Letters
View(s):From living hell to beautiful walkway
A few months ago, I wrote in this same column, about the deplorable state of our road, known as the Millenium Drive, a.k.a. CBK Mawatha. It was not about the road surface, but about the loiterers and perverts, who cast lewd remarks and made the lives of solitary females who walked there, a living hell!
Now the undergrowth has been cleared, the walkway paved and the sidewalks beautified and illuminated. It is truly a boon to all those who live and enjoy walking, in the area.
We extend our grateful thanks to the Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Minister of Youth Affairs, who have been responsible for this great service, to the people of Malabe, Himbutana and the surrounding towns.
Priyanthie de Silva
Via email
Human rights probe: Let the investigators come and see
The US-sponsored resolution on Sri Lanka merits an in-depth study. The resolution calls for the appointment of an international panel to probe alleged human rights violations during the latter part of the War. However, it does not preempt the findings of such an inquiry nor does it attempt to impose sanctions, as most Sri Lankans seem to think.
Sanctions can be imposed only by the UN Security Council. But the US resolution does not even recommend sanctions against Sri Lanka.
The LTTE carried out an armed uprising against the State for 30 years. There is no evidence that the United States or any western country helped the LTTE with arms, men or money. However, it is widely believed that the US helped one group or another in Libya, Iraq and Syria.
This shows that Sri Lanka was not important enough to attract US attention or that the US did not want to risk direct confrontation with India or China by interfering in Sri Lanka.
However, now that the UNHRC has decided, an international panel of some sort will be appointed to probe the so-called human rights violations.
So what do we do now? The Government has already announced that it will not cooperate with this probe. I am disappointed by this decision. We are a small country. I feel that if such a panel is appointed its members should not be denied right of entry to Sri Lanka. If they are not allowed to enter Sri Lanka they will get biased or distorted versions of the events from the pro-LTTE diaspora. Further, foreign countries may get the impression that we have a lot to hide. We do not have anything to hide.
If and when such a panel is appointed, the investigators should be allowed to enter and move freely in Sri Lanka including the Northern and Eastern provinces and speak to the people. They should be allowed to see that the refugee camps have been closed down and the displaced people resettled in their homes. They will be able to see that life goes on fairly normally in the Northern Province given the security situation that existed in the recent past.
Above all, the investigators should be treated well. People form impressions not only by what they see and hear but also by how they are treated. The Government should request that the majority of members of the panel should be from friendly countries which voted against the US-backed resolution. The Government should also insist that the panel should have a mandate to investigate human rights violations throughout the war and not only the last few years or months. I understand that the US has no objection to this.
Before Sri Lanka was granted independence, the Soulbury Commission was appointed by the British Government to assess whether Sri Lanka was fit for independence. The official stand of the State Council was to boycott the commission. However, in the evening soon after 5 p.m. every day they were lavishly and well entertained and Sri Lanka was granted independence.
D.V.P.H. Rajapakse
Kandy
‘Dogo Boy’ was the world to me
It was with great sorrow and a heavy heart that I walked into the empty house the day after we had buried my “Dogo Boy” as I called her affectionately. I didn’t realise I would miss her so much. I had reared dogs as pets since my childhood but she was just the one and only dog who lived in the house with us all the time.
I am old now and she was my silent friend for the past 8 years. My husband called her “Dogmatica”. I shall never forget her. The name “Dogmatix” was given to one of our dogs years ago by my son Gemunu – the name was taken from an Asterix book. My “Dogo Boy” came into our lives one year after my son had died. This dog belonged to my grandson and he gave her a very respectful burial. She was taken on a platform in a van. She was left on the platform in the porch for a couple of hours and then taken to the place of burial in the van. There is a tombstone with her name on it. I wish God had made a place for a good dog like her so we could meet in the next world. Strange enough by some coincidence our “Dogo” was buried on Gemunu’s birthday. Although she was a dog to the world, she was the world to me.
Farewell “Dogo Boy”.
Anonymous Dog Lover
Via email
The age-old message of unity shown in T-20 victory
What does our victory at the recent T-20 championship teach us? Isn’t it a glorious exercise in unity? The oft-quoted maxims, “unity in strength” and “united we stand, divided we fall” have been proved true once again. The strength of the team was unity — the players played as one.
We thank our national cricket team for driving these age-old wise sayings into our dull heads that have gone crazy in this modern age.
In this victory, there is a message of unity for political parties, especially the UNP which is almost disintegrating due to selfishness and disunity. The party achieved the famous 1977 victory because party members were united and they worked as a team.
Unity at all times brings nothing but strength, prosperity and fame to a nation.
Elmo Ediriwickreme
Mattakuliya