Citizens’ mail
Here is the story of the Eelam War as told by Stephen Long based in
Los Angeles.
According to him early in 1980 in Sacramonto a gathering of nearly
500 wealthy, influential Tamil expatriates from around the world
chartered the course for the LTTE and developed a strategic plan for
establishing a Tamil Homeland in Sri Lanka.
This motivation was due to the fact that there were nearly one
hundred million Tamils scattered throughout the globe, but there was no
independent sovereign State they could call their own. The elite Tamil
Diaspora felt that they were like step-children wherever they lived, and
also were second class citizens, in any land. Hence they wanted a piece
of global pie to make them feel equal to other nationalities.
They chose to take on the existing struggle of the LTTE against the
Sri Lankan Government, because they could not find any other place
elsewhere in the world. Eventhough Tamil Nadu is the real ethnic
homeland of the Tamils, a civil war against India for a separate State
held no hope at that time.
It was envisaged that if the LTTE was able to establish a Tamil State
in Sri Lanka then it would be a perfect launching pad for the supply of
weaponry and limitless funds to the rebels in Tamil Nadu seeking a
separate state in India. If that succeeds then Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka,
could be linked to form a strong unit.
It is clear from the story told above that the whole Tamil Diaspora
in the world have not only financed the LTTE but also supplied weaponry
for the Eelam war in Sri Lanka. So that our victory at hand has been
after a fight against a mighty World Force and not LTTE alone.
G. P. Dhanatunga
Kolonnawa
I refer to the above titled letter by Dr. Vajira Mendis of the North
Colombo Teaching Hospital Ragama on June 12, regarding the issuing of an
identity card for the next of the kins of heroes who died or disabled in
the war front for obtaining medical facilities from the Government
hospitals.
I totally endorse the idea mooted by the aforesaid doctor and expect
a speedy action from the authorities concerned.
Sunanda Goonatilleke
Dehiwala
The General in charge of the Department of Pensions or the Director
General of Pensions has taken a unilateral decision to deduct Rs. 50
from all pensioners without informing them and without their written
agreement to purchase a land in Ramboda to put a Holiday Home for the
pensioners.
In the first instance the Director General of Pensions does not have
the authority to decide to make deductions for any project or event
without the agreement of the individual pensioners and the Accountants
of the Pension Branches in the Divisional Secretariats have no power or
right to make the deductions without the written consent of the
individual pensioners. However, such deductions have been made, which
shows the ignorance of the public servants concerned in regard to
correct administrative procedure.
At this rate the Director of Pensions will go on making deductions as
and when he wants.
Then again, can a public servant whether he is a Head of Department
or not, purchase State or private land for any project without the
approval of the Treasury/Ministry of Public Administration?
Has Cabinet approval been given for that? Can a fund be launched for
the purpose without the approval of the Treasury/Ministry of Public
Administration? Has not the Director General of Pensions contravened
Administrative and Financial Regulations by deciding to the purchase
land and launch a fund? Worse still how can the Director General of
Pensions take a unilateral decision to collect funds from the pensioners
for the project?
The so-called ‘Holiday Home’ for the pensioners will be of no use to
the pensioners because it is far away and too cold a place for the
pensioners to make use of.
It will in the end come to be the monopoly of a few top public
servants and politicians and political pensioners. The Holiday Home will
be misused in the long run. It will go the way the Pensioners Holiday
Resort in Kelaniya has already gone.
The Ministry of Public Administration should stop the project and
take disciplinary action against the Director General of Pensions for
acting in contravention of administrative and financial regulations and
being authoritarian. Cannot we expect a better public servant to
administer the Pension Department?
The pensioners individually and the pensioners associations should
protest against the unauthorized deduction from the pension and call for
a refund as a deterrent against such deductions in the future.
Upali S. Jayasekera
Colombo 4
In 2005, almost fifty years after Lakshman Kadirgamar left Oxford,
his portrait was unveiled at the Oxford Union.
This was indeed a great honour bestowed by the Oxford Union on only
15 others in its 183 year history.
Mr. Kadirgamar had this to say about that event;
“...I would like to, if I may, to assume that I could share the
honour with the people of my country, Sri Lanka.
I had my schooling there,
My first University was there,
I went to Law College there,
And by the time I came to Oxford as a Postgraduate student, well, I
was relatively a matured person.
Oxford was the icing on the cake... but the cake was baked at
home...”
(applause)
R. De Silva
Dehiwela
I have been really enamoured by your timely second leader ‘Lessons
from Sigiriya’ where you refer to the plight of the tourists and other
visiting this historic Lion Rock where the masterpiece frescoes of King
Kashyapa’s abode exist.
The timeless Sigiriya maidens, the ruins and the graffiti that have
marvelled our gracious archaeologist, the late Sir Senarath
Paranavitarna revealing Kashyapa’s artistic vision through historically,
even our famed archaeologist Shiran Deraniyagala too seems to be all at
ease to pronounce who those painters were. There was a belief that the
frescoes had been influenced by the Ajantha frescoes, but there doesn’t
seem to be any historical evidence in this respect.
Dr. Nandadeva Wijesekera writing to the Ceylon Historical Journal of
(January-April 1953 issues) sets out a very pertinent note thus on page
210.
“To those who have studied the racial types of the island, it becomes
obvious that the figures of Sigiriya represent persons belonging to a
high level of society. The delicacy of the skin and suppleness of limb
combined with the refinement of look bring out the nobility of the
ladies. That these were court ladies may also be assumed from their
physical setting in general. In all cases rugged and coarse features are
wanting, but a few display a slight coarseness.
Elmo Fernando
Kalutara North
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