Senthil Thondaman offers Rajapaksa a lift

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) helicopter carrying President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the Nuwara Eliya District Co- ordinating Committee meeting could not land near Lake Gregory.

The thick mist forced the pilot to try three different times but he decided it was not safe. So he did the next best thing. He flew to Keppetipola (on the WelimadaBandarawela Road) and landed in a cleared area.

The retinue of vehicles to receive the President had lined up near Lake Gregory. However, there was a good Samaritan in the form of Senthil Thondaman, a member of the Uva Provincial Council and a cousin of Minister Thondaman. He was driving his own vehicle.

He drove Rajapaksa to Nuwara Eliya from Keppetipola, a distance of 25 kilometres.

The Kelaniya Development Committee met last Wednesday at the Divisional Secretariat auditorium.It was chaired by Public Relations Minister Mervyn Silva in his capacity as the ruling party's main organiser for Kelaniya.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman and members of the Pradeshiya Sabhas. It was the first time after Minister Silva and Pradeshiya Sabha members who openly opposed him met together after their meeting with the President recently. However, neither the PS members nor the minister talked, smiled or looked at each other.

Minister Silva began the meeting by asking what is going on in the area. Government officials briefly said all activities are going ahead as usual and there was nothing special to report. Then the minister asked whether there were any other issues. There was silence. So then the minister decided to end the meeting which lasted not more than ten minutes.