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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 |