4 Friday 11th August, 2006 Demalawewa — Horowpothana road to be repaired Operation WatershedW a success by Lakshmi de Silva Surgical precision bombing by army

The road from Dematawewa to by Harischandra Gunaratna “Now our task is to he said, “we will do what ever neces- ing tool. Repeated calls by the govern- Horowpothana, in the Anuradhpura clear the area and sary to provide water to the farmers ment to open the sluice gates were not District neglected for many years is to Defence spokesman and Plan consolidate our posi- in the area consisting of all three heeded by the Tiger rebels,” he said. be repaired with technical assistance Implementation Minister Keheliya tion and make it communities.” “Their action has cost over 100 lives, from the Institute of Construction and Rambukwella on Wednesday said that secure for the irriga- Rambukwella denied LTTE claims ruined the harvest of more than 50,000 Development, Galnewa on the direc- water was flowing from the Mavil Aru tion engineers and that the Tigers had been opened the acres of paddy and deprived 10,000 tive of the Regional Development to the farmers who were deprived of staff to move in to Mavil Aru sluice gates on ‘humanitar- people of their livelihood,” he said. Ministry, official sources said on this essential commodity for the last where the sluice ian grounds’ and said if they had been The government will shortly intro- Wednesday. 20 days by the LTTE. He confirmed gates are. Our objec- so humane, they would have done it duce a compensation package for the Dematawewa is also in a terrorist- that the government was able to open tive is to have an Rambukwella much earlier without making the peo- farmers of Mavil aru and Verugal Aru threatened area. two sluice gates on Tuesday after what uninterrupted flow of ple suffer for 20 days without water. who were deprived of their livelihood In addition to the road construction he termed a “surgical precision bomb- water to the peasants of Mavil Aru,” On the other hand the LTTE cannot as a result of the Tiger blockade, project, the Government has given dry ing” was carried out, adding that he said. Asked if the government attach conditions for the release of granted on an instalment basis. rations, 50 pedal cycles and 100 re- operation watershed was a success. forces will continue with air strikes, water and use of water as a bargain- chargeable electric torches under the Raja Rata Navodaya scheme at a cost of 1.2 million rupees to villagers of the area recently, sources said. Minister for Regional Development Handunetti on Gunaratne Weerakoon and Agrarian Services Development Minister S. M. Presidential Advisor Chandrasena visited Dematawewa vil- Basil Rajapakse, JVP Law College lage last Saturday (5) to distribute Propaganda Secretary assistance to the villagers, sources said. and Army Chief of admissions Staff Major General By Lakshmi de Nanda Silva Mallawarachchi visit- When 600 families to get ed the Mavil Aru Parlianment met Anicut after it was Thursday at 9.30 houses under Jathika am, Colombo opened by the Army. District JVP They met the people Parliamentarian Saviya programme of the area and Sunil Handunnetti assured them that was to raise a ques- by Lakshmi de Silva security for the anicut tion about admis- and channel will be sions to law college in which 11 stu- dents who sat the entrance exam but A new programme under “Jathika provided. Pictured is scored lower marks than the mini- Saviya” to provide housing and home- Maj. Gen. steads to 600 families of terrorists- mum required were admitted in Mallawarachchi January this year. threatened villages in Kebithigollewa, greets Basil The question to be raised is: “Is he Horowpathana and Nochchiyagama in Rajapakse on arrival (Prime Minister) aware that students the North Central Province will be at the anicut. who scored over 69 cut-off marks were completed within the next three enrolled to the Law College in months, a senior Ministry official said January 2006. on Wednesday (9). “Eleven students who had scored Under this scheme a two acre land below 69, cut-off marks have been and house costing 400.000 rupees will enrolled in March 2006’. be given to each family. The lands nec- Handunneththi will ask whether essary for the project have already Responsibility of govt to provide injustice has not been done to a stu- dent of Kalubowila by enrolling stu- been identified by the Divisional dents who had scored nine marks less Secretaries of the respective areas, he than she. said. water to every citizen - President Under this homestead programme people of Kebithigollewa will receive by Cyril Wimalasurendre was as important as the health services. health services efficient, he noted. 