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Our President is the best example for Buddhism

The Buddha preached 'Nahi verene verani.....', which clearly states the value of karuna maithree towards your enemy to solve any conflict.

The LTTE (who would have wished to see the President assassinated) attempted to assassinate her on several occasions, and eventually succeeded in making her one eye blind. In spite of all these inhuman acts towards her, she is trying her best to help the tsunami affected Tamils through P-TOMS agreement. Also LTTE should understand that the Sri Lankan Sinhalese helped the tsunami affected Tamils. The President even invited Prabhakaran to shake hands with her and get involved in helping the tsunami affected people.

What else can be a better demonstration of karuna maithree towards your enemy who tried to assassinate her? Isn't this a quality of a divine person? Being directed by such a noble person as her, hope the LTTE gives up the idea of division of the country and stay together in harmony with all races.

The whole country should salute our noble President for her divine qualities.

A. S. - via email

'National Savings Bank pre-tax profit Rs. 4.11b'

It was reported on 13.05.2005 in the business page of an English daily newspaper that the NSB contributed a sum of Rs. 3.2 billion to the Government coffers as taxes in the year 2004. Having made a pre-tax profit amounting to 4117 million, apart from this, the N.S.B. had made a profit of 4146 million in the year 2003. It is obvious this has been achieved at the expense of a larger number of poor savers running into millions.

One can understand the commercial banks resorting to unconscionable profit in this manner, but the role betrayed by the present NSB is quite contrary to the hopes and aspirations of the founder of the NSB, the late N.M. Perera. How did the NSB make such a massive profit? the answer is that NSB betrayed the trust placed in it by the depositors. Haivng denied a just rate of interest the NSB has indirectly financed the commercial sector at a low rate of interest by way of their investment in government securities and debentures issued by the commercial banks when compared to the very high rates of interest they had earlier paid to the commercial banks.

In the process consumers had not benefited at all even notionally under the so-called 'low interest regime' when compared to the exorbitant prices of consumer goods and services.

It has to be pointed out that on one hand depositors of the NSB having being denied a just rate of tax interest and the money has been utilised to strengthened the ever growing profitability of the commercial sector, and it is common knowledge that the business sector is competing among themselves to gather massive profits running into billions with the assistance received from the banks and their success is highlighted in the business pages of the national papers and the dividends they declare is unbelievable some have declared as much as 300%.

In collusion it has to be strongly emphasized the Finance Minister and the Central bank should take serious move to correct this ridiculous and anomalous situation and to give direction to the NSB to credit at least 2% more to the depositors, who still continue to have trust in the NSB.

KINGSLEY GOONETILLEKE
Nawala

Sathosa - the other side

I am only a working person and not an expert. Like myself thousands of us working people and the poor shopped at CWE in the old days. Since the UNP took it over they threw us on to the roads. They modernised it like a Western Supermarket which attracted the rich. They kept it open for 24 hours throughout the country. Even in countries like Singapore - Supermarkets close at 10 p.m.

In those countries they have excellent transport and law and order. There was a severe energy crisis and yet CWE was open 24 yours. The rich had so many other supermarkets, we had only CWE. Now we shop on the pavements. If the CWE was running at a loss, was privatising the only answer? What about the 'excellent management skills' of the UNP? The UNP will never understand the ground situation.

EDMUND SILVA
Colombo 3

Obstruction of natural drainage of houses in Moratuwa

Residents of Duwawatte Road, Koralawella, Moratuwa complain that their houses get inundated from the drainage water from the adjacent land that had been filled a few years ago, without obtaining the approval of the authorities concerned and without considering the needs of people occupying adjacent lands.

During rainy days, the flow from this land is so heavy that the floors of adjacent houses get inundated causing immense problems to the occupants. In addition this water stagnates and cause health hazards.

The earth fill has obstructed many naturally formed drainages carrying rainwater to the nearby lake. The newly filled land is about 500 mm higher than adjacent lands. It is clear that the landowner's motive was to block out the land and sell it at an immense profit. It is now understood that the sale of this land has been suspended due to a legal problem, which is now before the courts.

Subsequently, this land had been acquired for providing housing to some families displaced due to the recent tsunami.

Acquisition notices were displayed at the premises on April 18, 2005. The residents of the affected houses now earnestly request the authorities to conduct the development of this land in a methodical manner, giving priority for draining the rainwater falling on the land without causing hardship to nearby houses. It would be very much appreciated if the residents were informed of the methods proposed to be adopted for developing the land, so that they could study these detail and either accept the proposals or submit proposals for modifications.

Most importantly, a suitable drain would have to be provided between the two boundaries so that rainwater would flow into the lake without inundating the lands. It would also be helpful if a meeting was convened between the authorities concerned and the residents so that these matters can be discussed and suitable remedial action taken.

G. H. S. Kumara -
Moratuwa

Anaemia common among Colombo female donors?

According to a recent newspaper article Director, Colombo National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) has mentioned that 60 per cent of female blood donors from Colombo are rejected due to low haemoglobin count but women from rural areas usually qualify as blood donors. N.B.T.S. Director is of the opinion that anaemia in female donors from Colombo may be due to some inadequacy in their diet in spite of their normal weight.

I have observed a slightly high incidence of mild to moderate anaemia among Colombo heart patients. In majority of heart patients who come to consult me, I make it a point to arrange for a full blood count (FBC). The cause of anaemia in urban patients is not known. I always take a dietary history in case of all my patients. I have found that although urban patients consume more fish and meat as compared to patients from rural areas, urban patients don't consume enough vegetables. Rural people eat less fish and hardly any meat, but they eat more vegetables such as 'Niwithi' and 'Gotukola' which contain iron. I also have noticed that soya which contains significant quantities of iron and very good quality proteins is also popular among rural people. Although some doctors and laymen have a misconception, that one has to eat fish and meat to prevent anaemia, it is my observation that anaemia is very rare among vegetarian heart patients who consult me.

