A diabolical act

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have once again demonstrated their cruelty and inhumanity through two more acts of terror. The blast in Nugegoda killed 16 innocent people who were either shopping or on their way home. The other incident brought to the fore the LTTE’s barbaric practice of suicide bombings.

This proves beyond any doubt that the LTTE’s ruthlessness knows no bounds. It has been the practice of the LTTE to go for ‘soft’ targets when it is militarily weakened, partly to divert the attention of the Security Forces away from the North and partly to drive fear into the hearts of ordinary, peace-loving people.

An organisation that recruits children as young as eight cannot be expected to have an iota of concern for its cadres who are brainwashed into carrying out deadly attacks.

It was just a few weeks ago that it sacrificed 21 young men and women in just one day in the name of ‘liberation’. The organisation even had the audacity to flash their photographs on the Internet.

Another hallmark of the LTTE is its total lack of concern for civilians, be they Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim. The attack in Nugegoda is ample testimony for its callous disregard for civilian lives. It simply views civilian casualties as collateral damage. Indeed, many civilians have died when the LTTE targeted military installations and VIPs.

It is also reputed for using civilians as a human shield in the areas it dominates. This is one of the reasons why the Government decided to go ahead with a humanitarian mission in the East to free the people from the grip of the LTTE.

The lesson that the Forces and the public can draw from yesterday’s incident is that the LTTE is using more ways to infiltrate its cadres into Colombo and high security areas such as ministerial offices. The LTTE could explore more such loopholes to achieve their ulterior motives.

Both the Security Forces and the public must be vigilant of such moves by the LTTE to use not-so-obvious methods. That parcel located right next to you in the bus or the shopping centre could be a bomb.

Contacting the relevant authorities in such instances is the best option. Eternal vigilance is a small price to pay for peace and peace of mind.

A golden opportunity

Nursing is one of the noblest professions in the world. The nurse is the most important person for a helpless patient after the doctor. It has been said that the nurses’ healing touch alone could mentally prop up patients.

The whole world is facing an acute shortage of nurses. Frankly, there are better paying and less rigorous jobs that lure young women (and men) at the expense of nursing. It takes years of training to qualify as a nurse and once a hospital appointment is given, a nurse has to work long hours day and night.

Sri Lankan nurses have earned a reputation as hard-working, skilled and compassionate carers of patients. This has created a demand for them from a number of countries.

It was during President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s official visit to Los Angeles in September that this idea was first mooted. Los Angeles health officials estimate that there are around 15,000 vacancies for nurses there alone. The demand in other States of the US is even greater.

The discussions that went on in this regard are now bearing fruit. According to the agreement due to be signed shortly, Sri Lanka will send 1,000 nurses annually to California.

Each batch will serve there for two years, earning more qualifications and gaining exposure to the latest healthcare trends.

This will be a golden opportunity for Sri Lankan nurses to gain additional experience in a First World country, while earning a very attractive salary. It was reported that similar offers have been received from Canada, Australia, UK, China and Italy.

This will also be in line with a recent decision taken by the Government to send more skilled workers abroad, instead of sending unskilled workers such as domestic aides.

The logic is that professionals and skilled workers can earn more and the experience they gain abroad may one day be beneficial to Mother Lanka.

Plans are already underway by Lankan construction companies to move into the Middle East in a big way, which would create hundreds of employment opportunities for professionals such as engineers, architects, surveyors and interior designers.

The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment should look for more such opportunities for skilled workers around the world.