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It is time the national newspapers take the NGO mafia to task and
show them that they have blood on their hands of this barbaric acts.
Fed and egged on by international and national conspirators hell bent
on the State of Sri Lanka, many of the NGOs and INGOs who operate in Sri
Lanka with limited or no accountability is a major factor in the
murderous LTTE continuing their barbarism.
The LTTE knows very well that the NGO chorus will work tirelessly in
the relevant circles to whitewash the barbarism of the LTTE while
attacking the Sri Lankan State and Sri Lanka's established
socio-cultural harmony at every opportunity they get under the guise of
human rights, press freedom, multi-culturalism etc.
KITHSIRI DE SILVA, President -
Western Australian Society for Peace, Unity and Rehabilitation
in Sri Lanka (WASPUR)
D. M. P. Dissanayake's views expressed in a few words should be
sufficient enough to enlighten those anti-slaughter campaigners on the
reality.
But it must be said that it is not those who campaign against animal
slaughter are not aware of this reality, but only use the issue for
short term gains such as personal popularity or political objectives.
This is what is happening in Sri Lanka in many other issues as well
causing unnecessary conflicts. Some wrong-minded people even distort
religious teachings for ulterior motives. Let such people correct their
thinking and refrain from misleading the people.
S. M. MARZOOK
Spitting on the thoroughfare leads to deterioration of sanitation.
There is a lot of difference between cultured and uncultured people as
far as cleanliness is concerned. Cultured, well educated people will not
spit on the thoroughfare.
They will not litter the streets. The portrayal of a country is seen
by its people. The love and spirit of generosity of a country are very
important.
The spitting habit of the people on streets portrays their
background. It is a pleasure to see a country spick and span namely
Singapore.
Mahathma Gandhi abhored spitting on the thoroughfares. It is really
irritating to see people spitting on thoroughfares.
Why do they do it? Many manual workers as well as others used to
white collar jobs spit on the roads while chewing betel and tobacco.
Some spit owing to illness.
The sick people get sputum in their mouth continuously and the act of
spitting by such people is inevitable. It is an acquired habit as far as
betel and chewing are concerned.
As far as the sick people are concerned they get sputum in their
mouth continuous and cannot be swallowed. Well and good the Government
has passed legislation to prohibit smoking in public places.
Smoking is purely an acquired habit. People who spit owing to
sickness can be treated medically. Betel chewers and tobacco chewers
should be brought to book as they dirty the beauty and reputation of the
country.
It is infections if persons having tuberculosis spit on public roads.
The Government should enlightened administration, keep streets clean by
promoting incentives. The authorities should take all possible steps and
try to keep the country like Singapore by deep thinking with
intellectuals.
If a country is to be healthy, wealthy and civilised, steps should be
taken to get rid of undesirable things. 'Healthy habits for healthy
nation is important' should be the motto.
THUNNAALAI S.A. MASILAMANY,
Colombo 6
The entire nation applauds the humanitarian response of President
Mahinda Rajapaksa when he heard the sufferings of one Jamis who
languished in prison for 50 long years.
The President invited him to Temple Trees and made a payment of Rs.
500,000. It is not the amount that matters. But the sincere feelings for
a fellow citizen of the country who had to undergo such suffering.
This should have happened due to the heavy crowding in prisons. How
many more might have been forgotten like Jamis. It is pointless blaming
X,Y or Z now. The fact is that such things are taking place in this
country and some action must be taken to ensure citizen's safety. The
need is for a positive change of mind or rather our attitudes.
Why don't the NGOO who are shouting too loudly about human rights
violation turn their eyes in this direction?
Conditions in prisons have to be brought under constant screening of
a permanent Commission. Each prison must have a panel of observers
consisting of citizen groups, religious leaders, school principals of
the area who make regular visits at least once a month.
All the inmates in a prison are not necessarily be de-facto
criminals. Many, perhaps a majority of them are victims of
circumstances. There have been serious debate recently on the question
of weather convicted persons should be hung or not.
But the fact remains, that there is a larger population of people
inside prisons who are daily been put to gradual death and in fact not
allowed to die.
The pathetic story related amidst tears by the late Minister D.M.
Dassanayake about his getting a leprosy wound in his leg, contacted
inside the prison was a pathetic story.
In the same way, the story published in a Sinhala newspaper that two
prisoners in the prison hospital were found to have been positive AIDS
patients.
