That wild elephants are a symbol of wildlife and an attraction in our
country, is clear by the large number of tourists visiting Yala,
Handapangala, Bundala and other elephant habitats. The 2011 census had
recorded 5879 wild elephants but that number is dwindling, with an
average 150 animals getting killed each year. Shooting, poisoning,
'Hakkapatas' and being knocked down by trains attribute to this sad
situation.
It is common knowledge that elephants need a large home range
according to their forage behaviour, and spend about 18 hours a day
feeding. It is mainly because of this reason, that the competition for
land between man and elephant has arisen.
We see human-elephant conflicts mostly in new human settlements. The
major conflicts have been in the Mahaweli project areas established in
the 1970s. Many human settlements have been established in elephant
corridors, which elephants have used to move and feed for years. These
settlements are without any acceptable Environment Impact Assessments
(EIA). Successive governments and private companies have implemented
large scale development or business projects in high elephant density
areas. Most of them do not come under the EIA. Most projects displace
elephants’ home ranges, resulting in elephants raiding villages. This is
very clear in the Hambantota District where recent development projects
have chased away elephants from their usual habitats.
Although the Wildlife Department has adopted the electric fencing
system to keep the elephants away, its effectiveness and longevity to a
large scale depends on maintenance, which on the part of villagers is
very low. Human encroachment on elephant habitats and corridors should
be stopped. Proper studies should be done prior to development projects
being implemented in these areas. There is no single solution for this
problem. Therefore an integrated one that is flexible enough to be
adjusted according to the locality must be developed.
HARSHI NADIE PERERA
PILIYANDALA
I was happy to read in the Daily News the report on the statement
made by Dr. Subramanian Swamy to the media on the eve of the UNHRC
sessions. I have met Dr. Swamy on two occasions and he is indeed a great
man with forthright views on many matters. People in India and in other
countries pay heed to his words of wisdom and knowledge. I responded to
Dr. Swamy's statement reported in today's Daily News by going to the
Feedback Web Page, but am not sure if you received it. Hence I am
repeating my response below:
'I appreciate very much the call made by the Janatha Party President
Dr. Subramanian Swamy on the eve of the forthcoming UN Human Rights
Sessions to take place in Geneva shortly where the LTTE rump and its
insidious cohorts are trying to bring about a vote against Sri Lanka, by
manufacturing absolute lies and trumped up stories on the war to
eradicate terrorism on their soil. Dr. Swamy is held in high esteem not
only in India but also internationally. This visiting professor of
Harvard University has the guts to call a spade a spade which sadly is a
rare quality among politicians of all hues and opinions. I am sure that
member nations meeting at the UNHRC sessions will heed the saner voices
of men and women of the calibre of Dr. Subramanian Swamy and reject
wholesale the attempts of all those who are still trying to tarnish the
image of Sri Lanka'.
Samuel J. Coilpillai,
Syraccuse, USA
As the Patron of the Nugegoda Housewives’ Association where we help
the poor and the needy, I wish to state that all women of Sri Lanka
share the grief and calamity that befell Rizana, a poor under-aged girl
who was entangled in the clutches of a bogus job agency which went to
the extent of even altering her birth certificate.
Agencies of this calibre should be highlighted, dealt with the law
and duly punished. Rizana was a naive girl who went in search of riches
to support her family. Poverty was the main factor. President Mahinda
Rajapaksa spoke on her behalf but to no avail; the millionaire of Saudi
Arabia showed her no mercy. First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa visited the
house of Rizana. The mother was deeply touched by the kind gesture of
the First Lady who seeing the plight of Rizana's family, promised to
build them a house and assured employment for one member in the family.
This is an-eye-opener to all women seeking employment as housemaids.
It is important that we who hail from various religious backgrounds
sympathize with those less fortunate.
Carmen Tillekeratne
Nugegoda
I was happy to read the article by Lionel Wijesiri under the caption
'Needed a candid jaw-jaw'. Wijesiri walks right in the middle of the
path and speaks neutrally. He requests all moderate religious leaders to
come forward and stand against religious extremism. That is exactly what
is needed today. Throughout history, people have perpetrated extreme
violent acts in the name of religion – whether it be Christianity,
Islam, Judaism, Hinduism or any other faith. Religious extremism is not
good for constitutional democracy. We must stop thinking of democracy
primarily in terms of elections. We must instead start thinking in terms
of a full menu of democratic and constitutional freedoms, with tolerance
for religious diversity near the top of the list.
As a moderate Muslim I assure you that religious extremism has
nothing to do with the true spirit of Islam. Islam enjoined us to
exercise moderation in religion but we gave up this moderation long ago.
In Pakistan religious extremism was adopted as a policy of the state
during the 1970s when the Muslims were fighting a proxy war for the US
in Afghanistan.
The seeds of extremism sown at that time bear bitter fruits now. Even
Muslims there are not safe in the hands of Muslims, let alone other
religious minorities.
Some Muslims in Sri Lanka seem to have forgotten everything including
the immortal message of the Quran and they refuse to follow ‘the
beautiful pattern (of conduct) for everyone whose hope is in Allah and
the Final Day'. Muslim moderates should stop dithering between 'to be or
not to be'.
Nizam Azeez
Nugegoda
There have been many news reports of school vans being checked by the
Traffic Police in various parts of the country for their
“Roadworthiness”. But strangely this has not happened in the City of
Colombo.
They have checked the vision of drivers, but not the condition of the
vehicles.
I have observed that many school vans that transport children to
school are not passenger vans but cargo vehicles, which have been
modified with the installation of make shift seats.
In most instances the seats have been installed so close to each
other that even children do not have enough leg space.
Some vans have shutters which cannot be opened as they are
permanently fixed, while others which can be opened have their hinges
broken; some of the doors too are broken and tied with rope. The tyres
too have long passed their road worthiness and even the canvas could be
visible
Its time the city Traffic Police spent some time checking on these
vans.
Tilak Fernando
Wellawatte.
It was recently reported that the government has decided to shift the
Manning Market to the Peliyagoda area and construct a modern bus station
and a shopping complex there instead. It was also stated that there will
be about 1,000 to 1,500 spaces reserved as hawkers' stands.
There should be a limit to bringing hawkers into the city. Hawkers
are notorious for selling items short-weight and food items unfit for
human consumption. President Premadasa was the first person to bring in
hundreds of hawkers into the Pettah and Fort areas. Places on the
pavements were given to them to erect small sheds as a result of which
Citizen Perera had to walk at great risk on the road and not on the
pavement. Each time they were removed from these places and given shops
in designated areas, they came back to these very same areas and started
business, renting the shops allocated to them by the authorities.
Just take a look at Pettah. The bus shelters outside the Manning
Market meant for the public travelling along Galle road and Horana road
have been taken over by hawkers who have constructed small shops selling
mobile phones etc. Does it mean they can flout all the rules in the
country and ply their trade?
It is only the Defence Secretary who can get these unauthorised
structures removed as he will not bend to ministers representing a
minority community who claim theirs is a community of traders. Law
abiding citizens look to the Defence Secretary to enforce the law. Tilak
Fernando.
Wellawatte
|