Vol. 30 No. 235 Friday 19th August, 2011, 44 pages Rs. 20 Registered in Sri Lanka as a Newspaper - City Edition

LANKA GRANTS FROM INFORMATION WAS GEORGE ICE MALDIVES SMALL SOCIETY TO BUSH A SLEEPER? PARADISE CREDIT LINE WITH NOWLEDGE OCIETIES 8 11 K S HIGH INTEREST Elections to 23 LG UNP WC unconstitutional, reformists insist bodies on Oct. 15 ‘Ranil not accepted as leader’ BY LAL GUNESEKERA Elections to the remaining 23 Local UNP Matara District MP BY DASUN EDIRISINGHE Government bodies will be held on Oct. UNP reformists yesterday said the party in , Ratnapura District MP, Thalatha 15. addressing yesterday’s leader and others were carrying out a govern- Athukorala denied media reports that the UNP media briefing by the Elections Department said that the ment contract to ruin the country’s biggest polit- WC decided to take disciplinary action against UNP reformists. MPs elections would be held to 16 Municipal ical party. Colombo District MP , Thalatha Athukorala, They said that they had not accepted a disci- Matara District MP Buddhika Pathirana and Councils (Colombo, Dehiwala-Mount , Rosy Lavinia, Moratuwa, Sri plinary inquiry against Colombo District MP Ratnapura District MP Dunesh Gankanda. Senanayake and Rosy Senanayake by the party’s unconstitutional She said that meeting only decided to take Jayawardenepura, Negombo, Gampaha, Sujeewa Senasinghe are Working Committee, which met on August 17 at disciplinary action against MP Rosy Senanayake Kurunegala, Kalmunai, Galle, Matara, also present. (Pic by Sirikotha. Matale, Nuwara-Eliya, Badulla, Kandy, Nishan S. Priyantha) Addressing a hurriedly called media briefing Anuradhapura and Ratnapura) one Urban Council (Kolonnawa) and five Pradeshiya Sabhas (Kotikawatte- Mulleriyawa, Kundasale, Gangawata Leaders: Aspiring,incumbent and former Korale, Hambantota and Suriyawewa). Elections to 63 Local Government bodies were held on July 23. Nominations have to be handed over by August 24. The main political parties ‘UNHRC won’t have yet to finalise their lists of nomi- nees. Deposits paid in take up by 22 Ind. groups BY FRANKLIN R. SATYAPALAN Twenty two independent groups Darusman report’ had paid their deposits to contest the forthcoming elections to 23 local gov- ernment bodies before the acceptance GL wants US to treat all countries of nominations from registered politi- cal parties commenced yesterday. fighting ‘non state actors’ alike UNP Co-DEputy Leader , UNP leader Ranil Wickre,esinghe and former The Deputy Commissioner of President CBK at the launch of UNP General Secretary ’s biography ‘Tissa’ Elections (Colombo City) A. BY SHAMINDRA FERDINANDO Senanayake said that 12 independent authored by ‘Lakbima’ journalist Nihal Jagathchandra (Pic Kamal Bogoda) groups had handed in their deposits to Sri Lanka would strongly Prof. Peiris said. The Darusman contest the Colombo Municipal oppose ongoing moves to take panel had also declared that its Council. up the controversial ‘Darusman report had been prepared in a The Senior Assistant Commissioner report’ at the forthcoming UN way to make its release possible, Chandrika says she of Elections for the Anuradhapura dis- Human Rights Council sessions though it was only asked to trict K. G. S. Madawa said that one in Geneva, External Affairs advise the UNSG, he said. independent group had handed in its Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris said. Welcoming the rejection by deposit to contest the Anuradhapura Taking up of such an unofficial the US of the ‘Goldstone report’, will never join UNP Municipal Council. document at the Geneva confer- which dealt with accountability The Assistant Commissioner of ence would be grossly inappro- issues in the Gaza conflict, Prof. BY HARISCHANDRA GUNARATNA Elections for the Amparai district M. priate, he said. Peiris said that the internation- Former President Chandrika S. K. Bandara Mapa said that two inde- The next UNHRC sessions al community couldn’t adopt a She said that her “youngster bloke” Bandaranaike Kumaratunge yesterday had a right to say what he felt was right pendent groups had handed in their are scheduled for Sept. 2011. G. L. Peiris different approach as regards Delivering the key note Sri Lanka. contradicted a Sinhala newspaper edi- and it was wrong of the media to casti- deposits to contest the Kalmunai torial, which said she had plans to join gate him in this manner. Municipal Council. address at the inauguration of two-day Among the invitees were Defence Kotelawela Defence University sympo- Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, service the UNP, by stating that she would “Today we live in an era where val- The Deputy Commissioner of elec- never join that party. ues of the society have degenerated to sium 2011, yesterday, Prof. Peiris said chiefs, the IGP and representatives from tions for the Gampaha district M. A. P. She said that she was born a SLFPer low depths and no one can voice an that Sri Lanka’s case