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Monday, 04 February 2002  
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'Open the closed roads in Kandy'

As far as the general public is concerned there was no punishment or a proper legal action against the security personnel who were responsible for the security lapses at that time.

Nevertheless, the highly patronised Dalada Veediya up to Anagarika Dharmapala Mawatha was closed immediately by putting the people into great difficulties. At present there is a long traffic jam in the morning hours, by noon and in the evenings on Sangaraja Mawatha (Lake round) as a result of closing the Maligawa Road completely for vehicular traffic.

This is something like "Closing the stable after the horse has bolted'. Therefore the new Government should make arrangements immediately to open the Maligawa Road at least in the day time for vehicular traffic and ease the traffic congestion during the rush hours in Kandy town.

C. S. EKANAYAKE- Kandy

 

Insurance shock for private car owners

The Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation was hitherto charging Rs. 200 plus Rs. 25 GST plus Rs. 15/64 as Defence Levy making a total of Rs. 240.64 for a third party annual Insurance Policy for a private car.

This year when I went to renew my Policy at the Kandy Office of the Corporation I was charged Rs. 200 plus, Rs. 56.25 as GST plus Rs. 17.87 as Defence levy plus Rs. 250 as charges making a total of Rs. 245.06 for the same policy.

I protested and questioned the Regional Manager who told me that he has received a circular from the General Manager directing him to levy an additional Rs. 250 on a third party policy only from private car owners, what have we private car owners done to the Insurance Corporation to make this levy?

It is illegal because it cannot be imposed only on a particular group of policy holders. Let the General Manager please consult his lawyers. I as a policy holder am entitled to know as to why I am called upon to pay a surcharge of Rs. 250 on Rs. 200 Policy.

I came out and inquired from a private Insurance company the charges for a third party policy on a private car and I was told that it is Rs. 270 inclusive of GST and Defence Levy.

M. B. M. ZUBAIR- Kandy.

 

Rice import licence and agriculture

Over 200 mostly Pettah importers queued up from early hours at the Office of the Controller of Import and Export to hand over their applications to obtain an import permit or licence to import rice under an import scheme announced by the Government, in order to overcome the present rice crisis in the country.

Most of the importers or their representatives, including myself, have to stand and wait in the queue for over five hours before they reach the Deputy Controller's cubicle, while the minor staff of the department had a hard time to maintain an orderly queue.

An impression has been formed among most of the people who visited this office and onlookers that we have now become a fully fledged import oriented country, looking at so many wealthy businessmen with enough facility from state and private banks prepared to invest billions overnight in imports.

Moreover, it was interesting to note that all applications submitted are from associate and subsidiary companies of a handful of leading importers, some main importers had submitted over a dozen of applications in this manner.

It is also a notable feature that most food importers have no interest or intention to invest in the development of the agriculture sector, but contribute to develop agriculture activity of some other neighbouring countries.

In such an unavoidable event, commercial growers, farmer organisations, seed producers, agricultural co-operative societies, with proven record about their involvement in agriculture particularly in rice production should be considered as eligible applicants to obtain import licences under these schemes, which will certainly enable to gain some profit and also could encourage importers or import associations to invest on agriculture.

NAHEER TAIP- Wattala.

 

Prime Minister's patriotism

Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe's policy statement in Parliament on January 22, 2002 among other things stated "I would like to remind the House of a responsibility of this Government.

Improvements to the precincts of the Dalada Maligawa, Sri Maha Bodhiya and the Maha Meuna Uyana have been a duty of the rulers from the Anuradhapura era. Our kings followed this practice. I will revive this historic task."

I cannot personally recall such an utterance of patriotism from any Prime Minister all the way back from 1948. This utterance gives me pleasure and joy.

All the patriotic Sinhalese would thank the Prime Minister for reviving this historic practice that restores the Sinhalese back to their rightful place in this country. Now that the pace has been set all Sinhalese Buddhist voters expect the Prime Ministers that follow to maintain this practice.

L. JAYASOORIYA- Mount Lavinia.

 

War Risk Surcharge - removal imminent

With reference to the headline in CDN Jan. 29 we would like to drawn the attention of readers to the fact that it was HRC Shipping Ltd., Dhaka who, in response to the appeal made by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority decided not to charge any War Risk Insurance Surcharge in respect of their Feeders calling the port of Colombo.

