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Lankan widowers are sharing a common grief
Monday, 21 February 2005 - 5:33 AM SL Time
Ramasamy Rajakumar spends his afternoons in the company of a few men who are united by a common thread of grief. They all lost their wives when the Indian Ocean tsunami struck. Some, like Rajakumar, also lost two children.
This gathering of the new widowers takes place in the midst of the destroyed homes in this town along Sri Lanka`s north-eastern coast. Sometimes, they seek shade in the ruins of a Catholic church, also a victim of the tsunami.
The conversation among the men is still punctuated by words of sadness and the guilt of having survived the natural disaster, which struck over seven weeks ago.
Fifty-five-year- old Rajakumar also reveals his disgust with the sea when probed about his work as a fisherman.
``I lost my family and I have no reason to fish again,`` says the bearded Rajakumar, in measured tones. ``What is the point of surviving'``
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CFA violations: Tigers beat Forces by 2,668 ` 115
Monday, 21 February 2005 - 4:30 AM SL Time
According to a report based on data provided by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) posted on the Army website, instances of LTTE cease-fire violations, including child recruitment, abduction of children and adults, harassment and provocative acts such as flag hoisting, had gone up during January this year. The report deals with violations since February, 2003 and it comes on the eve of the third anniversary of the signing of the Oslo-facilitated CFA.
During this period, SLMM members had been denied access to LTTE-held areas 14 times by the group. The forces and police hadn`t been blamed for this particular charge.
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Kauna ask not to provide security to Thamilselvan in Upcountry
Sunday, 20 February 2005 - 7:52 AM SL Time
Karuna , the leader of Eastern Tigers has asked the government not to provide security to SP ThamilSelvan who is to be touring in estate areas in the upcountry. He is a leader of a separatist communalist Wanni Tigers. He must not be given chances to spread communalism in the estate areas.
Karuna further warned the estate sector youth not to get destruction by joining the destructive elements of Wanni Tigers.
'As the estate population is closer to east and the neibouring region we have a responsibility for the goodwill of estate population' he further pointed out. [Lankatruth]
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Politics
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Hot air over JVP action
Monday, 21 February 2005 - 5:30 AM SL Time
Controversy surrounds the recent removal of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Secretary N. Bambarawanage.
Well informed sources said that Bambarawanage, a senior SLAS officer, had been directed to the public administration pool but has so far not reported there. The sources said that President Chandrika Kumaratunga had replaced him with E. Jinadasa, a SLAS colleague of Bambarawanage who was just eight months short of reaching retirement age. Jinadasa had been taken out of Immigration.
This was after Fisheries Minister Chandrasena Wijesinghe wrote a carefully worded letter to President Kumaratunga requesting Jinadasa's appointment. Wijesinghe, without asking for Bambarawanage's removal, had asked the president to appoint Jinadasa as secretary, the sources said. Wijesinghe had claimed that this was necessary in view of the crisis in the fisheries triggered by the recent tsunami. The letter had been dated February 1.
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PM to inaugurate 17th Commonwealth Forestry Conference
Monday, 21 February 2005 - 5:29 AM SL Time
The 17th Commonwealth Forestry Conference will be held for six days from the 28th February to March 2005 in Sri Lanka and is scheduled to be inaugurated on Monday, the 28th February, 2005 at 9.30 a.m. by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, with the participation of A. H. M. Fowzie, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.
The conference which will be held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), hosted by the Forest Department and Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Sri Lanka along with the Standing Committee on Commonwealth Forestry.
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HNB launches Ranmasu
Sunday, 20 February 2005 - 5:41 AM SL Time
The premier savings giant, the National Savings Bank (NSB) Non-Resident Foreign Currency (NRFC) accounts market will operate with the launching of the `Ranmasu` accounts scheme, recently.
Initially `Ranmasu` NRFC accounts can be opened in US Dollars (USD) and the Bank also plans to extend to other designated currencies as well, NSB Chairman Cyril Herath said.
He said that the Central Bank has approved its entry into this business after many years of struggle.
He said that inward remittances in the form of Bank Drafts, International national Money Orders, Mail Transfers, Telegraphic Transfers, Electronic Transfers and Travellers cheques and designated foreign currency notes brought into Sri Lanka by account holders are accepted as deposits in the new accounts.
