Despite
the heavy rain, women of all ages and races gathered near the Town Hall on
Friday to protest against the continuation of the war and its horrible
consequences. The "Black Protest" demonstration was organised by Women
for Peace Movement. Pic. by Lakshman GunatilekeLTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran who was indicted this week for complicity in the Central Bank bombing is to be indicted again for his involvement in the July 24 Dehiwela train twin-bomb explosion, Attorney General Sarath Silva told The Sunday Times.
"We want to show that the normal process of the law operates with regard to anybody, be it Prabhakaran or anyone else, irrespective of whether they can be brought to court," he said.
The indictment came amidst speculation that the government was moving closer to proscribing the LTTE.
However, the Attorney General said he did not see the decision of the government to indict the LTTE and nine others as necessarily as signal that it was the first step in banning the LTTE.
Mr. Silva said Prabhakaran had been indicted in connection with the Central Bank blast as there was clear evidence against him, but he declined to elaborate saying that this evidence would come out in the court proceedings.
"No law enforcement agency can let this horrendous crime rest merely because the alleged offenders are purportedly beyond its jurisdiction," the Attorney General said adding that the indictment was not mere cosmetic exercise, given the fact that the possibility of providing the accused in court was remote.
"Investigations to determine who was responsible for the Central Bank bombing went on for about seven months. We indicted Prabhakaran as a logical result of these investigations," he said.
The AG explained that the trial is likely to begin "quite soon".
Once the indictment is sent to courts, then the normal court procedure in criminal cases will be activated. Summons will be served on the accused if his address is known. If not then a warrant will be issued from court and there is provision for a proclamation as well.
Prabhakaran and nine other LTTE cadres including the intelligence chief, Pottu Amman and two more who were arrested immediately after the Central Bank attack have been indicted on the charges under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
The charges include aiding, abetting, conspiracy and agreeing to destroy the Central Bank between July 1, 1995 and January 31, 1996. It is the first time that Prabhakaran has been indicted before a Sri Lankan court.
Meanwhile a gift that Prabhakaran sent to the two men, for their successful assignment of destroying the Central Bank early this year, is to be produced in courts in the case against him.
The LTTE leader is said to have entertained the two men, Parthiyan and Raghu, at a dinner where he had presented them with a special item contained in a red box, investigations have revealed.
The gifts are said to be a Sri Lankan map done in silver, at the centre of which flew the LTTE flag. It was in the possession of a suspect taken into custody subsequent to the bombing.
Parthiyan and Raghu were caught by people, while they were fleeing the scene, just after the Colombo blast on January 31.
They are now the fourth and the fifth suspects. It is learnt that Pottu Amman and other LTTE leaders were at the dinner given by Prabhakaran at their last supper before the duo left for Colombo on a bombing mission. Finger prints of the LTTE leader extracted from the gift are also to be produced in courts.
The oft-postponed elections to the local bodies have been put off for early next year, according to polls chief Dayananda Dissanayake.
The Sunday Times learns that elections to the municipal, urban councils and pradeshiya sabhas which were to be held by the end of this year will not be held. Elections to these bodies were to be held early this year but were subsequently postponed.
The Elections Commissioner told The Sunday Times that it was the security situation that called for the postponement of elections.
Mr. Dissanayake met the Service Chiefs recently to evaluate the security situation.
Both the leading political parties, the PA and the UNP, were nearly finalising the nomination lists of their respective members.
Political analysts say this time round both parties seem not ready for the polls as there had been no talk of contesting.
Next year's Hajj-delegation will be headed by Health Minister A. H. M. Fowzie.
Additional Secretary, Religious Affairs Ministry, S. H. M. Jameel told The Sunday Times that the delegations of coming years will be headed by both Minister M.H.M. Ashraff and Mr. Fowzie, but alternately.
However Mr. Ashraff missed his chance last year when he was denied guest status, as he was granted the status thrice in the same year.
Meanwhile a delegation of Hajj Tour Operators Association of Sri Lanka who met Minister Jayakody requested that the selection of Hajj tour operators for the next year be finalised by the end of October.
In a series of sporadic incidents before and after a Ratnapura UNP rally addressed by Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, gangs believed to be PA supporters set UNP supporter's shop on fire and set tyres ablaze on roads, gripping g the area with fear.
