Anura Kumara Questioned Again

The Island Home News Page Three Thursday 25th March, 2010 3 Ministers’ aides Those getting less than 5% will won’t be paid Anura Kumara not be counted Personnel aides of Abeywardena, said ministers, non-cabinet that there was no pro- Preferential votes of candidates of ministers and deputy vision to pay their political parties and members of inde- ministers will not salaries, though mem- pendent groups who poll less than five receive their March bers received theirs. per cent of total polled in a district will and April salaries due He declined to com- questioned again not be counted at the forthcoming par- to dissolution of ment on Tuesday’s liamentary elections, Election Parliament in attack on Sirasa head by Lal Gunesekara February, though they office as he was not nothing illegal had election bid in January, Department sources said. recently made repre- fully aware of the inci- Former JVP occurred. retired military officers This decision was taken in view of Lakshman sentations to the dent. “I was in Matara Parliamentarian Anura Kumara “On the pretext of working in the DNA the large number of candidates as Parliamentary Affairs campaigning for par- Dissanayake, was grilled by the investigating so-called office and about their counting the preferences of all candi- Ministry. liamentary election,” he said, CID for one hour yesterday conspiracies against salaries, etc. and who dates could unnecessarily delay the Responding to a query by requesting the media to (March 24). He was questioned the government, the paid for their services. results. Candidates who do not stand a The Island, Media Minister direct their questions at the by CID sleuths on Tuesday too. Rajapaksa regime is Earlier, former UNP chance should not be present and cause Lakshman Yapa police. (SF) Dissanayake was requested harassing their oppo- Parliamentarian, congestion at the counting centres to call over at the CID headquar- nents. We will continue Lakshman Seneviratne, when they know that they cannot poll ters at 9 a.m. yesterday regard- with our struggle to Anura too was questioned and even five per cent, the sources said. ing allegations of a coup against restore democracy in also another former Counting of preferences would Online degree the government and was ques- this country,” Dissanayake said . UNP MP, Johnston Fernando, begin with members of the party or tioned for over 1 1/2 hours. UNP General Secretary, who has switched his allegiance group which had won the district. The CID had also questioned Tissa Attanayake, too was ques- to the UPFA government, too chance for Lankans Dissanayake about General tioned by the CID on Tuesday was exhaustively questioned. by Dasun Edirisinghe under the DEMP, started in (rtd.) Sarath Fonseka’s (March 23) about campaign Tuition teachers 2004 and 26 centres had been Presidential Election campaign funds for General Fonseka’s Sri Lankan students can set up islandwide, he said. and about the JVP’s involve- seek MP to back now get a university This innovation ment in the common candidate’s degree through would create greater campaign. CID visits Tiran online education, opportunities for ter- On Tuesday, Dissanayake, them Higher Education tiary education was questioned about the The Democratic National Alliance (DNA) Minister Prof Wiswa through Online finances received for General yesterday said that the Criminal Investigation An association of tuition teachers Warnapala Distance Learning Fonseka’s campaign. Department (CID) had recorded a statement in Galle is looking for a parliamen- announced yesterday. (ODL). Dissanayake had told the form Tiran Alles, Chairman of the DNA, at his tary election candidate of any party The Minister said Universities, pro- CID that there was no conspira- office at Rosmead Place. who would support their cause if fessional associations, that he was delighted cy against the government and elected to Parliament, the Organiser at the revolutionary private and public sec- Wiswa of the Galle Tuition Teachers introduction which is tor education institu- Association Manuja Geethapriya said also a realisation of one of tions are instructed to adopt the promises pledged under this mode of learning to at a the media briefing at the the ‘Semata Sarasavi’ cater to a larger student pop- Tharushi Hotel in Nugaduwa, Galle. (University Education for ulation. The Organisation expects the can- All) theme of the Mahinda The Minister said the didate to work for the welfare of the Chinthana manifesto. NODES had introduced 46 tuition teachers, students in addition The innovative scheme is courses of studies and these to all social problems in the Galle offered by NODES, the courses allowed the students District. National Online Distance to choose a course of study It promised to spend Rs. 100,000 on Education Service, com- leading to a degree, diploma the campaign of the candidate and menced under the Distance or certificate, depending on invited any candidate irrespective of their qualifications. Education Modernisation political party to come forward and Project (DEMP) of the A loan agreement signed accept the offer. Higher Education Ministry. between the Asian He said the NODES pro- Development Bank and the gramme was declared open Sri Lankan government on for students on March 1. August 18, 2003 launched the NODES, introduced DEMP. NARA gifts fish tanks to rear ornamental fish by Ariya Waidyasekera – Ambalantota Twenty four fish breeding tanks to rear ornamental fish were donated to the fisher folk in the Boraluwavillage in Rekawa by NARA. Abdul Cadar Mashoor Mowlana, Kalutara District UPFA can- The ACIDA of Spain funded the didate at a meeting with Ven. Batuwanhena Buddha Rakkita Minister Dinesh Gunawardena receives a copy of ‘Aththai Sathai’ from its author, SLFP