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JVP accused of 'psychological terrorism’

President Kumaratunga with JVP leader Somawansa Amerasinghe

Kumaratunga says JVP ministers are blocking 'progressive' cabinet papers

Sri Lanka’s president has accused her coalition partner of running a psychological warfare against her government.

Making a scathing attack on the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Sunday said the JVP is sabotaging every attempt in the Cabinet of ministers to introduce “progressive” cabinet papers.

In an hour-long live phone-in interview with Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), the president has accused the four JVP ministers in the cabinet of running a “psychological terrorism”.

Kumaratunga told the chairman of the SLBC Hudson Samarasinghe that the JVP is on a mission to spread false information that the proposed mechanism to share relief aid with Tamil tigers would threaten Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Joint Mechanism

She admitted the country’s economy facing a crisis “due to JVP’s activites”. JVP ministers are blocking all cabinet papers of other ministers while getting approval for their own “pet projects”.

Peoples Bank for example, is on the verge of collapse due to unpaid Rs. 95 billion by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), Kumaratunga said.

The inflation rate, which is at 18.5 percent at the moment, could be reduced to 10 percent if the JVP allows restructuring of “failing” government institutions, according to the president.

The JVP on Friday threatened to leave the government unless Kumaratunga withdraw her plans to sign the proposed joint mechanism (JM) between the government and the Tamil Tigers for tsunami reconstruction before 15 June.

However, in an apparent attempt to mobilise support for the JM, she met parliamentarians of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) later on Sunday.

The president said she would meet opposition leader Ranil Wickramasinghe this week.

Tsunami survivors protest in southern Sri Lanka demanding compensation for destroyed homes

Hundreds of tsunami survivors protested in southern Sri Lanka Sunday alleging the government has still not compensated them for homes lost to December catastrophe.

The demonstrators in Pareliya village carrying black flags blocked traffic on the main road linking capital Colombo with the southern town of Galle.

Protesters turned violent and stoned a bus when police tried to disperse the crowd. They said police attacked protesting women with rifle butts. No one was injured.

Later the villagers sat blocking aroad and demanded that a senior minister visit and assure them of a quick resolution to the problem.

``We have lived in this area with much respect but we have lost everything now and we are not receiving any assistance from the government,'' protester Premalal Dhanawardena said by telephone.

Peraliya, 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Colombo was where a train was swept by massive waves on Dec. 26, killing 2,000 passengers and villagers who tried to escape by crawling on top of the train.

Dhanawardena said the government promised 250,000 rupees (US$2,500; euro2,061) for every destroyed home but has not paid.

More than 31,000 Sri Lankan were killed and about 1 million lost their homes in the disaster.