Eelam News - Vanniyan

The panel of experts on war crimes in Sri Lanka, which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced in March, is supposed to complete its work within four months of formally beginning. On September 14, Inner City Press (ICP) asked Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky why the panel had not yet even begun. Nesirky replied that it would be held Thursday afternoon. ICP reported that the meeting was not listed on Ban's schedule while several similar meetings were listed.

“Not everything is on the schedule,” Nesirky replied. What is the purpose of publishing the schedule that, if a meeting about war crimes is not listed?, ICP asked. “There are any number of reasons some things are on the schedule and some things are not,” Nesirky said. “Internal meetings typically are not,” ICP said quoting Nesirky.

The members of the war-crimes advisory panel, Marzuki Darusman, a former Attorney General from Indonesia, Yasmin Sooka, Member of South Africa's Truth Commisssion, and Steven Ratner, Law professor at Michigan University, US, were given 4-month period by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to complete the first report. The panel was announced in March, the panel met for the first time on 20th July, but the official start date has not been announced.

There were also questions on conflict of interest related to Sri Lanka. Ban's son in law, Siddarth Chatterjee served in the Indian Peace Keeping force in Sri Lanka while serving as an Indian Army officer. ICP said it is waiting confirmation on this matter from Nesirky.

The delegation led by Neil Buhne, the UN Resident Representative and Human Coordinator, accompanied by representatives of European Union, met Batticaloa district Government Agent (GA) Suntharam Arumainayagam Wednesday and discussed matters related to the development of Batticaloa district, Batticaloa District Secretariat sources said. Meanwhile, the resettled families in Paduvaankarai complained that though Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, the Sri Lanka Deputy Minister, says that funds have been allocated for the supply of drinking water to them every time he comes to Batticaloa nothing has been done, the sources added. Lack of drinking water is the most serious problem the resettled families in Paduvaankarai face.

The UN and EU representatives were particularly interested in finding whether the funds allocated by UN and other foreign institutions are being utilized for the resettlement and development activities in Paduvaankarai and Vaakarai in Batticaloa district.

The GA had told the visiting team of the immediate need for improvement in the supply of dry food relief ration to the resettled families.

He had also explained to them that housing, education, health, irrigation, electricity, infrastructures and livelihoods in Batticaloa district need development.

Around 62 persons including Sri Lankan policemen, civilians and reportedly four Chinese nationals have been killed in a massive explosion that rocked the Karadiyanaru area, situated 20 km northwest of Batticaloa city, Friday around 12:30 p.m. Containers with explosives parked close the police station exploded destroying the entire police station, initial reports said. The explosion also affected the nearby hospital. There were at least three containers with dynamites intended for road construction which was operated by Chinese workers, the reports further said. Around 100 persons, including engineers from the South, wounded in the blast were being rushed to hospital. STF personnel and Ex LTTE members deployed in the construction work under Colombo's publicized rehabilitation programme were likely among the victims, a local NGO official told reporters in Colombo.

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) have constructed many bases and camps in the properties of uprooted families and on the costal villages of Vadamaraadchi East using the roofing, door and windows plundered from the shops and houses left by the residents, persons who visited the area said. The areas from Naakarkoayil to Kaddaikkaadu are fully occupied by SLA and SLN, they further said. Meanwhile, Jaffna Government Agent Ms. Imelda Sukumar has announced that uprooted families from Vadamaraadchi East will be taken to their own places in the second stage of the resettlement plan and that Jaffna SLA Command had given permission for the resettlement.

The uprooted families who were taken from Raamaavil and Kundaththanai camps are now lodged in Chempianpattu Government Tamil Mixed School, Uduththu'rai Makaaa Viththiyaalayam, Maruthangkea'ni Hindu Makaa Viththiyaalayam and Thaazhaiyadi government hospital which had been under the control of Liberation Tigers before the war.

The families were told that they will be resettled in places excluding some parts in Kaddaikkaadu, Vettilaikkea’ni, Thaazhaiyadi and Naakarkoayil.

