It'sa wicked world, and when a clever man turns his brains to crime, it is the worstof all" seems to be what's in the mind of the uncontrollable sobbingmother of late Tushara Kelum Wijetunge who became a victim of savage ragging.Pic by Lakshman Gunatillake.
In the aftermath of the second ragging death within three months, thegovernment has decided to impose a total ban on ragging and urgent legislationis to be rushed through within two weeks, Higher Education Minister RichardPathirana announced yesterday.
The minister apparently angry and disturbed over the death last Monday of aHardy Institute student, said the tough laws would impose punishment not only onoffenders but even on those who witness the ragging and refused to giveevidence.
University authorities who failed to take action against ragging would alsoface penalties, Mr. Pathirana said indicating that the legislation would be themost sweeping provisions introduced to ensure discipline in Sri Lanka'sinstitutions of higher education.
The Minister said the Cabinet had last Wednesday decided on this toughaction and directed him to move fast in drafting and presenting the legislationwithin a fortnight.
Responding to criticism that government had dragged its feet on this issueafter Peradeniya University fresher Selvam Varapragash was ragged to death threemonths ago, Mr. Pathirana said there had been what he described as some'technical problems' but now they would be pushing ahead full steam.
An outraged Mr. Pathirana hit out hard at officials at the Hardy TechnicalInstitute at Ampara for allowing an all night drinking party that had led to thedeath of fresher Kelum Thushara Wijetunge
The student from Kegalle died at the Kandy General hospital last Monday ofkidney failure after he was forced to do some tough exercises and drink excessive quantities of the liquor that the raggers had bought with Rs.400 whichthey had forcibly taken from Thushara himself.
The minister said a committee had been appointed to probe the tragedy at theHardy Institute and he would take stern action against officials who were foundto be responsible for this scandalous neglect and misconduct.
Mr. Pathirana told The Sunday Times the crackdown on the University raggingwould be based largely on laws prevailing in the neighbouring Indian state ofTamil Nadu, with penalties being imposed on a range of areas including damage topublic property.
Kamal Addaraarachchi's bail application inquiry was fixed for February 5 byColombo High Court Judge Shirani Tilakawardene on Friday.
On Dec.22 the same judge convicted Kamal Addaraarachchi on two charges ofabduction and rape of a 16-year-old schoolgirl in 1993 at Kotte and ordered 10years jail term and one million fine on him.
Next day his lawyers filed an appeal against the judgement and a bailapplication was filed.
When this bail application called before the same judge on Friday (2nd)State Counsel Yasantha Kodagoda appearing for the AG objected to the granting ofbail.
High Court judge ordered him to lodge his objection on or before 15/1/98 andfixed inquiry for 5/2/98.
Nalin Ladduwahetti supported the bail application. Mrs Tilakawardene alsodirected the registrar to send Kamal Addaraaachchi's case proceedings to theCourt of Appeal and to notice the commissioner of prisons in case Addaraarachchifiled an appeal petition.
Dial hotline 699122 in Colombo if you have any problem with transport andyour grouse will be attended to immediately, assures Transport Minister A. H. M.Fowzie.
Complaints of irregular bus services, breakdowns, train delays, issuing oflicences, transfer of vehicles - all will be attended to promptly.
Among the minister's bag of new year goodies is the promise ofelectrification of the railway by March, giving commuters a speedy and efficientservice.
According to Mr. Fowzie, the railway has imported a new machine which couldchip out the wheels of locomotives and bogies, to one size thus preventingderailments.
Last year over 600 derailments were recorded while in the previous year ittopped 900. "We hope to bring this figure down to nil this year, with theaid of the new machine," he said.
Also in the new year the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway will get the pushwhen a Malaysian construction team would be here to blow life to the project, hesaid.
The multi-million rupee project was abandoned many times in the past, underseveral transport ministers.
The funeral of Ven. Aggamaha Panditha Pottewela Pannasara Mahanayaka Therawas held at the Uyanwatta Stadium, Matara yesterday in the presence of a largegathering.
Earlier the remains were placed at the Polwatta temple, Kollupitiya beforethe journey to the Pottewela Pirivena in Hakmana, Matara. Large crowds paidtheir last respects to the Mahanayaka Thera.
Ven Weweldeniya Medalankara Thera administered Pansil. Ven Madhie PannasihaMahanayaka Thera, delivering an Anusasana said that the Ven Pottewela PannasaraThera had rendered yoeman service to the nation and Buddhism. Ven YatagalaDhammapala Thera said Ven Pannasara Thera had dedicated his life for thepropagation of Buddhism. Ven. Kamburugamuwe Vajira Thera also delivered anAnusasana.