This is because vegetarian diet contains sufficient amount of iron and essential amino-acids and vitamins and unlike meat, vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and yams do not contain highly saturated fats and chemicals which are harmful to our health.

As I am unable to give a valid reason to explain why urban women are prone to anaemia I would be very grateful if any knowledgeable reader could enlighten the readers as to why urban female donors are more anaemic than rural female donors if the above observation by the Director, Colombo NBTS is correct.

Dr. D. P. Atukorale -
Colombo 7

The death penalty

Everybody knows that the re-imposition of the death penalty is a big farce. This was done soon after the brutal murder of Judge Ambepitiya merely to appease the minds of a large section of the community who were shocked into disbelief by the state of utter lawlessness prevailing in the country and clamoured for justice. A notorious gangster who was hired to wipe out an entire family of four persons over a land and property dispute laughed brazenly in the face of the police officers who arrested him and told the onlookers "Do not worry. They can never hang me. I will be back with you soon". So much contempt for the Law!

Brutal murders are going on a pace and Sri Lanka will soon earn the sobriquet of 'The killing fields'. Tourism will drop to zero with so much brutality and indiscipline devastating the country. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that the President's order be implemented without delay and the hanging process be started immediately from those languishing in the Death Row in Welikada and Kandy and are laughing at the inaction of the State. It is only when a member of a Minister's family is gunned down that the authorities sit up and take notice. Public executions are carried out in most Middle East countries where murders and rape are almost zero.

J.M.P. SIRIWARDENA (Former High Court judge) -
Uda Pussellawa

Writers' musing

It is with great trepidation, I visited all these prestigious bookshops, vying the pulse of the reading public in Colombo and suburbs, to which my collection of poems titled 'The spectre of Aggression' published six months ago, was handed over with much anticipation for distribution. It is quite true that I was warned beforehand by more practical ilk of my friends, that I would certainly find my waterloo, if I venture into the murky waters of publishing poetry instead of continuing the practice of writing articles mainly on literature, to our English national newspapers.

Admittedly, being somewhat a social animal I duly paid heed to their cryptic advice, though I must profess that I have little respect for folk who never take risks in pursuit of worthy causes and made an obligatory pilgrimage to our reputed publishing houses, whose efficacious staff kept my manuscript in their custody for a long period of time, ostensibly, for the purpose of subjecting it to literary evaluation. At last nodding approval was given to the muse of my heart's content, but my optimism ended abruptly, as they adamantly refused to take the onerous task of publishing it, unless I was ready to squander all my hard earned savings, as the cost of its publication.

However some of my brothers-in-law, with whom I have established a love-hate relationship over two decades, came to my rescue, as they became over-indulgent about the whole project and with uncanny commitment promptly exempted me from carrying out the scars of financial commitments. In such a fortuitous situation, I considered my planetary position as propitious and the generosity of my wife's doting, relatives as something funnily bordered on naive idolatry, but though I must confess that I shamelessly marvelled on their unmitigated enthusiasm in publishing a book of poems, to be cherished hopefully for posterity - and readily sprinkled them with a hearty benediction.

The dawn of new year 2005, I will always remember as a watershed in my life, for 'The spectre of Aggression' came out deliriously, to an uncaring world, where reading habit has been abrogated to the backstage, while idiot-box has been ushered to the living-room of the household with unnerving fanfare and jubilation.

The emergence of TV culture, with its alluring trappings, in which pendulum, all our local channels compete with one another, with damming belligerence, in a bid to capture the whims and fancies of the widest audience adroitly churning out moronic TV fare, such as crude taledramas, irreverent, comedies, parodying our ancient traditions etc. should be considered as a satanic curse which ironically is strong enough to obliterate our cultural and social values with abysmal degradation.

It is in this context, the writers are destined to play a historic role, as crusaders propagating the sheer joy of reading through the recital and reading of their creative writing, in which task of fostering the talents of local writers, poetry too can play a positive role which after all has a rich tradition.

Naturally, I am disheartened by the inertia blatantly shown by our literary minded public and also not excluding fellow writers who doggedly refrained from purchasing my collection of poems in spite of a number of favourable reviews published in English national newspapers on my book by eminent journalists, literary critics and renowned authors.

In this conundrum, poor writers who sacrifice much, with their involvement of hard work and often unrewarded dedication should not lose heart for the axiom that every cloud has a silver lining remains, a fact, rather than fiction. The writer is heavily indebted to a number of public libraries in Colombo and suburbs whose literary panel after evaluation of my book, gave their approval in purchasing a number of copies of the book.

In addition, Book Development Authority followed suit and generously purchased an impressive number of copies of the book after subjecting it to evaluation. The Cultural Department also fostering new writers' talents showed their largesse by purchasing a few copies of my book after evaluation. I unreservedly bless their souls, for their monumental gesture of purchasing my book, which went a long way in recovering the cost of the publication.

Furthermore, my acquaintances, friends and my students too contributed spiritedly and some even lavishly showing amply that they appreciate my labours immensely, which makes my heart melts, with unbounded gratitude and pride. For all of them I thank blissfully wishing sincerely that the blessings of the Triple Gem will be upon them.

RANJAN AMARASINGHE -
Nugegoda

Innocent children

I happened to read your article about children being given wrong medication at a hospital in Sri Lanka. Here in the United States the parents could sue the doctors for their mistakes and collect millions of dollars for their children's sufferings.

I hope that somebody in Sri Lanka would protect those innocent children from ever being victimized.

LAL MALAGODA -
via email

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