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15th, March 1998

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No my baby isn't dead

By Marcus Joseph

When a doctor at the Panadura hospital told a mother that her 11-month-old baby was dead, her shock and disbelief were so intense that she grabbed the lifeless body and ran.

The woman Fathima carrying the body then boarded a bus.

But doctors alerted the police who gave chase and brought her back to the hospital with the lifeless child.

At an inquiry the stunned mother said she could not believe the doctors pronouncement and wanted to take her child to another hospital.

A post mortem showed the child had died of complications arising from acute chicken pox.


Women's cricket still on turning pitch

By M.H.M. Manasique

As the backstage battle for control of Women's Cricket in Sri Lanka took new twists and turns, a key player Gwen Herath - high profile wife of a former minister - has strongly denied suggestions she is bringing party politics to sports.

"I have never, ever in my long career of sports or sports administration mixed politics with sports and I am one who champions this cause", Ms. Herath told The Sunday Times . But she also indicated that she was maintaining her strong stand regarding the formation of a national governing body for women's cricket.

Recently Sports Minister S.B. Dissanayake, acting under powers vested in him by the Sports Law of 1973, issued a gazette notification recognizing women's cricket as a national sport. In terms of this law gazetted on January 13, the minister gave three months time for groups and clubs involved in the promotion of this sport to apply for recognition as the national governing body.

Ms. Herath last year formed what she calls the Women's Cricket Association of Sri Lanka and claiming recognition from the Cricket Board, she made arrangements for a WCASL team to play in the Women' Cricket World Cup in Calcutta last year. Groups opposed to Ms. Herath have claimed her WCASL is illegal as no one has a legal right to form a national association until women's cricket was recognised as a national sport. She had 'hijacked the sport from others who also were helping to promote it." Ms. Herath claims she also has recognition from the world controlling body for women's cricket, the International Women's Cricket Council though groups opposed to her say they too have been in contact with IWCC and alleged that Ms. Herath had not given the complete picture to the world body.

Ms. Herath is insisting that since her WCASL has some local and world recognition she considers it as the national association for women's cricket and will not apply for recognition in terms of minister Dissanayake's gazette notification.

But her opponents claim that anyone promoting sport at a national level must know the sports law.

"The Ministry of Sports is at liberty to do anything regarding cricket or any sports and that is their right. I wish them well in their endeavour to set up a national body for women's cricket while the WCASL will opt to remain as they are and committed to the same ideals," Ms. Herath told The Sunday Times.

She had earlier indicated that she had got the green light from the world body for the WACSL to take part in the next world cup in the year 2000 and that her association would go ahead, whether or not a new national body was formed.

A spokesperson for the a group of seven other clubs involved in women's cricket said that about two years ago they wanted to form a national association for women's cricket. They drew up a full constitution in terms of the sports law and invited all groups including Ms. Herath to take part in discussions before seeking recognition from the minister.

But Ms. Herath has not turned up and went ahead on her own, the spokesperson W. Premaratne said. He said that as far back as June 1996 there had been communication between the IWCC and him regarding the formation of an official national association for women's cricket. All documents and letters regarding this are available.

But in this instance too Ms. Herath had gone ahead on her own, got a team selected and sent it for the world cup without working together with the other clubs and groups involved in the sport.

Meanwhile a senior official of the Sports Ministry told the Sunday Times the ministry would act according to sports law and in the highest interest of the country. He said any group or club was free to apply for recognition as the national body. But they must give documentary details regarding their performance, administrative structures, financial accounts and related matters.

He said according to the sports law the minister would recognize a national governing body after applications closed by April 13. Then various groups and clubs could seek affiliation to the national body, as seen in the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka.

The Sports Ministry official stressed that the women's cricket board also would have to follow all provisions of the sports law, including the two year limit for top officials

Mr Premaratne also said there was no party politics and that the seven clubs which were together applying for recognition were inviting all groups including Ms. Hearth to join them in promoting the sport. He said the sports minister was acting fairly and according to the sports law while no one had a right to run private associations with their own rules for national sport.


Kasippu Ralahamy

A former police constable who ran a Kassipu den in Panadura has been fined Rs. 75,000 by a court after the "Kasippu Ralahamy" was described as a disgrace to the police service.

