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How is that umpire: Arjuna Ranatunga points angrily at 
umpire Ross Emerson after Emerson called Muttiah Muralitharan 
for "throwing" during the ODI match in Adelaide yesterday. 
Sanath Jayasuriya and Muralitharan listen to the 
explanation given by Emerson
- Reuter
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Which way Wayamba

Troops called in to provide security after polling ends

From Anthony David & Chris Kamalendran in Wayamba
Troops positioned in the North Western Province will be deployed from tomorrow evening, after the close of polls, to help the police maintain law and order.

This arrangement comes as more than one million voters in Wayamba go to the polls tomorrow, after a six week-long election campaign marred by violence that left two dead and hundreds injured. 

They will elect 52 members to the North Western Provincial Council. In doing so, they have also become judges to another politically more significant exercise — testing the popularity of the four and half year old Government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga. That has added more importance to the polls and even attracted visits from Colombo's diplomatic community. 

Six political parties and an independent group are in the fray with the main rivals being the ruling PA and the Opposition UNP.

President Kumaratunga wound up the PA campaign at a largely attended rally in Kurunegala on Friday. She declared: "We have worked without race or religious differences. It is the UNP that dragged the Tamil people into the war in the north. We will end the war and bring peace soon." 

At an equally largely attended UNP rally on Friday in Kuliyapitiya, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe called on the people of Wayamba to take all steps to ensure self-defence if any attempt was made to prevent them from going to the polls.

Both Chief Ministerial aspirants, S. B. Nawinna of the PA and Gamini Jayawickrema Perera of the UNP, in pre-election statements said they were confident of victory.

Although political campaigning ended at midnight Friday, signs of tension between rival groups were evident in most parts of the province. On a tour of Anamaduwa and Kurunegala areas yesterday, we saw large groups of PA supporters as against smaller UNP groups. Whilst PA posters and buntings were predominant, there were few UNP ones. Some of them were pulled out from walls leaving little traces. Police who stepped up patrols said that barring a few minor ones, there had been no major incidents reported after the campaigning ended.

However, PA and UNP leaders we spoke to traded serious allegations against each other. 

UNP Parliamentarian Asoka Wadigamangawa told The Sunday Times "state owned vehicles were misused in the Anamaduwa area, most of them belonging to the Samurdhi and Youth Affairs Ministry." 

But Youth Affairs and Samurdhi Minister S.B. Dissanayake, who was overlooking the PA campaign in Anamaduwa denied the charge. He told The Sunday Times, "these vehicles have been brought in for various projects of the Samurdhi programme. They have nothing to do with the polls." UNP's Chief Ministerial candidate Gamini Jayawickrema Perera, alleged that printed ballot papers had been brought into the district in a vehicle belonging to a state corporation bearing false number plates. 

According to D.B. Ekanayake, Administrative Secretary of the UNP district office in Kurunegala, the vehicle allegedly contained 50 ballot boxes and bundles of poll cards covered by a yellow cloth. He alleged three police officers had cursorily examined the vehicle at Kuliyapitiya but allowed it to proceed to a PA politician's residence after occupants in the vehicle raised queries. We were unable to obtain independent confirmation of the allegation. Police officers we spoke to said they were unaware of it. 

But, what the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) called a "serious development" took place at Pannala on Thursday. A CMEV statement said "Pannala Police arrested nine persons and impounded two vehicles in two separate incidents after they found several firearms inside the vehicles."

It said: "The weapons seized included two rifles, a shotgun, a revolver, two swords, a kris knife, five iron clubs. Pannala Police told CMEV that one of the vehicles was a ministerial Pajero. The Police have been unable to determine the ministry to which the vehicle belongs. The other vehicle was carrying PA posters and leaflets, police said. 

"The occupants of the Pajero have allegedly told police they had come to Pannala from Colombo to help Kurunegala district PA candidate D.M. Chandratilleke in his campaign. All nine suspects have been produced before the 


Hospitals ready for any situation

By Faraza Farook
Leave of all medical staff in the Northe Western Province has been cancelled as hospitals were put on an emergency footing to cope with any situation during or after tomorrow's polls. 