Jaffna GA said that nearly 3,500 uprooted families staying with their relatives and friends in Vadamaraadchi will be taken to Vadamraadchi East for resettlement in the second stage of resettlement plan.

The 3,500 families are staying now in places from Valveddiththu’rai to Kattkoava’lam in Vadamaraadchi North and in Ma’nattkaadu, Kudaththanai and Ampan in Vadmaraadchi East which had been under the control of SLA during the war.

Meanwhile, the families lodged in the schools and hospitals say that they will look after themselves if they are allowed to resettle in their own properties and engage in their traditional livelihood of fishing.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) spokesman and Jaffna district parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran said that a group of TNA parliamentarians will be visiting Valikaamam North Sri Lanka Army (SLA) occupied High Security Zone (HSZ) once they get the permission from Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence. Meanwhile, Basil Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka minister and brother of SL President Mahinda Rjapaksa who is in Jaffna has again said that the families uprooted from Valikaamam North by SLA will be allowed to resettle in their places excluding the surroundings of Palaali Airport, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, SLA authorities have already marked places in Palaali to construct housing schemes for the colonization of Sinhala families in the lands of Tamils evicted by SLA, sources in Palaali said.

SL government ministers including Basil Rajapaksa had promised to resettle the uprooted families in Valikaamam North during Presidential and General elections but the promises had been not kept.

SL government plans to colonize the area surrounding Palaali Airport with families of Sinhala SLA personnel and Sinhala prisoners, the sources further said.

Families of Sinhala workers who had been brought to work in Kaangkeasanthu’rai harbour too are to be given houses in the above scheme.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka government has given the Sinhala name of ‘Okkalappadduva’ for the road from Keerimalai to the recently erected Buddhist temple in Thiruvadinilai in Maathakal.

Gilberto Jordan, 54, a former Guatemalan soldier was sentenced to 10 years in prison for failing to reveal his participation in the 1982 killings of at least 162 villagers at Dos Erres during the de facto presidency of General Efraín Ríos Montt. Guatemalan Government soldiers allegedly killed nearly 200,000 indigenous and Mayan people as part of the Guatamalan Government's scorched earth policy.

Jordan was arrested in Florida in May, 2010 and charged with immigration offences, and pleaded guilty to lying on his naturalisation forms, which allowed him to become an American citizen in 1999.

Jordan is believed to have entered the US illegally through Mexico in 1985 before settling in Boca Raton, Florida, where he worked as a cook at a country club, BBC reported.

Jordan belonged to a Guatemalan special forces unit, known as the Kaibiles, which the prosecution said murdered the villagers at Dos Erres by shooting them, hitting them on the head with a hammer, or throwing them alive into a well.

In 2000, the Guatemalan government acknowledged responsibility for the killings, and promised to compensate the victims' families. The massacre was one of the most deadly incidents in the 36-year conflict between the Guatemalan army and left-wing guerrillas, which ended with a peace accord in 1996.

Sri Lanka military has been able to remove only 10% of the total area in which mines are suspected to have been buried, state-run Sinhala daily Dinamina reported. According to the article, Sri Lanka military has decided to accelerate the mine removal program.

The move is said to have been given focus due to the plans to resettle nearly 28,000 internally displaced persons in Mullaitivu areas during the three decade old war, the paper said, quoting Sri Lanka Army (SLA) spokesperson Major General Ubhaya Madawala.

Jars, Black and Red ware pottery and some timber sections were found in 2008 at a depth of 31 metres under sea, at a probable shipwreck site around 3 km off the coast of Godawaya, between Hambantota and Ambalantota in the Southern Province. Earlier, divers retrieved a stone bench having symbols engraved on it from the site. Stone pillars, probably remains of an old maritime structure were excavated and reported in 2001 at Godawaya fishing village, while a stone anchor was found in the sea near the coast in 2003. A late Brahmi inscription of 2nd century CE found on a rock at the Buddhist temple of Godawaya gives the ancient name of the port as Goda-pavata Patana, which is largely Dravidian mixed with Prakrit

