| Canada’s Finance
Minister dines with the LTTE by Dushy Ranetunge
On the evening of Saturday (6th May) two ministers from the Canadian federal
government, several Canadian MPs and several members of the Toronto City Council
participated in a LTTE fund raising event. The two ministers were Mr. Paul Martin, the
Finance Minister, and Ms. Maria Minna, the Minister of International Co-operation. Mr.
Paul Martin delivered the keynote speech at the event and brought greetings from the
Canadian federal government.
The participating of Federal Canadian ministers in a LTTE fund raising event is
considered a first, and comes on a wave of LTTE fund raising activity since the fall of
Elephant Pass which according to Canadian law enforcement sources has netted them over a
million Canadian dollars to sustain their terrorist struggle in Sri Lanka.
Most of this fund raising has been carried out via three pro-LTTE Tamil radio stations
in Canada.
The event in which the Canadian Federal Ministers participated, was a CN$60 a plate
dinner, organised by Federation of Associations of Canadian Tamils (FACT), which has been
categorised as a LTTE front organisation by the US State Department.
The most famous FACT member is Manickavasagam Suresh whom the Canadian immigration
officials have been trying to deport for several years and till recently was held in the
famous Don jail in Toronto. Manickavasagam Suresh, a FACT leader, was also involved in
raising money for the LTTE.
In January, a Federal Court of Canada judge hearing the Suresh case ruled that
"those who freely choose to raise funds to sustain terrorist organisations bear the
same guilt and responsibility as those who actually carry out terrorist acts."
The LTTE front, had mislead the Canadian politicians by stating that the event was a
new year celebration dinner organised by the Tamil community. They were not aware that the
Tamil New Year was in April and not May. Some Tamils who went for the dinner were amused
to see Canadian ministers and politicians walking around saying "Happy New Year"
to every body. The LTTE cleverly uses deception at home and abroad to further its
terrorist aims.
On Saturday, Stewart Bell writing in the Canadian daily newspaper, the National Post,
highlighted that the dinner was organised by a LTTE front and that the ministers were
expected to attend. Despite this publicity, only the Mayor of Toronto decided to skip the
event.
The article also highlighted that Raymond Chan, the Secretary of State for the
Asia-Pacific, had said recently that FACT members had joined the Liberal party and
approached him for assistance at the party convention in Ottawa. He had subsequently flown
a FACT representative to Ottawa to discuss Canada’s role in brokering peace in Sri
Lanka.
A Tamil who had telephoned the FACT office (416 463 7647) was told that the event was
to raise funds for the "Tamil freedom struggle" and that tickets could be
obtained by phoning Rev Francis Xaviar( 416 498 3228).
I had met Rev Francis Xavier, a slight man, at the pro-LTTE "international
conference" in Ottawa on May 21st and 22nd 1999 held at the Carleton University. On
that occasion, Rev Xavier had prayed for Peace and began by praying for "the millions
of Canadian Red-Indians who had been massacred by the white Canadians" and then had
gone on to pray for Chandrika, Prabakaran and Tamil Eelam. A few years ago, Fr Xavier was
investigated for involvement in a human smuggling racket. It is alleged that he used his
position in the church, to front and facilitate the smuggling of several Tamils into
Canada.
The Canadian law enforcement authorities are horrified at the latest development of
Canadian federal government ministers, playing politics with known terrorist fund raisers
masquerading under the guise of "Tamil community".
(See editorial comment on page 4)
India ready to supply Sri
Lanka by air
By David Graves in Colombo
The Indian air force is poised to begin dropping supplies of medicines and food
to 28,000 Sri Lankan troops trapped in the northern Jaffna peninsula of the island by
advancing Tamil Tiger rebels.
Although the Indian government turned down a request from Colombo last week to
intervene militarily for a second time in the 17-year civil war, New Delhi said it was
prepared to send humanitarian aid to the soldiers and 500,000 Tamil civilians (CENSORED)
Two air force transport aircraft were on stand by at Trivandrum, capital of the
southern Indian state of Kerala, (CENSORED)
A decision to start the relief effort is expected to be taken Monday at a meeting Atal
Behari Vajpayee, the Indian Prime Minister, has called with opposition leaders to brief
them on the deteriorating situation in Sri Lanka.