Gen. Secy, project. More facilities will be given to Maha Nayaka Thero, Chief Incumbent of Kande Viharaya of Maithripala Sirisena, at a book launch held at the BMICH on Wednesday. Among the invitees were UPFA ornamental fish breeders to export Aluthgama. (Photo by Wijayasiri Widayasekara group Corr.) Gen. Secy, Susil Premjayantha and Transport Minister Dallas Alahapperuma Photo Sujatha Jayaratne their products. Hunger-striker to sue over Sirasa attack deplored by ‘Journalists against Suppression’ claims that he ate Big Macs ‘Journalists against the Colombo Fort Railway ing serious and the people Independent, March 23: newspapers around the world. Suppression’ (JAS) convenor Station, he added. JAS is also should agitate for their right to hunger striker who held a 23-day The allegations were strongly Chandana Sirimalwatta supporting a seminar to information. fast in Parliament Square last year denied by Mr Subramanyam who yesterday be held on March 31 at He warned that the people, in protest at Sri Lanka’s offensive spent five days in hospital once he urged the gov- Colombo Public Library facing an election next month, against the Tamil Tigers is suing stopped his hunger strike. His sup- ernment to auditorium to raise would pay a heavy price if they two newspapers over claims that porters say he was frequently mete out appro- President Mahinda awareness among the neglected their civic responsi- he secretly ate burgers during his checked on by paramedics and priate punish- “ public and invite global bilities. (VS) Rajapaksa, who is in vigil. doctors who would have been able ment to those charge of media and attention to Parameswaran Subramanyam, to spot if he had secretly been eat- who were challenges a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee who ing. behind Monday’s defence ministries, faced by Sri now lives in south London, has strike was not as honest as it Lawyers from the firm Carter attack on the should take tangible Lankan jour- issued proceedings against the seemed appeared five months after Ruck, which is acting on behalf of Colombo office of measures to protect“ nalists. Daily Mail and The Sun over arti- the protests had ended. In a piece Mr Subramanyam, say their client Sirasa TV. media freedom. JAS sec- cles they ran last October claiming which ran in the Mail on 9 October asked for an apology and retrac- He also called retary that he was secretly given Big 2009 headlined “Hunger Striker’s tion from the newspapers in for urgent govern- Kanchana Macs by his supporters. £7m Big Mac”, the Mail quoted an November but the requests were ment action to Marasinghe The hunger strike in May 2009 unnamed police official who said rejected by both papers. In a state- find journalist said the situation in escalated an ongoing protest out- surveillance teams had seen the ment released yesterday, Mr Pradeep Ekneligoda who went Sri Lanka was becom- side Parliament and focused inter- protesters sneaking food Subramanyam said: “In light of missing two months ago. national attention on the Sri the newspapers’ false allegations Addressing a news confer- Lankan government’s bombard- about me and their refusal to apol- ence in Colombo, Sirimalwatta ment of civilian populations dur- ogise, I have been forced to issue said the Sirasa incident ing their final offensive against the libel proceedings against them. exposed what he called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam The false allegations have had a helpless state of police in pro- (LTTE). Tamil protester“ to take devastating effect on my life, to the tecting journalists and media The military offensive eventu- newspapers to court over extent that I have been ostracised institutions from attacks. ally crushed the Tamil Tigers, claims he ate burgers by the Tamil community and had He said President Mahinda bringing to an end decades of civil Parameswaran my life threatened.” Rajapaksa, who is in-charge of war. But the Sri Lankan govern- Both The Sun and the Daily media and defence ministries, ment was strongly condemned by Subramanyam, 28, during Mail declined to comment. should take tangible measures international allies and human his hunger strike“ outside The British government did to protect media freedom. rights groups alike for failing to the Houses of Parliament publicly criticise the Sri Lankan Sirimalwatta said it was allow civilians caught up in the last April government’s conduct in the war – unfortunate that the suspects fighting to escape. a move which angered hawks in involved in Monday’s attack During the peak of the protests, Colombo. A fragile peace has had been released on police bail thousands of British Tamils since taken over the island but while some journalists still poured into Parliament Square to there is widespread anger among remained in detention. blockade traffic, chant slogans and into the tent where Mr Tamils at the tens of thousands of JAS national organiser call on the British government to Subramanyam, 29, and fellow civilians still being held in intern- Shantha Wijesooriya appealed do more to pressure the Sri hunger striker Sivatharsan ment camps by the Sri Lankan to all sections of civil society to Lankans into calling a halt to the Sivakumaravel were staying. military. Tamil groups in Britain take part in a ‘Satyagraha’ on offensive. Tamils kept a 24-hour The claims were later repeated say they will plan a series of one- March 30 to peacefully agitate vigil outside Parliament for more in The Sun newspaper in an arti- year anniversary protests to high- for press freedom. than a month. cle headlined “Hunger Striker was light what they regard as the ongo- The protest will take place Suggestions that the hunger Lovin’ it”, and were picked up by ing suffering of their people. from 10am to noon in front of