The Late Brahmi inscription found on a rock at the Buddhist temple at Godawaya. The marked part in the inscription gives the ancient name of the port, Goda-pavata Patana. [Image courtesy: archaeology.lk. Marking by TamilNet]

Stone anchor found in the sea near Godawaya. [Image courtesy: archaeology.lk]

Small stone bench found in the seabed at the site of a probable shipwreck, 31 metres deep and 3km off the coast of Godawaya. [Image courtesy: archaeology.lk]

The symbols engraved on the stone bench found at the probable shipwreck site. Keeping the Srivatsa symbol at the centre, Nandipada, fish and ladder are on either side. [Image courtesy: archaeology.lk]

Ruins on the Godawaya hillock. [Image courtesy: Google Earth]

The present stupa at Godawaya hillock. [Image courtesy: Google Earth]

Location of Godawaya at the old mouth of river Walawe Ganga, between Hambantota and Ambalantota. [Image courtesy: Google Earth, Legend: TamilNet]

Godawaya located at the old mouth of the river Walawe Ganga. Note the rocky hillock marked by a circular road. The maximum height of the hillock is 58 meters above Mean Sea Level. [Image courtesy: Google Earth]

A Tamil youth was abducted by a group of unidentified persons from his house located in Thiruchchenthoor in Kalladi in Batticaloa district Wednesday night. The victim has been identified Munusamy Narenthiran, 30, according to complaints made to the police.

The gang arrived in a vehicle and took him by force while his relatives started shouting, sources said.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Thursday refused to give consent to the opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to appoint TNA parliamentarian, M. N. Sumanthiran as his nominee to the Parliamentary Council constituted under the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. TNA media spokesman and Jaffna district parliamentarian said Ranil Wickremesinghe wanted the party’s consent to appoint Sumanthiran. TNA has informed Ranil Wickremasinghe that it has opposed the 18th amendment and it will boycott the Parliamentary Council.

Under the 18th Amendment, a five member Parliamentary Council comprising the Prime Minister, the Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition, a nominee of the Prime Minister and a nominee of the Leader of the Opposition is to be set up.

Non-government Organizations in Jaffna peninsula accuse Sri Lanka government to have abandoned most of the uprooted families resettled in Jaffna peninsula without providing them adequate assistance for rehabilitation. 82,000 uprooted persons had been resettled in Jaffna peninsula so far, according to Jaffna Secretariat statistics. Meanwhile, nearly 100,000 persons uprooted from Valikaamam North High Security Zone of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) twenty years ago continue to stay with their relatives, friends and in camps not allowed by SLA to resettle in their own properties.

Altogether 81,578 persons of 27,401 uprooted families have been resettled in Jaffna peninsula.

The highest number of persons is resettled in the islets of Jaffna – 11,526 persons of 3,669 families while in Thenmaraadchi area 10,543 persons of 3,581 families are resettled.

5,411 persons of 1,732 families have returned to their houses in Thenmaraadchi and 4,128 persons of 1,112 families have been resettled in the villages located on the outskirts of SLA High Security Zone in Valikaamam North.

The most affected among the resettled people are the families uprooted from Vanni during the war as Sri Lanka government had left them on their own after paying them the first payment of Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 25,000 as final payment as assistance to begin their lives.

The uprooted families from Vanni too are temporarily staying with their relatives and friends in Jaffna peninsula.

The NGOs in Jaffna peninsula due to limitations imposed on them by Sri Lanka government in getting funds from abroad are unable to help the abandoned families to help them engage in livelihoods, NGO sources said.

Sri Lanka government should take responsibility for the abductions that have taken place after the war in Eastern Province, the propaganda secretary of Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP), a political-cum-paramilitary party led by Eastern Province Chief Minister, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, said in a meeting held in Kommaanththu’rai in Batticaloa district. Meanwhile, Batticaloa district residents said that armed men alleged to be Pillayan group and Karuna group abduct persons and rob houses in the outskirt villages of the district. Karnuna group is also a political-cum-paramilitary party led by Sri Lanka minister Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna.

