Public Protest Commences from Thotalanga
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2 Thursday 7th October, 2010 The Island Home News Government move to convert CMC into Authority Public protest commences from Thotalanga BY ZACKI JABBAR he UNP yesterday, began Tissa Attanayake, said that a series of rallies and a they would during the course T public petition against of this month, hold rallies in People protest at Matara main bus stand on Wednesday government moves to convert each of the 36 wards in demanding the immediate release of General Sarath the centuries old Colombo Colombo, to inform the people Fonseka. (Photo Denagama Dhammika Ranaweera) Municipal Council, into an of the Rajapaksa regime’s Authority. undemocratic plan to dis- The first of such meetings enfranchise the voters. was presided over by UNP “In addition, we would also leader Ranil Wickremesinghe be conducting a house to house Section of Galle Road at Thotalanga yesterday campaign throughout Colombo, evening. Among those who par- to warn the masses of the being redeveloped ticipated were Deputy Leader impending danger.” Karu Jayasuriya, General Since the Colombo BY LAL GUNESEKERA for shoppers as well as Leader of the UNP Ranil Wickremesinghe flanked by party stalwarts, Secretary Tissa Attanayake Municipal Council was a UNP owners of establishments, signs the public petition against proposed Government moves to con- once this project is com- and Colombo District stronghold, the government A section of the Galle vert the Colombo Municipal Council into an Authority, at the first of a Road from Methodist pleted. Chairman, Ravi series of rallies held at Nagalagam Street, in Thotalanga yesterday was attempting to grab control College junction to He said the project Karunanayake. evening. (Picture by Jude Denzil Pathiraja) of it illegally, he said. Bambalapitiya junction, would take about four to near the Elasto hoarding, five months to be complet- is being redeveloped by the ed while the estimated cost Colombo Municipal was around Rs. 75 million. Council on the instruc- The CMC will carpet the tions of President road. It was last done in Bogus job Fonseka’s case has to be assessed differently – Ranil Mahinda Rajapaksa and 1987. He said that although Defence Secretary the Galle Road comes Gotabhaya Rajapaksa in a under the Road agent busted !Cannot be generalized with murder, rape etc. move to improve the free Development Authority flow of traffic on that (RDA), the CMC has been Acting on a tip off received by by Zacki Jabbar stretch of road. maintaining it for the past the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Special Commissioner 20 years. Employment, the special investiga- Opposition and UNP leader He said cessfully led the battle against of the CMC Omar Kamil Kamil told The Island tion unit of the bureau arrested a Ranil Wickremesinghe said yes- that convic- the LTTE and it was unjust to told The Island that this that he requests owners of bogus foreign job agent and recov- terday that retired General tions for throw him into a jail, on evi- stretch of the Galle Road establishments, on this ered 261 passports this week. Sarath Fonseka’s case cannot be murder rape dence that had been led before a was earlier a double car- stretch of Road, to join hands with the CMC as a A spokesman for the bureau told generalized along with convic- etc. cannot Military Court. riageway, but made ‘one way’ about three years ago. social responsibility act The Island that this was the single tions for murder, rape etc. and be equated “I have also requested The centre median is to be and help in the erection of biggest detection for 2010. According needs to be assessed differently. to the President Rajapaksa in writing, removed and instead of ‘guard railings’ on either to the official, so far this year 58 Asked, at a news conference charges to restore the rank and pension four lanes, there will be side. He will invite all own- bogus agents had been taken into in Colombo, about his plea for on which rights that General Fonseka had five lanes. ers of establishments on custody along with 1,800 passports. the release of Fonseka, who was Fonseka been stripped of, following con- Kamil said that the this stretch of Galle Road serving a 30-month jail term has been viction by the first Military project began on Saturday for a discussion very soon. imposed by a Military Court, for impris- Tribunal, based on unreliable (October 2) with trenching He said that he propos- of the road to relay the es to install ‘Pelican allegedly deviating from tender oned. evidence that he had allegedly electricity cables. The Crossings’ on this stretch, procedure in purchasing mili- The military tribunal ruling dabbled in politics, while being lamp posts will be on the a new lighting system and Timber tary equipment, vis-à-vis other should have been