Trincomalee UC Chairman submits resignation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 26 January 1999, 08:07 GMT]
The Trincomalee Urban council (UC) Chairman Periyapody Sooriyamoorthy announced this morning that he will resign. He told the press in Trincomalee that he has called a special meeting on January 28 to discuss the matter.

Mr. Sooriyamoorthy further said that he will appoint another person to his position under the powers vested with him by the Urban Councils elections act.

He sent a ten page reply to the North-East Provincial Council (NEPC) governor's show cause notice today, to which he has annexed 300 pages of official documents supporting his case.

The Chairman said no final decision has been taken as to who would replace him.

One of the documents annexed to the Chairman's reply to the Governor's show cause notice of January 7 is a communication by former NEPC governor Gamini Fonseka dated 30 December 1996 on the new market issue which has centred in the events leading up to the Mr.Sooriyamoorthy's announcement today.

He said that this document alone should nail the canard about the new market and related matters spread by some government officials in Trincomalee who work only with the interests of the majority community in their hearts.

The following are excerpts of the ex NEPC Governor's letter.

"My Dear Chairman,

I have with me your letter regarding the tender for the Trincomalee vegetable market received on 27 December 1996 and I am also in receipt of a fax dated 27 December 1996.

The position of the Brigadier's order (to cancel the tender) must be clarified with Her Excellency the President who is also the commander in chief of all forces.

You will no doubt be aware of the fact the matters referred to and all affairs of the Urban Council do not come under the purview of the Governor since such powers are not conferred on the Governor by the Constitution.

You have quite rightly copied this letter to the President at which level the matter should be resolved.

As far as I am aware, you have adhered to all legal norms that should be followed in the matter of tenders very diligently. I shall be submitting my observations on the matter to HE the President on my own."

The Trincomalee UC chairman told the press "the Governor can either announce the date for opening the new market and my removal simultaneously or he should fix the date for the opening and then suspend me to begin investigations into the allegations against me in his show cause letter".

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