• Safety of our Statesmen

• Checking at airport

• Hands off the public coffers

• Loyalty

   

Safety of our Statesmen

The safety of our statesmen and servicemen are paramount. No terrorist life has value equal to any other citizen of our country.

We cannot and must not jeopardize the lives of our leaders. When the former President was in power, citizens lost belief in our leaders and didn't give much thought, if the murderers of the Vanni killed one of them. It's different today!

We have started believing in our leaders now and value their lives. We must not allow any one of their lives to be threatened.

We know who is sending these killers, so it's the duty of the authorities to take action. No citizen, other than some traitors, will ever complain, if the forces hit the Vanni and vanquish the whole lot.

There is no reason to believe in the Norwegians. They don't have a good reputation in Europe. It's one of the countries, which was collaborating with Hitler.

They do not have much say in Europe either, so they try to make some noise in Asia or Africa. Even though these Norwegians smile at you and may even talk nicely, they are the most xenophobic people in Europe.

While we have many good countries in Asia, I don't understand why we have to invite a small insignificant country to solve a problem in our country? Why should they solve this problem? What will happen to those Norwegians, I might say parasites, which live by this problem? Would some Norwegian Ministers, who had made a name, go to oblivion solving our problem? There are enough Asian Statesmen, who can and will try their best to solve our problem, without trying making a name!

None of these so-called facilitators worth the life of our servicemen and leaders. Until these Norwegians are here life of our Statesmen and servicemen are in danger!

There should be special security precautions taken on the roads. No 3-wheeler should idle on the road. All these dangerous so-called vehicles should be registered to a given area in the city.

All 3-wheelers on hire must have a given colour and carry a sign on the roof that could be clearly seen from 100 metres. Details of the owner, driver must be clearly indicated within the 3-wheeler.

Police personnel should not sit inside these 3-wheelers when on duty. (Sometimes to get out of the sun, they do so). Police personnel should not travel by them in uniform at all. (They can do that if they commandeer 3-wheelers for emergency work.).

These 3-wheelers and motorbikes speed along a line of vehicles waiting for the colour lights to change on the right side of this line - an absolute dangerous movement for anyone's safety. Such a 3-wheeler or a motorbike can ram a vehicle or a bomb can be thrown from it. All vehicles, except special ones, should travel behind each other.

All these reckless overtaking of any vehicles must be stopped. Very high fines should be given to this kind of reckless driving. It doesn't matter, if the driver won't be able to live for half a month after such a fine! Life of our Statesmen, servicemen and women are of much more value.

Together with all citizens of Sri Lanka, I keep my fingers crossed for the safety of our leaders and servicemen. I do hope the Government will take stern measures against the killers from the Vanni.

ARIYA - via email

Checking at airport

I refer to Dr. A. M. Ladduwahetty's letter (DN Nov. 8) - 'A strange practice at BIA'.

The Chairman, Airports Authority and Immigration Department should take immediate action to stop such harassment to airline passengers who are the valued customers to the newly built airport terminal facility which should operate as a business organisation.

In the first place, if these officials are competent enough to detect the fake passports, there is no need to grab a passport from a genuine passenger in order to compare with the fake one.

As the two officials implied that they were with the authority from US embassy to check the passports of US citizens, surely the embassy would have given them the necessary training on how to identify the differences between genuine and fake passports.

If there is need for such additional checks on immigration related matters, they should only be carried out by an immigration official sitting next to the regular immigration counter.

Only a designated immigration desk can be equipped with facilities like computer, scanner and power, data, telephone points etc. for such activity.

These random checks outside normal checking areas may lead to corrupt practices by some individuals threatening innocent inexperienced passengers and demanding for money.

The practice of officials questioning in public areas such as duty free shops, telephone booths, departure gate sitting area, toilets etc. is a form of harassment unwanted by passengers who pay airport tax for using the terminal building.

However in the past, in some airports, it has been the practice to check some passengers at random to verify whether the passport and the boarding pass belong to the person boarding the aircraft.