TMVP member of Batticaloa Municipal Council, Pragasam Sgayamani alias Killi Master had been abducted on 23rd August 2010 but so far the police had not found him, Jegan, the TMVP secretary said.

Sgayamani’s wife had been threatened to give up demonstrating her protest against the abduction by immolating herself and her two children in front Batticaloa Municipal Council, he said.

She had said in her complaint to police that it was the Intelligence wing men of Sri Lanka Army who had abducted her husband, he added.

Jegan further said that the delay in tracing the abducted member raises suspicion against Sri Lanka government involvement in the abduction of Sagayamani.

The Sri Lankan Government has ordered Daniel Horgan, security coordination officer of Nonviolent Peaceforce, a foreign NGO, to leave Sri Lanka immediately, the Sinhala language Divaina newspaper said in an article. The order was made when Horgan sent in his papers seeking renewal of his visa to continue his work in Sri Lanka.

In July, government also deported a Canadian national who functioned as the director of the Nonviolent Peaceforce organization and Ali Palh Ahamed, a Pakistani national attached to the organization to leave Sri Lanka.

Accordingly, steps were taken to ensure that both the Canadian and Pakistani nationals will not be able to return to Sri Lanka again in future for any matter.

Nonviolent Peaceforce is an unarmed, professional civilian peacekeeping force that is invited to work in conflict zones worldwide. With international headquarters in Brussels, Nonviolent Peaceforce has worked in the conflict areas of Sri Lanka extensively. Among other activities, it works with local groups to foster dialogue among parties in conflict, provide a proactive presence and safe spaces for civilians, and develop local capacity to prevent violence. Its staff includes veterans of conflict zones and experienced peacekeepers.

The Divaina newspaper article claimed that, the Intelligence units has obtained information that the Nonviolent Peaceforce has been involved in certain internal affairs with related to Sri Lanka which has been seen as detrimental against Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.

Sri Lanka government which had not contributed to the development of Jaffna district in any significant manner is showing off the development activities in Jaffna peninsula funded by World Bank and Asian Development Bank as if it is spending its own money on them, government officials who participated in SL government’s Jaffna District Development Meeting (DDM) held in Jaffna Secretariat Wednesday said. The meeting was similar to the earlier ones where on going development activities and future plans for development were just ‘explored’ into without any concrete allocation of funds for them. On the whole it was lip service paid to the ‘development of North’ Sri Lanka government claims to be interested in, they added.

Meanwhile, Basil Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka minister and brother of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa, during the meeting twice thanked the Jaffna district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Suresh Premachandran, Saravanabavan and Sumanthiran for attending DDM held in Jaffna Secretariat conference hall from Wednesday morning till evening, sources in Jaffna said.

The TNA parliamentarians later told local media that they had stressed on the immediate need to resettle the families evicted by Sri Lanka Army from its High Security Zone in Valikaamam North and they had discussed the issue deeply in the meeting.

Jaffna district TNA parliamentarians had abstained from attending meetings of the above nature held by Sri Lanka government in the past.

Suresh Premachandran had issued a message to local media earlier on TNA’s intention of attending Sri Lanka government meetings in the future.

Northern Province Governor Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri and Sri Lanka Minister Douglas Devananda attended the meeting presided by Basil Rajapaksa.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa Wednesday left via London to United States of America (USA). Mr. Rajapaksa left few days in advance for personal reasons, informed sources in Colombo said. He will take part in both the plenary meeting of the General Assembly of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and the sessions of UN General Assembly.

Rajapaksa is listed as the seventh speaker to address the UN General Assembly on September 22.

He will be away till September 29. He is expected to make private visits to Mexico and Germany, the sources further said.

More than 100 Upcountry Tamil families were displaced after Sinhalese estate workers burnt their houses and properties in Kiribatgala rubber plantation in Nivithigala in Ratnapura district Monday night. The attack on Tamils comes following the killing of a Sinhala estate watcher who was found dead Monday after being abducted by unidentified persons Sunday night. Tension prevails between in the district following the outbreak of the violence. Tamils in the district complain that they have been increasingly targeted by Sinhala mobs in recent times.