(CENSORED)
Rajiv Gandhi, then Indian Prime Minister, who ordered the deployment, was later
assassinated by a Tiger suicide bomber in 1991.
(CENSORED)
Sri Lanka wants Tel Aviv to supply fighter-bombers and helicopter gunships to thwart
the Tiger advance on Jaffna, the former rebel stronghold lost to the government in 1995,
which is considered the capital of the any breakaway state of Tamil Eelam.
The restoration of diplomatic ties with Israel has angered Muslim politicians in Sri
Lanka.
(CENSORED)
(CENSORED)
It has sent a new army commander, Maj Gen Janaka Perera, to Jaffna to take command of
the defence of the peninsula. Security has also been tightened in Colombo, with sandbagged
bunkers manned throughout the capital, after intelligence warnings of a possible Tiger
bomb attack. The government has invoked war powers for the first time in its 52-year
history.
(CENSORED)
With access for journalists to the battlefront banned and telephone links with Jaffna
cut, (CENSORED)
–The Daily Telegraph
Competent
authority can’t enforce censorship on parliamentary proceedings - Govt. and
opposition spokesmen
The current press censorship rules will not apply to media reports of proceedings in
parliament today, two senior government and opposition spokesmen told "The
Island" yesterday.
Deputy Chairman of Committees, Rauf Hakeem (SLMC) did not mince words. "The
Competent Authority appointed by the government to enforce the censorship rules cannot
"touch" reports pertaining to proceedings of Parliament," Mr. Hakeem said.
Any censoring of reports of parliamentary proceedings must come from within the
Parliament, he added.
UNP’s Colombo District MP, Tyronne Fernando a former State Counsel and Minister
under the last government said censorship rules cannot be applied to reports of
parliamentary proceedings.
Any censoring of such reports must be carried out by a parliamentary committee of
censors, which should be appointed with the consent of the party leaders, Mr. Fernando
added.
He further said no such committee has been appointed, and therefore there will be no
censorship of reports of proceedings of parliament today.
Today the parliament will debate the extension of the State of Emergency in the whole
island by one more month from May 4.
The debate on the extension of the emergency earlier fixed for May 11, was advanced to
May 9 by the government, instead of an emergency session of parliament called by the
Opposition UNP, to debate the security situation following the Elephant Pass crisis.
Government has allocated an eight and half-hour debate on the extention of the State of
Emergency. The Elephant Pass issue is expected to dominate the debate today. (WN)
Sri Lanka-Canada ties
to be strengthened
by Saman Indrajith
Sri Lanka and Canada yesterday signed a Memorandum of Co-operation to strengthen
ties between the two countries.
The agreement was signed by Mr. R. A. P. Goonetilake, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Export
Development Board (SLEDB) on behalf of Sri Lanka and the High Commissioner Ruth F.
Archibald on behalf of the Trade Facilitation Office, Canada (TFOC).
The signing took place at the launching of ‘Exporters Training Workshop on
Canadian Market,’ held at Hotel Trans Asia.
Addressing the workshop the Minister of Internal & International Commerce &
Food, Kingsley T. Wickremaratne said Canada has become an important trading partner for
Sri Lanka and it also serves as a bridge to the USA market.
Minister Wickremaratne said that Sri Lanka and Canada have been trading partners for a
considerable period. Canada is deemed as a priority market for Sri Lankan products and
services. "With the formation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, Canada has
become an important trading partner, and that trading relationship serves as a bridge to
the USA market," he said.
"I believe that this workshop on the Canadian market will help exporters
especially small and medium enterprises to develop their professionalism towards overseas
markets," he said.