The Company even went a step further by divertings one of their Feeder vessels to Singapore to bring back much awaited raw material particularly for the garment industry which cargo was dumped by some Main Line Operators at the Port of Singapore. We like to remind readers that HRC Shipping Ltd., Dhaka have not changed any surcharge to date.

LAKSHMAN P. DE SILVA - Director, HRC Agencies Lanka (Pvt) Ltd.

 

LTTE ban

Removing the LTTE ban should be no problem. It could be done even immediately if the LTTE agreed to function like any other legal organization.

If they agree, they must show their agreement by deed of action i.e. Firstly surrender all illegal weapons to the nearest Police station or Army camp. Secondly discontinue all illegal training camps and thirdly refrain from doing anything illegal like smuggling.

So as long as LTTE fails to function like a legal organization the ban should continue and measures should be taken very genuinely and immediately to solve the genuine grievances of all minority communities.

G. L. PREMATHILAKA - Kandy

 

Day and night services of CWE stalls

CWE outlets are now kept open throughout the day, it is a good trial to see whether customers are using the services provided to them in the same way. However, it was found that most outlets are empty after 10 p.m.

It is a fine idea if these outlets could also be provided with other services such as ice cream parlours, saloons, and movie theatres, eating places, pinball machines, etc. just like in some of the Western countries like the US, where, due to various activities provided in some shopping malls, one could very easily spend a full day in a mall.

The Minister should be congratulated for attempting to bring down the cost of LP gas and trying to do some thing new at CWE stalls.

A.J.- Udahamulla.

 

Punctuality

It is not understood why government servants in government institutions do not observe punctuality in attending office. It gives an awful taste in that people who have dealings with these institutions have to wait for long hours till the arrival of persons manning these institutions.

There is a code of ethics in all offices that the time of office hours start at 8.30 or 9 a.m. But a few people keep to the time. Invariably one has to wait for some time. It looks that time and punctuality have no meaning to some office bearers.

It is said that punctuality is the politeness of kings.

It is the late President R. Premadasa who saw to it that departments function punctually, because he was said to be punctually personified and that he takes time to visit offices, in spite of his multifarious duties, to see that officials are on time at their respective places of work. It is, therefore, essential that the present Government takes serious note of these lapses and set right the attendance of everyone at their places of work on time.

R. GURUSINGHAM - Colombo 4.

 

To the entrepreneurs

Today for anything and everything we have gadgets and gadgets. But some simple things have been overlooked - or have they missed my eyes, being available somewhere?

Nowadays containers come in every possible shape, size and colour. But the other day I was looking for a suitable container for the paper serviettes, but couldn't find one.

Paper serviettes are an essential part of entertaining, but a suitable dispenser has not been 'invented' yet. It is not very difficult to come out with a suitable dispenser.

Even in the wellkept homes cockroaches are a problem. The plate racks are all open, which means every plate and cup has to be rewashed again before use in fear of some insect or cockroach have walked over them. Why wouldn't anyone design a plate rack with a plastic cover?

Ditto for toothbrush holders. Instead of the cumbersome individual cover for the toothbrushes, one can crate a brush holder with a flip or single cover for all the brushes together.

DR. (MRS.) MAREENA THAHA REFFAI - Dehiwela

 

Bring back English to our schools

One of the most debated issues of the Education Department in recent times was English as the medium of instruction in all schools, but sadly owing to various reasons and opposition this came to a standstill.

Now what I would like to suggest is to have all three media taught in the same school or different schools for each medium. English, Sinhala, and Tamil. If the medium of instruction is Sinhala then English and Tamil could be second languages, Tamil stream with English and Sinhala and English stream with Sinhala and Tamil respectively as in old times.

This system is sure to be a success and also the desire of parents to select what they consider to be the most appropriate educational choice for their children.

Today most students are unable to converse in English and find difficulty in expressing themselves. Even where jobs are concerned, preference is given to those with good knowledge of English.

Young men and women highly qualified in Sinhala or Tamil and who do not hail from English speaking homes, rush to follow a crash-course in 'Spoken English' paying high fees but seldom reach up to required level because the present day English Teachers are not sure of their English as well.

Parents who could afford send their children to International schools, but the less fortunate are left high and dry, and going abroad for higher studies or employment is a snag on them. Isn't this an injustice ?

IRENE C. ALBERT - Maharagama

 

Pathum Vimana draws

There are misgivings in the minds of some HNB account holders with regard to the above. Some have opened accounts and continuously maintained balances to be eligible for the above draws but have so far drawn a blank. Disappointment and frustration is naturally the result.

