The officer's new Nissan truck which was stolen from a parking lot last Saturday night had been found gutted and torched in Scarborough lot. The report also said in November a, Tamil gang member was caught videotaping the license plates of officers' personal cars and another was found tailing an officer driving home.

Meanwhile a group of Sri Lankans living in Toronto has commended the Toronto Star for the news story and warned that the Canadian government must take immediate action to prevent events of this nature. Published: Sat Jan 27 19:29:22 EST 2001

Even in the absence of a positive response from the government, the month-long period of ceasefire permitted general conditions of peace and tranquility to exist outside of the Jaffna peninsula. Further, in different parts of the north-east, there were large gatherings of people in favour of the ceasefire. Such a political mobilisation of people can become a substitute for militant violence.

The National Peace Council believes that the LTTE¹s unilateral ceasefire, no matter what its motivation, offers an opportunity to channel the ethnic conflict into the political arena and away from the military one. In the absence of a positive reciprocal move by the government, it is likely that the confidence of the people and the international community in a negotiated solution will be seriously eroded. This will have adverse consequences to the country and the people, including accentuating the economic downturn. We call on the government to positively reciprocate the LTTE¹s ceasefire extension and to create the climate in which a people¹s movement for ceasefire and a political solution will grow. Published: Sat Jan 27 13:25:26 EST 2001

The criminals had fled to Europe and the Middle East when warrants were issued for their arrest. The police say they are also looking for a leading gangster by the pseudo name of 'Malu Nihal' who is wanted in Sri Lanka for leading a Mafia style ring of underworld criminals. 'Malu Nihal' recently gave an interview to a newspaper from a hidden abode in Europe, boasting of his exploits in Sri Lanka.

The police maintain that corrupt politicians in Sri Lanka have helped the gangsters to escape local police and have faciliated their trips abroad. Published: Sat Jan 27 13:25:27 EST 2001

The reasons for the near crash of the CEB are varied. Disgusted employees who are forced to remain anonymous as they may suffer harassment if identified say that a terrific lack of commitment by top managers, huge misappropriation of funds and mismanagement of the entire CEB has resulted in this sorry situation.

A tender valued at over 9 billion rupees and awarded to a Japanese firm by the CEB, received 20 percent to begin construction instead of the stipulated 10% in the contractual agreement approved by a Cabinet Appointed Tender Board. The twenty percent draw-down payment was made by the CEB to begin work on the gas turbine project at Kelanitissa. The Ministry of Power & Energy has already lodged a complaint with the government Treasury, stating that tender stipulations have been violated and a fraud committed. A top man at the CEB pointed out that it is this kind of fraudulent deal, that has sunk the CEB into depths in which it cannot swim let alone float.

For the last one year the CEB has been paying a Dutch owned firm 'Aggriekko' 95,000/-(ninety five thousand) sterling pounds per week (over eleven million rupees per week) as rental for the use of emergency generators. This payment is made after the CEB has supplied the fuel, and other lubricants for the running of these machines.

The CEB is also paying 'Aggriekko' Rs. 12.50 per unit of electricity generated from the emergency generators. The CEB in turn is forced to sell electricity to the consumers at Rs. 4.60 per unit. The domestic sector is even less and sold at Rs. 3 per unit. The domestic sector accounts for one third of the CEB consumer sector.

In this context, taking into account the millions of units bought by the CEB and the payments made to most of these private generators they are in the red for approximately over rupees one thousand two hundred million every month and the figures are growing. This does not include the 40 additional megawatts negotiated by the CEB last week which they are buying to meet the present power crisis.

Poor public relations and a massive lack of commitment both political and managerial has resulted in the CEB not being successful in pushing forward a coal power plant project which is deemed absolutely essential for the country. In fact the former Chief Engineer Planning for the CEB, Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya pointed out that if a coal power plant is not in place by the year 2005, the CEB will crash.

Needless to say, if the CEB does crash, it will bring down with it not only the government, but, the entire nation not to mention an already staggering economy. The stark and frightening reality right now is that the CEB is teetering dangerously on a red line that cannot be brushed aside or ignored.

If coal is not used an alternative to fuel electricity plants, Dr. Siyambalapitiya has predicted that the price of electricity per unit will cost Rs. 9/- three years from now, plus with the depreciation of the rupee double the cost per unit, to the consumer.

Dr. Susantha Perera, President of the CEB Engineers Union, said that a lack of direction and planning both political and managerial, to ensure the coal power plant was built has resulted in this present crisis.

The powerful Bishop of Chilaw, Dr. Frank Marcus Fernando was instrumental in influencing President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge to stop the construction of a coal power plant at Norochcholai in the Chilaw district. He lobbied the President hard weeks before the presidential election in 1999, and she bowed to the wishes of the angry Bishop who maintains that a coal power plant at Norochcholai will casue a serious security threat to the area and endanger the freedom of pilgrims visiting the centuries old St. Anne's shrine at Thalawila, situated 9 kilometeres away from the chosen site for the plant.

The Bishop's position caused an almighty row with officials at the CEB including the top management. The Chairman of the CEB, Arjun Deraniyagala now maintains that it is up to the President to take a decision and decide if indeed the present crisis situation in the country is worthy of the coal power plant being built at Norochcholai.

The Japanese government has already spent 800 million rupees which was released as a soft loan to the government of Sri Lanka to conduct a feasibility study at Norochcholai. Published: Sat Jan 27 13:25:27 EST 2001