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Thank you Soldier!EVERY single soldier of our country and every single army/navy/police personnel today in our island deserves the sincere gratitude from every citizen. When one watches young army personnel flag down a vehicle to stop, check them in and out, call a man on bike to stop - one cannot but realize he is putting his own life on the line to serve his duty. Anyone they stop can be a suicide killer; anyone can be carrying a gun. Yet they do stop them, they do search them and have successfully detected smuggled bombs and explosives. Thank you solider, for doing this for us, the citizens, whom you don't even know personally. My concern, as a mother, for the young army personnel when I see them toiling in the hot sun and pouring rain, at road blocks makes me send up a prayer Ya Allah, Please protect them all. Everytime there is a bomb, there is an attack, there is a war casualty - my heart cries out for all those sons - our sons who lay down their lives for us, who get wounded for us, who march forward in spite of death looking them in the face. You people deserve everything. Thank you, sons, thank you. We are with you. My eyes mist when I listen to their loved ones sending greetings to them over the radio. You people, the families of the soldiers, deserve our gratitude too. Thank you. May Allah bless you all and guide you all. It is heartwarming to see the present Government recognizing their sacrifice, the President intermingling with them, the press giving them due recognition. We, everyone must try to make their lives easier. Do not be impatient if your vehicle is flagged down - it's done for your safety. Do not feel intimidated if you are searched in the bus or train. It's for your good. May Allah bring peace to this little country of ours soon. May these young boys return to their mothers and their young wives and children safely. Soon. Insha Allah. Dr. MAREENA THAHA REFFAI - -------- Politicizing the misery of Raviraj's familyThrough 25 years of terrorism wreaked out by the LTTE on civilians, Government institutions, politicians (both Tamil and Sinhalese) and Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim pilgrims many thousands of lives have been shamelessly destroyed 'in an open abattoir' called Sri Lankan society. The respect for precious human life in the name of a mythical 'Tamil Homeland' has been reduced to zero levels. We may ask "what is the difference between a butcher and an LTTE terrorist?" None whatsoever! The only difference, is that human life is considered to be more precious than an animal life - the end result unfortunately is the same-merciless death. Those who perpetrate such horrendous acts no doubt, get an enormous thrill out of the suffering inflicted on innocent people. This is exactly what we have witnessed during the past week in the aftermath of the shooting incident which killed TNA Parliamentarian Nadarajah Raviraj, Police Constable Lakshman Lokuwella. Human life whether it be Raviraj's or Lakshman Lokuwella's is equally precious to their immediate families who have both lost a son, husband and father! None other than their immediate families will have genuine sorrow for having lost their dear ones. We deeply regret and offer our heartfelt sympathies to the families that have been victimized in this recent incident. In 'The Nation' of 12th November 2006 in an article titled 'Lokuwella: The bodyguard who accompanied Raviraj' it is stated "He was a father of two sons and resided at Nilammahara, Gampaha. Speaking about Lokuwella the slain Parliamentarian Raviraj's mother Mangaleswary Nadaraja said that she was equally saddened by the death of Policeman. "I am very upset about his death as well. It is a burden to me. He was very dear to us. He was very close to us disregarding that he was a Sinhalese. He was very innocent and I am very sorry for his family and two small sons", she said. Where is the evidence of an ethnic conflict? Sinhalese and Tamils live in the south without enmity while the LTTE and their cohorts proclaim worldwide that there is enmity between the Sinhalese and Tamils! Even Mr. Raviraj who was an MP and Deputy Mayor of Jaffna opted to live more in the south among the Sinhalese rather than live in the North. Was there a particular reason we may ask? It was probably safer for him and his family down here! In this cloud of sadness most unfortunately, we have seen a particular faction of our society (both expatriate and locals) who have revealed in capitalizing and politicizing this dastardly act to the level that is, can almost be considered, vulgar and perverse! They have behaved in the most uncivilized manner by using the body of the late Nadarajah Raviraj for their particular agendas. The enthusiasm with which photographs show Kumar Rupasinghe and Rajitha Senarathne show that there is something much more than mere sadness at the death of Raviraj? In a big show of sympathy they were seen carrying the