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23rd May 1999

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pic 01
Two Russian girls taken into custody being held
at the Kollupitiya Police station before being
produced in courts. They are alleged to be a part
of an international prostitution ring operating
in Colombo.
Pic by Dunstan Wickremaratne
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Foreign sex trade in city exposed

  • Police round up 40 international call girls
  • Detectives on the hunt for Russian pimp
By Frederica Jansz

An international prostitution ring involving Russian, Thai and Taiwanese women using Colombo as their main base has been busted by police.

The international call girls were operating from casinos and gambling parlours which have mushroomed in the city, with some of them even styling themselves as Board of Investment (BOI) approved ventures.

Kollupitiya police inspector E.E. Widisinghe who led the sensational bust up said they found that about 40 foreign women were involved in a highly lucrative call girl network.

The high class operation does not come cheap. The foreign call girls demand as much as US$ 100 ( Rs. 7,000 in Sri Lankan currency) for two hours of sex while a full night will cost double that amount, investigations have revealed.

Detectives are now on the hunt for a Russian identified as 'Ingar' who is believed to be the main pimp in this international prostitute ring.

The arrested Russian girls like in the former iron curtain style refusing to say much but they have admitted that Colombo is a thriving destination for the international sex trade.

They say there is no shortage of local customers, and the fee is handsome compared to the pittance of US$ 5 they get home in the economically bankrupt Russia.

Entering the country on a one month holiday visa, the foreign 'call girls' or 'comfort girls' as they are now called, begin plying their sex trade soon after arrival.

Extending their visas to include an additional two months, the girls add spice to the night life of Colombo.

Police detectives said they had also found that international call girls were operating in Kandy, Negombo and in main tourist resorts down south.

The girls are known to be rotated and after three months another batch is brought in while the others are circled around the Maldives, Malaysia, the Philippines and India, according to Inspector Widisinghe

Investigations have revealed that the foreign prostitutes in Colombo get 40% of their earnings, while 50% goes to the pimp and 10% for the casino or gambling den.

The main customers are known to be local businessmen.

The bust-up operation began when police used a decoy who booked a room and awaited the arrival of the Russian girls.

They arranged the fake night of pleasure through a doormen of a leading hotel in Colombo.

The two Russian girls had at first refused to come to please just one customer.

The police did not have more cash but repeated pleas through the doorman finally worked and the two girls were drawn into the police net.


Coal power confusion worse confounded

By Shelani de Silva

The highly charged coal power project in Norachcholai has run into further controversy and confusion — with one minister saying the president has cancelled it but another insisting it is still on.

Plan Implementation Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle told The Sunday Times the President had assured him and the Catholic Bishop of Chilaw that the widely criticised project was being cancelled.

But Power and Energy Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte is reported to have disputed this claim and insisted that feasibility studies on the project were proceeding.

Mr. Fernandopulle has reacted angrily to Gen. Ratwatte's claim and said he would take the matter up in the cabinet. Mr. Fernandopulle who had been mediating between the Church and the government on this issue, said the President had told him to assure the Church that the government was dropping the project.

He said he had met Chilaw's Bishop Frank Marcus Fernando on the instructions of the President to inform him of the government's decision.

This came after the Church, environment groups and residents protested that the coal power project would have serious repercussions on the area.

But Minister Ratwatte insisting that the positives outweigh the negatives has taken a strong stand in going ahead with the project despite the protest.

Bishop Frank Marcus Fernando told The Sunday Times the Church was given the assurance that the project would be stopped.

He said he wanted to meet the president personally to get it first-hand and a meeting had been scheduled but it was later rescheduled for this week..

The Sunday Times learns that Gen. Ratwatte had initialled some agreement papers with a Japanese company involved in this project but the President had later intervened to stop it.

Adding to the confusion, the Power and Energy Ministry's additional secretary Ananda Gunasekera said they had not been officially informed of anything and the second stage of the feasibility study is continuing.


LTTE imposes no-work days

By S. S. Selvanayagam

Civil administration in Jaffna virtually collapsed on Friday with the government departments being virtually deserted following a LTTE warning.

Reports said the LTTE's Tamil Eelam administrative service had sent a letter of warning to all state officers, saying no work should be done on Tuesdays and Fridays.

It warned of drastic action on anyone who did not heed the warning.


Indictments on 350 officers

By Ayesha R. Rafiq

More than 300 security forces officers have been indicted in the High Courts for alleged involvement in the disappearances of thousands of people during the 1988-90 era, the AG's Department said.

State Counsel Yasantha Kodagoda said more than 250 indictments had been served on more than 400 suspects.

He said about 350 suspects were from the security forces, about two third of them being from the police. The indictments were made on the recommendations of three presidential commissions, he said.


Diplomat's wife in religious row

The government is considering legal action against a Buddhist monk who allegedly gave permission for a UN diplomat's wife and a foreign friend to pose for a photograph seated beside a statue of Lord Buddha.

An angry Cultural and Religious Affairs Minister Lakshman Jayakody describing the incident as shameful said he had asked the Attorney General to see what legal action could be taken and vowed action against whoever was responsible.

The controversy broke out after a UN representative's wife posed for the photograph seated by the statue of Lord Buddha at a site in Matale.

"This is a shameful act and an insult to our culture. We must take firm action," he said.

Amidst allegations that money had been paid for the outrageous photograph, Minister Jayakody said he would also ask the Foreign Ministry to send a circular to all foreign diplomats, advising them of the proper code of conduct in places of worship.

An official from the Attorney General's Department told The Sunday Times yesterday that under section 281 of the Penal Code a person who intentionally or with knowledge cause disrepute to a place of religious place or worship could be charged with the penalty being imprisonment of one year or fine or both.

Meanwhile, a political party, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna carried out a protest campaign outside the Cultural Affairs Ministry, demanding a full probe on what it described as an outrageous incident.

In a letter to the Cultural and Religious Affairs Minister, the MEP said the incident was an insult to the whole Buddhist world and the foreigners concerned should be told to apologise.


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