A. Muller-Elschner, the legal secretary to the Registrar of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), said in a letter to the Swiss Council of Eelam Tamils (SCET), the democratically elected country council of Eezham Tamils in Switzerland, that the European Court will take up the case against the appointment of ex-SLA commander Jagath Dias as a diplomat to the Sri Lanka embassy in Germany. SCET, the Norwegian Council of Eelam Tamils (NCET) and the US based NGO, Tamils Against Genocide (TAG), had filed an application to the ECHR in July 2010 charging the German government for violating EU Rights conventions by accepting a Sri Lankan military commander, Major General Jagath Dias, an accused in the war crimes.

Some influential Sri Lanka government politicians and Sinhala traders from South are exploiting the fishermen of Jaffna peninsula not allowing them to take their catches South for sale, Fisheries Societies in Jaffna peninsula accuse. Fish now being caught in large quantity exceed local consumption and the fishermen are forced to dry them as the export to South is a monopoly of SL government politicians like SL Minister Douglas Devananda and his supporters, they said.

The persons close to Douglas Devananda make millions of rupees buying fish and dried fish at a much cheaper rate from local fishermen and selling them at a higher price in the South.

The profit thus made is enormous in exporting delicacies like lobsters caught in large quantity particularly in the islets of Jaffna occupied and controlled by Sri Lanka Navy.

Northern Province Governor Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri accompanied by some Sinhala parliamentarians and Sri Lanka government officials visited Tuesday some places in Vanni where uprooted people have not been allowed to resettle by occupying Sri Lanka Army (SLA). Meanwhile, some influential sections are trying again to shift Northern Provincial Council (NPC) and its offices to Ki’linochchi from Trincomalee, a move which had been suspended by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in August, sources in Trincomalee said.

Efforts are being made to locate the NPC offices in some private vacant buildings in Ki’linochchi.

NPC Ministries of Health and Education are reported to be shifted from Trincomalee to Ki’linochchi in the next months.

The visiting group showed more interest in seeing the residence of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader V. Pirapaharan in Puthumaaththa’an, now occupied by SLA officials, sources in Vanni said.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka government key officials have begun to occupy many vacant private properties in Vanni of owners living abroad, with the assistance of some civil officials.

The Centre for Employment Opportunities was opened Monday in such a private building encroached by SL government.

Namal Rajapaksa, the son of SL President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Northern Province Governor, SL minister Mahintananda Aluthgama and some parliamentarians participated in the event.

“Sri Lanka sits at the crossroads of two significant contemporary geopolitical shifts. Firstly there is the rise and resurgence of China as a regional power; and secondly, many Western governments have lost their credibility in terms of morality, human rights advocacy and international law due to interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The SL government is masterful in its diplomacy and deals with a variety of governments, which are sometimes at odds e.g.: Iran & Israel, India & Pakistan, USA & China. This puts SL in a unique geopolitical position”, says ‘Minutes of the Sri Lanka Roundtable’, convened by Centre for Peacebuilding in Switzerland last month. While the West in its inability opts for extreme position of appeasement towards genocidal Colombo, Tamil voices against subjugation are ironically viewed as ‘extremism’, commented diaspora circles.

The conference aimed to provide a platform for “Swiss actors in Sri Lanka and thereby contributing to a coherent peacebuilding and networking among policy members, members of NGOs, interested academics and the selected members of the diaspora”.

“There is not one coherent policy among Western governments. One can observe a combination of military cooperation and humanitarian aid, which in some cases leads to the securitisation of relief. In addition, actors by themselves do not act with a coherent strategy. There is not such thing as a unitary actor, e. g. within the US government, the Justice Dept. War Crimes Division supports accountability and the UN backed panel on human rights, while other agencies prefer to normalise relations as quickly as possible,” the minutes of the conference further said.

The conference minutes agree with the political bankruptcy of the way the war was allowed to end.

