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There was a news item I saw on the television recently in which the
Minister of Power and Energy John Seneviratne was cutting the first sod
for the construction of a natural gas operated power plant at
Kerawalapitiya.
According to the news item, the project is being actively promoted by
a Most Venerable Buddhist Priest and therefore the details given to the
media regarding the power project should be corrected.
According to the news items, this power plant will use natural gas as
fuel for its operation and will not charge any capacity charge unlike
the existing private sector power producers who are exploiting the
consumers.
The present private power producers levy a capacity charge to recover
the capital invested on the projects and returns thereon in addition to
an energy charge to recover the fuel and related costs. It is said that
Aloka Ltd will not levy capacity charge and charge only the energy
costs. Further it is ready to deliver power when CEB required it.
This power plant should be encouraged by everyone concerned because
when there is no capacity charge, the total project cost of the power
plant as well as the cost of constructing the infrastructure for the gas
terminals will become an absolute free grant to the people of the
country.
Indeed it would be a windfall to the country and particularly to the
electricity consumers of Sri Lanka and as good as finding natural gas in
Kerawalapitiya.
It is also reported that the officials of the Ceylon Electricity
Board and at the Department of Attorney General are delaying the project
as usual. The Minister should use his authority to keep these officials
under control and immediately start the construction of the power plant.
Since natural gas is more environmental friendly and there is no
capacity charge for the power plant or gas terminal, more and more power
plants of this type should be constructed and perhaps we can even
abandon the high cost and environmentally polluting Norachcholai power
plant.
O. S. Perera - A former Chief
Engineer of CEB
John Murphy, the Australian Labour Party Parliamentarian now a Deputy
Minister had been in the forefront of Tamil separatist/LTTE campaign in
Australia. During the past 11 years, in fact John Murphy represented the
LTTE agenda in the Australian Parliament whenever Sri Lanka came up for
discussion.
While JM made the LTTE supporters proud and elated in his
contributions to the Parliament debates and discussions on Sri Lanka by
his constant Sri Lanka bashing, his performances were crude to say the
least as his eulogies were for an organization responsible for
assassinating several members of the Parliament in Sri Lanka, a Sri
Lankan Foreign Minister, President and a Prime Minister of India. It was
indeed a pathetic show almost ignoring the values associated with
Parliamentary democracies and ideals of the Australian Labour Party.
In very recent discussion on Sri Lanka in the Australian Parliament
JM was at his crudest when he exhibited his one-eyed vision by taking
upon himself to ridicule the UN system. It proved again that this Deputy
Minister was too big for his boots. Some observers concluded that his IQ
prevented him comprehending how the UN system works.
One important and conspicuous word which was missing in his speech on
this day was 'LTTE' a.k.a 'Tamil Tigers'. However much JM attempts to
show that he is highly concerned about Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan Tamils
when he purposely ignored the LTTE factor or LTTE's record of terrorism
against the Tamils, Tamil democratic leaders, Muslims and the Sinhala
civilians it gives his hide and seek game with the terrorist group away.
Among his childish comments in the Parliamentary discussion were
following 'gems'.
1. Sri Lanka Government was taking false and dishonest comfort in
their recent UNHRC resolution which supported Sri Lanka crisis as
"domestic matter that does not want outside interference".
2. Sri Lanka Government is taking false and dishonest comfort in the
resolution that supports Government insistence that access to the camps
only "as may be appropriate".
3. What pressure was placed by Sri Lanka Government on the members of
UNHRC to achieve this flawed outcome?
4. The vote of support by the Council makes a total mockery of the
recent vote by the Council that went against Israel.
5. What double standards has the UNHRC exhibited in the case of Sri
Lanka...
6. How dare the Sri Lankan ambassador to Geneva claim last week's
that the European nations had failed with their "punitive and mean
spirited agenda"?
7. European nations who have spoken up for Tamils are not fools, the
international community are not fools, we are not fools...