Doesn't it mean that the rest of the prisoners are exposed to AIDS,
leprosy and various incurable diseases and destined to take home the
same disease to their families including innocent children.
Consider a bread winner of a family put inside a prison. How much it
affects the children, wife and other dependants such as elderly parents?
Of course, there will be no option than a prison with regard to
hardcore criminals who involve in armed robbery, murder, drug
trafficking etc.
But it is right time now to reconsider alternative to prison terms to
convicts of lesser crimes of closer to the nature of civil offenses and
reduce the crowding inside prisons and also reduce the State expenditure
on them.
Various prisoners have various skills and knowledge which can be made
use for country's development and they can be compelled to render such
services for a specific period by visiting from their homes.
There is the suspended sentence introduced by the Late Felix R. Dias
Bandaranaike that was a fine example that can be implemented in relation
to first time offenders at-least particularly in cases where the
offender is the father or mother of young children under 16 years of
age.
Immediately reduce the burden of the State, by releasing all
prisoners of the above category making the remaining period of the
sentence as suspended sentence. Those who failed to pay fine and
therefore jailed should be asked to pay fine in easy payment instalments
and released.
First time offenders in cases of fraud, cheating etc. could be given
a mitigation on his/her previous good conduct, social work, humanitarian
activities and useful skill. They may also earned their freedom by
offering some service like imparting trade, skill, knowledge to ten poor
students.
But, it is very essential to create a humane condition inside the
prison, particularly cleanliness.
Grouping of persons on the basis of education knowledge and skills,
so that they may not lose their knowledge and skills, introducing
recreation activities particularly educative TV programmes, religious
activities, national harmony are vital necessity.
In any case, it is necessary that the Government urgently look into
ways and means of reducing its giant burden of business expenditure
right at this moment by confining prison sentence to selected prisoners
such as condemn prisoners and convicts of armed robbery, violent
rioting, drug and underworld related offenses and terrorism.
This would also give those first time offenders a second chance of
life to correct themselves instead making them to fall as a victim of
the underworld mafia operated as a network from inside the prisons as we
hear that some innocent prisoner or their visiting relations are forced
by some underworld prisoners to be in servitude and un-obliging
prisoners have been subjected to torture.
I hope this would catch the eye of President Mahinda Rajapaksa as
well as the Minister of Justice Dilan Perera.
MOHAMED THAHIR,
Colombo 6
The Bank of Ceylon, Jawatta Road branch is a very convenient place as
regards its central location and parking which is very hard to come by
at most other branches. However, the facility offered by this branch is
only limited to collecting Income Tax payments and it has an enviable
staff of two with one security guard.
One cannot do any other transactions, even a simple thing as
depositing a cheque or a withdrawal.
Customers go to a bank nowadays to do many transactions and not just
to pay income tax. Utility bill payment facility is one such thing which
is a very convenient way to settle these regular obligations instead of
wasting one's precious time and money in going to several places.
Cheque deposits and money withdrawals surely are a part of a bank's
basic functions, but alas not so at Jawatta Road. (This was inaugurated
as a branch of the Bank of Ceylon and not as a collecting centre for the
Department of Inland Revenue although it is situated at the Department's
premises). I do realise that this would entail upgrading with on-line
access to customer accounts etc. But surely this is not a big deal in
today's context.
At the inception of this branch, I had a personal experience of
paying an electricity bill which they gladly accepted without a whimper,
and later to find it recurring in my bills for several months as unpaid
arrears. Subsequently, they were able to rectify it after a couple of
visits and phone calls.
I earnestly request the BoC authorities to upgrade this branch at
least to enable the public to do even some basic transactions as I have
mentioned above and earn the reputation of being another service
oriented branch and not just exist as a collecting centre for some other
department. Hope this will catch the eye of the BoC Chairman.
DR. A. N. DHARMAWANSA
I am optimistic that peace in the country will prevail and I firmly
believe that all ethnic groups can live in harmony.
I think President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya
Rajapaksa have, with the help of the Armed Forces, geared themselves to
wipe out the outlawed LTTE terrorists once and for all.
Hats off to our President, Defence Secretary and not forgetting all
other personnel involved in this operation.
It is my desire to return to the country of my birth at the earliest
possible opportunity.
IVZIR MODASSIR
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