| Lanka Dissent |
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| JVP suspends party membership of Wimal Weerawansa |
| Friday, April 4, 2008 |
The Central Committee of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna that met on March 21st has decided to suspend the party membership of its Propaganda Secretary Wimal Weerawansa with immediate effect, party sources said.The reason given is said to be the continuous breach of party discipline by Mr. Weerawansa, according to the sources.
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posted by lankadissent @ 5:43 PM   |
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| Local media groups condemn MSD’s seizure of media IDs |
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[04-04-2008] The Free Media Movement and four other local media rights organizations have condemned the seizure of media accreditation of a ‘Swarnavahini’ crew by members of the Ministerial Security Division.
The private television station’s Programme Manager Shan Wijetunga and Cameraman Manjula Indratissa had been videoing an illegal land filling on March 02nd, when two persons claiming to be from the police had demanded their media IDs.
The land in question is owned by the Land Reclamation and Development Corporation, and located close to Ananda Balika Vidyalaya at Kotte.
Later, they had said that they were from the MSD, Mr. Wijetunga told ‘Lanka Dissent’, but refused to return the identity cards.
He has also lodged a complaint with the Mirihana Police.
In a statement, the FMM, the Working Journalists Association, the Federation of Media Employees Trade Union, the Muslim Media Forum and the Tamil Media Alliance say they are keeping a close tab on what action the police are going to take against the errant MSD officers.
They said they condemned the seizure of the media accreditation of the ‘Swarnavahini’ mediamen who were videoing the filling of a state-owned land.
According to the statement, the MSD personnel are attached to Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama’s security detail.
Various instances of MSD personnel interfering with the duties of the media have been reported in recent times, the statement notes.
It is the responsibility of the MSD to provide security to politicians, but instead they have been engaging in such lowly behaviour to cover up unlawful acts by certain ministers.
It is of grave concern that despite a large number of complaints, authorities have done nothing to bring the culprits to book, the statement said.
‘Swarnavahini’ has only performed its duty by the country to expose the misuse of state property, the five media groups added.
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| posted by lankadissent @ 12:58 PM |
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| CEB ordered to cut down annual expenses by Rs. 5 b |
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 [04-04-2008] Power and Energy Minister John Seneviratne has ordered the Ceylon Electricity Board to cut down its annual expenses by Rs. 5 billion.
Mr. Seneviratne’s instruction to directors of the CEB is aimed at improving the productivity of the loss-making state institution, thereby minimizing its losses.
He has also appointed a three-member committee to oversee the productivity improvement.
The order has been made under the powers vested in the minister through Clause 8 (1) in the Ceylon Electricity Board Act No: 07 of 1969, his ministry said.
According to Minister Seneviratne, the CEB’s annual expenditure stands at Rs. 39 billion.
The instruction is of significance because such an order has been made to the CEB by the subject minister after a lapse of 39 years.
The CEB generates most of the electricity at its diesel-powered plants, and owes massive sums of money for its fuel borrowings from the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation.
The CEB’s woes aggravated after the CPC refused to grant it any more supplies on credit, and the government withdrew the fuel subsidy.
It has now passed the burden to the consumer, with the latest tariff increase by 40 per cent becoming effective in March.
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| posted by lankadissent @ 12:07 PM |
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| Govt. rejects fresh allegations over murder of 17 aid workers |
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Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has defended the government against fresh allegations it was involved in a cover-up over the massacre of 17 local workers of the French NGO Action Against Hunger.
He said the government was determined to “show results” from its probe into the murders and a string of other cases, rejecting allegations the government wanted to bury the crimes.
“The government still wants to see that the perpetrators of these crimes are identified and dealt with,” Mr. Samarasinghe told the media in Colombo yesterday (Apr. 03rd).
The comments came two days after the Jaffna-based University Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR) accused the government of a major cover-up of the August 2006 killing and implicated two police constables and a home guard for the murders.
The victims were shot in Muttur at their office during a period of intense fighting between the government and the LTTE.