The Minister said that such workshops have twofold objectives. On the one hand they
prepare the participants to be able to meet the challenges of international markets by
providing them with a knowledge of all aspects of export marketing. On the other hand,
they also serve to upgrade local export abilities and thereby ensure importers and buyers
in foreign markets of reliable quality products from Sri Lanka.
The Minister further said that it is proposed to sign a free trade agreement among all
SAARC countries. The training received from workshops on international markets will
immensely benefit the exporters who join the transactions in the region then.
"Then Sri Lanka will be the hub port in the regional transactions. Sri Lanka in
that context will become what Hong Kong was for China. This is an unsaturated market place
unlike the European Union countries. An ideal place to become the hub of the region,"
he said.
Miss Archibald, High Commissioner for Canada in Sri Lanka, said that the SLEDB has been
working very closely with the Trade Facilitation office in Canada since the 1980s and the
two-day workshop would help the participants to develop their strategies and export plans.
Mr. Goonetilake said that the subjects for the workshop directly related to small and
medium enterprises which play a vital role in the economy. "Nearly 80% of the
exporters are from the category of small and medium enterprises. However, their
contribution is only 20% of the total export value. Therefore it is vital to develop and
guide the small and medium enterprises to be competitive in the international
markets," he said.
Today is the final day of the workshop organised by the SLEDB and the TFOC.
Indian
Air Chief expected to discuss security situation
The visiting Air Force Chief of India, Air Chief Marshal Anil Yashwant Tipnis, is
expected to discuss the security situation in the country during his 6-day visit although
it has been described as a routine one, security sources said yesterday.
The visit was scheduled months ago and it has no connection with the requests made by
Sri Lanka to Inida for assistance following the recent debacle at Elephant Pass, official
sources in Colombo and New Delhi have said.
Other sources in Colombo said that while the Indian Air Chief’s visit had been
arranged weeks ago, his presence in Colombo at this time was expected to be made use of by
both sides for an exchange of views on the current security situation.
India has ruled out military intervention in Sri Lanka again or even the supply of
military equipment. Indian authorities have, however, said they were prepared to provide
humanitarian assistance which could include food and medical supplies.
Official sources said that during his stay in Sri Lanka, Air Chief Marshal Tipnis will
pay courtesy calls on President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Deputy Minister of Defence,
Anuruddha Ratwatte.
He was also scheduled to meet the Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Chandrananda de
Silva, General Officer Commanding Joint Operations Headquarters, Rohan Daluwatte, Army
Commander Lt. General Sri Lal Weerasooriya and Navy Commander, Vice Admiral H.C. Tissera.
Air Chief Marshal Tipnis who arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday will visit the Sri Lanka
Air Force bases in Anuradhapura, Diyatalawa and Katunayake. He will also visit historic
sites at Anuradhapura, Sigiriya and the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. He is accompanied by his
wife, Molina Tipnis and three senior officers of the Indian Air Force.
The Indian Air Chief was commissioned into the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot in
1960. After a couple of staff appointments and a stint at the National Defence Academy in
India as the Chief Instructor (Air) and Battalion Commander, he was posted to France in
1983 as the Team Leader for the Mirage Project Team, where he was responsible for the
induction of the Mirage-2000 aircraft into the Indian Air Force. He has held the ranks of
Air Vice Marshal and Vice Chief of Air Staff before taking over as the Chief of Air Staff
in 1998.
Protest
campaign today against govt. regulations
The Peoples Liberation Front (JVP) together with several other political parties, trade
unions and peoples organisations will stage a protest campaign today to urge the
government to call off suppressive regulations imposed by it.
In a press release, the party said that they "have decided to protest against the
government, urging to call off the special suppressive regulations, imposed in the guise
of finding solutions for the war, to restore democracy and not to establish diplomatic
relations with Israel".
The protest which will be staged by the JVP, Nawa Sama Samaja party, Muslim United
Liberation Front with some trade unions and peoples organisations will be held at the
Lipton Circus roundabout at 12 noon. The protest is expected to coincide with the
Parliamentary debate on extending the Emergency Regulations.
