Wednesday, 22 October 2003  
The widest coverage in Sri Lanka.
Letters
News

Business

Features

Editorial

Security

Politics

World

Sports

Obituaries

Archives

Mihintalava - The Birthplace of Sri Lankan Buddhist Civilization

Government - Gazette

Silumina  on-line Edition

Sunday Observer

Budusarana On-line Edition




Please forward your letters to [email protected]  in plain text format within the e-mail message, since as a policy we do not open any attachments.


 

 

Public complaints against Police officers

Today instances of Police assault and harassment are reported from all over the country. The recent judgment delivered by the Supreme Court against the OIC Payagala is a case in point.

Here, an army deserter arrested by the Payagala Police is alleged to have been tortured and killed. The Supreme Court awarded eight lakhs to the wife and child of the victim. Fifty thousand rupees were to be paid by the OIC. The judges also ordered that a copy of this judgment be sent to the Police Commission.

Most people are unaware that it is their inalienable right to make a complaint against any Police Officer, whatever his rank, who has done them any injustice.

For the benefit of those who are unaware of this right, may I quote from the Police Gazette - Section II of 29th January 1969. (No. 5992) - All complaints made against Police Officers by the Public should be investigated and disciplinary inquiries conduced by a Disciplinary Board.

This Board should be comprised of an SP or ASP and two representatives from the Public, whose responsibility is to ensure that it is conducted in an impartial manner.

The procedure that should be followed when making a complaint is stated below - vide Police Gazette.

The complainant can make this complaint to the SP or ASP of the area. He is entitled to take two of his friends. They will see that the complaint is recorded correctly. The complainant can obtain a copy of the complaint recorded.

As soon as a complaint is made against a Police Officer, the Superintendent of Police should be informed.

A preliminary inquiry will be made initially, after which, if acceptable evidence is available, the inquiring officer will recommend that a formal Disciplinary Inquiry be instituted against the Police Officer concerned. The SP will then forward it to the DIG of the area, who will make formal charges against the officer and then appoint a board comprising of an Inquiring Officer and two Public Representatives.

It is stated that, as there are two representatives from the Public to ensure its impartiality no other member of the public is allowed to interfere. The Public Representatives on the panel are entitled to question the accused, the complainant and the witnesses. Their main responsibility is to ensure the impartiality of the inquiry.

It is also stated that the Inquiring Officer should get a statement from the other members of the Board - stating whether they agree or disagree with the decision and get it signed.

Hence, if any injustice is done by any Police Officer to any member of the public, he can obtain redress by following the above procedure as stated in the Police Gazette.

D. M. VICTOR E. PIERIS, Kalutara

Central Bank should help Pramuka

Business transactions of the Pramuka Savings and Development Bank had ceased since 25th Oct. 2002, consequent to an order made by the C.B. During this period of one year or so some have benefited by the closure of the Bank, especially the loan defaulters who could evade the repayment of loans with no pressure from the Bank to recover the dues.

The owners of the Pramuka Bank building gets their rent without any difficulty, the staff of the Pramuka gets their salaries for no work done by them. Whose money is being spent for these payments? Does the Central Bank blame the depositors for depositing money in the Pramuka Bank?

Several court cases have been filed by the depositors in the Appeal Courts and decisions and court orders have been made favouring the depositors but so far there is no relief whatsoever to them.

I understand that the Bank Supervision section of the Central Bank had made arrangements, to collect repayment of loans once a week from those who wish to settle them. I thank the Central Bank for making a start. At least now the C.B. should realize the grave injustice done to the depositors of the Pramuka for no fault on their part.

Hence the C.B. should take full responsibility for re-structuring the Pramuka Bank by recovering all the money from the loan defaulters by whatever means possible, for example by granting Parati powers etc to the Pramuka, advancing the necessary money by the C.B or by making arrangements to find the necessary funds. Like helping the MERC Bank when they were in difficulty Central Bank can earn a good name by helping the Pramuka Bank as well, by expediting re-structuring and re-opening the Bank, for transactions very early.

D.D. MEEGODA, Ratmalana

Rice and good health

The very informative and useful letter 'Dietetic Control of Diabetes in Sri Lanka' (D.N. 16th October) by Dr. Ananda Chandrasekera of the Human Nutrition Unit, University of Sydney, Australia provides us with ample evidence to show that rice is an eminently suitable diet especially for the Asians who are fast turning away from their traditional food habits to imitate complicated western food habits.

He says that specially in the control of diabetes the consumption of a low glycemic index diet is very beneficial.

As he has quite rightly mentioned most of the diabetic patients are advised to cut down their rice consumption and then they naturally turn to bread which according to this learned doctor has a higher glycemic index than that of rice.

What this simply means is that the consumption of rice (which has a low glycemic index) is preferable to the consumption of bread (which has a high glucemic index).

Medical practitioners, both western and ayurvedic, advise us to take Kurakkan for diabetes control and traditionally too it is popularly believed that Kurakkan is eminently suitable in the control of diabetes. But Dr. Ananda Chandrasekera points out that Kurakkan based food too have a high glycemic index than that of rice.

Accordingly rice is preferable to Kurakkan in diabetic control.

These facts suggest that not only in the control of diabetes but generally the consumption of rice is preferable to the consumption of other food items for the maintenance of good health.

A very important fact to be considered is that during the ancient times the people of Sri Lanka who knew no western food habits, consumed rice and rice based products for all three meals and they are reported to have maintained a good standard of health and the stupendous ruins scattered in our ancient cities such as Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa speak eloquently about the physical strength of our ancestors. Thus it is time that we took steps to promote the consumption of rice (our own product) for the maintenance of good health.

ANDREW SCOTT, Kandy

Call all Sri Lanka

www.singersl.com

www.crescat.com

www.eagle.com.lk

www.peaceinsrilanka.org

www.helpheroes.lk


News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries


Produced by Lake House
Copyright © 2003 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager


Hosted by Lanka Com Services