Vavuniyaa choked with abrupt GA nominations

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 August 2008, 11:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Ministry of Public Administration recently transferred the Government Agent of Vavuniyaa S. Shanmugam from his post despite there was only a couple of months till his retirement. Meanwhile, the GA of Mullaiththeevu, Imela Sukumar, was appointed for his post and she was also instructed to look after Mullaiththeevu district from Vavuniyaa. But, her appointment has now been canceled. In the Meantime, the GA of Maanaar A. Nicholas Pillai, has been transferred to Vavuniyaa. The shifting appointments have come due to pressure from two competing paramilitary leaders operating from Colombo with vested interest in the affairs of Vavuniyaa, according to informed sources.

GA Shanumgam, who was transferred before his retirement, was not in favour of allowing encroachment of the public land adjacent to irrigation tanks in the district. The encroachers had the backing of a key paramilitary leader in Colombo.

However, the new appointment of Imelda Sukumar, sparked protest from another paramilitary leader, who has a hand in the affairs of Vavuniyaa without any official portfolio in the Rajapaksa government, according to the sources.

Further, Ms. Sukumar’s comments that came following the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery barrage on her residence and the hospital in Mullaiththeevu, had irked some quarters in the hierarchy. She had narrowly escaped from the shelling with minor injury.

A similar situation of conflicting appointments prevailed in Jaffna three months ago, when the Sri Lankan Judicial Service Commission (JSC) instructed abrupt transfers and appointments of the Magistrates for the various courts within the peninsula, followed by cancellations without reasons.

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