6 Wednesday 1st July, 2009 The Island Home News Rule of law, governance Astrologer detained for his predictions, much to be desired in SL - Akashi a first for – Attanayake by Devan Daniel extreme nationalism on the other,” he said. Special envoy of the Akashi said that Sri by Zacki Jabbar has every right to make ing a thirty year rule for who have been bold enough to write Government of Japan Lanka could no longer predictions according to President Mahinda the truth, but there has been no Yasushi Akashi said the blame its former colonial The detention of astrologer the rules of the science he Rajapaksa, should also be progress in the investigations, obvi- rule of law and governance masters and there concept Chandrasiri Bandara, under practices. To haul him up remanded.” ously due to pressure from the top, is much to be desired in Sri of ‘divide and role’ for the Emergency Regulations, indicates to the fourth floor of the If the government by its he said. “Lasantha Wickremetunga Lanka and urged legislators problems the country had to the extent to which the government CID at night and interro- skewed sense of logic, was killed and several other jour- to avoid polarising into face; not after more than was denying people of their demo- gate him like a common believes that Bandara has nalists abducted and assaulted, but naive cosmopolitanism on sixty years of self rule. cratic freedom, General Secretary criminal, shows that the committed an offence, he no suspects have been produced in one hand and extreme “There have been mar- of the UNP, said government cannot toler- can be produced in a Court Courts as yet.” nationalism on the other. riages and business trans- yesterday. ate dissent. The gist of of Law and not detained Attanayake said that the con- Akashi said Sri Lanka actions that have taken He told The Island that this was Mr. Bandara’s prediction Attanayake under emergency regula- duct of the government, apart from was on the brink of making place between the different the first time in Sri Lanka’s history was that Mr. Ranil tions for 90 days, Attanayake being dictatorial, also indicates a a quantum leap in develop- communities. This is the that an astrologer has been ques- Wickremesinghe would soon be the said. sense of fear that Bandara could ing its economy now that base from which Sri Lanka tioned and also detained for practic- leader of the country. If that is an In the recent past, there had actually be right that the Rajapaksa the war is over and has can build a multi-ethnic, ing his profession. “Mr. Bandara offence, then those who are predict- been many attacks on journalists regime was nearing its end. huge potential in this multi-lingual harmonious regard. society,” he said. “Sri Lanka is one of the He also said that blame oldest democracies in Asia could not be placed on the and boasts high human Norwegians and their deal- New SLFP electoral Lorry development indicators ings as mediators for a Resettlement (such as literacy, infant peace deal. mortality and other health “The responsibility lay of IDPs our transporting indicators). But the rule of with leaders of both sides to and district organizers law and good governance is the conflict,” Akashi said. to be desired and all Sri He said the Tamil people top priority President (Digamadulla-West) and P. timber Lanka should work on it,” were made to suffer because yesterday appointed 12 electoral Dayaratne (Digamadulla) as elec- he said addressing the inau- Prabahkaran lacked the – Keheliya and 11 district organizers. Among toral organizers. gural session of the Sri strategic wisdom and was them were several UNP dissidents The SLFPers appointed as confiscated Lanka Economic Summit in incapable of thinking now holding Cabinet portfolios in District organizers were Ananda last evening. beyond a separate state. by Dasun the Rajapaksa administration. Millangoda (Kegalle), by Jayakody Ratnayake, The Japanese envoy Akashi praised the gov- Edirisinghe ernment on the other hand (Mawanella), Nuwara Eliya Cor. stressed that Sri Lanka now Bandula Gunawardena (Ampara), Shantha Premaratne had an opportunity, which in its efforts to resettle the Defence (Homagama), (Ampara),T.A.K. Gampola Magistrate Upali would not reoccur again, to internally displayed per- spokesman (Kesbewa), Hemakumara Thewarapperuma (Ampara), P. B. Gunwardena fined the driver develop the country. sons. “In all my years of expe- Minister Keheliya Nanayakkara (Baddegama), Dissanayake (Anuradhapura), of a lorry Rs 5,000 for trans- “Now is the time to build rience I have never seen a Rambukwella, yes- (Biyagama), Chandana Kattriarachchi porting timber without permit. the country where every cit- developed country coming terday said the Mano Wijeratne (Dedigama), W. B. (Colombo), Gamini Tillekesiri He also ordered the lorry be izen can finally live togeth- er in friendship, in a democ- out of a conflict make so Rambukwella government’s first Ekanayake (Anuradhapura-West), (Colombo), Shalitha Wijesundera confiscated. racy where human rights much progress within a priority would be (Mirigama), (Gampaha), Valuable timber loaded in are respected. If we fail in short time. Government the resettlement