State-run bus services were brought to a standstill in some areas around Ratnapura before the rally started at Seevali MV Grounds on Friday evening, but the alleged intimidation continued before and after the meeting, reports said.
UNP General Secretary Gamini Athukorale charged that PA thugs were responsible for the violence similar to what they had done in and around Negombo recently.
Mr. Athukorale said that at Kalawane a grenade was thrown and exploded in a bus bringing UNP supporters for the meeting while another grenade was defused by Army.
A wine store and a petrol filling station belonging to a UNP provincial councillor were also set ablaze in this terror campaign but all that could not prevent more than 7,000 people from attending the UNP meeting, he said.
Immediately after the meeting when MP Susantha Punchinilame's wife and children were returning home, a gang which included a bodyguard of a PA politico had attempted to drag out the children of the MP out of the vehicle. However, the driver had managed to take them to safety, the reports said.
Police confirmed that Mr. Athukorale and Mr. Punchinilame about the incidents. But no arrest had been made until last evening.
Mr. Athukorale also charged that influential politicians of the area were trying to cover up the violence by preventing full police investigations.
The UNP is to make a special statement in parliament about the incidents after the matter is taken up at the UNP group meeting tomorrow.
Political violence in Negombo that culminated in the killing of five persons has now taken an ugly turn with threats of kidnapping and death to parish priests in Negombo and surrounding areas.
After a number of threatening calls to Fr. Anthony Cyril of St. Cecilia's Church, Raddoluwa some persons had come in a van and rung the door bell and called for Fr. Cyril.
The time was 2 a.m. on October 3. Sensing something was wrong and not taking any chances, he told the sacristan to ring the church bell. This made those who came in the van to flee, as the people in the neighbourhood came running towards the church to find out what was happening.
Church sources told The Sunday Times that on complaints made to the police they were advised to stay indoors.
A priest who did not want to be named said: "Satanic forces are not only now raising their ugly heads to disrupt peace and tranquility in the area but are also beginning to threaten the peacemakers."
He added that "those who are preaching peace and amity in their sermons and calling upon the people to abhor violence of any form are being targeted of late."
Fr. Sunanda Wanasinghe of the Seeduwa Church too had been threatened. He had written to Archbishop Nicholas Marcus Fernando setting out how he and the others who are in the service of God are being threatened with bodily harm.
In another incident some people had gone in a van to St. Mary's Church, Negombo and called for Fr. Joe Palihawadana at 2 a.m. asking him to come out to bless a body which was in the van. He too, knowing that it was strange to see someone call him at that ungodly hour, switched on all the lights in the church and before he came out those in the van had switched off the vehicle lights and fled the area.
Incidentally, Fr. Joe Palihawadana had requested President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike for more security.
The priest at Thoppuwa church too had been threatened.
The widow of the slain UNP leader, Gamini Dissanayake, has lamented that the President has not acknowledged or replied her six weeks after she wrote to the President consenting to a commission of inquiry which the government wants to set up.
Srima Dissanayake has given her consent to President Chandrika Kumaratunga to appoint a commission to probe the assassination of her husband, Gamini Dissanayake two years ago.
Ms. Dissanayake said the President had written to her six weeks ago asking whether she was agreeable to the appointment of the commission and a reply had been sent immediately.
"I have not received any reply after that or heard any news about it," she said.
Government has withdrawn weapons given to two Tamil parties Ñ TELO and PLOTE Ñ which had been operating in Trincomalee area, according to reliable sources.
The TELO is to meet Defence Secretary Chandrananda de Silva and register its strong protest against this move, TELO leader N. Sri Kantha told The Sunday Times.
The TELO leader lamented that this move had posed a direct threat to the safety and security of their members who have become LTTE targets following their support to the government.
An angry Mr. Sri Kantha said even the weapons that were with their party at its regional office had been withdrawn last Tuesday.
"Instead of trying to track down and deal with this LTTE team of killers, it is nothing but comic that action is sought to be taken on Tamil militant groups that have entered the political mainstream," Mr. Sri Kantha said. However EPDP members, it is reported, have not been disarmed.
According to police sources, the withdrawal of the weapons came following allegations that the weapons were being used for illegal activities in the area.
Please send your comments and suggestions on this web site to
info@suntimes.is.lk or to
webmaster@infolabs.is.lk