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Coconut oil used for over 1,000 years

It is common knowledge that majority of Sri Lankans especially those living in rural areas use coconut oil as their cooking oil and coconut and coconut oil have been used by Sri Lankans for over 1,000 years. A significant proportion of Sri Lankans living in urban areas such as Colombo, Galle, Kandy and Negombo especially:

a) Those who have migrated to the urban areas from the rural areas and who want to imitate the rich in the urban areas and

b) Those who have been influenced by doctors, some of whom have been sponsored by rich multinational vegetable oil companies, use vegetable oil in addition to coconut oil, as their main cooking oil.

As far as I am aware this epidemic of 'coconutphobia' and the habit of using vegetable oil for cooking purposes has not yet spread to the villages, where the rural folk use coconut oil as their only cooking oil. It has been proved by researchers such as Professor Sunethra Atukorale (of Colombo Medical Faculty) and Jayawardena that intake of coconut oil is significantly higher in rural areas of Sri Lanka than urban areas.

a) People in rural area have lower blood levels of cholesterol and better lipid profiles than those in urban areas;

b) Adolescent schoolboys in rural areas have better lipid profiles;

c) Ratio of total cholesterol (TC) to serum HDL (good) cholesterol level (TC/HDL) is lower among people in rural areas than those in urban areas. (Atukorale T. M. S. and Jayawardane M. I. F. B., Ceylon Medical Journal, 1991:31; 9-100).

When native people change their diet and give up coconut oil in favour of (polyunsaturated) vegetable oil like corn oil and soya oil, their risk of coronary heart disease (C.H.D.) has been shown to increase.

Thus in 1979, when coconut oil has been used as the sole cooking oil by people in Kerala, the incidence of CHD was 2.3 per 1000. After giving up coconut oil in favour of vegetable oil such as corn oil and soya oil, their risk of CHD has risen to 6.9 per 1000. (Professor Shanthi Mendis and R. Kumarasundaram 1990, British Journal of Nutrition, 63, 547; Kurup and Rajnohan, 1995, Symposium on Coconut Oil in Human Nutrition, March 27, Coconut Development Board, Kochi; India; page 15).

According to Annual Central Bank Report (1995), Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in 1952, coconut consumption by Sri Lankans was 132 nuts per person per year and coconut consumption in 1991 was 91 nuts per person per year.

According to Annual Health Bulleting of Sri Lanka, hospital admission rate for CHD was 57.3 in 1972, whereas the admission rate for CHD has increased to 213.9 in 1992. Hospital death rate for CHD which was 5.2 in 1970 has increased to 18.2 in 1992. Thus with the reduction of coconut consumption in Sri Lanka the hospital admission rate and hospital death rate for coronary heart disease has gone up by leaps and bounds. The consumption of coconut and coconut oil by Sri Lankans does not appear to be responsible for the present epidemic of CHD in Sri Lanka.

As mentioned earlier, hypercholesterolaemia and high ratio of total cholesterol to HDL (good) cholesterol (TC/HDL) are more common in the urban areas of Sri Lanka such as Colombo, Kurunegala and Negombo where a significant proportion of the population is suffering from 'coconutphobia' and use corn oil, soya oil and sunflower oil instead of coconut oil.

DR. D. P. ATUKORALE,
Colombo 7

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SLTB abandons vital route no. 102

At a time President Mahinda Rajapaksa is making a salutary effort to rejuvenate our national image and identity, it is indeed discouraging to discover that the country's key, State-owned road transport provider, the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) has chosen to abdicate its right to operate on certain important routes.

We don't have to dig deeper to find obnoxious examples of this unhealthy trend at the expense of harried commuters. I don't have to venture to far-flung Anuradhapura or Moneragala to prove my point. This tragedy starts from Sri Lanka's most important thoroughfare - the Galle Road, and perhaps, ends where it should not end.

It is a crying shame that SLTB arbitrarily thought it fit to abandon route no. 102 which earlier operated from Rawathawatte to Kotahena. Commuters on this vital route, which covers the sacred St. Anthony's Church at Kochchikade, the Khan clock tower roundabout and St. John's fish market, have been cruelly sacrificed to a bunch of mercilessly private bus operators who ply on their own disgraceful conditions.

As a regular commuter on this route, I have suffered enormous indignities at the hands of these maniacs in the form of private bus crews, but I dare not protest for I cannot afford to hire cabs on a daily basis.

