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The Sajin Vass scandal: Will they say

Nonis slapped himself?


Sunday, October 05, 2014
Information that Monitoring MP Sajin de Vass
Gunawardena was holding a news conference at 7.53 a.m. on Thursday. The riefing was to ta!e "lace in
one hour and 3# minutes. $s last%minute ad&isories went' this one too! the ca!e.
(ut the media were raring to go. (y now' it was widely !nown that Gunawardena had assaulted )hris
*onis' Sri +an!a,s -igh )ommissioner to (ritain' after an argument in *ew .or!. *ews that the chief
"rotagonist would now address journalists was hailed with unridled enthusiasm.
$nother ad&isory came y /.3# a.m. instructing editors and news editors to gi&e the Ministry names of
media "ersonnel attending the media conference. $ third came at 0.#1 a.m.' confirming the news
conference.
(y 0.23 a.m.' a fourth ad&isory was sent out and it read4 56e wish to inform you that the Press )onference
scheduled for today' Thursday 3nd 7ctoer 3#12 at #03# a.m. at the Ministry of 89ternal $ffairs has een
cancelled' due to unforeseen circumstances. 6e regret the incon&enience caused.:
The media were flummo9ed. The rele&ant officer at the Ministry,s Pulic )ommunications ;i&ision had
wor!ed tirelessly since morning to ensure that the message of the news conference was duly con&eyed to
all concerned. -e tele"honed' te9ted and emailed. -e confirmed' corrected and reconfirmed. <ournalists
were on the way.
It did not matter that they had no idea what this riefing was aout. They only !new that the issue of 5that
sla": would e raised. $nd that the "ulic would finally ha&e an answer.
(y now' the story was all o&er the internet and had grown in "ro"ortion. The President had re=uested an
emargo on it rea!ing in the Sunday news"a"ers last wee!' ho"ing he could sort matters out. It was eing
re"eatedly shared on social media y Monday. $nd it had graduated from initial re"orts of a sla"' to a
o9ing of the ears' to a ro!en tooth' to a full lown assault on a "rostrate *onis' to a fren>ied attac! in
which Gunawardena had ro!en his toe while !ic!ing the -igh )ommissioner.
So not only were the media disa""ointed when the news conference was called off' they were "i=ued
enough to re"ort it. $ te9t message cancelling the riefing had said' courteously' 5;ear ?riends' the Press
)onference has een cancelled as flight ad&anced. *ew date will e informed shortly. @egret the
incon&enience caused.:
)uriously' Mr. Gunawardena accom"anied President Mahinda @aja"a!sa to @ome in an afternoon flight
that left Aatunaya!e "ast noon. So if the e9cuse of 5flight ad&anced: was to hold water' he either
BneedlesslyC time%tra&elled forward and ac!ward%or noody in that infernal Ministry still !nows whether he
or she is coming or going.
$nd +an!ans who can laugh through any calamity ha&e this to say aout the "ending in=uiry that has een
ordered y the President into the matter. MP Gunawardene denies ha&ing assaulted -) *onis. So' the
&erdict isD -) *onis sla""ed himself. -e sla""ed himself so hard that he fell down and a ay ele"hant
rought for the "arty tram"led him underfoot. The Secretary to the Ministry of 89ternal $ffairs will e issuing
a circular ne9t wee! to $ll -eads of Sri +an!an 7&erseas Missions reminding them that under the
8stalishment )ode it is a &iolation for any -ead of Mission to sla" himself without the "rior a""ro&al of the
Secretary to the Ministry.
$nd as one wit utted in to sayD ;r *onis eing the good )atholic he is' when sla""ed on one side of his
face' did indeed offer the other chee!.
-uman -eart Val&e (an!
The Go&ernment has decided to estalish a -uman -eart Val&e (an!.
It will e located at the +ady @idgeway -os"ital in (orella. The mo&e comes on a recommendation y
-ealth Minister Maithri"ala Sirisena.
?oundations on sha!y grounds
More and more ministers are see!ing a""ro&al for the setting u" of ?oundations.
7ne such latest "ro"osal is from Social Ser&ices Minister ?eli9 Perera to estalish a Pandu (andaranai!e
-ela <ana ?oundation.
Power and 8nergy Minister Pa&ithra 6anniarachchi has sought a""ro&al for the construction of a uilding
for the Sa&umyamoorthy Thondaman Memorial ?oundation.
*ew I;s for cattle
The Go&ernment has decided to carry out a cattle identification "rogramme free of charge for two years.
This is after sus"ending the enforcement of a regulation under the $nimals $ct *o.30 of 105/ which
sti"ulates a @s. 3# le&y for registering the cattle with the Go&ernment &eterinary surgeon as well as for
fi9ing an ear tag with an identification numer on each head of cattle.
The )ainet of Ministers on Tuesday a""ro&ed the sus"ension of the said regulation ased on a "ro"osal
y $rumugam Thondaman' Minister of +i&estoc! and @ural )ommunity ;e&elo"ment.
