More News Page Four4 The IslandWednesday 17th February, 2010

Minister Chamal Rajapaksa unveiling the inauguration plaque on the invitation of Prof. Peiris, who lookson with Namal Rajapaksa and S. Liyanagama, Secretary, Ministry of Export Development.

by Cyril Wimalasurendre

KANDY - When PlantationIndustries Minister D. M. Jayaratnecalled on the Most Ven. Mahanayakeof Malwatte, Tibbatuwawe SriSiddhartha Sumangala Thera, onSunday (14), the prelate said PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa, in order to pre-serve his good name, should releasethe retired Army Commander SarathFonseka from custody.

If Fonseka was freed, PresidentRajapaksa would be able to changeworld opinion regarding the arrest.The prelate said several countriesthought the President had kept hispolitical rival in army custody as an

act of revenge.“As the Maha

Sangha, weexpress our opin-ion totally inde-pendent of politi-cal interests. Weexpress our viewsbased on publicopinion,” theprelate said.

“We, asSangha, roseagainst the with-drawal of the civil

rights of late Mrs. SirimavoBandaranaike. We convened a massivemeeting of the Sangha to protest

against the manner in which Mrs.Bandaranaike was treated”, he said.

When the Sangha extended thesupport to President MahindaRajapaksa, the UNPers had blamedthem. The Sangha had always chosenthe correct path, he said.

“People make mistakes. But insome cases, the wrongdoers should bepardoned,” the Maha Nayake Therasaid, “the election is now over and itis time to unite and develop the coun-try.”

Minister Jayaratne said that hewas a founder member of the SriLanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and hadremained loyal to the party rightthroughout.

To protect his goodname, President shouldrelease Fonseka — Mahanayake

Work on a hundred-acre agro-exportzone at Weeravila, earmarked for thecultivation of vegetables and fruits, waslaunched recently by Minister ofExport Development and InternationalTrade Prof. G. L. Peiris, Minister ofPorts, Civil Aviation and Water

Management Chamal Rajapaksa andPresident of the ‘Thaarunayata Hetak’Namal Rajapaksa.

The Agro- Export Zone Programmeof the Export Development Board (EDB)is directed by the Ministry of ExportDevelopment.

The Weeravila Zone, where hybridmelon, papaya and bananas are to begrown, is managed by theTissamaharama Export ProductsJanatha Ltd. The first phase of the proj-ect will cost Rs. 3.8 million and offersemployment opportunities to 500

women selected from 38 Grama Sevakadivisions.

After the launching of the project,mango saplings were distributed amongthe participants and a discussion washeld to solve some of the day-to-dayproblems faced by the farmers.

A two-day seminar on Raja Yogameditation will be held on February20 and 21 from 9.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.at Brahma Kumaris Raja YogaCentre, 55, Peter’s Lane, Dehiwela.

The seminar will be conducted inthe English medium.

All are invited––registration onor before February 18 (limited to 30participants). A vegetarian lunchand refreshments will be provided.

Raja Yoga meditation is a form ofmeditation to build and strengthenthe inner resources of the mind.Raja Yoga meditation will help anindividual to develop peace of mind,a healthy life, concentration andclarity of the intellect and attain-ments of spiritual powers which willusher in a happy life.

Being a practical way of bringingpeace into our day-to-day activities,Raja Yoga can be practised regard-less of anyone’s physical health, edu-cation, social status, religion or age.Illustration, music and guided medi-tation will help the participants toprogress at optimum rate.

All the programmes of BrahmaKumaris Raja Yoga Centre are free ofcharge. For further details pleasecontact 011-2717572.

by Bingiriya Corr.

Ministry of LivestockDevelopment has madearrangements to set upfresh milk sales centres in28 schools in theKurunegala District duringthis year. Subsidised milkwill be available at thesecentres.

Deputy Director ofEducation Bingiriya W. M.Balasooriya, told The Islandthat 43,000 students in theKurunegala district wouldbenefit from this project.

Balasooriya told a meet-ing of school principalsrecently at Bingiriya MMVthat President MahindaRajapaksa had instructedthe Ministry of Educationto continue the programmeof supplying free mid-daymeals to primary studentsof remote schools. The gov-ernment spent 120 millionrupees annually for thispurpose.

He pointed out that can-teens in many schools werereported to be selling fooditems unfit for human con-sumption to students andthe Ministry of Educationhad already instructed prin-cipals to be vigilant.

Public Health Inspectorsof the NWP HealthDepartment had beeninstructed to conduct regu-lar checks on school can-teens and ensure the quali-ty of food, he said.

by Bingiriya Corr.

The Ayurvedic Department of theNWP will set up 65 CommunityHealth Centres in the Kurunegalaand Puttalam Districts.

Special focus of the project willon the senior citizens’ mental andphysical health conditions.

In addition to medical treatment,senior citizens who spend their livesat registered elders’ homes in theKurunegala and Puttalam districtswill be provided with facilities toobserve ‘sil’ and to have meditationsessions.

Dr. H. M. Herathbanda, thePresident of Bingiriya AyurvedicPhysicians’ Association said that thegovernment had allocated 12.2 mil-lion rupees for this purpose.

by J. Antony, Ratnapura Corr.