‘No
properly planned programme-oriented budgets’
Colombo East-West Group Corr:
"Many government agencies do not prepare properly planned programme-oriented
budgets and therefore they experience difficulties in monitoring performances. A full week
devoted initially to a full discussion of objectives and performance oriented programme
could be very useful and should be followed at the beginning of a financial year by
another week of awareness education aimed at making all personnel of an organization aware
of the objective, the modalities and the time frame for the ensuing year. All employees
regardless of their place in the hierarchy should be drawn into and made to participate
fully in the awareness programme so that each person will know the objective and what part
he has to play to achieve the target. This is effective staff training,’’ said
R. A. Jayaweera, head of the Kalana Institute of Social Studies in his talk on ‘Good
Governance’ at the meeting organized by the Saviya Foundation, Sri Lanka and held
recently at Pragnaloka Hall, Vijayarama, Wellawatte.
‘The present staff training with emphasis on Procedures, FR and AR is of little
use. Such training is easy to conduct as there are ready made notes and handouts. What is
required but neglected is educating all the people in the organization about the mission,
the tasks and ways and means of achieving them. This is difficult. There has to be some
initial hard work which many top people in government organizations tend to avoid. It is
due to lack of this type of training that there is no co-ordination, no knowledge about
what is to be done and one person does not know what the man sitting next to him is doing.
‘ Permanent Ministerial Units must be established by a rational classification and
amalgamation of subjects to suit the present development needs of the country. This
enables the Treasury codings for Heads and Votes to remain unchanged despite cabinet
reshuffles and changes of government. Each Ministerial Unit must have a Secretary. A
Minister may be assigned one or more Ministerial Units. The Ministry of Public
Administration, Home Affairs and Plantation Industries for example can be considered two
Ministerial Units. If a Parliamentary Select Committee determines Ministerial Units they
will remain intact for a longer time.
‘There must be a Performance Monitoring Authority (PMA) to review performance of
all government agencies and report to parliament. Parliament must have a committee to
examine reports of the PMA. This arrangement is similar to the Auditor General, COPE and
PAC. These organs have had a vital role when the main government emphasis was on
adminstration. Now the emphasis is on development. We are interested in results and not
just compliance. It was observed in the past and now people want results even at the
expense of compliance,he said.
Fr.
Montannon, father of modern Sinhala catholic literature
Colombo East-West Group Corr:
In his second talk on ‘Catholic Contribution to Sinhala Literature’ Dr.
Risiman Amarasinghe, Director, Dharmapala Olcott Institute of Research in Sri Lanka
sponsored by the Colombo South Research Circle dealt with the life and works of Rev. Fr.
Joseph Montannon OMI at Suvisuddharama Hall, Wellawatte recently.
Rev. Fr. Joseph Montannon, a native of France had arrived in Sri Lanka in 1910 and
devoted has life as an inspired priest in various missions throughout the country. In the
latter decades which were the period of ascendence of his literary career he served as
Parish Priest of Halpe Mission in Katana. Pandit Amarasinghege Francis Silva a close
colleague of Munidasa Cumaratunga was principal of the Catholic school at Nelumpitiya,
contemporaneous with Fr. Montannon, their friendship developed.
Rev. Fr. Montannon indicated to his friend Francis Silva his deep desire to study the
Sinhala Language and literature effectively and scientifically. Perceiving his intentions
Francis Silva introduced Fr. Montannon to Munidasa Cumaratunga, the literary giant and
most inspiring educator. This meeting turned out to be one of the most prolific periods of
modern Sinhala Catholic Literature.
Intellectually activated by the scholarly and poetic inspiration offered by
Cumaratunga, Rev. Fr. Montannon earned the sobriquet the father of Modern Sinhala Catholic
Literature. Before that Rev. Fr. Jacome Gonsalves was called the father of Catholic
Sinhala Literature. Rev. Fr. Joseph Montannon came to be known as the Father of Modern
Sinhala Catholic Literature.
