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
----
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
-----
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
----
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 |