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An elephant is a sacred treasure of the land. Since late, there have
been many accidental deaths by train collision. It is a great pity that
nothing seems to be done to arrest this.
The elephant roams about in definite areas in their land. Human
beings have no right to disturb their living.
I believe there was a time when notice boards were fixed by the side
of the rail track indicating their habitats and train drivers were given
strict instructions to adhere to speed limits in these areas, so that in
an emergency a train could be brought to a halt without causing such
tragic massacre. I wish the authorities would wake up to prevent this
inhuman trend.
OWEN W. KARIYAWASAM
Dehiwela
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Kandy being the sacred city is fast becoming famous for the oldest
profession of the world. It is an open secret if you own a house with a
minimum of five to ten rooms, you could easily get a monthly rent
approximately from Rs. 150,000 to Rs. 250,000.
The basic qualification for the rent you demand is solely according
to the number of rooms available.
The flesh trade or the oldest profession is in full swing, with the
lull of tourism in many hotels. Guest Houses and Inns are in this game
because there is a big demand for this thriving business.
The names of these houses of ill fame are beautiful which gives any
onlooker a double meaning. The weekends are the busiest when
three-wheelers have hectic schedule transporting couples for their
nefarious activities.
I being a resident of Anniewatte wish to say that these houses of ill
fame operate openly, as today money has overruled many aspects in our
lives. To whom can we lodge or protest because all peace-loving
residents in our area watch in great disgust.
This has to be curtailed and stopped, if not it won’t be too far in
the near future where all the street-lamps along Anniewatte will go red
and be labelled and called the Red light district for the thriving flesh
trade in our city?
Li Kwang Shu
Kandy
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This is a question often asked by so many victims whenever a natural
disaster strikes them like the tsunami which hit our Eastern and
Southern coastal belts in which so many shanties and homes of poor
fisher folk were washed away before their own eyes in a matter of
minutes. So many were washed away with children and very old people.
This type of disaster never happened in our recent history and the
only parallel is when Vihara Maha Devi had to be launched to the open
sea in a boat when a similar catastrophe stuck us during that time which
was interpreted as an act of God to punish the King for bad governance.
But with the tsunami which struck us that concept has been dropped.
Even Insurance companies do not pay compensation for losses incurred due
to devastations caused by Acts of God.
So the reply I can give to Ramona T. Fernando of USA regarding her
query on ‘God and tsunami’ is that it was not where God was on that day
but as to why he did this devastating Act of God.
T. A. PEIRIS
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Recently (11.9.2007) I watched an episode on Rupavahini telecasting a
case of brutal murder of an innocent van driver by a gang of youths,
just for the sake of stealing his van. But the youths were not
successful in their deceptive expedition, as they were apprehended by
the security officers at a check point.
Very recently a schoolgirl from Passara is said to have been waylaid
on her return after sitting for the A/L exam, raped and murdered. There
are several cases reported from islandwide, involving murders, rape,
abductions etc. almost daily.
Apart from this, we hear the schoolgoing children are forcibly
dragged into the habit of drug addiction, in some form or the other.
Drug dealers and traffickers are moving free and flourishing in their
business.
The rate of crime is going exclusively high and out of control as the
capital punishment has not been carried out effectively presumably in
view of philosophical aspects. I think most of us remember the
assassination of late Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike.
Here the abolition of death sentence, had been revoked and the
assailant Talduwe Somarama was hanged to death. What’s that make this
sort of disparity and discrimination between a statesman and a layman in
the eyes of law?
Why does the State spend a lot of money to maintain law and order in
the country? Don’t we think death penalty should be enforced to get rid
of criminals, instead of lull them in the State prisons run on the
public revenue.
U. C. H. MOHIDEEN
Gelioya
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Recently when robbers in the guise of policemen (including an
inspector) were robbing a jewellery shop at Dehiwela, the attention of
the policemen on the road was drawn and when they entered the shop, the
bogus cops had told that they were from Police Headquarters and
successfully concluded their mission.
I watched a senior police officer advising the public on a TV
programme not to open the doors, if policemen come late in the night for
any purpose. It is a good advice because bogus police identity cards are
in the possession of the nocturnal robbers.
Should policemen insist of entering the premises the quickest police
service number, 119 should be contacted, inform the matter to them, get
their reply and then decide of opening or not.
It is also very essential to contact the area police station to
verify the situation. In this regard, no police of another area be
permitted to raid or visit a premises outside their authority without
first apprising the police concerned to that particular area. Such a
co-ordination could prevent criminal activities of bogus policemen.
It is a known fact that ‘illicit brewing of liquor, dope clubs,
gambling dens etc. in some places are being carried out with the
blessings of the OICs of such areas.
Therefore, enough publicity should be given requesting the public to
inform of such matters to the Police Headquarters and after raids are
being conducted, disciplinary action should be taken to punish such OICs
accordingly.
NAZLY CASSIM
COLOMBO 13
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