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Mr. Sri Lanka
Donald Camp, the US Deputy As sistant Secretary for South Asia, who was in Colombo last week on a working visit and also picking up the threads with his close friend of many years, Ambassador Ashley Wills, is the State Department's "Mr. Sri Lanka," according to knowledgeable sources in Washington.

Camp was the State Department's Desk Officer for Sri Lanka (when Ernest Corea was Sri Lanka's Ambassador). He served in the US Embassy in Colombo and was the focal point for Sri Lanka in the White House National Security Council during the Clinton regime, and was the State Department's Director for India/Nepal/Sri Lanka at the beginning of the Bush Jr. Administration.

Currently, he is the highest- ranking State Department official dealing day-by-day with Sri Lanka-US relations. Camp was recently seen in a Sri Lankan restaurant in New York, "Lakruwana", enjoying a typical Sri Lankan meal with another former Desk Officer for Sri Lanka, Eric Tunis.

Don Camp and his wife Betsy have many memories and mementos of Sri Lanka. One of his prized possessions is a name-board on his desk with his name in Sinhala and Tamil.

Wanted - a military spokesman
For the first time in the near 20 year long separatist war that now remains suspended due to a ceasefire, the Ministry of Defence has appointed a Selection Board to pick a Military Spokesman cum Director Media at Army Headquarters.

Defence Secretary Austin Fernando, appointed a five member team - K.W.E. Karaliyadda, Additional Secretary in the Defence Ministry (Chairman), Maj. Gen. Lohan Gunawardena, Chief of Staff, Brigadier Sanath Karunaratne (the present incumbent), Arjuna Ranawana, Editor, Daily News and Jatila Wellaboda, Editor Lakbima.

Barring Mr. Wellaboda, all other members of the Board met last Thursday to interview the first batch, names recommended by Army Headquarters. They were Colonels Piyal Abeysekera, Sumedha Perera and Daya Ratnayake.

The Board will meet again shortly to interview another list of eight names. It is not immediately clear who formulated the second list.

Senior Navy man probed by bribery sleuths

A senior officer in the Sri Lanka Navy has come under investigation by the Commission to investigate bribery or corruption.

Insiders say Commission officials have taken custody of several files from Navy Headquarters in connection with the investigations.

They include files relating to the construction of an official bungalow and the purchase of vehicles.

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