Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

Karuna imposes taxes on Tamil civilians
Sat, 2007-06-23 02:45

Colombo, 23 June, (Asiantribune.com): Karuna group is now raising fund by imposing taxes on those fishermen living in the Government controlled areas in Batticaloa and Amparai. It is learnt that Karuna group is also collecting information about the individuals and family incomes in the two districts through the Grama Servaka officers. They are preparing a list of the shopkeepers and businesses in the Government controlled area with a view to impose taxes.

On the last 13th , Karuna?s commanders Sinnathamby, Veera, Mangalan and Ranjan met the fishermen in Batticaloa and ordered them to pay taxes due on their boats with immediate effect.

They have ordered that owners of large motorized boat to pay monthly Rs.3000, Karavalai boat Rs. 1500 and Dhoniy Rs. 1000 each

Karuna?s Group also has imposed Rs. 100/ per bullock-cart for a cart load of sand to the cart owners.

Three-wheelers in the Batticaloa ? Amparai districts are ordered to pay monthly Rs.2500 as tax to the Karuna group. In the beginning three-wheeler drivers in Kalmunai resisted the payment of tax.

Resistance by the three-wheeler drivers was viewed as a challenge to Karuna?s authority in the East.

Subsequently, Gopi Kanth, Karuna?s man in Kalmunai shot and killed one three-wheeler driver who opposed the payment of tax. Following the killing in Kalmunai, it is learnt that the three-wheeler drivers have already submitted and started paying taxes to Karuna group.

People in the East who live in the Government controlled areas are petrified because of the threats from the Karuna group.

- Asian Tribune -

yes, it is not on tamilnut

Crucifixion of a bank for the sake of another bank

(LeN-2007 June 22, 7.40 pm) An incident where a bank that was functioning well has been victimized to rescue a bank that was running down the drains after approving loans to build up a political image, is being reported to news.

The scape-goat is the SME bank that was established to lend a hand to the small and medium scale businesses in the country and the bank that has mal functioned is the Lanka Puthra Bank.

The SME Bank was established in 1987 to provide loans, with a maximum of 10 million per candidate, to small and medium scale entrepreneurs. The capital agreed to be provided for the bank was 5 billion rupees and at the opening it was granted 1.5 billion rupees and the opening chairman of the bank was former Chairman of the DFCC bank. During the Chandrika regime the bank was under the Minister Rohitha Bogollagama's then ministry which was investment promotion and enterprise development.

The SME bank has provided loans for individuals between 5 to 10 million rupees and the bank currently poses 14.5 billion rupees as the capital and when compared the sum with the 15 billion that was initially provided to the bank, the SME is in quite a stable situation.

But after president Rajapakse became the finance minister he launched a bank named Lanka Puthra and it was granted 3.5 billion rupees as the opening capital which was the balance that was separated to be given to the SME bank. Vass Gunasekara was appointed as the chairman of the bank. It is being said that the 3.5 billion rupees that was to be given to the SME was not given to the bank because some top official in the treasury had a dispute with Bogollagama. Since the bank provided loans freely to many candidates especially to those from the Hambanthota District and not taking measures to re-collect the loans, the Lanka Puthra bank is not in a financial crisis. The main reason is that it provided massive loans for the Tristar apparel and Mihin Air projects.

Due to this unsatisfactory situation the authorities are now planning on merging the successful SME bank to the Lanka Puthra bank and the preliminary steps towards it have already been taken for it as the Chairman of the SME bank has informed its board of directors to resign and appointed a group of persons including Vaas Gunasekara to the board.

It is being said the SME staff which is around 60 will be accepted to the Lanka Puthra Bank and when LeN inquired regarding this move from the Chairman of the SME bank he refused to comment saying this would be his last day in office.

The joint bank operates from the 15th of next month.

cos these are decomposed bodies..you can't say at once these are LTTE men..

LTTE or any other terrorist group taxing tamil people in north is nothing new.

I would like to remind again, KARUNA was a top commander in ltte.

To all the Ruffians who participated in this thread and for all the decent gentlemen who refrained from participating