Presidential Secretary K. Balapatabendi read out the message of PresidentChandrika Bandaranaike while the Secretary to the Prime Minister HemasiriFernando read out her message.
UNP MP, W.J.M. Lokubandara, representing the Opposition Leader, RanilWickremesinghe delivered an oration.
The much publicised southern miracle through the development of the GallePort has turned out to be a southern mirage, according to Dr. KarunasenaKodituwakku, UNP MP and media spokesman.
He told The Sunday Times that the tragedy is that the President and the PAgovernment had realised only after three and a half years that the offer givenby the British-China Consortium for the development of the Galle harbour is nowa dead letter.
When this tender was leaked by the courageous private media, the UNP tookthis matter in Parliament and proposed a vote of no-confidence against theminister concerned. The government defended the minister saying that the UNP wasjealous as the Galle harbour project was the second single largest project afterthe Accelerated Mahaweli project which then cost Rs. 49 billion.
The Galle project was estimated to cost around US dollars 750 million (Rs.45 billion) three years ago. He added that if any other developer would comeforward in the future, which is most unlikely due to recent developments in theshipping arena both in Sri Lanka and in South Asia, it will need 60 percent moredue to inflation which prevailed during the past three years and the presentrate of inflation. This means that this project as it was designed three yearsago would now cost US dollars 1200m (Rs. 72 billion) he explained.
However, Dr. Kodituwakku was pessimistic that no private investor orbusiness consortium would invest this large sum in this competitive industrywhile there are proposals to build another two ports, one in Hambantota and theother in Oluwil in addition to the sale of the Queen Elizabeth Quay to P&O.
Further the implementation of "Sethu Samudra" project in PalkStraits by India which would open a new shipping route to ships serving SouthAsian countries, he said, would obviate the need of ships coming to Sri Lanka.
"The PA government denied the people of the south the fruits of abetter tomorrow with the Galle Port project becoming a cropper. Those in thesouth trusted what the PA leaders said at that time but have now realised thatit has come to nothing," he added.
"All that the PA promised then is now beginning to boomerang on them asthey cannot fulfil them. If there is any self-respect or respect for democratictraditions they must resign or sack all those responsible for taking the peopleand the government for a ride," he said.
The government must apologise to the people of the south for this fiasco.The President has admitted that 80 percent of the public servants are allegedlycorrupt and public servants in turn are complaining that PA politicians areinterfering and preventing them from doing their legitimate duties. He cited theawarding of the locomotive tender as an example.
The enjoining order issued against ' Studio 9 ' in connection with the TeenInternational Sri Lanka contest 1997 has been vacated by the District Judge ofColombo W.L. Ranjith Silva.
Fashion designer Christine Kiel earlier filed an application for the issueof an enjoining order on behalf of her teenaged daughter, Karen Kiel who hadbeen selected to participate in the final competition , alleging that certainconditions embodied in an agreement asked to be signed at the eleventh hourbetween the contestants , their parents or lawful guardians and organisers ofthe contest , Studio 9 were , inter alia , detrimental to the interests of thecontestants.
The plaintiff also prayed for a declaration to the effect that thedefendants had no right to disqualify her daughter on account of her refusal tosign that agreement.
Co-partners of Studio 9 , Prasantha Dias and Christina Subhashini DiasAbeywardene had been cited as respondents in this case.
Dismissing the plaintiff's application , the district judge has held thatthe case had been defective from its very beginning and therefore it was notmaintainable as the teenaged contestant's mother had failed to take proper stepsto represent her minor daughter in court as provided for in the Civil ProcedureCode. It was held that the error affected the entire case.
However , the court observed that the agreement in question had not onlyviolated the rights of the plaintiff's daughter but had also attempted torestrict her human rights and particularly the condition requiring those minorsto go to a far away country for the final contest without the protection of anyguardian whatsoever was inhuman.
It was further observed that the inclusion of new conditions prior to thefinal competition was unlawful and violative of the agreement.
The district judge moreover observed that the action would have beensuccessful and the enjoining order and interim injuction prayed for had to bedefinitely granted if the proper legal procedure had been adopted by the minoror her mother to be designated as ' next friend ' of the minor in terms ofSection 476 of the Civil Procedure Code.
