The Island 2 Wednesday 22nd September, 2010 Home News Impose 20 per cent import cess We will not sit as independent on wheat flour, says NFF BY SAMAN INDRAJITH ment and the opposition to The National Freedom do what they are supposed to group in Parliament – Harsha Front has demanded that the do for the benefit of the peo- government slap a 20 per- ple exploited by flour compa- cent import cess on wheat ny owners,” Wijenayake said. Contents of our letter to Ranil have been given a mischievous twist flour so that the increase in He said, rice flour was price would discourage con- the best substitute to wheat We only asked for a parliamentary group meeting to discuss urgent matters sumption. The party intends flour and if the local con- to use the funds collected sumers used more and more BY ZACKI JABBAR over to the government attempt to divide the ing is that the process be expedited. through the government rice flour, it would not only UNP National List MP Harsha and the developing situ- UNP.” Tilak Marapana, who heads the cess, to encourage the use of benefit paddy farmers but de Silva, who has been mentioned ation in parliament and He said that many in Committee that is drafting the new rice flour in the local mar- also the whole nation. as one of 25 UNP MPs, who are within the UNP, had the UNP were of the view Constitution assured last ket. The funds collected from planning to sit as an independent been twisted by certain that the reforms should Saturday’s Working Committee Former Parliamentarian the levy should be used for group, when parliament meets on interested parties. be implemented speedily, Meeting that they were working and NFF Politburo Member the import of machinery and Thursday, said yesterday that there The objective of so that they could get on with a sense of urgency. So, the Piyasiri Wijenayake, equipment to grind rice flour, was absolutely no truth in such those who signed the let- with their battle against question of sitting as an independ- addressing a press confer- he said. The small scale reports. ter was to have the party the ‘corrupt and dictato- ent group in parliament does not ence held at the party head- millers too would earn more He told The Island that a writ- reforms approved by the rial Mahinda Rajapaksa arise.” quarters in Battramulla, and improve their living ten request by 20 odd UNP MPs, Working Committee, regime hell bent on Referring to the five rebel UNP said the country could not standards. including himself, to party leader implemented speedily, de destroying democracy’. MPs who had voted for the 18th march forward only by ”Last year alone, the Ranil Wickremesinghe on Silva said. “The reforms as I Amendment, de Silva said that defeating separatist terror- country had imported 900,000 September 8, 2010, seeking a meet- “Nowhere was it Harsha understand are going to none of them had defended the ism, but also by eradicating metric tons of wheat flour, he ing of the parliamentary group to mentioned that we would be implemented since the Amendment, when the UNP “other forms of terrorism,” said, adding that it meant discuss the 18th Amendment to the be sitting as an independent group Working Committee has already Working Committee resolved to practiced by the monopo- that a huge amount of for- Constitution, UNP MPs crossing in parliament. This is just an approved it. What we are demand- oppose it. lists of the wheat flour eign exchange had been industry. drained out of the country, “The wheat flour indus- ending up in the pockets of try is also a form of terror- wheat farmers abroad, he GNOA warns of union ism,” he said. There were said. several other forms of ter- “Food security is a sine action if merit list rorism by those engaged in qua non for the development medicine and milk powder of a nation and the first step ignored industries in the local mar- to achieving this high and BY DILANTHI JAYAMANNE ket, who were terrorizing lofty aim will be the imposi- The Government Nursing and fleecing the consumers. tion of a 20 percent cess on Officers’ Association, warned that The NFF would launch an the wheat flour imports,” they would have to resort to trade islandwide campaign “to Wijenayake added. union action if the Health Ministry defeat wheat flour terror- Former MP and did not appoint diploma qualified ism,” he said. Politburo Member of the nurses according to the merit list. “We would inform the NFF, Padma Udaya Shantha GNOA President, Saman Ratnapriya people of what they should Gunasekera also addressed accused health officials of the do and pressure the govern- the media. Ministry of interfering in the appoint- ment of 319 newly qualified nurses to the government health sector. Phone thief remanded Ratnapriya said yesterday (21), BY JAYANTHA DE SILVA that the health officials were prepared tion stating that a bag