“Before the end of the war, many analysts considered the 13th amendment to be the minimum reform which could be implemented after the defeat of the LTTE. But it remains questionable whether it will be implemented,” the minutes said.

The minutes also agree that the questions related to land remain very contentious.

The continued detention of the ex-combatants of the LTTE, ICRC’s inaccessibility to them, KP’s involvement with Colombo in making overtures to the diaspora, Colombo citing diaspora activity to retain emergency laws and at the same time expecting the diaspora for economic assistance, militarization of public sector in the north and east and political networks linked to the Presidential family, are the other contested issues cited by the minutes.

The minutes pointed out Chinese loans helping the increase of Colombo’s defence budget by 24 billion while expenses on education and health were cut by 10 percent for the current year. The minutes also noted how India’s Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and its money flow are designed sensitively to score a point against China.

While citing criticism against ‘economic solution to a political problem’ the minutes were arguing for coordination with Colombo as a prerequisite to align aid and establish trust between agencies and government. Some participants suggested Church organizations as better local partners.

“The atmosphere for a comprehensive approach to deal with the past currently remains less conducive,” participants of the Swiss Roundtable concluded, alluding against international investigation and action on war crimes committed in the island.

The Swiss Roundtable minutes that begins viewing the crisis as one such of ‘integration of minorities’, wanted every one to grieve and acknowledge the past according to “local traditions and religious practice, be it Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity or other”.

Responding, diaspora circles described it as an extreme position of appeasement in dealing with the crisis of nations in the island, where one nation tries to liquidate the other.

Even in the case of the genocide in Biafra, the so-called international community was only remaining silent. It didn’t abet. But in the case of Eezham Tamils there was active abetment against them by the IC and by its institutions such as media, resulting in the hitherto unseen extreme way the war has ended.

The immorality with which the West applied ‘war against terrorism’ and ‘counterinsurgency’ to abet Colombo in extreme ways now boomerangs in Colombo using geopolitical shifts to blackmail the West to adopt ‘extreme appeasement’.

The metamorphosis may amuse some, but it victimizes Eezham Tamils further. Because, any voice of righteous indignation that comes from them even democratically seems to be now treated as ‘extreme position’ to continue ‘fixing’ them as ‘terrorists’ by the appeasers and by their media, who find it easier to show their ‘might’ with orphans.

Tamils with a long historical memory cannot easily compromise with the extreme treatment meted out to them and the continued humiliation of their nation as ‘minority’ under Sri Lanka, unless approaches begin with appropriate political justice.

Extreme injustice demands unequivocal solutions, not extreme appeasement with oppressors, the diaspora circles said.

Sarath Fonseka, former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army Tuesday appeared first time in the Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court on the second day of inquiry into the presidential election petition filed by him. Fonseka has challenged the election of incumbent President Mahinda Rajapakse in the presidential election held in January this year. The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) produced Sarath Fonseka, the petitioner in the case in the court Tuesday on the direction made by the five-member bench of the Supreme Court on Monday. Fonseka is being detained in the Sri Lanka Navy headquarters since he lost in the presidential election to Rajapakse.

The SC Bench comprising Chief Justice Asoka de Silva, Justices Shiranee A. Bandaranayke, K. Sripavan, P.A. Ratnayake and S.I. Imam took the election petition case Monday and directed the Registrar of the court to inform the SLN to produce the petitioner to court Tuesday. The SC Bench also directed the court martial to continue its proceedings against Fonseka after 2.30 p.m. when the SC hears the election petition.

Fonseka has cited President Mahinda Rajapakse and the other 21 candidates including Sarath Kongahage and Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake, two senior lawyers -- President’s Counsel Razik Zarook and Kalinga Indatissa, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation Chairman Hudson Samarasinghe and Wimal Weerawansa as respondents.

The petitioner has been asking the Court to determine and declare that the election of Mahinda Rajapakse was null and void and to declare that Fonseka was duly elected and ought to be returned as President. The petitioner has further sought the court to order for a re-scrutiny of all the ballots cast at January 26 president elections.