A shramadana campaign was held recently to clean up the Iraqi Embassycompound with the active participation of two Cabinet ministers, a deputyminister, deputy mayor and some MMCs and well wishers.
The Shramadana was organised by the Sri Lanka-Iraq Friendship Association.Ever since the imposition of economic sanctions on Iraq, a friend of Sri Lanka,that country had to undergo immense difficulties. This was reflected on theembassy. Hence, the association decided to organise a shramadana to give theembassy environs a clean-up.
The ministers who participated in the campaign were Mahinda Rajapakse andAlavi Moulana, Deputy Minister Athauda Seneviratne, Deputy Mayor Omar Kamil.Iraq Ambassador Ahamed Naji, who also participated, was full of praise for theassociation and Sri Lanka's concern of Iraq's present situation.
The number of fire cracker casualties trebled this year, according toofficials at the National Hospital as the seasonal celebrations came to an end.
Hospital authorities said the main reason for the increase in accidents wasprobably the lack of awareness campaigns this year on danger of crackers.
Although casualties increased cracker manufacturers grumble that their saleswere lower this year than the previous year.
"This year(1997) , the number of casualties shot up threefold from lastyear's 13 brought into hospital while three admissions have been made",said Ms. Pushpa Soyza, Training Officer who is conducting the survey on seasonalcasualties.
According to Ms. Soyza, this is because the public was not instructed on thedanger of crackers and of how to be careful when lighting them.
"We have noticed in our surveys that during years when people wereadvised the number of casualties reduced and vice versa," she said.
The Defence Ministry officials who usually conduct these campaigns, hadtheir hands full this year with the new traffic plans, that they were unable tohold them as usual.
Director of Sunrise Trading Co. Ltd., M. M. M. Ameen, manufacturers, saidthat after having cut down their seasonal production by 50% this year, 10% ofthe production has been returned.
Kalam Industries official Mohammed Kalam said that their sales have droppedby 45% this year, and that they sold at the same price as the previous year.
But according to Pradeep Pieris, Managing Director of Hanuma CrackerManufacturers, they are not expecting returns this year. However, he said thatthis year's production cost has increased from about 15% and that they were onlyable to increase prices by 10%.
The high cost of manufacturing and the rise of prices of essential goodssuch as food were cited by the cracker manufacturers as reasons for the lowsales.
For the 1500 villagers of 'Maha Ara' 'Demaliya' 'Vissayaya' and 'Neralugas-handiya' of the Wellawaya Divisional Secretariat, the 'local cable car' made bythe youth of 'Neralugashandiya' is the mode of transport over an 'Oya'.
The one month old 'cable car' over the Kirindi oya,saves the villagers fromhaving to travel nearly five miles to get to the other side. Now, all they haveto worry about is getting into the 'cable car' and of having some people aroundto pull it to the other side.
"Although they had made several requests to the authorities to get thembetter transport facilities, nothing was done," said the youth. With that,they decided to provide for themselves in their own way and the result was the'cable car.'
With the support of W.M. Ananda the youth set to work, and today they haveproved their unity and their independence.
The 'car' which can transport three people at a time, will hopefully bereplaced by a suspension bridge. The people have collected Rs 3000. But alltheir efforts will be in vain if they cannot collect the Rs.25,000 that theyneed to begin building the bridge.
GlenKinross
If man is to survive he must be fed first of all beforeanything else isa provided to them, Glen Kinross, President of RotaryInternational said.
Mr. Kinross who was addressing a gathering of rotarians, rotaractors, andinteractors, at the BMICH, said that the world should get together to sustainhuman life, as nearly one billion people go to bed in hunger each day.
Criticising several countries in Europe and the USA . for limiting theirfood production Mr. Kinross recalled how a child was given polio vaccine when itlooked it wouldn't survive a week because of malnutrition.
He said that yet another one billion people could not read or write. "Literacyand numeracy are the key to survival, along with food; therefore it is the dutyof every citizen to devote his or her life toward providing these factors,"Mr. Kinross said.
This is where the Rotary comes in. It does things which government ormunicipal authorities cannot do for the people, Mr. Kinross who is the thirdAustralian to visit Sri Lanka said.
Rotary Club which started way back in 1905 by Paul Harris now has amembership of over a million, in over a hundred countries.
Mr. Kinross who is visiting Sri Lanka with his wife Heather, said thatRotary International, for the first time, has included, in this year's schedule,a literacy and numeracy programme, to help uplift the humankind.
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