of the displaced Mahinda Rathnathilaka (Polonnaruwa), Akila Saliya the lorry was covered on with this regard, we may never officials and the military now accommodated in welfare (Balangoda), A. A. Prabath Bhanu Ellawela (Ratnapura) and Kokila low priced ordinary wooden get this opportunity again,” worked tirelessly day and centres in the north. He said that Munopriya (Balangoda co-organis- Harshini Gunawardena planks but on closer examina- Akashi said. night led and coordinated the implementation of the 13th er), (Gampaha). tion Police found the valuable Akashi also stressed the very ably by Basil Amendment or any other politi- timber underneath the ordi- importance taking an open Rajapaksa to ensure these cal solution would have to be nary planks. minded approach to dealing civilians received shelter, after resettlement. The timber was valued at with those with opposing food, clothing and medi- Addressing the press at the Rs 27,990 while the confiscated views. cines,” he said. Media Centre for National Cultivate, or lose land lorry was worth Rs one mil- “There has to be open Akashi said Japan Security, Rambukwella said some by Franklin R Satyapalan to acquire uncultivated lands. Land lion. mindedness when different would continue to support political parties had attacked the thus acquired would be given to Kotmale OIC Bandara opinions are being Sri Lanka in all her endeav- government over the proposed Owners of more than 100,000 landless farmers for cultivation. Dematagedera and a team of expressed in equal passion, ours and will make special implementation of the 13th acres of cultivable land that lie fal- Thousands of petitions had Policemen produced the driver avoiding naive cosmopoli- provisions with regard to the resettlement of the Amendment. They should realize low had been warned that they already been received from the pub- and the lorry in Court. tanism on one side and IDPs. that the government’s main task would be acquired under the lic on such uncultivated lands. at the moment was to resettle the Agricultural Land Management Hewavitharana said there were displaced. Regulation, Commissioner of 800,000 hectares of paddy lands in “There are over 300,000 people Agrarian Services Ravindra the country, of which only 565,000 Angry... From page 1 living at welfare centres. Of Hewavitharana said. had come under the plough but them, almost 68,000 are children. Much of such neglected lands since the liberation of the East it would do his job. “I’ll look after the rest, too,” The JHU warning came close on the heels of There are also 3,000 teachers, had been identified in the Western had now increased to 700,000 he said, urging leaders of constituent parties to the President reassuring India that Sri Lanka have faith in him. He said that if they did their would implement the 13th Amendment. A three- which was a very sensitive Province, too, he said. hectares. job, the government could go ahead with its pro- member delegation comprising , issue,” he said. Circulars had been forwarded He advised those owners to cul- gramme. MP, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and He dismissed Opposition to all Agrarian Services officers to tivate at least green leaves or keera Political sources said that the President had Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the President, claims that as the war had ended, take action under gazette notifica- on fertile lands if they could not reacted angrily to Ranawaka’s threat to quit the early this month visited New Delhi, where the two the defence expenditure could be tion No.1585/15 of January 21, 2009 afford to cultivate paddy. government. President indicated that he wouldn’t parties discussed the entire gamut of issues. brought down overnight. give in to pressure from any party. Recently, Media Minister Lakshman Yapa JHU spokesman Nishantha Sri Waranasinghe Abeywardena and Minister Mahindananda on Monday night told TNL that although the Aluthgamage told an Information department LTTE had been defeated, a section of the govern- briefing that the government would go ahead with ment wanted to implement the 13th Amendment the 13th Amendment though NFF leader Wimal Youth at the behest of New Delhi. He accused the gov- Weerawansa had strongly objected to it. ernment of succumbing to Indian pressure. commits Nirupama... From page 1 number of key positions, will be the second Mrs Rao was also the country’s first woman woman Foreign Secretary of India after Mrs spokesperson in the Foreign Office (2001-2002). suicide Chokila Iyer. She will be taking over as the top diplomat at Born in Kerala on 6 December 1950, she has a a time when India’s relations with Pakistan are by Neminda Samarajeewa Master’s degree in English literature from the going through tough times in the aftermath of Marathwada University in Maharashtra. Her Mumbai terror attacks in November last year. A 19-year-old boy, Tharindu early education took place in cities across the She is married to Sudhakar Rao, a senior country, including Bangalore, Pune, Lucknow, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, and Dileep Wijeratne, committed sui- Coonoor (Tamil Nadu). She was FAS has two sons. cide