'Vote for Betel Leaf to Tear Off Fonseka-Sampanthan Deal'

4 Wednesday 20th January, 2010 The Island Home News ‘Vote for betel leaf to tear off Fonseka-Sampanthan deal’ by Lalaji Manawadu A Computer Unit was set up at the gave all what Fonseka need- terrorists and divided the of others who wielded power. The peo- Agriculture Training and Development Ambalangoda - President Mahinda ed and we had all three motherland, even the police ple would not be so ungrateful to the University, affiliated to the Colombo Rajapaksa said he is quite sure that the meals of the day together on and the armed forces could President who braved all sorts of obsta- University, at Weligaththa, Hambantota. It people will vote for the betel leaf on busy days. But now he is not enter into their territory. cles to develop the country during the was declared open by Urban Development January 26 to ensure the tearing up of trying to betray the county LTTE used highly sophisti- three and a half years of conflict to rid Minister Salinda Dissanayaka. Colombo the agreement between Sarath Fonseka by entering into an agree- cated equipment for their bat- the country of three decade old terror- University Vice-Chancellor Shanika and TNA leader R Sampanthan. ment with Sampanthan. tles against the government ism. Hiriburegama was also present. (Picture by Addressing a rally at the “People will not allow forces, he said, adding, “I saw Former cricket captain Sanath Ariya Waidyasekera, Ambalantota) Ambalangoda public esplanade, he said the country to be divided the identity card of Jayasuriya said: “This is my first a reporter of the Sunday Lankadeepa once again. We should devel- Prabhakaran. It was like a speech on a political platform. I am Cinnamon who wrote the article on the Ranil- op the country for the sake credit card with all his bio- happy to address this mammoth meet- Fonseka agreement with the Tamil of our future generation. data”. ing on behalf of the President who prices fall National Alliance leader had to resign The country should be devel- President Rajapaksa The President said the defeated terrorism to make this coun- her post because of several threats. oped to be a First World country,” he people who had not come to their vil- try a place where we can live without by Ariya Waidyasekera, “I have addressed many meetings at said. lage even during the tsunami days, had fear. It is our bounden duty to vote him Ambalantota Corr. this esplanade. This is the largest crowd The President said postal voting of come here to canvas their votes against to power again.” More than 100,000 families of them all,” he said. security the forces on January 12, him. But people could not be duped so Film actress Geetha Kumarasinghe engaged in cinnamon cultivation and Referring to reputed Sri Lankan according to the assessment carried out easily. said the people were living in fear dur- peeling in the Southern Province, cricketer, who addressed the meeting by a survey had shown a massive victo- He said he preferred to have a ing the past three decades as the coun- including the Hambantota district, prior to him, he said Sanath Jayasuriya ry for him, despite Fonseka’s claim that Presidential election first because he try witnessed a bloody war. have been left high and dry as a should be happy to make his first elec- 95 per cent of the forces were with him. thought that there could be internal But the President defeated the LTTE result of sharp decline in the price of tion speech to this massive crowd. Not only fisheries resources but also quarrels to get ‘manape’ even among and took steps to create a country cinnamon. “When I was the Minister of mineral resources would be tapped the same party candidates if the parlia- where the people can live in peace and A kilo of cinnamon now fetches Fisheries, I gave a Fisheries Complex fully to develop the country. When he mentary elections were held earlier. harmony. So, we should support him only Rs. 800. including a fisheries harbour to assumed office as the President, he Galle district SLFP leader and voca- once again to become the President. A cinnamon cultivator in Ambalangoda. I built a housing scheme said, there was only a majority of one tional Training and Technical Training Agriculture Minister Hemakumara Middeniya told The Island that an for fishermen. I know people of the member in Parliament for the govern- Minister Piyasena Gamage said that Nanayakkara, Urban Development acre of cinnamon land is valued at South will remember my contribution to ment but he was able to attract MPs of the district would give 70 per cent of Minister Dinesh Gunawardane, Rs. 1.6 million. If maintained well, the fishing community. I made Sarath other parties to have a significant votes with a massive majority for the Construction and Engineering Services that plot would give a steady income Fonseka the Army Commander as he is majority in parliament and make the President. The UPFA polled 23,000 votes Minister Rajitha Senaratne, JFF for nearly a hundred years, he said. of this area which is on this side of government stable. more than the UNP at the SPC polls in Leader MP Wimal Weerawansa, SPC Assistant Director of Export Bentara Ganga in Ambalangoda. There When the UNP had signed an agree- Ambalangoda. This will rise to more Chief Minister Shan Wijelal de Silva Agriculture for Galle Janaka were three officers from Ambalangoda ment with the LTTE to hand over the than 30,000 votes on January 26. and Ambalangoda UC Chairman, M W Lindara, when asked about the plight in the President’s Security Division. I full control of North and East to the From its birth, the JVP was jealous Aruna Pradeep also spoke. of cinnamon cultivators, said that a subsidy of Rs. 36,000, and 36,000 plants were provided to farmers per an acre of cinnamon. Each plant costs Rs. 8.00. Rs. 40,000 is allocated for the preparation of the cinnamon processing centre. Rs. 75,000 is paid for the setting up of a shed for the storage of leaves, oil and cinnamon. There are nearly 65,000 acres of land under cinnamon cultivation in the Island. Of this there are 25,000 acres in Galle, 20,000 acres in Matara and 5,000 acres in the Hambantota district.