Hemmathagama Muslim Al AzarNavodya Vidyalaya will get an auditori-um and a fully-fledged science laborato-ry. The Sabaragamuwa ProvincialCouncil has released Rs. 1.7 million forthis purpose.

The number of children attendingthe school is over 1,400. It comes underthe Mawanella Zonal Educationaloffice. The work on the auditorium andScience lab is nearing completion.

Principal M. A. M. Nisthar said theschool had attained considerable devel-opment during the past few years. Butlast year 20 children had passed theGrade Five Scholarship examination.Over 76% candidates had passed theGCE (O/L) examination and 89% ofcandidates had got through the GCE(A/L) examination and three studentshad succeeded in getting admission tothe University last year to study medi-cine.

The principal said he had initiated ascheme to give scholarships to brightchildren coming from very poor fami-lies to further their studies at theBehror Campus in Rajasthan, India.Already six students had been sent tothere to follow Information Technologyand Journalism, he said.

Weeravila Agro-Export Zone work expedited Seminar onRaja YogaMeditation

Subsidised freshmilk available inschools

New auditorium andscience. lab for Al AzarNavodya Vidyalaya

Ven. Mahanayake

Prisonersdemand bail

NWP to get 65Ayurvedacommunityhealth centres

by Nimal Palihawadane,Akuressa Corr.

It was President MahindaRajapaksa who had put an endto large scale vote rigging bymaking it mandatory to estab-lish one’s identity to vote,Minister of Transport, DallasAlahapperuma said counter-

ing theOpposition’sallegation thatthe Presidenthad secured asecond termthrough a com-puter fraud.

TheMinister saidthat a propos-

al to make identity cards com-pulsory for voting had beenthere for thirty years but nogovernment had wanted toimplement it fearing that itsinterests would be jeopar-dised. President Rajapaksahad put democracy before par-tisan political interests andimplemented that proposal, he

said.The Minister said,

“Therefore, why should thePresident resort to a computerfrauds to win an election? It isunfortunate that some sinisterpolitical elements are tryingto tarnish the image of thePresident, unable to bear thehumiliating electoral loss.

President stopped voting malpracticesby making NIC compulsory to vote

by CyrilWimalasurendre

KANDY – The DeputyMayor of Kandy K. L.Suminda Wickremasinghe(UNP), on Tuesday (15),assumed duties as actingMayor replacing Mayor L.B. Aluwihare, who wassuspended by the ChiefMinister of the CentralProvince.

Chief Minister SarathEkanayake suspendedMayor Aluwihare by aGazette notification pend-ing investigation into alle-gations against him.

Ekanayake appointedretired Judicial Officer N.Mahendran to inquire

into allegations and sub-mit a report within threemonths.

Meanwhile, Aluwihareplans to submit a writapplication to the Court ofAppeal against the sus-pension.

Commencing officialduties as Mayor, SumindaWickremasinghe had ameeting with officials ofthe Municipal Council andMunicipal CommissionerChandana Tennakoon onTuesday morning.

Later in the afternoon,Wickremasinghe wasreceived by the public atDalada Veediya and theMarket square.

Dy Mayor assumesduties as Kandy Mayor

The Chinese government donated over Rs. 585 million worth of machinery including 10Bulldozes, 07 Graders, 10 Backhoe Loaders, 05 wheel loaders and 02 vibrator rollers to the SriLankan government for the ‘Uthuru Wasanthaya’ programme. Chinese Ambassador YangXiuping in Sri Lanka hands over the keys of the vehicles to Prime Minister RatnasiriWickramanayake.

by Asanka Sahabandu

Fifteen remand prisoners at theWelikada Prison staged a hungerstrike on Monday (15) on the roof of‘L’ block demanding they be grant-ed bail.

Commissioner of Prisons (CivilAdministration), Kenneth Fernandotold The Island that the protestershad been remanded for drug relat-ed crimes.

The Prison authorities managedto bring the situation under controlafter a few hours. The prisonersabandoned their protest.

by J. Antony

There was tension on theChesterford estate,Gonagaldeniya, in theRuwanwella electorate followingan attack on a youth by four per-sons from a nearby village.

The youth sustained a headinjury and was rushed to hospital.He was later discharged.

The attack triggered a strikeand many families fled the estatefearing violent clashes.

The police stepped in to restornormalcy. Two suspects werearrested and others were abscond-ing.

The youth was assaulted fortaking part in a procession organ-ised by a section of villagers fol-lowing the victory of PresidentMahinda Rajapaksa.

A peace mission headed byVen. Madampagame Assaji Theravisited the estate to settle the dis-pute.

They met the Manager of theestate W. M. R. H. Ranasinghe andthe workers. It was decided tohold a meeting later with the par-ticipation of the workers, vil-lagers, the village priest, thepolice and the District Secretaryof Kegalle to prevent defuse ten-sion.

Estate youth attackedfor celebratingPresident’s victory The 62nd

Annual GeneralMeeting of the SriLanka CancerSociety will beheld on Thursday,February 25,2010 at 5.00 p.m.at 37/25, BullersLane, Colombo07.

AttorneyGeneral MohanPieris will gracethe occasion asChief Guest.Several other dis-tinguished guestswill be present.

CancersocietyAGM

Dallas