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The other Thoppigala

Looking at the flag-raising pictures of Thoppigala, I was reminded of similar photographs of another ‘Thoppigala’, that appear in a book by James Bradley, whose father had fought, raised the flag and survived in the battle for the Pacific Island of Iwo Jima, in the Second World War.

Those photographs depict the flag-raising after the capture of this island by the Americans. Picture highlights the similarity.

Incidentally, there is some idle talk that Thoppigala is just a rocky out-crop in the middle of a jungle sparsely populated, implying that its capture was not worth the effort.

Well, the other Thoppigala - Iwo Jima - was a ‘trivial scab’ of eight square miles whose ‘population’ at that time comprised entirely of Japanese soldiers, hidden in a sophisticated tunnel system. But, for this scab, eighty thousand Americans fought against 12,000 of Japanese.

Further, for the Americans this was a place thousands of miles away from their homeland, important only for strategic reasons. (It was handed back to Japan after the war.) But, Thoppigala is part of our Motherland, wrested by a group of marauding terrorists, now liberated by our brave soldiers.

let us all salute them!


God should intervene to save Lankan girl

The Sri Lankan girl Rizana Nasik of Muttur who is on the death row in Saudi Arabia should be granted clemency.

I saw the photograph of her family in the newspapers and it was a great pity to see their plight.

The Foreign Ministry should render absolute assistance for her and her family, because the victims held are not given an open opportunity and a fair trial to prove their innocence as the biggest barrier they face is the language.

The relatives of the accused girl who is only 19-years-old now say the death of the four-years-old child occurred by accidental strangulation while her employer was abusing this Sri Lankan girl while she had the baby in her hand.

This is not the first instance where we see and hear innocent women have been molested, raped and abused in these countries.

This is why certain Asian countries have banned women seeking employment in the Middle-East countries.

They get off scott-free because they are at an upper hand as they know the law and the loopholes where the escape route for them is not difficult.

As human beings, we must respect the dignity of others whether you are rich or poor. Today, money, greed and power is achieved to a great extent by making religion a mockery and a scapegoat.

I humbly request God to pardon and release Rizana Nasik of Muttur, because wherever you may be and whatever you may do, we should all remembered and recognise that only God knows the absolute truth.


Citizen’s charter

No Charter will work with most of our Government servants and our Government offices have become the most rotten places in the country doing little and getting everything at the expense of poor rate payers. They don’t have the simplest courtesy of acknowledging receipt of any letters, sometimes for months.

Most Government offices look like war ravaged and damaged places. No one cares. Will the Ministers do something about this situation?


‘Colonial mentality lives on’

When Ravi Perera (DN July 12) lamented about Sri Lankans naming their businesses and buildings with English names, it only heightened my interest to pen a few words.

Perera has only scratched the surface of our malady. We should be more concerned about the cultural and moral desecration of thoughts, behaviours, and values of the people who run these businesses.

When Mohammad is called Moe, Jagath is called Jag and Devinda is called Dave, we have a serious inferiority complex which is brought about by our own stupidity. Black was considered the most beautiful skin colour in Africa till the Europeans colonised their lands and made them feel inferior.

Well dressed ladies were considered the epitome of decency, till the European invaded our shores. Now, indecency is admired and decency is look down upon.

One has only to look deep inside our culture and the corrosive forces that had invaded it - alcohol, gays, peadophiles, promiscuity, nudity, idol-worshipping, gambling, violence, gun culture, etc. - and we will be surprised how much these social evils have invaded our space and thoughts under the guise of freedom.

Not all Western influences are bad and we should take personal responsibility for our actions. However, the problem seems to be that we sadly lack the proper spiritual knowledge or know-how to counter these corrosive behaviours.

To a certain degree, we are all enslaved by Western ideals, and as one prominent writer to the Daily News aptly puts it, ‘Who is controlling your mind?’


Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

When I visited the Sri Dalada Maligawa last week to venerate the sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha, I was saddened and astonished to note that both the interior and exterior walls of this most holy building being painted in an off white dull colour thus diminishing the holy and sacred outlook.

This sacred building was painted either in milk white or light yellow colour from the time immemorial and both these colours resembled some holiness. The present colour gives a more commercial look.

As the old saying goes ‘Better late than never’, I would most respectfully suggest and appeal to the authorities to restore the former colour (light yellow) at least on the exterior walls and retain the holy look of this sacred building venerated by millions of people from all over the world.

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