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Lankan president says she regrets snap polls
TOI/AFP,
March 14.
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga apologised Sunday for calling snap elections but said the polls were needed due to the failure of her attempted political cohabitation with a rival premier.
The president said in a televised nationwide address her efforts to work with the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had been unsuccessful, prompting her decision in February to seek a fresh mandate from the people.
"I sincerely regret having to call a third parliamentary election within four years," Kumaratunga said, referring to polls held in October 2000 and December 2001.
Wickremesinghe lost the 2000 vote, but came to power a year later to form an uneasy cohabitation with a president elected separately in December 1999 for a six-year term.
More...
Published: Sun Mar 14 23:42:39 EST 2004
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120,981 Families Affected in Anuradhapura - Red Cross Appeals for Drought Relief
Bandula Jayasekara in Colombo,
SLT 7.00 A.M Monday 15 March.
The Sri Lanka Red Cross has made an urgent appeal for drought relief to help
120, 981 families affected by the drought in Anuradhapura. Red Cross
President Jagath Abeysinghe told The Lanka Academic that 120,981 Families
have lost their crops and many are without any income for the past three
months as the cultivation activities of the district is at a complete
standstill. He said " The rich agricultural land in Anuradhapura is
completely destroyed by the drought prevailing in the district for the past
three months as the last rainfall received was in August last year. All the
wells and reservoirs in the villages have completely dried up, and many more
wells and small lakes are in the process of disappearing." The drought has
also affected the cattle farmers and the milk collection in the area has
dropped drastically.
Abeysinghe said a Red Cross assessment team was sent to Anuradhapura on
Friday. Having met with the Government Agent Anuradhapura U.D.Yapa, AGA's
Herath and Chulananda and the farmers the team had reported to him that the
drought had severely affected all 23 AGA Divisions of the Anuradhapura
district destroying the entire paddy cultivation, Chenna Cultivation and all
Vegetable crops and also coconut trees. He said, "The water levels of 30
Small 15 Medium and 3 large water tanks has completely dried-up. According
to the Government officials and the Village communities this is the first
occasion in last 50 Years such a sever drought is experienced in this
district."
Red Cross President said that they were in immediate need of relief
assistance and also essential food items such as sugar, dhal and rice. He
requested people to contact Ananda Lecamwasam of Sri Lanka Red Cross on
0777/721629, 5370726 or 5376966 to help the affected.
The farmers in Anuradhapura District have complained that the water storage
facility of the water tanks have been reduced considerably in the past 50
Years due to non maintenance of these tanks and mismanagement of the
Mahaweli system which supports 6% of the farmer communities in Anuradhapura
district. The farmers had been deprived of continued water supply during the
past year. They complain that more water in excess of the need had been
diverted to Polonnaruwa district due to political interference. Leader of
the Red Cross assessment team J. Ravindrean pointed out that relief
assistance has been promised only for the month of March by the
Government and the situation may be critical in the coming months if the
drought continues. He warned that there may be a outbreak of disease in the
district soon.
Published: Sun Mar 14 20:09:37 EST 2004
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Prime Minister says LTTE suicide cadres safer than UPFA
Alladin Hussein in Colombo,
March 15, 2004, 12.43 pm.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has declared that the United People’s Freedom Alliance, which constitutes the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna is much more dangerous than the LTTE suicide cadres.
He reportedly made this statement during a public rally in Kurunegala. The Premier also said that the SLFP-JVP Alliance is making various attempts to disrupt the future of the country. Mr. Wickremesinghe said that the alliance has introduced disruptive policies far more dangerous than the LTTE suicide cadres.
“ Suicide cadres destroy people and their property but the freedom alliance destroys the future of the country,” he alleged.
Published: Sun Mar 14 13:46:24 EST 2004
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