For the benefit of the account holders, could the bank please clarify the following matters:

(a) Whether account holders who have no transactions other than the qualifying minimum balance are excluded from the draw.

(b) Whether the names of account holders who have once been drawn are repeatedly included in the future draws as well (in other words, whether the same account holder is given the chance to be drawn at every opportunity).

(c) The Daily News of 17.01.2002 gives the results of branch based draws of October 2001. In some branches, the same account holder appears to have drawn 3 or 4 times in the Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 5,000 categories. Why is this so?

A.A.H. - Wattala

 

Boat-people stranded 'in the hands of criminals'

JAKARTA, (AFP) Last October Mohammed Daud, one of thousands of asylum-seekers stranded in Indonesia, helped police arrest the people smuggler who charged him 4,000 dollars to dispatch him on four failed boat trips to Australia.

The smuggler, a Pakistani carpet seller known as "Anwar", walked free after paying police 15,000 dollars and is now seeking revenge, claims Daud.

"I was eating ice-cream and playing billiards at Sarinah on New Year's Day," he recounts, referring to the Jakarta mall where people smugglers are known to meet their human contraband.

"Anwar appeared with two Indonesian men. They caught me and threw me into a car and tried to drive off with me. But I smashed the windows and escaped," he says.

Daud, who now lives in fear is convinced Anwar was trying to abduct him. "He knows I was the one who showed him to the police. I approached him in the police station after he was arrested and demanded my 4,000 dollars back," Daud told AFP.

"He just snapped at me and said 'you're costing me a lot of money!'"

In fear Daud is moving from hostel to hostel in Jakarta's budget backpacker strip, where more than 100 mainly Afghan asylum-seekers are lodging while they wait for their refugee applications to be processed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Daud's Afghan companions say Anwar regularly prowls the hostel strip, tempting those so fed up with waiting they will risk their lives on flimsy fishing vessels to reach Australia.

Daud's account highlights the vulnerability of the asylum-seekers to unscrupulous and highly-organised people smuggling syndicates.

"They've put themselves in the hands of criminals," says Geoff Raby, the top Australian official at talks in Jakarta last week to prepare for next month's regional ministerial conference in Bali on people-smuggling.

"They've entered illegally so they are illegal immigrants, but we have to ensure they have access to protection."

Protection for asylum-seekers is an issue the UNHCR wants considered at the conference, to which co-hosts Australia and Indonesia have invited 41 countries. It is an issue which officials from the source Middle Eastern countries, especially Iran, urged attention during Thursday's preparatory talks.

"The asylum-seekers are often very worried about reprisals from their people-smugglers if they share information about them with the police," UNCHR's regional director, Raymond Hall, told AFP.

"It's a very unhappy relationship between an asylum-seeker and his people-smuggler. Asylum-seekers may feel indebted to, resentful of, or fearful of their smugglers. It's a very worrisome relationship."

Daud's account also highlights one of the obstacles to arresting the people smugglers and foiling their trade: the alleged rampant bribery of police and immigration officials by the wealthy smuggling syndicates.

Senior police acknowledge their men have been bought off. "We do not close our eyes to the fact that some of our members have been bribed by people-smugglers," Senior Superintendent Bambang Sampurnajati, of the Indonesian police force's Interpol Bureau, told AFP.

"We've already sacked one police officer for assisting a people smuggler in Lampung last October," he said.

The officer had "prepared the bus" used by a Turkish smuggler known as Abu Quassey to transport 400 Australia-bound asylum-seekers to a waiting fishing vessel in the middle of the night, Sampurnajati said.

About 350 drowned when the boat broke up and sank off the coast of Java.

Survivors alleged that more than a dozen police forced them on to the boat, beating those who tried to get off when they realised the boat's decrepit condition.

The asylum-seekers' fear of reprisals if they identify their people smugglers makes it hard for authorities to prosecute suspects - a complaint from both Indonesian and Australian officials.

"Assembling the evidence has been a challenge," said Raby. "We've found when we tried to prosecute ... it's very difficult to actually get 'smoking gun' evidence." Seven people smugglers currently under arrest in Indonesia, including Quassey and his partners, he said.

While the UNHCR knows of 1200 asylum-seekers and around 600 recognised refugees still stuck in Indonesia, Canberra estimates there are up to 5,000 at any one time in the smuggling pipeline.

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