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My Internet bill for August 2007 had suddenly gone up to Rs. 962.37,
whereas my telephone bill for the same month (telephone number 2853007)
for usage charges, is only Rs. 230.77.
This shows that someone else is using my Internet account from
another telephone and the charges have been billed to me.
I have always maintained my Internet bill within the package amount
of Rs. 287.50, as I do not use the Internet for longer than the package
period of 15 hours per month.
I have noticed during the past few months, when I am surfing the
Internet, suddenly my connection gets cut off and I cannot re-connect
for a long period of time.
When I called the help desk a few days ago, I was informed that this
is a sign that someone is ‘spying’ and using my connection and he
advised me to get a ‘spy-guard’. This is unnecessary additional expense
and a trouble for me.
I am convinced that the SLT is in a position to find out who has been
using my Internet connection by seeing the other telephone number that
has been using it and if corrective action on such ‘spies’ should be
taken.
This kind of ‘spying’ on SLT Internet connections will lead customers
want to terminate their contract with the SLT and turn to other more
reliable and safe Internet servers.
L. R. R. WICKRAMASEKERA
EDITOR’S NOTE: Spying or ghost users on the Internet is
nothing new and hence I suggest that you change your user name and
password immediately. You could also check from your monthly bill if
there is any other phone number that uses your Internet account and take
remedial action.
Like everything else in Sri Lanka, everybody has an opinion on the
status of school uniforms. This is because our authorities have never
had a clear-cut policy decision.
The latest calling is to allow children to wear according to what
their religions are dictating. If this is permitted, hell will reign,
with all and sundry, choosing colours and patterns of their liking.
All schools in this country must follow one style of uniform, a
change should be considered only on the basis of convenience depending
where the school is situated. Caste or creed must never be allowed to
creep in.
The weather in Wanni or Nuwara Eliya should be the only criteria.
Remember those that advocate flexibility in school uniforms will
eventually end up in a glorious mess, since legislation on the grounds
of religion or ethnicity will never be enforceable.
New splinter groups will spring up the wanting an identity. What the
Nation should remember is uniformity, I suppose that is why this
standardisation of dress is called uniform, and we must never change to
appease a section of the community.
This may end up by the Jaffna youth wanting to wear their verti, the
Sinhala youth their sarong and the Veddha boys their amudai.
This is exactly what happened in our political field.
We never encouraged one standard for all the people and therefore we
are now divided on ethnic lines and that has divided us further.
otherwise why would a small nation like Sri Lanka with a voting
population of 12 million have more than fifty five registered political
parties.
So, politicians, if you do not want a further division of the country
refrain from playing to the gallery no matter what the cost would be.
WALTER FERNANDO
Ratmalana
With reference to the recent debate about the Burghers of Sri Lanka
and their attitude towards other communities, I have to make these
comments.
The Burghers fight so much between themselves that they do not have
the time to peacefully co-exist with other communities.
Many insults are meted out to Burghers with a slightly darker
complexion.
These derogatory labellings originate not from other communities, but
from the Burghers themselves, particularly from those who boast of
having a ‘Genealogy’.
The fact of the matter is that all people have genealogies. They have
got to have parents, grandparents, great-grandparents. Just because a
so-called Genealogy is published in some Dutch Burgher Union Journal
means nothing.
I have done some research on the subject and was amazed to see that
some of those ‘genealogies’ were put together by the families
themselves, whilst in the good old days such genealogies were turned out
by experts on the subject.
The Dutch Reformed Church kept meticulous registers of births,
baptisms, marriages, deaths, etc., and was considered a good source of
authentic genealogies.
A reader wrote in to defend the Burghers by saying they did not even
know the meaning of the word ‘racial’.
I totally agree with him. Had they realised that ‘Rascism’ is a human
rights violation, they would not have gone on to insult and ridicule
decent, hardworking Burghers by calling them rascist names like ‘Black
Burgher’ etc.
My grand-uncle Dr. A.E. Buultjens, the first Ceylonese principal of
Ananda College, who converted to Buddhism during his Cambridge days and
who was well-known for his pro-Sinhalese thinking and who was once a
District Judge of Matara is truly my greatest hero.
One of my first cousins is a Buddhist Thera.
I am proud to admit that my personal Guru is the Buddha. I do not
believe in the so-called ‘purity of races’.
This mumbo-jumbo was used by Adolf Hitler to exterminate six million
jews, 500,000 gypseys, and any one who was not an Aryan. What I do
believe is that we are all the same under the skin.
Therefore, the Burghers ought not feel ashamed to assimilate with
other communities and produce beautiful children, some with tanned
complexions and green eyes and some with fair complexions and black
eyes.
Co-habitation strengthens the gene pool; if not, we will produce at
least one village idiot per family through inbreeding.
Even if we marry a Sinhalese, a Tamil or a Muslim, we can still
choose to be called a ‘Burgher’.
However, I am of the personal opinion that we ought to call ourselves
Sri Lankans and not refer to our different ‘races’.
Linda van Schagen
Mt. Lavinia
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