Fr. Montannon’s poetical works are ‘Dilindu Pasilla’ 444 stanzas,
‘Anisalakara’ 479 stanzas, ‘Owadan Kirila’, 116 stanzas, ‘Loka
Darshana’, 584 stanzas, ‘Pahan Dahan’, 1264 stanzas, ‘Saehaen
Daehaen’, 1200 stanzas, and ‘Kevali’. His prose works are ‘Pravurja
Pooranee’, ‘Divyadharmodgrahanaya’, ‘Sugatigaminee’,
‘Prasada Vaahinee’, ‘Suwacha Chitta Vilasinee’, ‘Duka
Komalee’, ‘Tapogaminee’- a series of volumes and
‘Timodamangalee’.
All these works clearly reflect the rays of the wealthiest literary soul of Munidasa
Cumaratunga. As Cumaratunga’s second eminent pupil from France Rev. Fr. Joseph
Montannon’s predominant characteristic is a fearless intellectual critical faculty
and coherent and serious thinking that he struggled not for himself, but for his ideas.
The literature which Fr. Montannon produced was appreciated not only by knowledgeable
Catholics but also non-Catholics as well. Munidasa Cumaratunga’s second French
Catholic pupil passed away on 07.11.1945 not even one year after his death, said the
speaker.
'Most
problems caused by misconduct or economic reasons'
From Ranaweera Manukulasooriya our Gokarella Corr:
"The problems faced by most of our people are mainly based on either
misconduct or due to economic reasons and they could easily be overcome by adhering to the
path shown by Lord Buddha. But I regret to state that most of our people are Buddhists
only by birth ," said Dr. H. M. S. S. K. Herath D.M.O. of the Gokarella District
Hospital at the monthly meeting of the newly formed Sri Lanka Women and Children
Dev-elopment Organisation held at the Polgolla Pirivena, Gokarella recently.
Rev. Rambukwelle Pannasara Thero, Chief Incumbent of the Pingalpoththa Raja Maha
Viharaya, Polgolla presided.
‘’Most of our mothers go abroad for employment leaving their beloved children
and husbands. When the children lose the affection of their mothers they automatically are
compelled to take to vices. The husbands too are compelled to engage in various
anti-social activities. As a result of this the whole family gets shattered. The main
objective of our organization is to implement a programme to bring the living conditions
of such families to a satisfactory level" Dr. Herath added.
Chandra Galpot-hthawala, a well-known Sri Lankan philanthropist who now lives in the
United States of America has offered to grant financial assistance for this welfare
organization.
Majority
community can have confidence in Sihala Urumaya if it gives genuine leadership - Malwatte
Thera
From Cyril Wimalasurendre
KANDY: The Sinhala community of Sri Lanka has lost its confidence in the
political organisations as organisations have failed to deliver the goods. But still the
majority community will have the confidence in an organisation like the Sihala Urumaya if
it gives genuine leadership to recover the lost rights of the community (Censored)
observed Ven. Rambukwelle Sri Wipassi Mahanayake Thera of Malwatte welcoming the
delegation of the newly formed political organisation ‘Sihala Urumaya on Sunday 07.
The delegation from the Sihala Urumaya led by its President S. L. Gunasekera, General
Secretary Tilak Karunaratne MP and National Organiser Patalee Champika Ranawake called on
the Malwatte Mahanayake and the Anunayake Thera of Asgiriya Ven. Galagama Attadassi.
The delegates paid their homage to the Sacred Tooth Relic at the Sri Dalada Maligawa
where they were received by the Diyawadana Nilame Neranjan Wijeratne.
The Mahanayake Thera said that the Sinhala Buddhist should be given a united leadership
by these groups who are genuinely interested in safeguarding the rights of the masses that
possess the legitimate right to the land.
Political parties and leaders rise from time to time and disappoint the masses because
they fail to fulfil their promises, the prelate noted.
The petty differences among the groups should be forgotten and unite to save the
Sinhalese people and the country, the prelate added saying that he welcomed the Sihala
Urumaya leaders and blessed the movement a success.