subjected to the army commander. As leader pavement. Parking of vehi- even an overhead bridge prisoners, Wickremesinghe said the opinion of a civil Court, of the opposition, it is my duty cles on either side of the near Lindsay Balika that Fonseka’s case has to be before any concrete action was to speak on behalf of a war hero road too will be a reality, Vidyalaya. racketeers looked at from a different per- taken, Wickremesinghe said. and a fellow member of parlia- spective. Fonseka, he said, had suc- ment,” Wickremasinghe said. allowed bail Rains cause vegetable BY CYRIL WIMALASURENDRE prices to soar KANDY: Two persons who were jointly engaged in sawing timber, BY LAL GUNESEKERA prices among in the retail using power machines, in the trade with beans being sold for Rs. 120, Cabbage Udadumbara area were arrested by The sharp increases Rs. 70, Carrots Rs. 80, the police recently. in vegetables prices, over the past few days, have Tomatoes Rs. 90, Udadumbara police, during a badly hit the consumers. Pumpkin Rs. 60, Snake search operation, raided a house Sources in the trade Gourd Rs. 60, Brinjals Rs. where they found a stock of jak attribute it to the heavy 60 and Ash Plantains Rs. wood, which belonged to the duo, monsoonal rains being 80. Red onions in Pettah who admitted to not possessing a experienced. is Rs. 85, big onions Rs. permit. Sources told The Island that the rains had 70, potatoes Rs. 80, dried The suspects, Velu and Jayalath caused havoc sending Chilies Rs. 165 and Dhal were produced before the Teldeniya vegetable plots under Rs. 150. Magistrate’s Court and allowed bail water and causing diffi- There is a shortage of in Rs. 50,000 cash and surety of Rs. culties in transport. coconuts with each cost- ing anything between Rs. 50,000. Another factor was that 35 and Rs. 42, while the Magistrate Prasanna Liyanage vegetables were fast rot- fish prices continue to fixed the case for December 24. ting due to too much spiral with Kellawalla A team of police personnel led water. The farmers com- costing over Rs. 700 a kg, by IP Samantha Perera on instruc- plained of the difficulties Balaya Rs. 650, Parawa tions of C.I. S. B. Jayasinghe, OIC, they faced in storing the The Island photographer Nimal Dayaratne on Wednesday, captured this scene at the Colombo High Court (small) Rs. 450 and Udadumbara conducted the raid. vegetables and the poor Thalapath between Rs. premises. An employee of the canteen situated in the premises is pictured cutting polos in close proximity prices they obtain from 750 and Rs. 800. to an open drain. Recently the Defence Ministry directed the CMC and the police to inspect canteens and the ‘mudalalis’ and the Eggs have come down hotels suspected of supplying unhygienic food. ‘go betweens’. in price considerably, Gangster... From Page1 Beans in the Pettah while the chicken prices wholesale market sell at range between Rs. 420 to Rs. 100 a kg, while eral weapons hidden there. The Rs. 500 (without skin), Cabbage cost Rs. 42.50, police had forced the businessman although the controlled Carrots Rs. 54, Tomatoes price is Rs. 350 a kg. to get Kamal to Hanwella, where he Loud speaker ban relaxed Rs. 70, Pumpkin Rs. 40, Market sources said that was taken into custody and the BY CHITRA WEERARATNE Snake Gourd Rs. 35, the prices of eggs and businessman asked to raise Rs. 3.5 The Supreme Court, this week, extended the time limit imposed on the Brinjals Rs. 40 and Ash chicken will increase next million immediately or face the use of loudspeakers. Plantains Rs. 60, com- month due to the oncom- consequences. The Court said that on Friday and Saturday loudspeakers could be used pared to much higher ing Christmas season. Sources said that the business- till 1.00 a.m. and on Sunday till 12.30 a.m. man had withdrawn money from A group of musicians had filed an application in the Court claiming that due to the time limit of 10.00 p.m. imposed earlier, their show business two branches of private banks in had been adversely affected. Colombo and Homagama. They had requested the Court, that since the war was over, to relax the time limit and permit the people to enjoy their freedom. The Bench comprised the Chief Justice J. A. N. de Silva, Justice Shirani SB... From Page1 Tilakawardene and Justice Chandra Ekanayake. Dissanayake said that all those shedding LLRC requests Batticaloa public to testify crocodile tears BY FRANKLIN R. SATYAPALAN nent personalities. for Fonseka were During its four-day sittings in Batticaloa the responsible for Members of the public have been requested to tes- Commission would meet the District Secretary the former Army tify before the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Sundaram Arumainayagam and members of the public and visit resettled areas to make its observa- Commander’s Commission which holds sittings in Batticaloa from October 8 to 11.