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Airman shoots Corporal

An Airman was shot dead by one of his colleagues at the Hingurakgoda Air base on Sunday evening.

Hingurakgoda Police said that the victim was a Corporal who was in charge of the armoury. He had attacked an Airman and later complained to higher officers that the Airman had attacked him.

Later, in the evening the Airman was called for duty and the Corporal Nimal Ranjith Karunathilaka had issued a weapon to the Airman.

With the weapon the Airman had gone into the armoury from the rear door and fired at the Corporal.The victim died on the spot.

According to Police there were eight bullets wounds in the body of the victim.

However, Hingurakgoda OIC IP Ashoka Perera had arrested the Airman and remanded him yesterday.

Vacancies for 510 midwives

The North East Provincial Ministry of Health has called for applications for the appointment of 510 midwives to fill vacancies existing in the North East Province and the Ministry has received over 10,000 applications. Provincial Health Ministry sources disclosed that of the 10,000 applications only about 2,000 have the required qualifications.

Though all the areas in the NEP are short of midwives, Ampara district has eleven midwives in excess.

While the cadre requirement is 116 there are 127 midwives in service. The population of Ampara is 300,287. Kalmunai with a population of 360,591 has 146 midwives, while the cadre requirement is 158 short of 12 midwives.

The cadre requirement for the NEP is 1,237 midwives and there are only 727 midwives in service.

Jaffna is the worst affected district in the NEP with a shortage of 268 midwives. Jaffna has only 83 midwives as against the cadre requirement of 351. The cadre requirements and the number of midwives in position in other districts are as follows: Trincomalee cadre requirement 172 in position 115; Vavuniya cadre requirement 73, in position 35; Mannar cadre requirement 77 in position 38; Kilinochchi cadre requirement 61 in position 20; Mullaithivu cadre requirement 47 in position 20; Batticaloa cadre requirement 182 in position 143.

Interviews are to be held on district level to facilitate the applicants.

49,000 families resettled

According to a resettlement program for Trincomalee district prepared by the district office of the Ministry of Eastern Development of the 56,000 families displaced, 49,000 families have been resettled up to 2001. About 7,000 more families have to be resettled soon. This program has been identified to resettle about 5,500 families. The total requirement for the resettlement of the 5,500 families according to the resettlement package is Rs. 356m and for the restoration of infrastructure the amount required is Rs. 147 m. Furthermore the arrears payable to the already resettled families is Rs. 140 m.

Resettlement of displaced people is considered a human problem in the sense that displaced families cannot be allowed to languish for too long in refugee camps. Infrastructure restoration and improvement is a vital necessity for further progress of this district. Some of the displaced families are still living abroad and in other districts.

Infrastructure development includes improvement to internal roads, construction of drinking water wells, repairs to schools, construction of multi-purpose community centre buildings, jungle clearing, repairs to nursery schools, extension of electricity supply, repairs to drainage, construction of toilets, etc. These works have been estimated to cost Rs. 147,155,000.

Father of two stabbed to death

A father of two who was stabbed by his younger brother over a family dispute succumbed to his injuries at the Colombo National Hospital.

According to K. A. Trilicia, wife of the deceased they lived in the same compound as their 'mother-in-law' at Senapola, Mamperiya, Puttlam. She was giving evidence before Additional City Coroner, M. Ashroff Rumy.

She said that her mother-in-law was addicted to alcohol and quarrelled with them regularly. On the day of the incident at about 7.00 p.m. their mother-in -law picked up a quarrel and when her husband's younger brother, Francis Emmanuel, came there she (mother-in-law) told him that witness's husband had hit her (the mother-in law) whereupon her brother-in law Francis brought a sword and attacked and cut her husband Leenat Antony, she told the inquest held at the City Coroner's.

Martha Veronika, younger sister of the mother of the victim testified at the inquest that as she came to the scene she saw Antony push his mother. Veronica was helping her to sit when Francis approached. He had been told that his brother had hit their mother.

The suspect then ran to his home to bring a sword. Martha further noted that than victim attempted to cut his brother by a knife which was in his hand. When Francis attempted escape from the attack the sword accidently hit on Antony's stomach.

"Antony my eldest son hit on my cheek and pushed me down", M. Mariyana observed at the inquest.

She told that her daughter-in-law gave the knife to Antony when Francis came there.

Shanuka Sanjeewa, 12, son of the deceased told the inquest that his father did not hit his grand mother.

The victim had been taken to the Puttlam Hospital in a van by his youngest brother Rajah and was transferred to the National Hospital, Colombo where he died.

A verdict of homicide was recorded by the Additional City Coroner. Evidence was led by PC Ratnatilake of Puttlam Police.

House for destitute family

Venerable Navarathangoda Jinarathana Thera chanted Seth Pirith before the brief ceremony conducted at Medagama, Udatenne within Ukuwela Divisional Secretary's area, in front of the new house built with the community support, and the keys were handed over to Mrs. A.G. Premawathie. She was the mother of three mentally handicapped daughters and was living in a hut, without a family breadwinner. Her husband the father of the girls had deserted them some time back rendering them helpless.

Navarathnagoda Grama Niladhari Mrs. G. Jayarathne took the initiative to build a new home for this destitute family. Matale Sarvodaya leader Dharmasiri Priyankara and Samurdhi Development Officer of the area and many good-hearted people in the neighbourhood contributed in the form of building materials, cash and voluntary labour in the construction of the new home.

Matale District Secretary Ramya Siriwansa, participated as the chief invitee and handed over the keys to Mrs. Premawathie. He spoke on this occasion and said that although the kindness and sympathy for others is disappearing from the society, yet there are some people ready to support others. Mrs. Jayarathne, the Grama Niladharini of the area has accomplished a praiseworthy service by taking the lead in helping this poor family. It also has demonstrated the trust the members of the community have placed on her. In conclusion he drew the attention of the big contributors to sports to divert some of their money to the social service venture to let live the marginalised section in the society.

Matale District Manager of the National Housing Authority C.B. Hellarawa thanked the contributors and the participants of the project and said that the house they had constructed was worth over Rs. 200,000.

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