coffin of Mr. Raviraj being taken in procession from Kanatte to the New Town Hall but after that, the coffin was left behind when they got into their vehicles and left the scene, leaving the bereaved family to bring back the coffin to its place of rest until it was flown to Jaffna for the final rites! Did these personalities dare to follow the body to Jaffna and attend the funeral together with the LTTE when they were supposed to confer on him a posthumous title? One should not insult the dead and departed but most of all, one must not insult the families of the bereaved by being so insensitive. The placards that were seen in the photos published had 'SHAME' written in all three languages. Shame must be pointed out at the terrorists who have reduced human life to such a valueless state! Sri Lanka has lost brave members of our Armed Forces through 25 years of terrorism but have these 'great sympathizers' even ventured to speak on their behalf? The motives behind their actions are too naked. Foreigners and Expatriate Sri Lankans who live out of INGO and NGO activities in Sri Lanka and who wish to interfere in the internal affairs of this country are making every effort to destabilize and fragment the nation. To them anything serves a purpose provided they can earn out of the misery of others! In the aftermath of the death of Raviraj, this is what has been exposed more than ever before! The National Peace Council and 'Anti-War Front' are only masks behind which they hide their true colours. DARMITHA - --------- Treasury Secretary's intevention soughtSri Lanka is among a handful of countries in the world having a chequered and recorded history of a civilisation existed for over 2500 years, evident from numerous ancient manuscripts punctuated with rock inscriptions, carvings and edifices. Any form of violence to these ancient monuments is sacrilegious and resisted by the right - thinking people who have developed an innate penchant to protect them for future generations. There is a general concern of our people to protect our ancient heritage from vandals. Our peers', the clergy and elders' outlook is to treat anything old as gold. Apart from antique artefacts, the country is proud of some of its age-old institutions that have survived the test of time for over centuries. One such financial institution is the Public Service Mutual Provident Association (P.S.M.P.A) which has survived for over 122 years catering to pecuniary distress of Public Servants, with its current assets over Rs. 350 million. For the first time in its 122 years' history, the Auditor General has refused to give an opinion and not passed the Accounts for the year 2005 due to numerous flaws which A.G. had enumerated in his report. The A.G.M. did not pass the Accounts for 2005 due to an adverse report of the A.G. At the last meeting of Committee of Management, a resolution has been tabled requesting the Secretary to the Treasury, statutorily empowered, to intervene and probe into the malady the PSMPA has been driven into and to recommend ways and means of reversing this trend before it peters out into another Pramuka Bank. W. Samaranayake, Committee Member, PSMPA - -------- Commemorating a most epochal eventJ.B. Muller, expressing his views and emotions in the DN of November 17 on the arrival of the Portuguese in Sri Lanka clearly wishes to forestall criticism of his sentiments, by labelling critics as 'some members of the lunatic fringe (who) would like to decry any commemoration..." I take the risk of being perceived as one on such fringe or brink: but it is preposterous to compare the fortuitous arrival of 'Admira' Almeida with that of the Arahant Mahinda. Almeida was on a hunting spree, hunting 'for an Arab fleet plying between the Spice Islands and the Red Sea' - a mission to kill and rob. The Arahant was bearing a message of peace, foremost being the recognition of the right to life of all beings, not only human beings. He was an emissary of the Head of State of India, Emperor Asoka, to the Head of State of Lanka, King Devanampiyatissa. Who would venture to disagree with Mr. Muller that 'history happened and cannot be rewritten to suit the whims and fancies of those who hate the Portuguese or the European'. Certainly, it is imperative that history be taught in all its unvarnished truth. So let's remind ourselves of the history of the dreadful bloodshed, torture and crusade - 'the military expeditions under the banner of the cross' initiated in the Kotte Kingdom, and perpetrated by the Portuguese, to forcibly spread Christianity in this country. Let us practice what Mr. Muller preaches - teach history. SINHALANKA - --------- Garbage clearenceVery encouraging to read (DN Oct. 31) about the meeting held by the president on this subject. When I visited Sri Lanka last year I took photos of the garbage mounts near the Port as we docked.It was not only an eyesore but a health hazard. D. NOEL FERNANDO - |
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