4 Wednesday 5th May, 2010 The Island More News Page Four Chaos over One or more Asst. shortage of Govt, sidetracks Oppositions request UNP leaders to be drugs at appointed Bogambara for COPE,PAC chairmanship BY ZACKI JABBAR The question of appointing one or prison more Assistant Leaders was to come up Turns down proposal not to appoint ministers to both committees before today’s UNP Working Committee meeting, the first since the April 8 BY CYRIL WIMALASURENDRE BY ZACKI JABBAR the Chief committees can be discussed parties to submit their nomi- General Election, party sources said. Kandy - The Bogambara he government yester- Opposition after the names of the mem- nees for the Consultative and The names being mentioned includ- Prison hospital has run short day side tracked the Whip John bers are determined. Special Committees, by today. ed parliamentarians Sajith Premadasa of essential drugs. Those in Tjoint oppositions Ameratunga De Silva had also refused John Ameratunga told The and Ravi Karunanayake. Karu jail cannot purchase drugs as request for Chairmanship of had moved to accede to a proposal by the Island that the Rajapaksa Jayasuriya is expected to retain his they are not permitted to han- the Committee on Public that COPE and joint opposition for Ministers regime by deciding to appoint position as Deputy Leader. dle money, Chairman of the Enterprise (COPE) and the PAC, two vital not be appointed to COPE and ministers to COPE and PAC, The sources said that the UNP’s Central Provincial Council Public Accounts Special PAC, since there would be a had shown that it was not Galle District leader Vajira Abeywardena, Saliya Bandara Dissanayaka Committee(PAC), saying it Committees be conflict of interest. serious about good gover- was another name that is likely to be said at the Provincial Council will be decided on, after the headed by the However, the Opposition nance. proposed for the position of Assistant meeting yesterday (04). two committees are constitut- joint opposi- did not object to the govern- “There is a direct conflict Leader. But, Abeywardena who is a loy- Dissanayaka urged Chief ed. tion. But, Ameratunga ment’s demand that it should of interest when Ministers alist of UNP leader Ranil Minister Sarath Ekanayaka, Political sources told The Leader of the have a two to three member are permitted to be members Wickremesinghe, would face an uphill since he was the Provincial Island that at the inaugural House, Nimal Siripala de majority in all the House of COPE and PAC. The gov- task, as he was a losing candidate at the Health Minister, to intervene Committee of Selection Silva objected on the grounds Committees, the sources said. ernment by its actions, has General Election. in the matter and supply Meeting of the 14th that it was premature. He had Speaker Chamal revealed that it does not Meanwhile, Dayasiri Jayasekera, who drugs to the Prison Hospital Parliament, chaired by pointed out that the chair- Rajapaksa had concluded the intend running a transparent has been clamouring for party reforms, from the Provincial drug Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, manship of the two watchdog meeting by asking all political administration.” submitted a set of five proposals to stores. Wickremesinghe. The Prison Hospital has Kegalle District UNP MP Kabir had to face the drug shortage Hashim, told The Island that there was due to the Provincial Health no pre-determined agenda for today’s Department not receiving the Navy brings home 15 fishermen imprisoned in India meeting. estimates of drugs and medi- “Whatever proposals that are sub- cines required by the prison mitted to the Working Committee will hospital, Dissanayaka said. have to be discussed. It is upto the He added that the five members to arrive at a consensus.” Bogambara Prison doctors Senior Vice President of the UNP, very often purchased drugs John Ameratunga said that they will from outside, meeting the cost groom the youngsters to take over the themselves. party leadership. The Provincial Health “We will monitor the progress of the Ministry as an interim meas- juniors. Those who display leadership ure could come to the rescue skills, will be given the opportunity to of the prison hospital authori- rise up the ladder.” ties, Dissanayaka said. The Central Provincial Council meeting was held at the Council’s Assembly Hall at Pallekele. Three years’ RI for intruding into judge’s residence Acquitted BY LALAJI MANAWADU for lack of AMBALANGODA: Balapitiya High Court Judge, Amal Thilakaratne sen- tenced a resident of Balapitiya to three evidence years’ rigorous imprisonment, after finding him guilty of entering the offi- BY CYRIL cial residence of the then Balapitiya WIMALASURENDRE High Court lady judge at night without permission, on July 24, 2004. Kandy - The two The Culprit was also fined Rs. accused in a murder case 10,000 by the Judge. In default, one-year were acquitted by the simple imprisonment was ordered. Kandy High Court Judge The accused was Sobanahandi Preethi Pathman Surasena The Sri Lanka Navy brought fifteen (15) Sri Lankan fishermen safely home on 30th April 2010 after their release from Indian custody. The early release of these fishermen by Indian authorities comes as a direct result of the speedy efforts taken by Rangana Priyantha de Silva. for lack of bona fide evi- the Sri Lankan Government and Ministry of Fisheries. The Indian Coast Guard ship ‘Ranijindan’ handed over the crew mem- State Counsel, Viraj Wijesundara dence. bers of ‘Dulaj Putha’, ‘Sachin Putha’ and ‘Ruchiran’ and their trawlers to the Sri Lankan Navy at the Indo-Sri Lankan prosecuted, assisted by the Court Police The acquittal followed International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). The released fishermen and their fishing trawlers were safely brought to officer, W. C. Fernando of the a move by State