‘common policy criteria’ for at least 15 years in regard to agriculture, industry, trade and commerce, they appeared to be unaware that under the ‘peace package’, all these were devolved subjects with full powers vested in the regional councils, which would in practical terms mean, separate policies for each region to serve their own parochial interests, irrespective of its impact on the country as a whole.

Questioning whether such an environment would prove conducive to the carrying out of business, the NJC statement further states that since the government’s view on the ‘effective resolution’ of the terrorist problem was through the so-called ‘peace package’, it was time for the business tycoons to put their heads together and make an exhaustive study of the entire package specially with reference to economic implications.

The statement also said:

“In her answer to questions sent to her by certain Tamil individuals telecast over Rupavahini on 24.10.98 the full text of which appears in the Daily News of 26.10.98 the President has made certain statements that call for comments. Referring to the government’s devolution proposals which she calls a “peace package” the President states we have persuaded the Sinhalese people for the first time that we must give devolution to the Tamil people and all their rights must be given to them.

“The vast majority of the Sinhala people have accepted it without any doubt for the first time since independence because of the government’s efforts.”

“In normal circumstances we would have ignored this statement treating it on a par with other well-known presidential pronouncements such as the promise to abolish the executive presidency by the 15th July 1995 but for the fact that this statement is likely to mislead the people.

“In the first place, unless the President has conducted a secret referendum of which all of us are unaware, we do not see how she can state that the ‘vast majority of the Sinhala people’ have accepted the package, since only an island-wide referendum could determine the views of the people.

In the absence of such a referendum the President’s statement is nothing more than the mere expression of her wishful thinking. The people, we are sure, will treat it as such and judge for themselves.

“As regards the merits of the package, it is noticeable that the government has so far made no attempt to answer the serious and detailed criticisms of the package that have been published during the last several months.

“The Sinhala Commission in its Interim Report made a strong criticism of the package and showed how its implementation would adversely affect the rights of the Sinhala people and lead to the eventual break-up of the country.

“The only response of the government was the demand by one important minister that ‘it be consigned to the dustbin of history’. Even though we invited the chief advocate of the package, G.L. Peiris to respond to the criticisms at a special meeting convened for this purpose at the BMICH on 13.1.1998, there was no response from him.

“Apart from the Sinhala Commission’s Report, there have been other important published critiques of the package such as those by Mr. S. L. Gunasekera (Tigers, Moderates and Pandora’s Package), Professor B. Hewavitharana’s (Economic Consequences of the Package) and, more recently by the eminent Constitutional Lawyer, Mr. H. L. de Silva PC. The response of the government to all these criticisms has been a ‘deafening silence’.

Instead of making grandiose statements such as that the ‘vast majority of the Sinhala people’ have accepted the package, a statement without any basis in fact, of trying to mislead the people by calling the package a ‘peace package’ thus making the people believe that peace can be restored only by implementing the package, is it not time that the Government attempted to meet the criticisms of the package some which we have indicated above?

“In this connection we would also like to refer to the recent action taken by business magnates. We note that one of the matters referred to in their ten points is ‘the effective resolution of the north-east conflict’.

In the first place, we do not agree that there is a ‘north-east conflict’. What we are faced with is a pure problem of terrorism and there is only one method for its ‘effective resolution’, namely by eliminating all terrorism utilizing the security forces of the state and ensuring that the writ of the government is operative in all parts of the country”.

Defiant Navin going ahead

A confrontation is building up over a UNP meeting to be held in Wattegama on Tuesday with police withdrawing the permit but the organisers vowing to go ahead with or without it.

Pathadumbara UNP organiser Navin Dissanayake said he had booked the Wattegama municipal grounds some weeks ago for the party’s electoral organisers’ meeting but was never informed then that a Samurdhi animators meeting would be held nearby.

The police have informed Mr. Dissanayake that permits for two meetings could not be issued as the venues were too close to each other.

But a defiant Navin, son of former UNP presidential candidate, Gamini Dissanayake, vowed they would go ahead with the meeting and use radio speakers if loudspeakers were not allowed.

He claimed politics in Kandy was becoming increasingly confrontational due to the pettiness of PA supporters.

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