Quick Look

Special documentary on Tissa Abeysekera

A special documentary on late artiste Tissa Abeysekera will be telecast on Rupavahini at 9.30 p.m. on April 21.

The script is by Sunil Mihindukula and the documentary is produced and directed by Mrs. Vinitha Karunaratne.

New Estaff out

The third edition of the magazine ‘New Estaff’ published by the Ceylon Estates staffs’ Union is out now with details concerning issues faced by estate staff together with special articles on estate trade union activities.

Excess of 16,467 teachers

Education Minister Susil Premajayantha told Parliament yesterday that there was an excess of 16,467 teachers serving in Government schools while there was a shortage of 2,381 teachers to teach particular subjects.

The Minister said there is a shortage of qualified teachers to teach English, second language, Aesthetics and Advanced Level Physics. The Minister said there is an excess of 3,960 teachers in the Central Province, 4,436 teachers in the Southern Province, 2,269 teachers in the North Western Province, 2,537 teachers in the Uva Province, 2,526 teachers in the Sabaragamuwa Province and 739 teachers in the North Central Province.

(UK and IR)

Communist Party condoles

The Communist Party of Sri Lanka with shock and grief conveys its deepest sympathies to the bereaved family of the late Tissa Abeysekera and the Lanka Sama Samaja Party of which he was a leading member.

“Tissa belonged to the third generation of Left Leaders. His profound knowledge and versatility, his broad vision, his humane qualities, his inborn talents and skills, his commitment to the cause of social justice - all made him a worthy man of great admiration.

“His commitment to the cause of his party - Lanka Sama Samaja Party from the early days of his youth made him to broaden his vision. He stood by his Party at all times and claims in victory as well as in defeat.

He never faltered or wavered in his political convictions. He earned the love and admiration of the entire Left Movement. He was a colossus in the field of art and culture; irreplaceable. He was both a patriot and an internationalist.

“His death was an irreparable loss to the Left Movement in general and to his Party - Lanka Sama Samaja party in particular,” a message from the Communist Party said.

UPFA mourns Abeysekera’s death

The passing away of veteran film producer Dr. Tissa Abeysekera is not only a great shock but also irreplaceable to the intelligentsia of the country, General Secretary of the United People’s Freedom Alliance Minister Susil Premajayantha has stated in a condolence message.

Dr. Abeysekera was a scholar and a thinker par excellence. Several Sinhala films which carried his name as lyricist, director or producer speak volumes of his outstanding contribution to the cinema and tele drama sector in Sri Lanka.

Educated at Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Pannipitiya, Dr. Abeysekera imbibed the qualities of village life. He was not only a socialist but also an excellent orator, a press release from the UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha said.

Poachers kill Yala leopardess

A leopardess has been shot dead by a group of unidentified poachers in the Yala Sanctuary on Sunday.

The Department of Wildlife has despatched a team of officials to the area to investigate into the incident.

Yala is believed to have a concentration of about 36 to 40 leopards. The leopards will soon become extinct if this type of wanton killing goes on unabated, wildlife sources said.