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Editorial News
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Time to put UN House in order
Monday, 21 February 2005 - 5:41 AM SL Time
Several American administrations have repeatedly called for the reforming of the United Nations for years, however since most of these calls came from mostly Republican-led conservative administrations, many sprang to the defense of the UN, thinking that the Americans were simply interested in moulding the international body to serve their agendas.
The result was that Washington withheld contributions amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars
In hindsight now increasingly it seems that they were right and some reform is needed. Like an unwieldy big government the UN is saddled with the inevitable nepotism, corruption and arrogance that power and money begets.
It is a long known fact that even the mediocre rise through the organisation through the well entrenched system of patronage and that many mandarins who call the shots at its Headquarters in New York are more or less a law unto themselves.
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Welcome, Presidents Bush and Clinton
Sunday, 20 February 2005 - 5:58 AM SL Time
Former US Presidents George Bush Snr. and Bill Clinton will arrive in Sri Lanka today on a special mission to get first hand information about the tsunami disaster and harness private sector support for relief and reconstruction.
The Sunday Observer joins the Government and the people of our country in extending a warm and sincere welcome to the two visiting dignitaries.
They add to the galaxy of world leaders who took time off from their busy schedules to visit us at our time of grief and extend their friendly assistance. Among them were Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, many Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers, special emissaries of Heads of State, Presidents of the World Bank, the UNICEF, the PATE, the Asian Development Bank etc.
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She says what she means not and means what she says not
Saturday, 19 February 2005 - 11:19 PM SL Time
`Hari Vedey, Harim'` Avamangala said, walking into the secretariat by the sea. `She has done it again'`
`Why, has she kept someone waiting again'` Harim the spokesman asked.
`No, no, it is not that,` Avamangala said, `She has spoken too much again'`
`Why, what has she said now'`
`She has asked the rathu sahodarayas to leave'`
`But not in so many words'`
`She said `yanawanam yana eka ne ethhe'`; you can`t be more explicit than that'`
`What else did she say'` Harim wanted to know.
`She said she was talking about a party in the government which was fighting about one word when it comes to dealing with the Tigers'` Avamanagala explained.
`So she is definitely talking about the rathu sahodarayas'`
`But we must issue a denial'` Avamanagala said.
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| Security |
Karuna man shot
Monday, 21 February 2005 - 5:28 AM SL Time
A person believed to Karuna loyalist had been shot at Ottamavadi, Batticaloa on Friday. Police said that the victim had been waiting at a bus stand when a Vanni cadre shot him. He had been admitted to a nearby government hospital with serious gunshot injuries.
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Canned food makes over 100 sick
Monday, 21 February 2005 - 4:33 AM SL Time
About 100 tsunami victims had been admitted to government hospital on Friday in Kalmunai after sharing a meal provided by a local grama niladhari.
The grama niladhari had acknowledged that he distributed the canned food among the displaced. He had said that the people had eaten the food without cooking.
Police said that the majority of them had left the hospital within a day. (NP)
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Soldiers sick after explosive diet
Monday, 21 February 2005 - 4:31 AM SL Time
A group of soldiers had been hospitalised on Friday night after falling ill during a special infantry training course in the Vanni.
An army headquarters spokesman said that 17 soldiers, based at a camp near Omanthai, had been first admitted to Vavuniya hospital and subsequently transferred to Anuradhapura. The military had prevented Vavuniya based journalists from entering the Vavuniya hospital ward where the sick soldiers had been in for a short time.
They had been admitted to the Vavuniya Hospital emergency ward with suspected food poisoning.
The soldiers had been weak after a prolonged period of vomiting and suspicion cantered on the meal fed in the camp.
TamilNet reported that a soldier affected by the illness, during a preliminary inquiry, had told the police that instructors at the camp had forced the soldiers to consume contaminated sea food against their wishes.
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Business / Economy News
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Japan improves travel advisory to Sri Lanka
Monday, 21 February 2005 - 5:40 AM SL Time
The Japanese Foreign Ministry has now updated the Travel Advisory for Sri Lanka as of February 2005 by declaring the cautionary advice following the tsunami in Sri Lanka null and void and no longer applicable.
This is a sequel to the tsunami disaster where the Japanese Foreign Ministry had issued a travel advisory referring to a possible prevalence of disease and unsanitary conditions in certain areas in Sri Lanka.
Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar took up with Japanese Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Shuzen Tanigawa the issue of revising this Travel Advisory during his recent visit to Sri Lanka.