Six-fold increase in foreign direct investments by Ariya Waidyasekera, Two groups of Bhikkus divided in supporting the campaigns of the two main candidates for the forthcoming Presidential election, staged a satyagraha and hungerstrike Ambalantota Corr. opposite the Fort Railway Station and Pettah Bo-tree. Members of the National Bhikku Front supporting Opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka staged a Satyagraha demand- ing the alleged agreement between the Government and EPDP leader Minister Douglas Devananda be cancelled, while MP Uduwe Dhammaloka and other leading monks International Trade and Export supporting President Mahinda Rajapaksa staged a hunger strike demanding the alleged agreement between Fonseka and parties supporting him be made public. Promotion Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris Pix by Dimuthu Premaratne said foreign direct investments had increased six-fold as a result of the UPFA government’s economic poli- From page 1 cies. JVP... The Minister was briefing the Shinawatra’s visit and we the VIP lounge of the Ratnayake said that Kuliyapitiya teachers upset over media at Hotel Breeze in heard that Foreign Minister Bandaranaike International Shinawatra’s passport bearing Ambalantota, on the government’s Rohitha Bogollagama apologised Airport and left the following day number L38RU3695 was not a delays in promotion letters development activities. to the Thai government over the through the same channel. He had diplomatic passport as he was a incident,” he said. used vehicles bearing registra- deportee from his home country. He said reputed statesman by Bingiriya Corr. ers who had close links with JVP Parliamentarian Bimal tion numbers JD 6565 and JG How could he use the VIP lounge Windston Churchill had told the peo- higher officials of the NWP Rathnayake said that Shinawatra 6565, hired by the government and at the BIA to enter Sri Lanka? The Most school teachers of Educational Department had ple at the time of the Second World had visited Sri Lanka on he arrived in a private aircraft, N- Royal Thailand Embassy had not remote government schools in already received their due War that he could offer them nothing December 12 with five members 300-BZ from the United Arab been aware of his visit, the Bingiriya, appointment letters and but tears and sweat. as a business delegate through Emirates. Ratnayake said. Panduwasnuwara and salary arrears in keeping The UPFA government never Kuliyapitiya electorates com- with new salary scales. made such a request of the people. plain that they have not Those who do not have Instead, it provided every facility to NZ... From page 1 received their letters of pro- such relationships with top promised to resettle the refugees and the rest to Australia. vention and deterrence,” she the people and carried out develop- motions to higher grades from department officers had to within four to 12 weeks. The minister’s spokeswoman said. ment activities while waging a war. the North Western Provincial wait longer to get their The government stores today pos- Melbourne newspaper The said the Government supported Earlier this month, Foreign Age earlier reported that sources a multi-lateral approach to boat Minister Murray McCully said Education Department. appoitments. sessed a consignment of consumer at the Tanjung Pinang detention people smuggling. taxpayers would contribute $1 These letters of promotion A. Samarasekara, a senior items sufficient for six months as centre had said 13 asylum seek- “This is an Asia-Pacific million to United Nations agen- should have been sent to them school teacher in Bingiriya, such there won’t be a shortage of ers would leave for the regional issue that will remain cies working to resettle Tamils last year by the educational told The Island that the NWP food. Philippines for processing for the foreseeable future. The forced from their homes by the authorities. Minister of Education Athula Highly developed countries tomorrow before heading to New New Zealand Government main- recent civil war in Sri Lanka, As a result of the delay, Wijesinghe and Susil including the US were facing a finan- Zealand. tains that the best approach for with the money split between the they are not in a position to Premajayantha, the Minister cial crisis. Hundreds of banks had Of the remaining 65 refugees, dealing with this wider issue is UN Population Fund and the UN get the increased salary of Education, should look 28 would go to the United States, through the Bali Process