20 Sunday, May 28, 2017 Sri Lanka steps up relief as

Sri Lankan residents evacuate from a flooded toll hits 113 area of Bulathsinhala in Kalutara district

Colombo The military stepped up personnel carriers to transport capital, which was also new houses to those who a medical team as well as ri Lanka stepped up search operations in landslide- them across flooded streets to flooded. The authorities lost their houses,” he said on inflatable boats and medicine. its military-led relief hit areas and the airforce high ground for burial. arranged funerals for dozens twitter. India has offered more aid, Soperations yesterday as nearly deployed five aircraft for The military vehicles also of victims. The authorities dropped including helicopters, to boost half a million people were rescue operations and another ferried villagers along roads President Maithripala thousands of life jackets for relief operations, Senaratne displaced after a monsoon five to transport emergency converted into riverways Sirisena, who returned from marooned people in a bid to said. deluge killed at least 113 supplies to villagers who could by the rainfall, passing a state visit to Australia, protect them until they could Pakistan said it was in talks people. not be reached by road. submerged traffic signs and travelled to Kalutara, one of be moved to safer ground. with Colombo to send relief Rainfall on Friday triggered At the village of flooded houses. the worst affected districts supplies. Pakistan recently the worst flooding and Bulathsinhala, relatives were There were similar scenes south of Colombo, to Indian help gave 10,000 tonnes of rice landslides in 14 years in the seen loading coffins of 10 in the adjoining Ratnapura supervise relief operations. An Indian naval ship to Sri Lanka to help drought southern and western parts victims onto army armoured district, the island’s gem “The government will give equipped with medical victims. of the island and although the supplies docked in Colombo Meterological department rain eased on Saturday, low- yesterday and Indian sailors said the latest monsoon ended lying areas remained under were deployed with their Sri a prolonged drought that water, the authorities said. Lankan counterparts to carry had threatened agriculture Government spokesman out relief operations. as well as hydropower Rajitha Senaratne said a total Indian High Commissioner generation. of 113 people were confirmed Taranjit Singh Sandhu said “The monsoon has firmly dead while over 100 remained a second larger vessel was established and we could have missing. expected in Colombo on evening showers at a lesser “Most of the fatalities Monday with more aid. intensity,” meterological were due to landslides and “When you feel the pain, we department chief S. R. only a very few drowned,” also feel the pain,” the envoy Jayasekera said. said Senaratne who is also said while formally handing The flooding is the worst the health minister. He said over the Indian aid to Sri since May 2003 when 250 nearly 500,000 people were Lanka’s Foreign minister Ravi people were killed and 10,000 forced from their homes and Karunanayake at the Colombo homes destroyed after a most of them had moved into port. similarly powerful monsoon, Indian Navy troops offload emergency supplies temporary shelters. The Indian aid included officials said. (AFP) CIA-trained Cuban ex-spy recounts his ‘story of failure’ Miami -- recruited him in 1959 and and 1962, parents took their commando-type strikes against identified as the sole attacker. Cuban CIA spy who trained him in Havana to kill children out of Cuba via offices the Castro regime. A later attempt to kill Castro dedicated his life to Fidel Castro, who died last year of the Catholic Church. Minors “These attacks encouraged in Santiago de Chile failed, Atrying to kill Fidel Castro and of natural causes. without adult companions were hope, and when they were and years later Veciana had to destabilize the communist “Bishop invited me to lunch,” received at camps in Florida. published in the press there abandon another attempt on government, Antonio Veciana he says. “It was easy, he didn’t Veciana says he has no regrets was euphoria -- people still the Cuban leader’s life. today says his is “the story of have to convince me about over his role in separating these had hope they could win the Veciana’s effort to discredit failure.” It is a tale he recounts the danger of communism in children from their parents. battle,” says Veciana. Ernesto “Che” Guevara after with rage -- and no regrets. Cuba.” “It might have been He acknowledged however his 1967 death in Bolivia “I was an unlikely terrorist,” Originally an accountant at irresponsible, but what I did that the success and magnitude also fizzled. The Argentine he said in his book “Trained to Cuba’s National Bank, Veciana was out of conviction,” he says. of the attacks were “always revolutionary instead became Kill,” cowritten with journalist was taught to be invisible, to “At the time I was convinced exaggerated.” a leftist icon. Carlos Harrison. “I was skinny, plot, to be unscrupulous and I was doing the right thing, so I Like many Cuban- “I really try not to think too asthmatic, and plagued with to distrust. would do it again.” Americans of his age, Veciana much about it, because mine insecurities.” “At first, the idea was to holds a grudge against is a story of failure,” Veciana The 88 year-old anti-Castro destabilize,” he says. “In ‘A story of failure’ president John F. Kennedy says. “When you fail because activist, sitting with a medical countries with destabilization, Antonio Veciana Veciana fled to the United for “betraying” Cuban exiles of different circumstances you walker by his side in his people believe rumors.” 14,000 children to the United States in 1961 following a for withdrawing US military feel you did not do the right daughter’s Miami living room, “That was my job -- creating States in an exodus known as botched attack on Castro support from the failed anti- thing -- or that luck did not clarifies those words. those rumors.” “Operation Peter Pan.” that would have easily led Castro Bay of Pigs invasion of help you -- but you feel like a “The work I did is what The first was an alleged “Many parents later met with authorities to him. Cuba in 1961. failure.” terrorists do. It’s just that it bill under which the Cuban their children, but others could When contacted by Bishop He also claims to have seen In 1979, after several attempts wasn’t called that.” government would strip not see them again, because in Miami, Veciana founded the Bishop meeting Lee Harvey against his own life, Veciana The book details how CIA parents of legal custody over they died or because they anti-Castro paramilitary group Oswald three months before finally threw in the towel and agent David Atlee Phillips -- their children. couldn’t leave the country,” “Alpha 66,” which during Kennedy’s assassination in retired from the espionage and known by the alias “Bishop” Parents then sent some Veciana said. Between 1960 the 60s and 70s carried out Texas in 1963. Oswald was later hit-man business. (AFP)