These were not uttered by a rustic villager in a third world country,
but a Dy Minister in the Australian Government who according to the
followers of Australian Parliamentary affairs has been playing the same
tune for last 11 years refusing to forget or learn unfolding events
preferring to languish in the same old rut. JP has no regard at all to
the decision made by 29 nations of the UNHRC representing more than 4
billion people including India, China , Indonesia and Russia! Either he
should admit that he does not trust the system and move that ALP should
canvass for a new UN or should have used suitable parliamentary language
and phrases to indicate that he understands international diplomacy. His
was an ignominious verbiage insulting the intelligence of the members of
the UNHRC, the educated, experienced Sri Lankan Ambassador in Geneva and
primarily the Australian voters. JM has indeed reached nadir of his
limited intelligence when he almost challenged the freedom of speech of
the Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the UN by using a cheap jibe.
JM should definitely spend eleven more years under the tutelage of
the Prime Minister Rudd to comprehend the changing World, the
international community and the UN rather than making a fool of himself
by attempting his hand at issues which are beyond his IQ level.
For the purpose of edification of JM let me quote India's Ambassador
to UN Office, Geneva on this issue when he responded to the High
Commissioner for Human Rights. He said "The High Commissioner has
welcomed the special session and consequently, we consider it safe to
assume that she also accepts concomitant outcome. ..It is important to
recall that the special session reflects an inter-governmental decision,
adopted according to the rules of procedure of the council.
What is more it endorses the joint communiqué issued at the end of
the recent visit to Sri Lanka by the UN Secretary General, which among
other things, reconfirm the willingness of the Government of Sri Lanka
to address the issue of accountability in response to the concerns
expressed by the Secretary General in this regard."
It is neither possible nor ethical to give vent to one's emotions in
these affairs as irresponsible individuals while Australia remains a
valued member of the UN system. It is ridiculous for a senior member of
the Australian Government to rave and rant whenever Sri Lanka is
discussed in the Australian Parliament simply because the member had put
his back into a lost cause.
Ranjith Soysa - Australia
The Delkanda Bridge has been a 'death trap' for pedestrians for
several years. Pedestrians run the risk of getting crushed between the
narrow bridge and a heavy vehicle as there is hardly any room for them
to cross the bridge.
The narrow bridge at Delkanda Junction in Nugegoda has 4 marked lanes
for vehicles but has no lane provided for the safe passage of
pedestrian. As a result pedestrians have to cross the bridge with
difficulty risking their lives. There is only a gap of about 12" for
pedestrians' use. Even this space is deprived to the pedestrians when
buses creep through within inches of the bridge.
There have been many near misses in the past and pedestrians risk
getting crushed between a bus or lorry while crossing the bridge daily.
Several complaints have been made to the U.D.A to provide a temporary
pedestrian bridge by placing two concrete posts outside the bridge with
a hand rail but this has fallen on deaf ears.
Letters have been written to the Chairman UDA two years back and also
highlighted in the press but no action has been taken so far. Is the UDA
waiting for a pedestrian to get crushed to death to provide a safe
crossing over this bridge?
Milinda Obeysekera - via email
We are the troops, march on to fight
To save our country, unborn to live
Outspread war against the separatist
Use the knack, get self-satisfaction
Rummage our mind, nonstop ambush
Fire the arms, approach to target
Destroy the society, armed,
or unarmed, vanish
Use the knack, get self-satisfaction
Thoppigala rock named Baron's Cap
No trepidation, not a coward,
Who says it's a storm in a tea cup
Use the knack, get self-satisfaction
S. Hettige
For whatever reason one has to sadly agree that our Police especially
the Traffic Police cut a sorry figure by their lackadaisical attitude
towards their duties.
It was almost a year ago that the ban on vehicles emitting excessive
smoke was introduced. Subsequently, the ban on sound pollution came into
effect. What action do these so-called 'guardians of the law' take?
Nothing! Private buses and vans operating flout these law right under
their noses and yet they are incapable or incompetent to take action. It
was only the other day a reader's letter appealing to the AG was
published in your paper. The If the Police chief is incapable of solving
simple matters like these, how on earth does he expect to solve bigger
issued placed before him.
R de Silva - Dehiwala
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