which Children’s Fund. (New Zeland been closed and many people had lost arrears. A senior school into the plight of these help- 13 to Canada, three to Norway emphasises prevention, inter- Herald) their jobs as a result. teacher of a national school less teachers as early as possi- But Sri Lanka still maintained a in Bingiriya said some teach- ble. sound economy, the Minister said. Labour... From page 1 Ministers Chamal Rajapaksa and Employers’ Federation of the government is keen there could reach a decision. Mahinda Amaraweera were present. Ceylon, a member of the National would be an increment to private In a report published last JRJ’s... From page 1 Labour Advisory Council, said ad sector workers this year as soon as November the Central Bank hoc wage increments cannot be possible. advised the government that pub- “I had been supporting dene said. allowed. Director General of the lic sector wages should not be Musammil’s... From page 1 President Rajapaksa right Former Gampaha Deputy “The Labour Commission has Employers’ Federation of Ceylon increased this year. from the time he launched an Mayor Gamini Senarath and been ordered to summon each of Ravi Peiris said wages cannot be “An increase in public sector assault on the LTTE and I was Patha Hewaheta Pradeshya objections aside and made the the 43 wages boards and begin dis- increased in an ad hoc manner. wages without an effective pro- confident from the very start Sabha member D. M. Dipal A. appointment, Dissanayake said. cussions on a Rs. 2,500 private sec- “Each wages board would have gramme to promote correspon- that he would defeat terrorism S. Gunatilleke were associated “It was President Rajapaksa who tor wage increment to fall in line to debate it over and reach a set- ding improvements in productivi- and usher in peace in this with Jayawardene at the con- appointed Fonseka as the Chief of with public sector wage incre- tlement. The proposed Rs. 2,500 is ty will have adverse fiscal implica- country”, Pradeep jayewar- ference. Defence Staff, though the Navy ments. Companies registered with way too much. There is no way tions and pressures on inflation Commander was senior to him the BOI would also have to begin such an increment can be made. through the wage-price spiral,” a because Fonseka was insisting that negotiations. Many of the companies are going Central Bank report said. he be given that post,” Dissanayake “Twenty three plantation com- through hard times and cannot The Central Bank said it would Devananda... From page said. panies have already entered into a afford to increase wages,” Peiris be ‘rather prudent not to accom- Asked whether he had ironed out collective agreement with its said. modate a significant increase in in the North had already been ter was aware that it would not the differences with UPFA General workers for a Rs. 400 per day wage. Madihahewa confirmed that public sector salaries’ in an envi- granted while other demands get a political solution to the Secretary Maithripala Sirisena over By the powers vested with the the wages boards would have to ronment where inflation was rela- included a permanent solution national issue from Fonseka” the General Secretary’s post, ministry, this would be extended work out the percentage incre- tively low. to the national issue, resettle- the EPDP leader said. Dissanayake said “We are good to the small and medium planta- ment of existing wages through On the other hand, since pri- ment of all IDPs and agricul- While reiterating that friends now.” tions sector, including rubber as discussions. vate sector wages are negotiated, tural development in the Rajapaksa administration Responding a query whether he well. This has already been While the order to the the Central Bank is confident that North, Devananda said. would solve the national issue, was a lap dog of India as claimed by gazetted earlier this month,” Commissioner General is only to low inflation and favourable He alleged that Sarath Devananda asserted that soon his rivals, he said: “I have close rela- Madihahewa told The Island. summon the wages boards only macro-economic developments Fonseka had not made any after the Presidential election, tionship with India but nobody can The wages boards have not worker, employer and ministry would reduce any agitation for statement in favour of the Northern provincial council control me.” increased salaries last year and representatives in each board wage increments in this sector. Tamil community and the lat- elections would be conducted.