Counsel Kankesanthurai Harbour. Subsequently, arrangements were made for them to sail to their hometowns in Dondra and Ambalangoda police. Charak Dharmasiri that Puranawella and reunite with their families. the case could not be pro- ceeded with, as the evi- dence to prove the charge of murder was not sufficient. In this case H. Ranjith Eight fined for Asoka (40) and Y. G. misbehaving in Salinda Wijesinghe (30), Survey Dept. gets JICA assistance were indicted with the murder of Ajith Bandara public Dissanayake (21), on July 02, 1999 at Udurawana in for aerial mapping of North Bandarawela Magistrate A. H. N. G. Wattegama. Amerasinghe fined eight accused Rs. The accused and the 3,500 each for misbehaviour in public deceased were attending a The Japan International development partners to efficiently ment plans for Jaffna and places under the influence of liquor. musical show held on a Cooperation Agency (JICA) is to plan and design the reconstruction Mannar District will focus on The accused were H. D. play ground where a large assist Sri Lanka’s Survey Department and development activities in the strengthening community-based Sumanapala, S. P. Dharmasena, D. M. crowd was present. Around to update and prepare topographic Province. organizations and engaging local Gunasekera, Nagurupiddei, Mohamed, 11.00 in the night, a section maps with GIS to the national stan- The project for development communities in rehabilitation and L. R. Ajith, R. M. Nimal, K. M. Ananda of the crowd kicked up a dards, using aerial photography. The planning for the rapid promotion of maintenance of rural infrastructure. and K. M. Kumara of the Ella area. row. All were under the available maps for the Northern reconstruction and development in Community Action Planning They were produced in Court by influence of liquor. Province are decades old, and could Jaffna District and the project for (CAP) methodology will be used to the Ella police. Some time later, the not be updated due to security condi- development planning for the urgent ensure engagement of the stakehold- deceased Ajith Bandara tions during the conflict, the aid rehabilitation of the resettlement ers from the initial stages. Several was found lying under a agency said in a media release yester- community in Mannar District will pilot projects will be carried out to tree with cut injuries. He day. be implemented in close collabora- rehabilitate rural infrastructure for was rushed to hospital and Three new projects to contribute tion with the revival of livelihood and socio-eco- John complains that succumbed to his injuries. towards the effective and sustainable nomic activities of the resettled peo- The post mortom revealed reconstruction of the Northern ple of the two Districts. JICA’s assis- remanded MP barred

that the deceased had sus- Province have recently commenced These detailed maps tance to the reconstruction of the

tained injuries caused by a through grant assistance from the will enable governmental Northern Province also includes on- from attending Parliament sharp cutting weapon. Japan International Cooperation going projects such as the construc- However, the witness- Agency (JICA). The total grant is “organizations and other develop- “ tion of the Killinochchi-Vavuniya Chief Opposition Whip John es were unable to state that approximately 1,619 million Japanese ment partners to efficiently plan power transmission line, rehabilita- Amaratunga yesterday told Parliament that they witnessed the attack Yen (approx. 2 billion rupees), the and design the reconstruction tion of irrigation tanks (PEACE proj- Commissioner General of Prisons had not on the deceased or the JICA release said. ect) and poverty alleviation micro allowed UNP Kalutara District parliamen- identify the person or per- The Project for digital topo- and development activities finance project through ODA loan tarian Palitha Thevarapperuma to attend sons who attacked the graphic mapping of the Northern in the Province. assistance and improvement of Parliament and that action amounted to a deceased, State Counsel Province will assist the Survey Jaffna Teaching Hospital and the breach of the MP’s privileges. informed Court and said Department to update and prepare Jaffna and recently opened new Mannar bridge Thevarapperuma, who is in remand, had that the case could not pro- topographic maps with GIS up to Mannar District Secretariats and causeway through grant assis- been listed as one of the speakers for the ceed. national standards, using aerial pho- respectively. tance. Opposition on the emergency debate, MP The High Court Judge tography. The Ministry of Economic In Sri Lanka, Japan has been Amaratunga said. When an MP was listed as discharged the accused. Aerial photography will facili- Development, which takes over the providing financial and technical a participant in an important debate, he or Wijaya Wickremaratne tate the maps to be prepared to the functions of the Ministry of Nation assistance since 1954 and is the she should be allowed to attend parliamen- PC with Attorneys Ms. highest quality and with all key Building and Estate Infrastructure biggest donor to the country. On tary sessions by the Commissioner General Dhammika Ariyadasa, details including topographical fea- Development, is the lead counterpart behalf of the people and the of Prisons. Nimal Suraweera and Miss tures, land use and altitude contours. for the projects. Government of Japan, JICA con- Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa promised to Jeevani Herathge appeared These detailed maps will enable gov- The projects aim to map out tributes to improve life of people in look into the matter and to take necessary for the accused. ernmental organizations and other effective and sustainable develop- Sri Lanka. steps to ensure that Theverapperuma got permission to attend Parliament.