The police said they found more than 2000 bottles of Kasippu on the ex cop who had been discharged two years ago.


Security plan for city traffic

By Arshad M. Hadjirin

The Defence Ministry is proposing major changes in traffic movement on the main city highways as part of a plan to tighten security in Colombo, officials said.

Identifying traffic snarls as one of the main reasons for security lapses which might have allowed room for recent bomb attacks, the Defence Ministry consulted Moratuwa University road traffic experts on means of reducing congestion.

The new Marine Drive from Melbourne Avenue at Bambalapitya to the Dehiwela bridge is expected to considerably reduce traffic congestion on the Galle Road where peak hour snarls are often at their worst.

In other measures to streamline traffic, the island on the middle of the road is to be reduced in size to allow three lanes of traffic on either side, while Duplication Road is to be extended to link up with Saranankara Road at Dehiwela.

This will allow vehicles to avoid the Galle Road up to the Dehiwela junction. More traffic lights are to be installed and other facilities such as pedestrian crossings spruced up.

Transport and Highways Minister A. H. M. Fowzie said the Defence Ministry had submitted the proposals to him for his views and he was studying them.

Mr. Fowzie said he had reservations about certain proposals but he agreed with the basic principle of streamlining traffic to strengthen security in the face of an increasing threat of terrorist attacks.


Sella Vs Thonda: a contempt case

Former CWC deputy leader M.S. Sellasamy is to file action for contempt of court against party chief, S. Thondaman after the plantations trade union held its national convention last Sunday despite a restraining order by the court.

Lawyers for Mr. Sellasamy confirmed that they were filing the action regarding the issue within the next few days.

Mr. Sellasamy had obtained an order from the Colombo District Court on March 6 against the holding of the convention until a case in which Sellasamy's removal from the plantation union is concluded.

The court fiscal had failed to serve the court order before the convention and lawyers attempts to get the court order to the CWC officials at the convention site at Sugathadasa Stadium failed.

The lawyers who made an attempt to get into the convention venue were prevented by the Police on the grounds they did not have an invitation to enter the place.

Mr. Sellasamy told 'The Sunday Times' that all other attempts including faxing the court order to the CWC office also had failed.


Gothami Principal sets record straight

Teachers and students of Gothami Vidyalaya at Maradana on Friday held a Bana pinkama and an Almsgiving at school in memory of the two schoolgirls killed in last week's bomb explosion.

Six girls of Gothami Balika who were close to the Maradana railway station were caught in the blast.

School's Principal Ms. S. Thaldena told The Sunday Times that the previous reports which said the children were on their way to order food for the school sports meet were not correct. They were in fact on their way to the Sugathadasa stadium, she said.

"The students were asked to assemble at the stadium. But the girls in the school band were requested to come to school from where they were to be given transport to the stadium," she said.

Unfortunately the six girls — two of whom joined the school last year — did not know how to go to the stadium and they had decided to meet in school to go to the stadium together.

It was after they met and were going towards the stadium that the blast took place. Two girls died. One girl is receiving treatment at the eye hospital and three others were discharged.

According to the Principal the girls were not requested by any teacher to come to school. They themselves had decided to attend the sports meet as well as meet at school.


'I want none but Ponna'

By H. P. Perera

An LTTE suspect who is accused of having been trained to kill the President has asked that his case be transferred back from Kalutara to the Colombo High Court and that he has no faith in any lawyer other than a prominent one in Colombo.

The accused Sinnathurai Muhandan has been in detention for three years on six charges including one that he was trained in Jaffna to kill the President in the 1994-95 period.

He was first tried in the Colombo High Court where lawyer Kumar Ponnambalam appeared for him. But on the Attorney General's advice the case was recently transferred to Kalutara for security reasons.

When the case was taken up recently before the Kalutara High Court Judge Sarath Gunathilaka the suspect said he had no lawyer and did not speak in Sinhala.

The judge asked whether he could not get another lawyer but the suspect said he had faith only in Mr. Ponnambalam.

Since Mr. Ponnambalam cannot come to Kalutara the suspect asked the case be transferred again to Colombo. But the Judge said he had no power to do such things and he put off the hearings till April 2.


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