con- to ignore the merit list in giving The Kollupitiya Police taining 17 mobile phones and appointments to diploma holders. arrested Mohamed Faiz several sim cards, which had Officials were willing to succumb to Fazik and produced him on been kept on the rack of a the pressure of external forces when Monday before Court charg- mosque was missing. making the appointments, he alleged. ing him with robbery of 17 The arrest led to the “The merit list was prepared accord- mobile phones and several recovery of nine mobile ing to marks received by the 319 at the sim cards. The Magistrate phones. final examination. However, some offi- Lanka Jayaratne remanded However none of the cials of the Health Ministry were the suspect till September 30. missing sim cards had been attempting to go against the accepted Meer Mohomed found. The Health Ministry appointed 216 doctors to hospitals to undergo internship training. Healthcare and norms of the public service in govern- Samsudeen, a mobile phone Investigations were con- Nutrition Minister Maithripala Sirisena hands over the letter of appointment to an intern while Director ment health sector appointments. vendor had lodged an entry ducted by Chief Inspector General of Health Services Dr. Ajith Mendis and Dr. Yaganadan look on. The event took place at the “They are even ready to go against the Elpinestone theatre, Maradana, recently. at the Kollupitiya police sta- Sisira Pettatantri. Health Minister who had issued the order last week to follow the merit list in giving appointments,” he said. Ratnapriya said that there had International Childrens’ Day on Oct. 1 Sajin pledges essential been a dilemma regarding nursing appointments in August this year facilities to Sri Devananda when Provincial Councils had inter- 1500 Wayamba children fered in the transfers and new National School appointments of nurses. The to get school uniforms, BY LALAJI MANAWADU Southern and Sabaragamuwa Provincial Councils held that they stationery and dry ration Ambalangoda: “Politics should not be wanted newly qualified nurses work- taken into the affairs of schools, but politi- ing in their hospitals rather than BY BINGIRIYA CORR. W. M. Piyasena, cians should provide essential facilities to those coming on transfer. To commemorate Treasurer of the develop them. I will give my support to “We accommodated their whims International Children’s Association, told The develop the school in all its activities within and fancies at that time but the Health Day, which falls on October Island that items worth Rs. the next two or three years by providing it Ministry of the Central government 1st, 2010, the Kurunegala 750,000 would be donated to with all facilities needed,” Galle district MP, Sajin de Vaas Gunawardane said. He was should not expect our nurses to accept District retired Public these needy students and addressing a meeting at Sri Devananda appointments given by ignoring the Servants’ Welfare the Kurunegala Traders’ National School, Ambalangoda. merit list this time,” he said. Association has made Association too had con- He said that closing a school was an arrangements to offer sented to assist the organiz- easy task due to lack of students. But we school uniforms, school ers to make this worthy should try our best to improve the existing equipment and bags of dry cause a success. schools without closing them. Through edu- Gang robs five rations to 1,500 needy pri- Piyasena said that 25 cation the value of Sri Lanka’s human mary school children of novice monks, presently resources could be enhanced. “Parents’ shops in one night remote government schools residing in Buddhist tem- should cooperate with the school authori- in the Bingiriya, ples in remote areas, would ties to improve the school which their off- spring attend. A four-year plan would be BY LALAJI MANAWADU Nikaweratiya, be offered scholarships to formulated to improve the standard of edu- Ambalangoda: A gang of robbers Panduwasnuwara, continue their higher stud- cation in schools of the Galle District. It had robbed five shops at Meetiyagoda Dambadeniya, Anamaduwa ies. These monks would be would be a tremendous task involving during the same night and removed a and Yapahuwa electorates offered a financial labour and supervision,” he said. sum of Rs. 360,000 according com- of the Kurunegala and allowance of Rs. 25,000 Principal, H. M. Sumithipala, thanked plaints made by the owners of the Puttalam districts. each, he said. the MP for his pledge to improve the school. shops. The shops were located close The school had been in the forefront not Lt. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander of the Sri Lanka to the Meetiyagoda police station. only in examination results but also in army, inspects the operations at the IT Training Centre extra curricular activities, he said.