Vol. 29 No. 127 Monday 12th April, 2010, 32 pages Rs. 20 Registered in Sri Lanka as a Newspaper – Late City Edition Slum kids A Vote for A most curious Woods recovery fodder for Togetherness silence on on plan on manipulative foreign policy golf course advertising 5 7 16 p 11 Raththran’s goons run amok Post election violence Kapugoda, because they erupted on Saturday night had not cast their preferen- in the Kalutara District, tial votes for him. where former Nation The police were present Building Minister Rohitha at the scene but did not take Abeygunawardena any action against the (Raththaran) allegedly armed thugs who dragged caused mayhem by leading out villagers from their a group of armed thugs who homes onto the road and mercilessly assaulted some Rohitha thrashed New villagers of Maggona in species ‘live Continued on page 4 without oxygen’ Susil confident World View Vajira of 143 seats SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena and UPFA General Secretary Susil Premjayantha exchange their seats at yester- won’t give day’s UPFA press briefing at the Mahaweli Centre. Former ministers Dallas Alahapperuma, Dinesh Gunawardena and Champika up politics Dallas ridicules Tissa over ‘foolish Ranawaka look on. Photo Gamini Munasinghe BY LALITH excuses’ for latest defeat CHAMINDA AND S. K. KALUARACHCHI SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sisisena invites April 8 poll: Big boost for SLFP at elected members of the Opposition to accept President Defeated Galle District UNP leader Vajira Mahinda Rajapaksa's leadership without being an imped- the expense of its partners Abeywardene yesterday iment to the country's rapid progress in the wake of the told The armed forces triumph over the LTTE. ! Original JVP group reduced to five Island that he would not give up poli- BY SHAMINDRA and the JVP-led !JHU 2, CWC 3, MEP 2 tics. FERDINANDO Democratic National He empha- Alliance (DNA) the ! All UPF candidates rejected sised that he PFA General remaining five. would work Secretary Susil According to BY SHAMINDRA FERDINANDO had denied NFF nominee, Jayantha Samaraweera hard for the UPremjayantha Premjayantha, the an opportunity to retain his seat. Former JVP party. Vajira says that once the UPFA could win seven Of the original 39 JVP members, including heavyweight Nandana Gunatilleke, who entered the Gayantha Karunatilake, delayed results of out of 12 seats in those from the National List, elected to the last fray in Kalutara on the UPFA ticket as an SLFP who polled the highest Nawalapitiya and Kandy and two out of Parliament, only five survived the General nominee, had caused this unfortunate situa- number of preferential Trincomalee polling four seats in Election 2010. Among them were Wimal tion, he said. votes said that divisions are Trincomalee. He Weerawansa, who polled a formidable Sunil Handunetti (Colombo), Ajith Abeywardene had spear- announced, the ruling Premjayantha asserted that the re- 280,672 preferential votes in the Colombo Kumara (Galle) and Vijitha Herath headed the Galle District coalition’s final tally poll ordered by the district and Weerakumara Dissanayake, (Gampaha) were the other successful mem- campaign and expressed will go up to 143 seats, had announced the Election Secretariat elected to the seventh Parliament from bers of the original JVP parliamentary confidence that including 17 from the results of 20 out of 22 due to the annulment Anuradhapura. Dissanayake is the only group. Bandara said that the JVP could not Abeywardene would con- National List. electoral districts. of polling in 34 polling other successful NFF candidate of 15 who have even managed to retain three, if defeat- tinue to play an active role Addressing the Of the 180 MPs booths at Nawalapitiya joined the fray. He polled 27,102. ed presidential candidate, Gen. (retd) in UNP politics and help media at the Mahaweli elected from the 20 and one at One of the original group did not con- Sarath Fonseka had not contested along re-build the party. Centre yesterday, the electoral districts, the Trincomalee would not test Thursday’s election. with JVP candidates. The only other suc- former Education UPFA has secured 117 alter their final result. Political sources said that the result cessful JVP/DNA candidate was former Minister said that the seats; the UNP 46; the was not only disappointing but also embarrassing, National cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga. Election Secretariat TNA 12 Continued on page 4 though the National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Bandara said that Weerawansa had beaten two Matale UPFA emerged a major winner. NFF media coordinator, party leaders in Colombo to secure the top spot. Anuruddha Bandara told The Island that they were UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and DNA leader MPs clash satisfied with the result. He said that a split in what Fonseka were no match for Weerawansa, he said. Former Local Poland awaits return of he called the Marxist vote in the Kalutara District Continued on page 4 Government and Provincial Council president's body Minister Janaka Bandara says one of his UPFA col- WARSAW, Poland (AP) - of staff, the navy chief MR won't accommodate US congratulates leagues, a newcomer to Poland was enveloped in commander, and heads politics in the Matale mourning Sunday, with of the air and land those rejected through NL President Rajapaksa District is responsible for many attending church forces, who were all violence in services to mark the loss making the emotional Former Transport President that losers should on his historic win the district. of President Lech trip to honor Polish offi- Minister SLFP Treasurer not be accommodated on An irate Kaczynski and many of cers slain by the Soviet Dallas Alahapperuma yes- the National List. The United States has congratulat- Bandara the country's elite in a secret police in 1940 in terday said that defeated Several prominent minis- ed President Mahinda Rajapaksa on says a gang plane crash in Russia. and near the forest of UPFA candidates would not ters and Deputy Ministers his government’s ‘his- on the pay- At the Field Cathedral Katyn in western Russia. be appointed through the are among the big losers. toric victory’. It says roll of the of the Polish Army, hundreds One mourner, Boguslaw National List. Responding to Alahapperuma said that last week’s victory newly elect- gathered for a morning Mass and Staron, said he turned out to a query by The Island, there would be 46 new coupled with his win Janaka ed politician left flowers and written condo- honor Kaczynski, "a great patri- Alahapperuma emphasized faces in the seventh parlia- at the presidential on Friday mercilessly lences. Among the dead a day ot." that they had received ment. election in January attacked H. M. earlier were Poland's army chief instructions from the Continued on page 4 provides a mandate for Rupasinghe, a member of Continued on page 4 him to solve important his parliamentary staff. issues. “This is unfortunate,” a Full text of the US President spokesman for the former statement: Minister told The Island Illegal sand miners make hay under the bridge The United States congratulates yesterday, expressing con- President Rajapaksa and the United cern that some UPFA MPs People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) for were causing mayhem. their historic victory in the first Bandara said that a nationwide parliamentary election in gang on the payroll of decades. This victory, coupled with the this particular politician President's win in January’s contest, was on the rampage tar- provides a mandate to move forward geting SLFPers, who on the important issues the President steadfastly supported his discussed during the campaign, such campaign, though as national and ethnic reconciliation, President Rajapaksa requested members to cel- Continued on page 4 ebrate their victory peacefully. He also accused the opposing camp of tar- nishing his image in the run-up to the April 8 elec- Illegal sand miners, backed by powerful politicians and their underworld figures, continue their operation in the Kelani River as the Coast tion. Conservation Department (CCD) continues to turn a blind eye to them despite being instructed by the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau Continued on page 4 (GSMB) to stop sand mining under the Peliyagoda Bridge. Pic. by Nimal Dayaratne.