400 houses, Horowpathana and A large amount of 47 billion rupees He paid tribute to the Kandy Hospital Nochchiyagama 100 houses each. They Free access to water is the right of were spent on health services in the Committee and those who had taken the every citizen and it is the responsibility country and this amount was to be initiative to set up the Trust. Australia will be provided with water service, electricity and access roads, he said. of the Government to make water avail- increased. But it was equally important Minister of Health Nimal Siripala de able to all citizen disregarding any con- to educate the people on preventive Silva, First Lady Shiranthi Rajapakse, Chairman, Jathika Saviya Housing dition laid down by anyone, President aspects of healthcare rather than cura- Central Province Governor Tikiri Committee and acting Housing provides $1 mn Mahinda Rajapakse said Wednesday (9). tive. The Kandy General Hospital was Kobbekaduwa, Mayor L.B.Aluvihare, Minister, GunarathnaWeerakoon Speaking at a function held to start started in 1866 and it had served people Director Kandy General Hospital chaired a meeting with Anuradhapura the Kandy Health Services Trust, to help of seven districts as a very important Dr.Gamini Samarasinghe were also pres- District Secretary U. D. Mapa and sen- the Kandy General Hospital with med- hospital but the cooperation of the pub- ent. humanitarian aid ior officials to finalise the details of ical services, the President said water lic was necessary to make the public the welfare programme for terrorist Australia deplores the on-going threatened villages of the district last violence in and the week. apparent execution of fifteen local Dickman’s Road bomb blast employees of a French charity found shot dead. 45 LTTE suspects taken in Australian calls on both sides to Unemployed re-engage in the peace process with- by Hemantha Randunu the operation police sources out delay and work towards achiev- Police and Army in a joint said. Compiled by Dasun Edirisinghe a search operation in The suspects are being ing a negotiated and durable solu- Forecast for today grads cry for Wellawatte after the bomb questioned at the Wellawatte tion to the conflict that will benefit blast on Dickman's Road killed Police Station. all ethnic communities. A few showers are likely in the Western, To help reduce the impact of the Southern, Sabaragamuwa and Central a two year old girl, a police- Suspects taken into cus- provinces. jobs man of the MSD and injured tody are those from the North violence on the civilian population, the Chairman of the Palmyrah and East and a few from the the Australian Government will Forecast for main cities Development Board Sivadasan plantation areas. OIC provide an initial $1000,000 for and a woman on Tuesday Wellawatte Police Station, immediate humanitarian relief sup- by Dasun Edirisinghe (CAUG), Sujith Kuruwita night have taken 45 suspects Mangala Dehideniya led the plies and services for victims of told The Island. believed to be LTTE men. operation under the direction recent fighting around the north- Unemployed graduates He said that the CAUG Over a hundred police and of DIG, Colombo Pujith east town of Muttur in Sri Lanka. army men were deployed on Jayasundara. lambasted the govern- had written to Minister The funding will provide clean ment against the delay to drinking water, mosquito nets, provide jobs for them. requesting an immediate cooking utensils and sanitation for They claim that this gov- discussion regarding the up to 6,000 people from various com- ernment is cheating them lapses of the Tharuna munity groups who have fled their as all previous govern- Aruna programme. homes due to the fighting in Muttur. ments. “Thousands of gradu- Australia's International Aid “This government pro- ates have been registered Agency, AusAID, will provide vided over 30,000 jobs for in the Tharuna Aruna $500,000 through the International graduates who had been programme so far. But, Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) neglected by the previous there is no preparedness to assist those affected by the con- Forecast for sea area around the island UNF government, since to provide jobs. We flict with medical equipment and Isolated showers will prevail over the seas off 2004. However, thousands protested against corrup- support services. the island. of graduates are still tion several times, but, A further $300,000 will be chan- Winds will be from the Southwest. Speed will nelled through Mercy Corps, an be between 10 and 40 km/h. It may increase up to waiting for jobs.The gov- there is no response 50 km/h at times. ernment made a new pro- from the Minister. We international non-government gramme called ‘Tharuna requested a discussion organisation operating in the north- east of Sri Lanka, and $200,000 Latest satellite image Aruna’ to register unem- several times, but to no through the International ployed graduates on avail. If the Minister Organisation for Migration. waiting lists. The pro- doesn’t pay heed to us, Thousands of people have been gramme came under the we will stage a mass displaced by the fighting between Skills Development protest against the the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ministry.However, this Minister,” Kuruwita said. (LTTE) and the government of Sri programme too has a Kuruwita blamed the An agreement to build a housing scheme for shanty dwellers of Moratuwa Municipal area was signed recently among Urban Development Ministry, Moratuwa Lanka forces. number of shortcom- government for not hav- Municipal Council, International Association for Uplifting Shanty Dwellers and Australia will continue to closely ings,” President of the ing a proper programme Janarukula Women’s Development Bank. monitor the situation in Sri Lanka METEOSAT 09.08 .2006 06:00:00 UTC Combined Association of to provide permanent Sri Lanka standard time = UTC + 05:30:00 Minister hands over a copy of the agreement to the and stands ready to offer additional Unemployed Graduates jobs for graduates. President, IAUSD Joakim Arpathan, Mayor Saman Lal Fernando looks on. assistance if necessary. Source - Meteorology Department