The SLTB has let us down so badly that we have no option but to grin and bear.

A private bus on this route, which starts from Angulana takes more than one and half hours to reach its destination Kotahena even after 8.15 a.m. when congestion has eased to some extent after the school traffic.

Commuters herded into packed buses like cattle being taken to slaughter have to sweat it out as this 'bus mafia' immune to human suffering stop for a few minutes at almost every other halt. The worst is Wellawatte (where the traffic OIC should be 'felicitated' for adding to the chaos on his section of the Galle road), where these buses stop for about three minutes near the Vihara Lane halt and for about five minutes, ironically near the police station itself (opposite the old market).

Even all the tooting of horns, yelling and the merry chaos private busmen create, doesn't seem to 'disturb' the traffic cops resting on their laurels next door.

The private bus operators on route no. 102 don't seem to believe in time tables because at times commuters have to wait for more than half an hour for a bus after 8 in the morning. They are, according to people in the know, more interested in private hires than plying on a reasonable time table on a vital route they monopolise in the absence of the SLTB.

And even if the journey from Angulana to Kotahena takes three hours, so much the merrier for this 'mafia' because there is no competition from the SLTB on this run.

On Tuesdays in particular, people visiting St. Anthony's Church are also forced to suffer in silence as they are at the mercy of a bunch of callous and indifferent private busmen. With the authorities blind to their agony, they have only God to turn to.

On the first Tuesday of the month, when more devotees visit this Church at Kochchikade, it is agony multiplied as, with traffic cops happily watching the world go by, these big bus bosses hang on for much longer at halts for a 'heavier load'.

We appeal to the President and to the Transport Minister to re-start route no. 102 immediately to ease human suffering.

With a new fleet of buses, SLTB can afford to do it now the way they have inducted scores of new buses to Route 154 starting from Angulana.

It is suggested that Route 102 should start from Angulana itself as that's where the services are needed most. Please save us from this private bus mafia.

A. S. C.,
Ratmalana

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Time back by 30 minutes

The decision to put the standard time back by thirty (30) minutes is an act to be reconsidered. It is very clear that not only the country but the household can save a considerable amount of money spent on lighting as a result of dusk following later at present.

Only the school-going children and female staff will be little benefited by this decisions. Therefore, it is advised to start school half-an-hour later rather than the whole country going back by half-an-hour, if anybody thinks early morning travel is unsafe.

Safety of children and female is at more danger in the late evenings where the drunkards, drug addicts and gangsters are at helm. Also the bus service is deteriorating faster as dusk falls.

By starting the day earlier every citizen is getting an extra half-an-hour daylight bonus time which can be spent for shopping marketing gardening, jogging or any other productive work.

The benefit derived from the present time band is much greater than the proposed thirty (30) minutes backward reset.

Therefore I humbly request the President to reconsider the decision of putting the time back.

PALITHA B.JAYATISSA,
Piliyandala

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Scholarship scheme for Central Colleges students

All Island Central Colleges Past Pupils' Association has launched a scholarship scheme for the students of Central Colleges opened by Dr. C.W.W. Kannangara, father of Free-Education in nineteen forties, after the Free Education Bill was passed in the state council. At least two scholarships are offered to deserving underprivileged bright students.

But some Central Colleges offer more than two scholarships. A good example is Akuramboda Central College, where 10 scholarships are granted - 2 by the main union and 8 by the Colombo branch of the college P.P.A. The scheme was started in 2003 at Akuramboda central college and now the scheme is extended to majority of the original central colleges such as Mavathagoda, Kekirawa, Narammala, Anuradhapura, Kalutara Tissa, Tolangamuwa etc.

We appeal to the P.P. as of the remaining few central colleges to join the scheme without delay and assist a few more underprivileged students.

According to the scheme, a student receives Rs. 400 per month and 10 months per year from year 7 to year 11.

We also should like to appeal to the past pupils and well-wishers of central colleges to be generous and contribute any amount to this welfare scheme and assist some under privileged students to make their future bright and thereby do some useful service to their motherland.

Those interested please contact the General secretary of the Union J.M.K.B. Jayasekara 24/18 Munasinghe Lane, Galawila-Watte, Homagama (Tele 011-2855058).

Minister Premajayantha has already shown his mettle as an unrivalled Minister of Education and we are sure he will be another Dr. C.W.W. Kannangara and give a face-lift to the Central Colleges.

A. W. G. Mudiyanse,
Katugastota

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