Public Trust Doctrine and Lost England will donate half possibilities reform of Parliament of the Novel their match fees to Mumbai Page 10 terror victims Page 16 `Vol. 27 No. 293 Wednesday 10th December, 2008 32 Pages Rs. 20 Registered in Sri Lanka as a Newspaper Late City Edition AG slams Health Ministry, SPC over waste and irregularities Cancer hospital looks …reveals serious shortcomings in overseas-funded projects to public for funds to by Shamindra 2007 annual report to increase in financial allocation ed projects implemented by These projects had been also purchase drugs Ferdinando Parliament. for health and a resultant sig- Nimal Siripala de Silva’s min- badly affected by the absence of The AG has also faulted the nificant improvement in health istry to submit financial state- effective internal audit, By Dilanthi Jayamanne With ministries under ministry for underutilization of care during the 2005-2007 peri- ments as requested by donor recruitment of staff outside heavy pressure to stop wasting foreign aid which he estimated od, the ministry had failed to agencies. Authoritative sources the approved limit, non-rendi- A public fund will be initiated for the taxpayer’s money and restore at 75 per cent and 73 per cent in tackle waste, corruption and said that this had prevented the tion of documents in support of Maharagama Cancer Hospital by the financial discipline, the Health two consecutive years and mis- irregularities. donors and the AG’s payments, non-recovery of Health Ministry to purchase necessary Care and Nutrition Ministry management of ten foreign Among a series of irregular- Department from knowing the specified taxes and fraudulent drugs for cancer patients. The need for has been censured by Auditor funded projects. ities was the failure of officers actual amount spent on these payments. cancer control drugs at the hospital is such The AG said that despite an responsible for ten foreign fund- heavily funded projects. that the public too would have to con- General S. Swarnajothi in his Continued on page 5 tribute towards their purchase. A spokesperson for the Cancer Control Programme said yesterday (09) that sever- Ayeth Paninawadha? al awareness programmes will be carried out for the public to induce them to con- tribute towards the fund. At present the Naveen won’t follow Health Department alone cannot cater to the requirement. The shortage of several drugs at the Maharagama Cancer Institute was Pa-in-law Karu brought to the notice of Health Minister Continued on page 5 !Karu hurt by President’s attitude by Dilanthi day told The Island Jayalath Jayawardena UNP picks nominations Jayamanne that his father-in-law said that Jayasuriya’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday met the remaining members of returned to the UNP return had given a big committee Non Cabinet due to some differences boost to the UNP. “The the UNP Democratic Group at Temple Trees where he received an he had with President UNP has been placed The UNP has set up a six-member assurance that they wouldn’t follow Karu Jayasuriya. Minister of Investment Promotion Naveen Mahinda Rajapaksa. “I on a winning path by nominations committee to select can- Pic Chandana Perera Dissanayake will not tried my best to bring Jayasuriya’s return didates to contest the forthcoming return to the UNP about a settlement but and the Working Central and Wayamba provincial although he is the son- Jayasuriya was hurt Committee endorsing councils. in-law of ex- Public and determined to him as deputy leader,” Except for S. B. Dissanayake’s Administration return to the UNP,” he said. selection by the party as the Chief LTTE hit-and-run units targeted by commandos Minister Karu Dissanayake said. He expected more Ministerial candidate for the Central Jayasuriya who re- At the voting on the dissident UNP MPs to Provincial Council no other nominees !Army returns more bodies crossed to the UNP on third reading of the return to the party have been selected, UNP sources said. Monday. Following Budget on Monday and claimed that it The Nomination Committee com- !SLAF recovers arms, ammo Jayasuriya’s return to afternoon, was due to the strug- prises Messrs Rukman Senanayake, the UNP there was Dissanayake was not gle put up by him Tissa Attanayake, S. Swaminathan, S. The army has deployed elite troops LTTE cadres, including seven women widespread specula- present in Parliament along with MPs B. Dissanayake, Jayawickrema Perera in the East to neutralise LTTE units killed in confrontations east of tion that his son-in-law and senior SLFP Johnston Fernando, and Joseph Michael Perera.(NP) engaged in hit and run tactics in the Mankulam over the past two days, were would follow suit. sources said that he Thalatha Athukorala wake of a series of attacks in the East, handed over to ICRC representatives to Dissanayake yester- had earlier informed particularly targeting the breakaway be moved across the frontline and hand- the President about his Continued on page 5 LTTE faction and police. ed over to the LTTE. inability to be present Army headquarters said that com- Air force headquarters spokesman due to some personal mandos had zeroed-in-on a group of Wing Commander Janaka commitment at the LTTE cadres operating in the Nanayakkara said that their ground time of voting. Bakmitiyawa jungles Monday morning troops had recovered four T 56 assault Minister of Justice killing four. rifles and 240 rounds of ammunition Dilan Perera comment- “We recovered their bodies along from Kandalkadu, south of ing on Jayasuriya’s with four T 56 assault rifles,” an army Trincomalee. He said that the recovery action said that he was spokesman told The Island last night. was made on information received by a gentleman in whatev- On Tuesday the bodies of eleven the SLAF. (SF) er party he belonged to. UNP Gampaha India releases names, photos of Mumbai gunmen District MP Dr. MUMBAI, India (AP) - Indian Maria gave the gunmen’s names and police have released the names of the aliases at a briefing Tuesday. He nine suspected Islamic militants killed showed photographs of eight of the during last month’s attack on Mumbai. men. Karu Naveen Chief police investigator Rakesh Continued on page 5 Pakistan offers USD 10 m credit line for Lanka eNIC project by Shamindra Ferdinando Lankan journalists to NADRA headquar- their expertise as well as their offer of ters in Islamabad last week, its Deputy USD 10 million credit line and their being Following the controversy over Chairman Tariq Maliq said that they the lowest bidder. A Sri Lankan delega- alleged irregularities in the evaluation of could comfortably meet Sri Lanka’s tion had visited NADRA’s state-of-the-art bidders for the eNIC project, The Island requirement. NADRA chairman Ali facility to take a first hand look at the learns that Pakistan has offered a USD 10 Arshad Hakeem and Maliq emphasised operations, Tariq said. NADRA had also million credit line to Sri Lanka to facili- that they were the lowest bidder. Their sent a team to Colombo. tate the proposed project if National offer of a USD 10 million credit line Maliq said that the issue of Database and Registration Authority wouldn’t go unnoticed, they stressed. Computerised NICs to Pakistanis would (NADRA) secured the contract. Pakistan established NADRA in 2000 help prevent a range of fraudulent activi- Sri Lanka’s decision to replace the during Chief of Army Staff General ty. It would also facilitate Pakistan’s existing NIC is part of its efforts to Pervez Musharraf tenure as the efforts against terrorism while enhanc- thwart National Identity Card forgery Pakistani leader. ing the country’s law enforcement appa- and threats on national security. They expressed confidence that Sri ratus. During a visit by a group of Sri Lanka would take into consideration NADRA facility Continued on page 5.