The Minister told his colleagues that cattle identification system was fundamental for tracing of an animal
either for disease control or for reeding and that the ;e"artment concerned found it difficult to carry out
the "rogramme.
This was due to small farmers as well as large herd owners not e9tending their coo"eration in this regard.
This seriously affects the dairy de&elo"ment "rogrammes of the Go&ernment.
M@ ele&ated from ;ay 3 to ;ay 1 in General $ssemly
;uring the annual high le&el segment of the E* General $ssemly' there is always a mad scramle among
amassadors to get "rime time for their own heads of state to address the world ody F "erha"s on the
same day as high "rofile leaders.
6ith more than 135 "olitical leaders in town' the joc!eying goes on to get there ahead of others. 7n the
original list of s"ea!ers released in $ugust' President Mahinda @aja"a!sa was scheduled to s"ea! on the
third day.
(ut in an ele&enth%hour switch' he was listed to s"ea! on the first day' along with heads of state from the
ES' South Aorea' Gatar' ?rance' S"ain' ?inland' Tur!ey and Indonesia.
)ountries re"resented only y their ministers get to s"ea! at the tail end of the $ssemly sessions when
the ca&ernous hall is &irtually em"ty.
Traditionally' the Maldi&es has een the last s"ea!er on the last day Be9ce"t when its head of go&ernment
is in townC. This year was no e9ce"tion. The listed s"ea!er was a s"ecial en&oy from the Maldi&es.
(ut when the Maldi&ian ?oreign Minister' the late ?athulla <ameel' made his annual "ilgrimage to the
General $ssemly sessions in the late 107#s and early 10/#s' he had no =ualms aout eing the last
s"ea!er. $fter each s"eech' in another long tradition' delegates and well%wishers line u" to congratulate the
s"ea!er when he returns to his seat.
<ameel was told y a Sri +an!an friend that he could rustle u" aout 35 Sri +an!ans to line u" to
congratulate him after his address to the $ssemly F ut on one condition4 <ameel has to sha!e hands
with one hand and deli&er a "ac!et of Maldi&e fish with the other.
$nd those were the days when Maldi&e ?ish was not a&ailale in any store in *ew .or! city. <ameel said
he would e more than ha""y to do it F ut unfortunately his E* mission did not ha&e a di"lomatic "ouch
to carry the delicacy from Male to *ew .or!.
Pissing, in trouled waters
It is no secret that "ulic officials under this Go&ernment are e9"ected to mind their Ps and Gs or suffer
dire conse=uences.
It might also e ad&isale for them to mind their Ps' ?s and S-s in future. $t a to"%le&el meeting at the
89ternal $ffairs Ministry related to a warning y the 8uro"ean Enion aout )hinese craft carrying out
Illegal' Enre"orted and Enregulated BIEEC fishing "ractices under the Sri +an!an flag' a ?isheries official
referred to some 5"issing: issue Bmuch to the emarrassment of the women officials "resent in the roomC.
They were confused F until it ecame clear that the senior official was actually alluding to the 5fishing:
issue. $nd it was a good thing too. Sri +an!a has enough "rolems on its "late. $ 5"issing: issue would
ha&e een one too many to handle.
State appoints gossip monger
This is "erha"s a first in any "art of the world.
$ Ministry where the "ulicity machinery wor!s o&ertime has tas!ed one officer to write what is titled
5Gossi": e&ery wee! and distriute it among the media. 7f course' he is "aid from the ta9"ayer,s money.
If @i"ley,s (elie&e it or *ot hears aout it' there will sure e a "lace for this State%aided gossi" mongering.
<VP "roclaims' no he can,t
The <anatha Vimu!thi Peramuna B<VPC is to launch a countrywide cam"aign to e9"lain that President
Mahinda @aja"a!sa cannot contest a third term in office.
The decision was made at a recent meeting of the Political (ureau of the "arty.
Vijitha -erath' MP has een "laced in charge of the cam"aign. The (ureau decided that the cam"aign
should egin within two months. (esides meetings' it will also include a "oster cam"aign.
Meanwhile' "ro%Go&ernment grou"s on Thursday launched a cam"aign for President @aja"a!sa,s third
term on the theme 5.es' he can:.
(ernard Soysa4 $ "ostal%mortem
@oads are eing re%named regularly in and around )olomo' ut it seems that the Postal ;e"artment is
not !ee"ing its staff u"dated.
In May this year' Airula @oad' *arahen"ita was renamed as (ernard Soysa Mawatha in honour of the late
&eteran +SSP "olitician ut a letter that was sent four months later to an address on the re%named road
was re%directed y the Postal authorities to Moratuwa.
The letter went to Moratuwa and as there was no (ernard Soysa Mawatha there' it was returned to sender.
In this case fortunately there was a return addressD otherwise it is li!ely the letter would ha&e ended in a in
somewhere.
Posted by Thavam

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