We are taking it seriously says US Embassy
[ Sunday Times - SL ] [ 12:54 GMT, Mar. 13, 2006 ]
The US embassy in Colombo said it was taking the issue of forged visas very seriously. US Embassy Information Officer Helaena W. Rathore said the visas had been examined by officials of the Embassy and that it has been determined that they were forgeries. “The U.S. takes the forgery of its travel documents very seriously. “The Embassy is very grateful for the co-operation of the Sri Lanka CID in this case. Clearly, the Sri Lankan government takes fraud issues seriously as well,” Ms. Rathore said. Stressing that she could not give more details regarding the ongoing probe, she said Sri Lankans should be vigilant and suspicious of any individual organisation claiming to have the ability to arrange US visas for a fee. “Any such incident should be reported to Sri Lankan or US authorities for further investigation,” Ms. Rathore said.
Alaska visa scandal: CID to record statement from Jeevan
Source: Sunday Times - March 12, 2006
CID detectives are to record a statement from Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Jeevan Kumaratunga over the multi-billion forged passport scandal.The move follows revelations made by some of the suspects now in custody in connection with the racket which involved the issue of forged United States visas for jobs in Alaska.
The Sunday Times revealed exclusively last week how the offices of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs were turned into a headquarters of a multi-billion rupee human smuggling operation. It came to light after CID detectives arrested eight Sri Lankan nationals heading for Alaska with forged visas.
Minister Kumaratunga told The Sunday Times he had allowed two of his political supporters to use the Ministry premises to provide employment to needy youth. He claimed that they had been duped by a Nigerian party who had promised the youth visas.
CID investigations have revealed that the persons who operated this alleged job racket had not registered themselves as a job agency, which is a legal requirement. They are now investigating to ascertain why visas for such jobs were sought from a Nigerian party when such applications could have been made directly to the United States Embassy in Colombo.
Senior CID officials yesterday dismissed as idle talk reports that that they had been relieved of the responsibility of conducting investigations. “We are very much in charge of the investigation and are proceeding with it,” an official who did not wish to be identified declared.
The CID has also sought the assistance of both the Interpol and the United States Government to continue its investigations.
Alaskan job-seekers left in the cold
Source: Sunday Times - March 12, 2006
Eight youth, amongst who were some who had mortgaged their houses, pawned their jewellery or borrowed money from friends and relations to pay for their ‘US visas’ were due to take off in a Singaporean Airlines flight from the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) on February 23.
They had bid farewell to their kith and kin and seven of them had cleared immigration formalities where their visas had been checked. But the last person in the batch aroused suspicion leading officials to recheck the visas of all of them.
The group was the first of a batch of 79 people who had been promised employment in a ‘Sea food factory’ in Anchorage (Alaska) in the United States.They were under the impression that they had been given a two year ‘visa’ enabling them to work.
But, they were soon disillusioned as officials of the CID surrounded them, checked their visas and took them in for questioning. They were later placed in remand custody. Their dreams of having a better life were shattered.The detection has sparked off an investigation into a major human smuggling racket for which the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs was used as the headquarters. During the week more than 10 people including Ministry officials were questioned by the CID and their statements recorded.The register maintained at the reception where visitor’s names had been entered has been taken away by the CID to establish that those people had in fact visited the Ministry.
Following the detection, a meeting on Wednesday between Minister Jeevan Kumaratunga and some other youth who were to follow in batches to the US, has further confirmed that the Ministry office at 420 Bauddhaloka Mawatha Colombo 7, close to the Kanatte junction had been used for the racket.The Sunday Times learns that the prospective job seekers had been given a form in which they had to declare their personal details including the amounts they had paid and hand it over to a supporter of the minister identified as Bernard Silva, who operates from the Ministry office.
In turn the job seekers had been told not to talk to the media with hints that it would endanger their chances of getting back the money. They have reportedly been told by the Minister to give him a month’s time to look into the possibility of getting their money back.
However, some of them reluctantly told The Sunday Times that their main aim was getting back the money which they had paid with difficulty. Those whose applications were being processed had paid a minimum of Rs. 300,000, but most of them had paid over Rs. 500,000.Secretary to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, S. Virittamulla denied any knowledge of the meeting which took place on Wednesday with the prospective job seekers who had paid money.