yesterday evening by jump- International Affairs Fellow at Harvard An accomplished singer in her own right, Mrs ing before a moving train at University in Boston, USA (1992-93). Rao has a penchant for classical music Horape, as his fiancee’s family She joined the prestigious IFS in 1973. (Hindustani and Carnatic) besides theatre and rejected him. His 20-year-old girl She has been Ambassador to Peru (1995-98), writing. friend too, had jumped before the and has worked in Indian missions in Vienna, Her first book of poems Rain Rising was pub- same train as it approached the Washington and Moscow in various capacities. lished in India in 2004. Ragama railway station, but had escaped with injuries. The police said that she had jumped as the New Delhi... From page 1 train was slowing down whilst his parliamentary constituency Sivaganga in Lanka to study the ground realities, approaching the Ragama station. Tamil Nadu, he said: “I am not happy over the Chidambaram said: “We can send a team if they The police said that though the , Minister of Agriculture, a past pupil of Richmond steps taken so far by Sri Lanka to rehabilitate the are ready to accept it. Sri Lanka is a sovereign boy had jumped first at Horape, Tamils who have become refugees in their own country. Only a few officials of the Indian High College, was felicitated by the school at a recent ceremony. E. M. S. Ekanayake, the train hadn’t stopped until it country.” Commission in Sri Lanka have visited a few reached Ragama. Principal, N. C. Nagahawatta, Secretary of the Past Pupils’ Association well- “The efforts are not enough,” he declared. affected areas. We cannot say they have visited all comes him. There are 282,000 internally displaced Tamils, affected areas.” living in camps and waiting to be rehabilitated in He made it clear that Sri Lankan Tamil their own homes in the civil war-ravaged refugees living in Tamil Nadu will not be forced to AIADMK... From page 1 Northern Province. go back. “However, if they voluntarily want to go Chidambaram said India has asked Sri Lanka back, the government will make all arrangements When the Speaker rejected their demand and wanted ing slogans inside the House was “uncultured,” and to allow the Red Cross to take up relief, and give for them to return.” to proceed with the listed business, the AIADMK mem- requested the Speaker to evict them. media access to refugee camps in the strife-torn There are about a hundred thousand Sri bers stood up and raised slogans demanding the passage AIADMK’s allies MDMK and PMK staged a walkout areas. Lankan Tamils living in refugee camps in Tamil of their resolution. on the issue. New Delhi has allocated five billion Indian Nadu. At this point, Karunanidhi intervened and said rais- rupees for rehabilitating Sri Lankan Tamils, but The minister vehemently denied the charge the rehabilitation plan is not yet ready in Sri that India has not done enough to safeguard Lanka. “We regret this,” Chidambaram said. Lankan Tamils, and said: “We spoke both to the From Prasanna... page 1 Asked if India has taken up the issue with Sri LTTE and the Sri Lankan government. But they “Why should the JHU oppose this while being a part- in his mind in preparing to implement the 13th Lanka, Chidambaram said New Delhi politely did not listen.” ner in the Government?” he queried. Amendment,” Ranatunga said. conveyed its “displeasure” last week to a visiting He said Sri Lankan officials told him recently He said except for a handful people, the whole coun- Even those who had opposed the move earlier had delegation that comprised Sri Lankan President that steps are being taken to hold elections in try had endorsed this. “The President only wanted to now given their wholehearted support, he said. Mahinda Rajapaksa’s adviser Basil Rajapaksa Tamil areas under the 13th Amendment of the make matters easy for everyone and that was foremost and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Constitution on devolution provisions under the The minister explained: “Our concern is that Indo-Lanka accord. Sri Lanka is showing slackness in rehabilitating Referring to reports that China is helping Leave... From page 1 Tamils. India has been stressing that the Tamils Lanka build a naval base at Katchathivu, an islet Vidyalaya, where he declared open a swimming had been denied admission while children living in far should be resettled in their homes. A conducive ceded by India to Lanka, he said, “It is only an pool. away places had been admitted. “I found parents had a atmosphere should be created for the children of unconfirmed report. It is not so.” The Prime Minister said he had investigated com- legitimate grievance,” he said urging school principals these displaced Tamils to pursue education. He also said government is taking steps to pre- plaints from parents that despite being permanent res- not to carry out illegal orders and promised to protect Enough medical facilities should be created.” vent Indian fishermen from being attacked by idents in the vicinity of some schools their children them if they got into trouble as a result. Asked if there is a need to send a team to Sri Lankan naval personnel in mid-sea.