couldn’t be differ- the Colombo-based diplomatic communi- C. Perera said that one independent and would die as a SLFPer but stressed opinion against the ruling party. The group had handed in their deposit to ent from any other country fighting ter- ty. that if the country was to prosper and political culture in the country, today, is contest the Negombo municipal coun- rorism. Prof. Peiris warned that taking up the gain political stability, the two leading such that no one has the right to voice cil. In spite of being asked to function in ‘Darusman report’ at the UNHRC ses- political parties in the country should his or her opinion and those who speak an advisory capacity to UNSG Ban Ki- sions would set a dangerous precedent. work together on national issues. against the ruling party are repressed, moon, the three-member Darusman It would be a danger not only to Sri She was addressing a gathering at tortured and even killed,” she said. panel had gone to the extent of recom- Lanka but those fighting ‘non-state the launch of UNP General Secretary “In a democratic society one should mending that its report be submitted to actors’ as well. Tissa Attanayake’s biography ‘Tissa’ have the right to express one’s opinion the UN Human Rights Council session, authored by ‘Lakbima’ journalist Nihal against others and it should be respect- Jagathchandra. ed,” she added. The former President also lambasted The former President said that two the State media claiming that it was leading political parties in the country attempting to vilify her son at the are Gota responds to ‘a brother behest of the political leadership of the country. out of control’ assertion BY SHAMINDRA FERDINANDO USAF discharging sergeant Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday expressed concern over The Hindu unfailingly targeting who doubts Obama him on the basis of a recent interview AUGUST -19th he did with Indian TV channel, OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Air Force ble to serve as president or commander in SAHAR ENDS - 04.31 SUBHA - 04.46 Headlines Today, in Colombo. said Wednesday it is discharging a hero of chief. SUN RISE - 06.04 Addressing a symposium on post-war the so-called birther movement who Obama released a copy of his detailed LUHAR - 2. 16 challenges at the BMICH, to coincide refused to report to duty in Germany for a birth certificate from Hawaii in April in ASAR - 03.31 with the launch of www.outofwar.com, few days earlier this month because he an attempt to quell the questions about MAGHRIB - 06.26 by former Supreme Court judge Raja doubts President Barack Obama’s citizen- whether he was born outside the U.S. But ISHA - 07.38 Wanasundara, on behalf of the ship. many birthers contend Obama’s birth cer- Federation of National Organizations, Staff Sgt. Daryn Moran expects to be tificate must be a fake. the Defence Secretary said that The discharged within the next week. Moran was an ophthalmology techni- Hindu editorial of Aug. 16, 2011 went to Although the 41-year-old Nebraska man cian with the 86th Airlift Wing at the extent of advising his brother refused to report to duty and had called for Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, President Mahinda Rajapaksa to ‘dis- Obama’s arrest in statements on websites, where he had been stationed since tance himself swiftly from his brother’s stream-of-consciousness on sensitive several other things contributed to his dis- issues that are not his business.’ charge, including his opposition to A smiling Defence Secretary said that Obama’s decision to allow gays to serve he was surprised that the editor of The openly in the military. Hindu N. Ram, in spite of knowing him Moran, who has served nine years in personally, had lashed out at him over the Air Force, drew the attention of the the interview conducted on the sidelines Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa birther movement when he shared his of the recent launch of ‘Humanitarian views on Obama’s citizenship on websites responds to criticism over his conduct. of groups that believe Obama was not Pic Siripala Halwala born in the U.S. and therefore is not eligi- Post-war purchase: SLAF acquires 14 choppers Russia’s state-run arms exporter function.” ing the helicopters will be carried out revealed yesterday Sri Lanka Air Force SLAF headquarters declined to com- on account of the Russian state credit (SLAF) decision to acquire a fleet of 14 ment on the report. given to Sri Lanka by Moscow in 2010 Mi-17 transport helicopters. Russia’s Ulan-Ude Aviation Works for purchasing Russian armaments,” ! UNHRC won’t take up the Reuters quoted Anatoly Isaykin, the built the choppers and makes four vari- ITAR-TASS said, without mentioning Darusman Report. General Director at Russia’s state-run ants, including military and VIP trans- the total deal cost. arm exporter Rosoboronexport as hav port versions Russia’s state run news Military sources said that this could