This check is done immediately after the boarding gate which is a designated checkpoint. The purpose of this check is to stop human trafficking by means of exchanging travel documents while in transit.

As I know this method of human trafficking is not possible now due to automated and improved checking procedures for arriving passengers in the countries affected by such human trafficking and Colombo BIA is not a transit point for such activity.

D. KARUNARATNE - via email

Hands off the public coffers

With reference to the news item which appeared in the Daily News dated August 30, 2006 under caption 'SC orders Rs. 125,000 as compensation to Deputy Principal'.

The Supreme Court held that the Fundamental Rights of a Deputy Principal of Muslim Ladies College, Bambalapitiya, had been violated by the Public Service Commission and the Interview Board, ordered the State to pay a sum of Rs. 125,000 as compensation.

The court held that the rights of the petitioner Fareeda Hann Wahab of Nawala, had been violated by the respondents Additional Assistant Secretary, Education Service Committee - PSC T. M. M. Tennakoon, Public Service Commission - R. C. A. Vandergert, Chairman, H. D. Lakshmi Gunawardena, Secretary, D. M. P. D. Dassanayake, T. Somasekeram, Dr. A. C. Vishwalingam, J. N. O. Fernando, Deshabandu Jazeema Ismail, Dr. Raihana Raheem, N. Mohottala, Interview Board - Thillai Nadarajah, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Human Resources Development, Education and Cultural Affairs, P. H. P. Geeganage, Director - National Schools, S. K. Weeratunga, Senior Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration, Management and Reforms, E. A. Jayasinghe, Director, Zonal Education Office, Negombo, D. M. M. B. Dissanayake, Director, North Central Province, Educational Office, due to their failure to appoint the petitioner as Principal of Muslim Ladies College, Bambalapitiya.

It was astonishing to note that the Supreme Court findings were that the allocation of marks being unfairly deprived to the petitioner, by grossly under marked or no marks given under each heading but the 1st respondent Bintara Wazeerdeen had been awarded conversely excessive marks, which had raised considerable doubts regarding the impartiality of the Interview Board.

Excerpts from the judgement: "It is manifest that the Interview Board has not been faithful to the excellent marking scheme that was available to it and which it was expected to apply.

It is very obvious that the Interview Board has been extremely strict with the petitioner who has been allotted less than 50 per cent of the marks that she was entitled to considering her seniority and merit, and has been extremely generous with the 1st respondent who had been awarded nearly double the marks that her seniority merit justified.

Whether the Interview Board was actuated by mala fides as alleged by the petitioner or had been biased against the petitioner or in favour of the 1st respondent for any other reason, need not, in my opinion be decided by the court."

In light of the above facts, why should the State compensate the petitioner with the sum of Rs. 125,000 which is public money?

Therefore, it is the public and my opinion that the State compensate and recover the full amount from the members of the Interview Board and the Public Service Commission for having being indifferent and failing in their bounden duty.

We leave this to the Minister of Education to take necessary action against members of the Interview Board for having being biased against the petitioner and depriving her of being the principal, at the pinnacle of her teaching career, which had been her childhood aspiration.

The Muslim community has lost a clever, sincere, honest lady who could have served for another two years, but she opted to retire and fulfilled her ambition as principal of a International School in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

A saying goes for want of a horse a war was lost, the Muslim Ladies College has lost for want of a efficient principal. There too was insult to injury.

As regard to the Public Service Commission to whom are they answerable, is to the Constitutional Council or to the President. We leave this to Almighty.

We, parents of Muslim Ladies College and the public earnestly, await the course of action the Public Service Commission metes in this regard, especially where the courts spells out that the appointment of the incumbent principal of Muslim Ladies College has been appointed by the impugned letter of appointment dated October 20, 2003.

J. S. SHAFFDEEN - Dehiwela

Loyalty

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's speech was excellent (Reference DN Dec. 9).

What more can he say? It is up to the Tamil people to give up their greed for a separate State and breakaway from terrorism, which only functions when supported.

Move on Army, long live Sri Lanka!

EDDY - via email