Counsel D.S. Wijesinghe President Counsel appearing with eight lawyers including Solicitor General Priyashantha Deff submitted evidence on behalf of the respondents. They cited preliminary objections and appealed the petition be rejected.

D.S.Wijesinghe, Counsel for the first respondent President Rajapakse raised preliminary objections and moved that the petition should be dismissed as it was defective and inadmissible. He further said his objections were based on the failure to furnish material facts in respect of the allegations.

Counsel Upul Jayasuriya is appearing for the petitioner.

Twenty five parliamentarians of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) Tuesday issued ultimatum to their leader Ranil Wickremasinghe till September 22 to address the leadership crisis soon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, said to be the leader of the dissident 25 MPs has told electronic and print media that they would inform the Speaker of parliament of their intention to consider them as an independent group when parliament meets on September 22.

Dissident UNP leader made the threat following the news conference held by Ranil Wickremasinghe Tuesday. Wickremasinghe at the briefing had stated that he would propose a new constitution to the party general assembly that is likely to be held in December this year making way to the youth leaders who would be vested with party responsibilities.

However dissident parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekara said that they are not satisfied with the statement by Wickremasinghe. He added a day before parliament convenes on September 22 the dissident group of MPs has to inform the Speaker to consider them as independents.

A 20-year-old man riding in his motor bike died in a road accident in Puthukkudiyiruppu in Kaaththaankudi police division in Batticaloa district Monday night around 8:30.

The victim, identified as Sathiyanatahan Jatheesnathan, lost his balance while riding from Aaraiyampathi to Ka'luvaagchikkudi.

His motor bike crashed against a lamp post and the victim died on the spot, Police said.

The General Manager of Jaffna Multi Purpose Cooperative Society (MPCS) resigned his post Monday due to pressure by Sri Lanka minister Douglas Devananda and his supporters, sources in Jaffna said. Sri Lanka government has scrapped the democratically elected Board of Directors of MPC societies appointing its own persons as directors who are alleged of corruption, Jaffna MPCS members said. A case against the former President of Jaffna MPCS, Kiritharan, appointed by Douglas Devananda, for misappropriating millions of rupees is pending in Jaffna High Court in which Douglas Devananda is also involved, the members said. Jaffna MPCS handles various services to people of Jaffna peninsula including the distribution of relief dry food rations.

Kiritharan, a retired engineer, was removed from the post of President of Jaffna MPCS Board of Directors by SL minister Douglas Devanda who had appointed another person as president.

The newly appointed President too is alleged of corruption and the employees of Jaffna MPCS have been agitating against him. Douglas Devananda has removed the newly appointed president too from his post.

Earlier, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Intelligence wing men had shot and killed the democratically elected president of Jaffna MPCS, Karunas, a retired engineer of SL Electricity Board.

Douglas Devananda had appointed Kiritharan in place of assassinated Karunas.

The employees of Jaffna MPCS are agitating against the interference by SL government political persons demanding non-interference in the administration of Jaffna MPCS.

A man and a five year old boy, both Tamils, died in a road accident when a Prisons Department vehicle crashed against a passenger van from behind at Marawila Sunday morning. Seven others were injured in that accident, Marawilla police said.

The passenger van was returning from Nalloor in Jaffna district to Colombo.

The victims have been identified as Manikkam Shanmugalingam, 60, and Kamalarajan Santhosh, 5.

A Tamil youth died on the spot and another seriously wounded when a container vehicle crashed against a stationary motor cycle in Vavuniyaa Sunday around 7:00 p.m. The motor cycle had met with an accident colliding against a bicycle near Thennamaruthoadai Chanthi in Poonthoaddam in Vavuniyaa.

The youth killed has been identified as Ponnappu Navaruban, 18, a resident of Kaneasapuram in Vavuniyaa.

The injured Sivathasan, 23, of Poovarasankulam, is admitted to Vavuniyaa general hospital in a critical condition.

The container vehicle had crashed against the motor cycle which was involved in the accident.