Tourist arrivals from Japan last year rose by 15% to nearly 20,000. Japan is Sri Lanka's seventh biggest tourist generating market.
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Lanka Orix Factors Ltd. relocated
Monday, 21 February 2005 - 5:27 AM SL Time
Lanka Orix Factors Limited (LOFAC) moved into a new office on January 31. The new office premises were declared open by Mrs. Rohini Nanayakkara the Chairperson of LOLC group. The new office is located at 2A Lake Drive Colombo 8.
Mrs. K. V. Amarasinghe Mr. M. D. D. Pieries Mr. S. Jayawardena Directors of the company, business associates and LOFAC clients were there to grace the occasion.
LOFAC which is a subsidiary of Lanka Orix Leasing Company Ltd. started its commercial operations in 1993. LOFAC introduced debt factoring to the Sri Lankan business community as an alternative to traditional bank financing. The facilities granted are unsecured and comes bundled up with receivable management services
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Tea market: Improved demand for low growns
Monday, 21 February 2005 - 5:26 AM SL Time
There was much improved demand at the Low Grown leafy grade auction this week OP/OPAs recorded a further improvement on already established highs of last week. Pekoes too were well sought after and recorded gains all round. Select best leafy teas appreciated in value, whilst the grater percentage met with limited inquiry, Asia Siyaka commodities said in Feb 15-16 auction report. Those teas sold recorded sharp price drops, whilst many were left wanting a sufficient bid. There was less inquiry for semi leaf varieties which were discounted by high margins. Small leaf teas were found difficult of sale.
In the Ex-Estate catalogues demand slackened with buyers taking advantage of larger volume of offer this week and the next. Best liquoring Westerns and Nuwara Eliyas continue to command a premium. Future seasonal offerings in the weeks ahead have improved steadily with the changing conditions. Crop intakes however have declined; not just from the Western High Grown areas but on the Eastern side and Low Grown areas too.
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| Sports News
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Dilshan, Daniel dazzle
Monday, 21 February 2005 - 5:31 AM SL Time
Western Province trailing by 379 runs on first innings were 192 for 2 by stumps on day three of their Inter-Provincial match against North Central Province continued at SSC grounds on Saturday.
North Central had earlier declared with a mammoth first innings total of 607 for 9 to be in box seat after wicket keeper batsmen Tillakarathne Dilshan hit a well crafted 134.
Opener Ian Daniel held the Western second innings together with a stroke filled unbeaten 94 as he joined co-opener Michael Van Dort (29) in adding 95 runs for the first wicket.
Daniel the former St.Joseph`EDs star faced 173 balls in occupying the crease for 219 minutes and hammering 12 boundaries and a six to underline his prowess to the national selectors ahead of April`EDs Test tour to New Zealand.
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Chandrika hot favourite for women's crown
Monday, 21 February 2005 - 5:30 AM SL Time
The experienced woman shuttler Chandrika de Silva is expected to emerge champion for the tenth successive year at the Ariyadasa Silva Memorial Badminton Championship which starts today at the Royal College Sports Complex.
Seylan Bank employee Chandrika, who has nine national titles under her belt, lost to Thilini Jayasinghe in the final of the Badminton Nationals in December last year. However, as Jayasinghe is sidelined with a shoulder injury Chandrika is a hot favourite to win the tile.
Youngsters Nadeesha Gayanthi, Madusha Dissanayake, Rasangi Kalpana and Sulochana Ariyadasa are the other top shuttlers in the women's draw.
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American pro soccer duo on relief mission here
Sunday, 20 February 2005 - 6:00 AM SL Time
`What a wave can do` to human lives is the remembrances that two leading American professional football players - Amani Toomer and Tony Richardson, will take of Sri Lanka.
Toomer, New York Giants` wide receiver and Richardson, Kansas City Chiefs` fullback, saw on television and heard and were moved of the destruction the tsunami of December 26 had caused to Sri Lanka. And so moved were the duo that on their own initiative they had visited Sri Lanka courtesy the United Nation`s World Food Programme (WFP) to be physically involved in bringing solace to the worst affected.
`Amani and I had never met before but our determination to commit our lives to help the suffering people of Sri Lanka brought us together,` said Richardson. `In fact we did not get the true picture of what happened on TV until we arrived here,` said Richardson.
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