Thursday, 14 August 2003  
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Landfills to handle solid waste

The sheer need for a number of strategically located modern landfills has been amply illustrated over the past thirty to forty years. This is something that has been continuously overlooked by authorities all these years and is still unbelievable that the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in Sri Lanka has not been able to understand this and work out suitable steps.

From time to time, publicity has been given in the local media for various proposals to handle and dispose of growing mountains of solid waste in the island. Suggestions have also been made that incineration is the best method to overcome this problem.

Anyone with a basic knowledge of the amount of semi dry and wet garbage collected daily would understand the sheer madness in suggesting incineration. Any efforts to incinerate these colossal mountains of wet garbage should be rejected, if one understands the amount of energy that would be required to go into incineration. Can Sri Lanka afford the colossal cost for energy to have enough incinerators so required?

Incineration is certainly needed to dispose of certain types of dangerous waste matter like hospital waste and medical laboratory wastes and the waste matter from slaughter houses and funeral parlours where regular embalming is undertaken. In considering a suitable incineration plant, one has to study and analyse to understand how to select and build a system designed for full flow combustion machinery that would not cause any major hazard of air pollution.

There are modern incinerators for all types of waste but these systems have to be designed and manufactured to suit individual situations and cannot be bought off the shelf or based on guess work. Incineration is definitely needed to dispose of biomedical waste, chlorinated liquids, acid, gases etc., etc.

There is no keeping away from the fact that Sri Lanka needs strategically located landfills before this island is ruined completely due to lack of proper waste management. If this is not seriously understood and tackled, we, of the present generation, will be guilty of the heinous crime of denying to the future generation most of the natural blessings we still enjoy as an island.

MILTON MANAMPERI, 
Dehiwela.

Tourism promotion in Australia

On seeing the article on tourism regarding the UK recently, I thought of writing this. I have been in Melbourne, Australia for about 4 months now. I have not seen any tourism promotion about Sri Lanka in Australia. There are international travel agents and numerous local travel agents who advertise about destinations.

At present, in-country destinations are promoted vigorously following the SARS epidemic. We may be too late to capitalise on that but we can promote our beaches, wildlife and the variety of climate.

Aussies will prefer cooler climate. Especially, the low cost holidays can be promoted. An average Australian can have a 5-star holiday in Sri Lanka for a month with the saving of one month salary.

The Australians do spend on holidays. Why not promote our country to earn some foreign exchange?

A. BALASURIYA, 
Australia

Beautify Kandy Lake with Perahera gate collections

During the past few years tickets to view the Perahera on the final nights have risen sharply.

I understand that this year it is around Rs. 2000 considering that there will be about 1000 persons purchasing these tickets on the 2 last nights, a collection of Rs. 4 million would come into the Perahera fund.

At least a small part of this money should be spent to beautify and maintain the Kandy Lake on a permanent basis. At present the Municipality gives the wall of the lake bund a fresh coat of paint and a few coloured lights are put on the island.

What should be done is to have a series of fountains perhaps with music and if possible to make the water from the fountains to dance to the music as is done at the Queen Sirikit Park in Bangkok which in itself is a tourist attraction.

There are always complaints about lack of funds for the perahera or lack of elephants for the perahera. But the authorities should also keep the public informed of how much money they get from the Government and from the sale of perahera tickets and what they do with these huge amounts of cash.

PADMI FERNANDO, 
Wellawatte

Grant visas on arrival

Please retain granting visas on arrival.

Singapore since its independence and Hong Kong have maintained this tradition. Pakistan and India granted visas readily to thousands of Sri Lankans who went to Europe by land route before Iran Revolution. Did they lose anything.

There are hundreds of people of Sri Lankan origin who found better life at minimum cost, thanks to Pakistan and India! Lalith had a wonderful scheme of Duty Free complex in Kollupitiya.

All the corrupt officials got together and destroyed this scheme which brought billions to Sri Lankan economy and helped people, so that a few can reap millions for themselves and Zero for others. Please keep moving forward and not backwards.

V. ANANDASIVAM, 
via e-mail

Army to de-list 50,000 deserters

I almost choked on my breakfast rotti when I saw your recent headline. 'Army to de-list 50,000 deserters?

Most people are of the opinion that the top brass of the Army should show greater dedication and commitment, but this new development only serves to create the impression that they may have taken complete leave of their senses!

Has anyone given serious thought to the repercussions of this seemingly asinine and totally irresponsible decision?

Our crime rate is at an all time high because the Army has unleashed over 50,000 fugitives from justice, who are trained in the art of warfare and killing, on the rest of our society. The figure is actually closer to 60,000 than 50,000.

It is also learned that these deserters have decamped with their weapons. Reliable information also has it that there are over 35,000 T56 rifles in circulation, not counting lesser arms.

How come there are so many deserters? There maybe several reasons; lack of morale; lack of leadership; poor example from the top; poor recruitment policy; inadequate training; difficult living conditions etc. Nevertheless, desertion is a criminal offense and deserters should be apprehended and brought to justice, in this case, a Court Martial the very fact that the number of deserters have increased to 50,000 can only be reasonably construed negligence and apathy at the top.

What effect will this have on the morale of the rest of the Army; the vast majority of servicemen who have complied with the army regulations and served the Army and the country faithfully? One does not have to elaborate.

The repercussions are quite obvious.

Legitimising desertion will result in serious consequences to the whole country. Is there some irresistible political pressure being imposed on the Army to whitewash this criminal element that is plundering society with impunity?

Desertion is viewed so leniently in the Army that the only antidote proposed is a massive recruitment drive! Can anything be more ridiculous?

Military Administration is obviously in dire straits and the oft quoted military axiom would apply admirably in our situation - "There are no bad soldiers; only bad officers." The absence of accountability in people in positions of power had now become a national trait, and there is hardly an indication that many in authority intends to change that.

The attitude of calmly accepting and reporting this preposterous decision of the Army only indicates that even the watch dogs of the nation have fallen asleep or perhaps it is easier to look the other way, ignore the unpleasant, toe the party line.

To whom then can we appeal to put a stop to this and set a semblance of sanity to the proceedings?

Disciplining over 50,000 people is a monumental task but taking the easy way out and legalizing desertion will only compound the errors already made. Deserters must be relentlessly pursued and brought to book. They must face trial and pay for their transgressions against the Army and against the people.

However, administrative shortcomings must be taken as mitigating factors. They must be rehabilitated and restored to their duties as far as possible, and as fast as possible. Fresh recruitment must only be undertaken with a view to contain this monster created .

To do anything else is to perpetrate an even greater calamity on our peoples.

JOHN W. HARDENE, 
Colombo 3.

II

During the past two decades, young Sinhalese boys joined the Army to fight a battle against the Tamil terrorists.

Vast number of soldiers sacrificed their lives in the war zone.

Well-trained brave soldiers do not desert the Army due to fear of death.

They left their camps without leave because they experienced continuous duty shifts in the bunkers without proper reliefs.

Anyhow, desertion is a very serious and punishable offence under the soldiers service regulations and military discipline. Hence, it should be the righteous duty of the concerned military authorities to take immediate legal action to apprehend and punish the deserters, most of whom have now been engaged with horrendous crimes in the country. Discharge certificate is a well-recognized military document which assess the military conduct of the holder and it should not be issued to deserters through their respective kachcheris.

If the Government implement a project in such a manner, no doubt, more and more deserters will go to kachcheris to collect their discharge certificates in future.

MAHINDA NIHAL PERERA, 
Moratuwa

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