Softdrinks for SLA eat 50% of ceremony funds

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 March 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Jaffna Municipal council officials said that of the 30000 (483 US$) rupees which was spent on the swearing in ceremony of the Jaffna mayor Mrs. Sarojini Yogeswaran on March 12, 17000 (274 US$) had been spent on canned soft drinks.

They said that such an exorbitant amount had to be spent on canned soft drinks because a large number of SLA personnel had been invited for the function.

Tea, which could have been much cheaper, was not allowed for security reasons. The SLA does not trust the Jaffna caterers, scared obviously by visions of a leathal brew of cyanide and tea dust.

Meanwhile two elected members of the Independent Group which contested the local government polls in the islands off Jaffna took their oaths today. The Independent Group was formed by former EPDP MPs Rameswaran and Ramamoorthy.

Siva Sivakumaran was sworn in as a member of the Velanai Pradeshiya Sabha and Vanniasingham Gunaseelan as a member of the Kayts P.S. The EPDP, which won the elections here is yet to be sworn in.

After taking oaths, the two PS mebers called on the government to lift the ban on the Liberation Tigers and to negotiate with them for peace. They will work towards national self determination they said.