• Mahinda Chinthanaya and the crossovers

• Fifty nine years of independence - past, present and future

• Mr. Anandasangaree's federal states

• Attack on three-wheeler drivers baseless

• The treacherous walk to Dunhinda
   

Mahinda Chinthanaya and the crossovers

Eighteen UNP stalwarts have joined the Government by accepting 'Mahinda Chinthanaya'. By this crossover the hands of indefatigable President Mahinda Rajapaksa have been strengthened.

This unprecedented crossover has created a land mark in the history of party politics in this country. Much publicity was given for this crossover in the electronic media and as well as in the printed media.

All those who crossedover have openly accepted 'Mahinda Chinthanaya' now, although they have vehemently criticised it when they were in the opposition. That is the nature of our politicians. In any case now they have to fall in line with 'Mahinda Chinthanaya' and to find immediate solutions for various problems that have not been solved upto now.

The most important thing is to put an end to this terrorism which has ruined this country for over two decades.

It is the duty of the Government to create an environment in this country for all the ethnic groups to live without fear and to carry out their day to day activities. If not, this crossover will not bear any fruits!

D. E. ABEYWEERA,
Kelaniya

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Fifty nine years of independence - past, present and future

This truth should be made known using our international relations and print and electronic media. (Reference DN Feb 3) The second option is to defeat separatists.

The support of all concerned should be enlisted in this exercise. The time is opportune for all peace loving patriotic forces together and strengthen the hands of the President to end this menace. Otherwise, we will pass this separatist war to the third generation to come.

Let us all get-together to resolve this problem. Minds are refreshed having read this article. Well done.

M. H. ZIAULDEEN,
via email

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Mr. Anandasangaree's federal states

Mr. Sangaree, we salute you for the courage you have displayed in informing the Secretary General of the UN about the true nature of the atrocities that the Tamils under the control of the LTTE terrorists are undergoing.

You have very vividly explained the suffering of the Tamils being forced to join the LTTE terrorists to fight the liberating Government troops. You yourself have said that the suffering Tamils would like those areas to come under Government control.

Now Mr. Anandasangaree, you would have seen these Tamils fleeing away from the LTTE terrorists to the protection of the Government troops.

You would also have seen the extremely happy faces of the Tamils in those parts of Jaffna town that the Government has cleared. If elections are held in cleared areas both in the East and in the North the Sinhalese President will bag all the seats. Not one from the TNA will enter Parliament.

When both areas are cleared one can justly ask where the ethnic problem is. None of these Tamils who have suffered for so long are asking for Federal States. The only people that matter in this conflict are those who have suffered and are suffering.

They are the Tamils of the North and the East and they are very happy to be with the Sinhalese as we saw on television.

It is only the Tamils who have prospered in the South because of the Sinhalese patronage of their businesses who want federal states.

Facts show that you cannot convince the Secretary General that no solution can be found within a Unitary State.

As soon as the Tamils are liberated and the myth of the ethnic problem will cease to exist and you know that Mr. Sangaree.

L. JAYASOORIYA,
via email

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Attack on three-wheeler drivers baseless

This refers to the article written by one N. D. Chandrasekera of Nugegoda under the heading 'Three-wheel mafia' which appeared in the Daily News on December 28, 2006.

First and foremost, let me thank Mr. Chandrasekera for his article since the Three-Wheeler Drivers' Association is open to criticism from those who depend on the three -wheeler for their transportation needs. However, it is regrettable to note that he has misrepresented the facts and used this opportunity to launch a malicious attack on three-wheeler drivers as a whole.

We categorically state that all the facts presented in the advertisement under the heading 'Providing the nation and us an invaluable service' are true and accurate. It was merely an attempt to educate the society in which three-wheeler drivers are often looked down upon and not given their due credit, rather than an attempt at self-glorification.

As a responsible association, we have simply tried to make the public aware of the contribution of the three-wheeler industry to the transport sector, employment generation and the economy in general.

We request Mr. Chandrasekera to please refrain from drawing comparisons between the Three-Wheeler Drivers' Association and the Private Bus Owners' Association.

Let us enlighten you to the fact that although rules have been introduced and institutions have been set up to regulate the private buses, no such measures have been taken with regard to the three-wheelers for the past 28 years. Our appeals to all authorities concerned, including the Minister of Transport, on numerous occasions to regulate the three-wheeler industry have fallen on deaf ears.

It gives me great pleasure to inform you that our association, on its own initiative, has already installed tamper proof meters in three wheelers. Accordingly, Rs. 30 is charged for the first kilometer and Rs. 24 per each additional kilometer.

Waiting charges are calculated at Rs. 90 per hour. There's no room for dishonesty since the customer can see it all for himself. This has helped not only our regular customers but also those who use three-wheelers on a temporary basis.

When the authorities will wake up to their responsibility of introducing a proper mechanism to regulate this vital industry is anyone's guess.

LALITH DHARMASEKERA, President,
All-island Three Wheeler Drivers' Welfare Association

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The treacherous walk to Dunhinda

The Dunhinda Waterfall is one of the many natural beautiful places in our country. Any one who visits the Badulla area will not want to miss this cascading fall of water. Our party of about ten adults and three children also took the challenge of going to see this place a few days ago.

The walk to the falls is not an easy one by any standard. Once you leave the Badulla Mahiyangana road through the archway to the falls, one is charged rupees five per head to proceed to the site of the falls.

This is one of the most dangerous and treacherous walks one would have to undertake to get there. The road is a narrow uneven footpath on the ledge of the mountain full of slippery rocks and boulders and streams of water, especially during the rainy season.

In many places, it is a sheer drop of hundreds of feet into the abyss below. Many a time, one has to go on all fours to negotiate the terrain safely. It is astonishing that the relevant authorities haven't even thought of erecting safety railings along this route, which has already taken the life of a young child a few years ago.

There may have been even more such incidents which would have not come to limelight. From my own experience many a calamity must be occurring daily without much exposure.

Apparently after the death of the child they closed that stretch of the path and opened a new road which is equally dangerous but never thought of the very obvious necessity of erecting safety railings along the road! In typical Sri Lankan style, they are probably waiting for the next death to change the direction of the road again!

I had two personal experiences during our trip. One member of our party slipped and fell down the ledge for about twenty five feet, but luckily he was able to cling on to a branch which also gave way and saved his life.

Three or four able bodied visitors who were there went down with great difficulty and managed to rescue him. Had there been a safety railing there, this surely wouldn't have happened.

He escaped with a few bruises, lucky he did not lose his life.

The other was where a young teenage girl slipped down again at the unprotected ledge, but fortunately she was grabbed by her companion before she tumbled down. So within half an hour, I witnessed two glaring life threatening incidents simply because of the lack of suitable and easily installed safety precautions.

I am sure some of our globe trotting politicians and their entourages would have seen how other countries consider the safety of human life as number one priority in such situations. Many natural beautiful places in other parts of the world where large numbers of visitors gather always give priority to this safety aspect.

I wonder where the five rupee collection per head goes! There must be easily several hundreds of visitors doing this treacherous trek everyday.

Surely this daily collection can easily foot the bill for suitable safety railings to be installed, which in addition will also help the not so able to climb and descend the innumerable ups and downs along the road.

I hope this will catch the eyes of the relevant authorities, whom I earnestly request to take meaningful steps to save the life and limb of the many visitors to this beautiful place, before another catastrophe occurs.

DR. A. N. DHARMAWANSA,
Colombo, via email