Vol. 27 No. 33 Thursday 9th February, 2006 Rs.15 - 24 Pages Registered in Sri Lanka as a Newspaper - Late City Edition Upali Group Court refuses UNP interim relief on Feb. 9 nominations Founder’s Day on Feb. 13 by Chitra Weerarathne Elaborate Is this my Chinese doll? arrangements, on The Court of Appeal yesterday refused to grant interim relief to the an island-wide UNP, which had requested the Court to restrain the Commissioner of scale, are being Elections from receiving nominations on February 9, for the local gov- made by mem- bers of the public, ernment poll scheduled for March. sales agents and employees of the However notice was issued on since the necessary parties, the Upali Group of the Elections Commissioner, respective returning officers directing him to appear before had not been made parties to the Companies to the Court on February 22, 2006, petition. commemorate in respect of the basic writ Senior State Counsel, N. G. 23rd Anniversary application filed by the UNP, Pulle told the court that the of the disappear- requesting court to direct the Elections Commissioner dis- ance of Mr. Upali commissioner to postpone the agreed with the press article Wijewardena, the Founder Chairman of Upali poll, till the final determination which said that 350,000 voters Group and others which falls on February 13th. of this application and till the will be disenfranchised, if the The event will be commemorated with various 2005 electoral register is com- poll is held according to the elec- religious ceremonies such as Bodhi Pujas, Sil pleted. toral register of 2004. Meditation Campaigns in Temples, in both urban The court said that interim and rural areas. relief could not be granted, Continued on page 3 On the same day at 9.00 a.m. there will be a blood donation camp at the Kelaniya Rajamaha Vihara organized by the employees of Upali Group of Companies. No bar to GMR: There Arrangements are also being made to offer contest LG alms to the Maha Sanga and scholarships to is wealth in needy children. At Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihare polls if ... where one of the biggest commemoration cere- — State Counsel monies is scheduled to be held, the presentation your dump! of scholarships to 10 needy students of Helena by Chitra Weerarathna by Gamini Perera Wijewardene Vidyalaya, Kelaniya by the Any person whose name is not Not gold, but 2000 tonnes of other Chairman of Upali Group Dr. Sivali H. Ratwatte registered in the voters list could valuable substances such as copper, and Board of Directors will take place at 10 a.m. contest at the local government brass, aluminium, stainless steel, Employees of Upali Trading Company will pro- polls, according to the These two little tsunami victims found themselves in the company of a team of Chinese acrobats at the lead and even scrap iron are dumped vide meals the same afternoon to the inmates of Commissioner of Elections, State Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium yesterday where the Chinese troupe has been performing from February 1. Pic by by the Railways Department annu- Kamal Wanniarachchi the Boys’ Town Orphanage, Ja-Ela. There will be Counsel, M. Gopallawe told the ally. This wealth is thrown out as a series of religious ceremonies at the Kelaniya Supreme Court yesterday when he waste Sumathipala Manawadu, con- appeared for the Commissioner of venor of the Organisation for Raja Maha Vihare the same night. Elections who is made the first Protection of the Properties and the Lanka gives in to US - EU pressure, vote Continued on page 3 respondent, in the fundamental Rights of railway employees,” told rights violation plea filed by the Chairman of the Bandaragama Continued on page 3 against Iran over nuclear dispute CBK returns Pradeshiya Sabha. by Shamindra Ferdinando ment spokesperson said. Of the strategy to make a case against The State Counsel said that Wilting under heavy US-EU 35 member states representing us,” he said. The anti-Iran Madiwela land Section 8 of the Local Government In hot water over pressure Sri Lanka voted the Board of Governors of the action comes in the backdrop of see page 4 Elections Act enables such a per- against Iran over her hotly dis- IAEA only Cuba, Syria and talks between Iran and the son to be a candidate. pot of curd puted nuclear programme. Venezuela voted against the US Russian Federation to find out The petitioner K. D. Anura by Harischandra Gunaratna Sri Lanka’s voted against and EU backed resolution. a way out of the crisis trig- Deepal had said in his petition that A woman employee of the Land Iran at the International South Africa is among five gered by efforts to target Iran. he could not vote at the last presi- Reform Commission (LRC) office in Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) African nations which India and Pakistan, too Re-establish