Responding, the Human Rights Minister said they should “present their findings before the government’s inquiry panel.”
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama has strongly defended the commission of inquiry into the massacre of the 17 aid workers.
"We want the truth to come out. We can't dictate the course of justice, we can only encourage the process by facilitating its work," Mr. Bogollagama told ‘The Independent’ newspaper of UK, where he is presently on an official visit.
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| posted by lankadissent @ 11:36 AM |
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| 3 soldiers injured in grenade attack |
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Three soldiers were injured in a hand grenade attack in Vavuniya in the early hours of this morning (April 04th), the Media Centre for National Security said.
An LTTE member lobbed the grenade at the soldiers around 2.30 am, the MCNS said.
The injured have been rushed to the Vavuniya General Hospital.
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| posted by lankadissent @ 11:19 AM |
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| Shelling exchange forces removal of Madhu statue |
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 The Our Lady of Madhu statue has been removed to safety following heavy exchange of shelling between the security forces and the LTTE, area residents said.
A team from the church, comprising seven clergy and eight laypersons, took the statute to Mulangavi in Kilinochchi, 35 kilometres away from Mannar this afternoon (Apr. 03rd).
The church has now been completely deserted.
Earlier, around 2.50 pm, five shells had fallen at the premises, reportedly from the direction of Pandivirichchan, which is under the control of the
security forces, area residents told ‘Lanka Dissent’ by telephone.
Shells continued to explode intermittently near the Madhu Shrine since noon yesterday (March 02nd), and some of the windows of the church have been damaged.
"If you manage to look outside from here, you only see smoke and dust in the atmosphere amid deafening noise," one of the priests staying in the church had told Tamilnet earlier.
Shells also exploded inside the cemetery of the Church, located 500 meters away, he said.
There were also heavy exchange of gunfire one kilometre away from the Church, according to the priest.
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| posted by lankadissent @ 10:49 AM |
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| Naushad to take oaths on Apr. 08th |
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 A.M.M. Naushad will take oaths as a member of parliament on April 08th to fill the post that fell vacant following the resignation of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem from his parliamentary seat.
Naushad is a son of M.I.M. Majid, former MP representing the Akkarapattu electorate in Ampara.
Naushad told ‘Lanka Dissent’ that he would leave for Sammanturai soon after the swearing-in to join the campaign by the United National Party and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress for the May 10th polls for the Eastern Provincial Council.
He entered politics in 1983 from the UNP.
Naushad unsuccessfully contested for Digamadulla at the 1989 parliamentary election.
He also served as Deputy Secretary of the UNP in 2001.
In the same year, he left the UNP and contested general elections from an independent group, after the SLMC entered into a pact with the main opposition party.
At the election, his group polled the highest number of preferential votes.
At the 2004 parliamentary election, Naushad contested on the UNP-SLMC ticket and polled the third highest number of preferential votes.
A past pupil of S. Thomas College, Mount Lavinia and S. Thomas College, Guruthalawa, he is the managing director of a garments factory located in the Wanni.
The UNP has appointed him as the party’s propaganda manager for Ampara district at the East PC polls.
Speaking further to ‘Lanka Dissent’, Naushad said he would work towards securing a landslide victory for the UNP-SLMC alliance.
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| posted by lankadissent @ 10:36 AM |
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| Rauff Hakeem’s security fully withdrawn |
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 The security provided to Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem has been completely withdrawn.
However, he will be given security as a candidate at the eastern provincial council elections.
The withdrawal of Hakeem’s security came in a motion filed by the Attorney General on behalf of the IGP and the Defence Secretary, in response to a fundamental rights petition by Hakeem, that was taken up today (Apr. 03rd).
On February 11th, the SC took up the petition filed by Hakeem, and ordered that he should be provided with backup
vehicle and security personnel, to which the AG had consented.
The FR petition will be taken up again tomorrow.
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| posted by lankadissent @ 10:29 AM |
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