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Thursday, 13 June 2013

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Secretary to the President is right

The Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunge hit the nail on the head and was right when he referred to the controversial 13th Amendment and India's role in forcing solutions on Sri Lanka. That amendment was thrust upon Sri Lanka by Indian hegemony that threatened Sri Lanka with an invasion. India armed, financed and trained Tamil separatists long before the vile attacks in Black July happened.

The whole Black July gave a sense of legitimacy to the Tigers and Tamils who were innocent victims of the riots, to turn towards them as protectors. India's evil machinations against Sri Lanka started long before that.

Now that classified documents are being revealed and conversations are being printed, it becomes quite clear that India wanted to control Sri Lanka the way they bully landlocked Nepal. India seem to forget that Sri Lanka was never part of India historically.

If the Sri Lanka Armed Forces succeeded in defeating the Tigers during the Vadamarachchi operations, India would have lost the leverage it had as the regional super power and their dreams of being a puppet master would have been smashed. India finds it amazing that Sri Lanka does not react the puppet master way it wants to. Simply said, well spoken, Lalith Weeratunge.

In a small nation like Sri Lanka what is the need for massive regional bureaucracies and multiple layers of governance for all provinces? Why not just deal with the issues pertaining to Tamil people and the North and East separately. Look at the massive expenditure needed to prop in so many governments. Look at all the incumbent inefficiencies and multiple layers of officialdom and consequent entitlements at state expenses.

India bears moral responsibility for fostering terrorism in Sri Lanka. It forced the 13th Amendment on Sri Lanka without consulting the people of Sri Lanka. The Gandhis did a number on little Sri Lanka because they were afraid Sri Lanka was veering towards the West after 1977 and were paranoid about having an unfriendly neighbour to the South. However India should not pretend they helped the Tigers only after the vile acts of Black July. They were well on the way to fostering separatism in Sri Lanka before that.

Well said, Mr. Secretary, well said. India should realise that Sri Lanka wan never an Indian colony.

Mano Ratwatte USA


Methods of saving domestic energy

While I was ironing my clothes a niece of mine suggested that I place an aluminum foil under the bedspread I was using to cover the table top of which the ironing was being done. She explained that the heat energy will be reflected by the foil and thereby the maximum use can be made of the heat generated.

The clothes get ironed both sides at the same time. This makes ironing easy , saving both time and electricity.

Another cousin fills the empty space if any, in the refrigerator, with bottles of frozen water transferred from the freezer compartment. This keeps the fridge cool and less electricity energy is drawn from the mains.

A leading company dealing with household electrical appliances suggests that I dispose the conventional fridge I use and go in for an Inverter in-built one as this is energy saving, though the initial investment is high. Inverted fridges use very much less energy that normal fridges according to the Marketing Manager of the company.

MOHAMED ZAHRAN


Paddy fields now fallow

Everybody talks about agriculture and farming. I wonder how many of our Parliamentarians are aware that there are vasts tracts of very valuable agricultural lands which are fallow now. I just came back from a trip to Kadugannawa, my native town. I visited the village Kotabogoda, where we had our own paddy fields which gave our family enough rice to run for half year at least. It was a pity to see all those paddy fields, more than twenty five to fifty acres, now fallow and shrub jungle taken over.

I met the Grama Niladhari of Kotabogoda, a very matured man who told me that due to invasion of wild boar, nothing could be protected. People are not supposed to kill a wild boar. The police apprehends farmers who try to save their plots from these animals, and they even may be fined. The police or Agriculture Department bigwigs do not understand the situation and courts impose punishments on these poor people. I implore State officials to go to this village and see for themselves the abandoned paddy fields which have become a haven for wild animals, especially wild boars.

WIMALADHARMA DEVASIRIRATNE KADAWATA


New car park for Trinity College

Being an old Trinitian, I read with great interest the article titled Bradby Shield rugby encounter well organised by Hafiz Marikkar, which was published in the Sunday Observer on Sunday, June 9, 2013.

While I applaud Brigadier Udaya Ariyaratne for the service he has rendered to the school I would like to find out the rationale behind his vision to construct a large car park for the Trinity College Pallekelle Stadium.

If Brigadier Ariyaratne envisages the stadium to be patronised by large crowds all year around, then certainly I will support his vision. However if this large car park is to be used just to accommodate patrons of the Bradby Shield encounter held once a year, then I would like to question the viability of his vision.

If the car park is for Bradby Shield patrons only, then I would argue that running a shuttle bus service starting from the school or the Kandy Railway Station or the Main bus stand to the Pallekelle Stadium on the day of the Bradby Shield combined with well managed traffic plans for the existing car park, will be a more cost effective and eco-friendly option.

Plus it will provide an opportunity for students, old boys, friends, families and staff of both schools to mingle and get to know each other on the bus ride.

ROSHAN DODANWELA MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA


Why not a universal day for disabled children?

We celebrate October 1, as the Universal Children's Day common to all children, and accept the fact that children are the backbone of the future society.

But do we think of the nearly 95 million disabled children under 14 years worldwide? St. John Bosco (Don Bosco) provided technological tools for marginalized youth including disabled children devoid of racial, religious and ethnic consideration to fight against poverty and to become religious-minded, honest, responsible citizens by securing employment locally and overseas.

Children with disabilities are at greater risk of being poor and are least likely to receive an academic education and healthcare.

In many countries they face abandonment and are among the most marginalized and excluded in the world.

Disabled children are subjected to discrimination as well as exclusion from society and even their rights are neglected.

A special Universal Day for Disabled Children will draw the attention of the relevant Authorities or child welfare organizations, to carry out a fresh research to update the present statistics of 93 million disabled children worldwide. Presently, one in 20 children under 14 years are disabled. Such a day is necessary to prevent them from jeopardy and also to provide enough support and care to inspire them with hope and strength of togetherness.

The earth provides enough to satisfy every normal child's needs, but not every disabled child's need to realize their full potential. Let not the talents of disabled children rust in idleness without tolerance and care.

IVOR HAPUARACHCHI


Child obesity

In contemporary society, the problem of obesity among youngsters seems to have markedly re-surfaced.

Nobody knows precisely whether a child's tendency to grow fat is something inherited, or due to the food he eats.

Though it has been a widely held opinion that excessive consumption of foods and drinks that are high in fat and sugar causes obesity, so far no formal research has been conducted to determine the causative factors pertaining to why children are prone to develop obesity.

As a consequence, authorities seem to have taken no concrete measures to reverse this specific problem.

NANDARATNA RAJAPAKSHA AMBALANGODA

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