Kurunegala Teaching Hospital Director Dr. Ananda Gunesekara said all leave had been cancelled and they were ready to deal with any emergency. 

In the district of Puttalam also, the main hospital was ready for any situation with all leave cancelled. But an official there said the hospital suffered from a lack of staff and equipment. 


Lal J. as envoy: Hameed backs PA

Even if PA and UNP supporters hurl bombs and tear each other over tomorrow's PC polls, there is a lot of camaraderie and bon hommie among their leaders in Colombo.

This was clearly demonstrated last week at the High Posts Committee of Parliament that was screening Government appointees to high posts. 

Coming up for clearance was the appointment of economist Lal Jayawardena as High Commissioner designate to Britain, an appointment strongly opposed by some Sinhala organisations for what they claim are his anti-Buddhist attitudes. This sentiment was strongly expressed by none other than Cultural Affairs Minister, Lakshman Jayakody. Rushing to counter that objection was none other than A. C. S. Hameed, an opposition front bencher. He was strongly in favour of the appointment. 

Whether Mr. Hameed's leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, also concurred with Dr. Jayawardena's appointment is not clear. 

But there certainly appears to be consensus on smaller issues even if the Government and the Opposition cannot agree on many other matters


Lanka will stay and fight on, says Ranjith

ADELAIDE, Saturday (Reuters) - The Sri Lankan cricket team, embroiled in a throwing row and a walk-off, will stay in Australia for the remainder of the triangular limited-overs tournament, the team's manager said today.

Ranjit Fernando told a news conference after a highly controversial one-day match against England that they would play on despite their frustration at the way their spinner Muttiah Muralitharan had been treated.

"There's absolutely no question at all that they'll continue," Mr. Fernando said.

"We decided that he was going to play throughout this tour irrespective of what it was because we are convinced there is no problem with his action."

Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga led his players off the Adelaide Oval in protest after Australian umpire Ross Emerson called Muralitharan for "throwing".

The players returned after 12 minutes and went on to win the match by one wicket but a senior official of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka told Reuters in Colombo that the players had wanted to pull out of the tournament.

Mr. Fernando said later that the squad would definitely continue in the series but were unhappy at what had happened.

"We see no reason why that poor bowler should be shut off for no reason at all," he said.

"This sort of thing can really tear someone down. 

It's not just the umpires in Australia, there are sections of the media as well."

Mr. Fernando said the Sri Lankans would consider protesting at his appointment: "It does concern us," he said.

The ICC will be asked to investigate the incident as well as several other nasty clashes between the two teams in today's match.

Mr. Fernando said he was satisified that Ranatunga had been acted properly in leading his players off the field.

"It gave Arjuna and the rest of the lads time to get their thoughts together and carry on with the game. I don't think many captains have confronted situations like this."

Earlier in Colombo, Cricket Board President Thilanga Sumathipala told The Sunday Times that the Sri Lanka cricket team were shattered by the throwing controvesy and were seeking permission to call-off the tour as they were not in a proper frame of mind to continue. 

Late last night, Mr. Sumathipala said he had spoken to the team after the match and convinced them to stay on and play, though some matters were yet not resolved. He said he would be flying to Australia today to join the team and settle the crisis.


Ranil's mother complains to CBK

Nalini Wickremesinghe, mother of Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, has called on President Chandrika Kumaratunga to refrain from making baseless allegations under cover of legal immunity.

Ms. Wickremesinghe in a letter to the President said: "With reference to statements made by you at election meetings in the North Western Province and publicised by the state-controlled media on 18 and 19, I wish to inform you that the allegations made by you against me are totally incorrect. "I have neither applied for nor acquired ownership of any State land at any time. I inherited agricultural land from my late father D.R. Wijewardene, which I have distributed in entirety among my children according to the law. I do not own a single acre of State land and have no wish to do so. 

"The impression conveyed by your statements is thus factually incorrect and misleading. If there is a violation of the law it is more appropriate to take legal action than indulge in baseless attacks under cover of legal immunity.

"I am only a minor shareholder in Lake House Plantations Ltd. which merely manages — but does not own — estates on behalf of State institutions. There are several such other management companies operating in the country.

"I am releasing copies of this letter to the media to correct the false impression your statement could convey."

See  statement from LH Plantations


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