Anunayake Rajakeeya Pandita Ambanwelle Sri Pannasekera Thera lamented that the safe of
Sri Lanka and the Sinhala people have been deteriorating for the last five decades since
independence due to disunity.
He expressed the hope that Sihala Urumaya would excel in service to the nation.
The Anunayaka Thera of Asgiriya Ven. Galagama Attadassi Thera said that he was willing
to welcome team leaders who were genuinely consulted to protect the rights of the majority
Sinhala community while safeguarding the human rights of every person in the country.
What we need at this particular hour is unity of the country, he said.
The President, Hela Urumaya S. L. Gunasekera and the secretary of the organisation told
the prelates that Hela Urumaya treated the security and the rights of the Sinhala
community above politics.
The organisation was formed to prevent the country from being censored.
Diyawadana Nilame Neranjan Wijeratne told the party leadership that the blessings of
the Sacred Tooth Relic and the guardian duties will be with the leaders and their parties
who give an unblemished leadership to the country and race.
Patalee Champika Ranawake, Dr. Piyasena Dissanayake, Prof. A. M. Madduma Bandara, Ms.
Rosy Bandaranayake and Pushpa Iriyagolle Dharmasena and several others were among those
present.
At
inauguration of film festival in Kandy
There is much to learn from films, says Dr. Amunugama
KANDY: Parents should send their children to Dhamma schools and to
cinemas as well. There is much to learn from films, said Northern Rehabilitation,
Reconstruction and Development Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama at the inauguration of a film
festival consisting of Sinhala films produced some years ago.
The film festival titled ‘Yatagiya Dawasa’ was organised jointly by the Sri
Lanka Film Corporation and the Kandy Municipal Council.
The festival was held at the Kandy D.S. Senanayake Public Library. Continuing Dr.
Sarath Amunugama said, the belief that children become corrupted by seeing films was a
misconception as in many instances films were educative and useful in day to day life.
He said, children should not be prevented or discouraged from going to cinemas or
viewing film shows, but encourage them in viewing good films.
It was the responsibility of the authorities and parents to ensure that good films were
produced and screened. Films that educate society and make people better in their
behaviour, attitudes and thinking are needed, he said.
Chairman, Sri Lanka Film Corporation, Tissa Abeysekera, said that this type of film
festivals were organised to provide the public the opportunity of enjoying the earliest
Sinhala films which were subjected to much satisfaction and appreciation by the film fans
because those artistic attribute were of a high standard.
Steps have been taken by the Film Corporation to extend the programme to several other
outstations for the benefit of the film fans, he said.
The Mayor of Kandy Harindranath Dunuwille, expressed his gratitude to the Film
Corporation and others responsible for organising the film festival in Kandy.
It was most appropriate to hold a film festival titled ‘Yatagiya Dawasa’ in
Kandy as Kandy itself is a capital which has a historical and illustrious past, he said.
Central Provincial Governor T. K. Dassanayake and Kandy Municipal Commissioner Ms.
Jayantha C. Bulumulle also addressed the gathering.
Among those present were Central Provincial Council’s Leader of the House W. M.
Yasamana and Acting Librarian of the D. S. Senanayake Library Ms. Pushpa Muwandeniya.
Intelligence
unit to keep tab on terrorists and criminals
by Norman Palihawadana
Action is being taken by the Police Headquarters to set up a massive intelligence
service unit with the co-operation of the general public as an essential service to
maintain national security Inspector General of Police, Lucky Kodituwakku said.
Elaborating further the Inspector General of Police stated that this intelligence
service will have a check on Tiger terrorists as well as underworld criminals. The police
security islandwide has been strengthened and that prompt action would be taken to arrest
persons spreading false rumours and those aiding and abetting Tiger terrorists and the
underworld crminals.
Meanwhile public information regarding Tiger terrorists and the underworld are being
received and respective police stations have been ordered to take prompt action. Already
about 20 underworld criminals have been rounded up stated the Inspector General of Police. |
