• A matter of British attitude

• Burning of the Jaffna Public Library

• Hell at Thalakotuwa Gardens

  
  
  
  A matter of British attitude

I refer to the front page news item 'Britain stands shoulder to shoulder with Lanka to fight terrorism.'

Even the British experts are not fooled by the British envoy's speech. we all know Anton Balasingham is the terrorist LTTE leader in the UK and Tamil workers in the UK are ordered to give money to his Tamil Tiger collection agents.

If the British envoy wants to help Sri Lanka, he should inform the British Home Secretary to cancel the British passport given to Anton Balasingham, and return him to Sri Lanka to stand trial on terrorism charges.

What the British envoy doesn't know, is that, over two million pounds a year is collected from the Tamils in the UK and this money is used to buy weapons and explosives.

If the first sea lord had intended to travel on the Navy bus and it had been hit by the claymore mine, the British Government would be screaming their heads off.

Remember all you Sri Lankans, that the explosives used by the Tigers could have been brought with British money.

The Australians and Americans are more truthfully speaking out against terrorism and LTTE. The British may support terrorism so long that it is not in UK.

HARRY MURPHY, Colombo 2

Burning of the Jaffna Public Library

Very recently, I was surprised to hear someone accusing the late Gamini Dissanayake former Minister, of complicity in the dastardly act of burning the Jaffna Public Library in the year 1981, during the District Development Council election campaign.

It is very unfortunate to note that this accusation is being made by persons who seem to know nothing about the incident.

During this period, I happened to be the District Minister of Jaffna, and it is with a very clear knowledge of this event, that I vehemently deny any involvement of Mr. Dissanayake in this unfortunate act. In fact on this particular fateful day, I was the only Member of Parliament present in Jaffna, who saw the building ablaze.

Even the T.U.L.F. Members of Parliament, who were there, had left Jaffna before this event happened.

I am unaware of the real culprits responsible for this wanton destruction. However, according to events prevailing in Jaffna at the time, presumably, it would have been an immediate reaction to the murder of three innocent police constables present at a T.U.L.F. election campaign meeting in the Jaffna town. Three policemen who were on duty were gunned down brutally at the venue of the meeting by someone without any provocation.

When I came to hear of the library fire - it was midnight - I rushed to the place and saw it on fire. This burning took place about four days before the date of the District Development Council Election. Gamini Dissanayake and others arrived in Jaffna three days after the burning of the Library building with its invaluable and irreplaceable books and documents.

I therefore, categorically and without any hesitation, say that late Gamini Dissanayake is innocent of committing or instigating to commit this crime.

He had no connection whatsoever to this unfortunate and callously cruel calamity.

U. B. WIJEKOON, Kotte

Hell at Thalakotuwa Gardens

Under the Development Plan and the Zoning Regulations of the City of Colombo, Kirillapona area was declared as a Primary Residential area by the Urban Development Authority. Therefore the Architectural character of the buildings of this area should be residential and only few other uses are allowed in this zone. It is clearly stated that Educational Institutions are allowed only in the Mixed Development Zone.

Comprehensive studies were done utilizing funds collected as taxes from the citizens of this country. Volumes of paperwork were done wasting valuable man-hours incurring high costs. The regulations are confined to books as usual.

Thalakotuwa Gardens in the Kirillapona area was a very peaceful residential location until three International Schools came into operation disregarding the above regulations. The student population in these institutions amounts to approximately three thousand.

There are around two thousand motor vehicles plying from early morning till late in the evening. There are no parking facilities provided by these schools. However the regulations states "all parking required should be within the premises and if there is any risk of parking inside the premises, that risk should be borne by the occupier of the premises. No inconvenience should be caused to the neighbours by way of allowing on street parking."

It is the residents of Thalakotuwa Gardens living in close proximity to Asian and Ilma International Schools that are more affected due to this heavy traffic congestion. In an emergency situation, by the time the victim scrum out of this pack, he would have reached the door to heaven.

It is a terrifying scene to watch the way the vehicles are parked in three rows on the main road completely blocking the entrance to the houses. If this happens near their houses one can imagine how they will react. Added to the misery, the drivers keep the engines running polluting the whole area.

As these drivers have nothing else to do till the schools are over they are playing cards and do the highest possible rattle making a carnival atmosphere without paying any attention to the privacy and peaceful living of the residents.

All this is happening right under the 'No Parking Boards' which clearly depicts 'By Order of the SSP City Traffic'. Why the Police are keeping a blind eye on this issue? If the residents try to take it up with these errant drivers, they are sure to get a shelling in abusive language.

The rules and regulations are there only for a few law-abiding citizens of this country. The owners of these schools and those well educated and experienced principals prefer to ignore the matter.

The Asian International School is now planning to construct a swimming pool making the above problem worse. They have shifted the main entrance to the school to utilise the space available within the premises, for the swimming pool, causing more inconvenience to the residents.

The relevant authorities who are responsible for the above calamity please do the needful to rectify the above situation which is creating undue hardships on the residents who were offered land at exorbitant prices by the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation to build their dream homes in a beautiful location in Colombo 5.

D. R., Colombo 5