dential pall, since his name was not Nuwara Eliya who was eagerly wait- in Vienna referring it to the UN abstained. voted against Iran. A senior included in the voters list of 2004. ing pots of curd and cash from a per- Security Council over its An Iranian embassy official said that Sri Lanka spokesperson, based in JSC — OPA He had requested the court to son who came to her to complain nuclear programme last stood by Iran last year. Sri Saturday. Colombo, strongly criticised Lanka was among 13 countries direct the commissioner to held the about a land dispute found herself in by Priyalal Sirisena Sri Lanka’s Ambassador the US-led action. He criticised which extended support to Iran forthcoming pall, according to the hot water when Bribery sleuths President of the Organization of based in Austria Ms. Aruni the decision to call a special when the IAEA passed a reso- electoral list of 2005. If not the peti- nabbed her. Professional Associations (OPA) D. L. The clerk had solicited a bribe of Wijewardene voted with meeting of the IAEA ahead of lution castigating Iran for tioner alleged that he will be pre- Vienna based representatives the scheduled meeting in alleged non-compliance with Taldena said yesterday on the Judicial vented from contesting at the forth- Rs 2,000 and two pots of curd to Service Commission resignations that as favour the complainant who had a of 26 other countries, a govern- March. “This is all part of their coming local government election. Continued on page 3 only the Constitutional Council can rein- land dispute with a neighbour, both In view of the undertaking state the JSC, Parliament should ensure its occupying land allotted by the LRC. given by the State Counsel the re-establishment whilst investigating the Director Investigations, Bribery causes for the present crisis. petitioner sought to withdraw his Commission Neville Guruge told application, which alleged, arbitrary ‘The Island’ that the affected party Cooray returns to stake claim He made these remarks at a press con- treatment and a denial of the free- had complained to them and he Former UNP General to have phoned Cooray after Sri Lanka Cricket chief ference at OPA centre in Colombo, with the participation of a number of other organi- dom of expression by the immediately sent a team of sleuth to Secretary B. Sirisena Cooray Moragoda accompanied by Tilanga Sumathipala, Commissioner of Elections. sations, the Editors’ Guild, Free Media Nuwara Eliya. The officers arrested is returning from Australia in M.H.Mohammed and National Olympic Committee Movement, Transparency International, Saliya Pieris appeared for the her when she was receiving the the backdrop of an influential Mohammed Maharoof urged chief Hemasiri Fernando, Foundation for Co-existence, Anti War petitioner. money from the complainant in the group led by frontliner the leader to declare Cooray’s LRC office. “The woman seeing the Milinda Moragoda calling for former Ambassador to Front, Railway Trade Union, Sri Lanka State Counsel, M. Gopallawe candidature. appeared for the state. The Bench complainant approaching her had his immediate appointment Teheran Omar Kamil and the Teachers’ Association and People’s Bank first asked “where are the two pots of The Island learns that the Officers Association . comprised, Justices Dr. Shirani as the party’s candidate for incumbent Deputy Mayor curd.” Guruge said. mayor of Colombo. leadership is sharply divided Bar Association Chief Desmond Bandaranayake, T. B. Weerasuriya Azath Sally being mentioned She was to be produced before the UNP leader Ranil over this move with the for- Fernando P.C. said that the remaining and N. K. Udalagama. as Cooray’s rivals. (SF) Nuwara Eliya Magistrate yesterday. Wickremesinghe is believed mer Sri Lanka Telecom and member of the JSC, the Chief Justice had twice faced allegations but Parliament could not consider them. He further said that if the Chief Justice is alleged of any G.L, Milinda share experiences with Mahinda’s peace team wrong now, there is nobody to hear such matters as the JSC does not function. “It is Former President November engineered Wickremesinghe’s delegation to share by Shamindra Ferdinando the duty of civil society now to force Former Minister Prof. G. L. Pieris Chandrika the defeat of UNP their experiences with his team. “The Parliament to inquire into the crisis of the yesterday briefed a group of ministers Kumaratunga urged leader Ranil President took us by surprise,” a UNP JSC” he said. and officials in his former capacity as Norway to arrange a Wickremesinghe at the source said. Moragoda is expected to head of the peace delegation during the meeting with the presidential polls by brief the government delegation on Continued on page 8 LTTE shortly after the denying a sizeable tenure of Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Saturday.