“I can certainly say that there has been no meeting with any ministry official. I am not aware of any meeting which has taken place,” he said.He said he was unable to comment on the ongoing investigations into the matter as it could hamper the CID investigations.
The prospective job-seeking youth who heard that the first batch of their colleagues had been remanded had been shocked by the turn of events.The eight youth were produced before the Negombo Acting Magistrate Swarna Perera on Thursday and remanded until March 23 as the CID is due to file a further report on the investigations.
Some of the others who were to follow this first batch of job-seekers were visibly shaken when they saw their colleagues being hand-cuffed and led to the Negombo Magistrates court.
Fearing they might not get back their money a few of these youth, who had been played out, described to us how they raised the money required to go across to Alaska.One of them closed up his business establishment, while another had to borrow money from his parents to obtain the visa. Another youth drawing more than Rs. 50,000 salary at a private firm had resigned from his job to travel abroad.
Another youth now in remand prison had got his parents to borrow money on monthly interest which his family would have to pay All of them had paid the money to a number of political supporters of Minister Kumaratunga. Among them are Ashoka Kothalawala and Prashantha who are in custody. The main culprit, Mr. Nihal Karunaratne is not in the country.
These youth who have been hoodwinked and robbed of their monies told us they would continue to go to the ministry until justice is done and they get back the monies due to them.
My supporters duped by Nigerians: JeevanMinister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Jeevan Kumaratunga blamed a group of Nigerians for duping his political supporters by promising them genuine visas for prospective job seekers in the US.
Mr. Kumaratunga admitted his Ministry premises was used by his political supporters to collect the money to provide employment in the US for a group of youth.
The Sunday Times investigations revealed that Mr. Kumaratunga’s political supporters who used the ministry premises for this controversial exercise had no official status. The group had no formal official recognition as a registered employment agency nor obtained any formal government clearance to send unemployed youth abroad.
The CID has been informed of this by the Ministry Secretary S. Viriththamulla in a lengthy statement. Contrary to last week’s reports one of the two men behind the alleged racket now in custody is not a member of the National Youth Service Council, but a businessman. The second suspect is however an NYSC member.
The businessman had been using a room in the Ministry premises for this human cargo racket. CID investigations have revealed that he posed as the Research and Development officer in the Ministry – a post which officially did not even exist.
“I have given permission for my supporters to carryout my political activities from my Ministry to help youth to seek jobs locally and abroad. Therefore they had collected the money to provide employment and get them the visas,” Mr. Kumaratunga said.
He said that the passports of the first batch of eight prospective job seekers had been sent to a Nigerian agent to obtain the visas and he believed that genuine visas has been obtained.
“This was done with good intention to help youth to find jobs abroad. If my supporters wanted to cheat the people they would not have charged only Rs. 800,000 to send people to the US. They would have charged much more,” Mr. Kumaratunga stressed.
Asked whether the other Sri Lankans who had paid money would be refunded, he said that they would have to await the outcome of the investigations. He said that he would provide necessary information to the CID to carryout the investigation.
CID detectives said last night they were probing why the men behind the alleged job racket chose to seek help from a Nigerian source to obtain US visas for Sri Lankans when there is a US embassy in Colombo. They confirmed that no request has been made for visas from the US embassy in Nigeria, raising further suspicion over the credentials of those who were operating in that country. They said the assistance of both INTERPOL and the US government had been sought.
Bala on JVP and Norway
[ Sunday Leader ] [ 13:11 GMT, Mar. 13, 2006 ]
LTTE Chief Negotiator Anton Balasingham has come down hard on the anti Norway campaign unleashed by the JVP and has expressed doubts of President Rajapakse being able to move the peace process forward with spoiler elements as his allies."The violent outburst of the JVP against Norwegian facilitation clearly demonstrates the ignorance and absurdity of their position. In view of the formidable efforts made by the Norwegian facilitators over several years with remarkable patience and perseverance, adhering to an unbiased, objective neutrality to promote the peace building process in Sri Lanka, the accusations of the JVP are unfair and totally irresponsible. As facilitators, the Norwegians have to treat the parties in conflict with parity of status, as partners in negotiations, preventing the fostering of asymmetrical relations between state and non state actors. This is a crucial element in facilitation and it requires constant contact, building inter-personal relations and profound understanding of the policies and projects of the parties in conflict."
