AS the world prepared to bury one of its most celebrated women on Saturday, it also began to mourn the death of another.
Mother Teresa, Nobel peace laureate and founder of Missionaries of Charity — a religion-based outreach to most of society's castaways — died of heart failure in Calcutta on Friday. She had just turned 87.
The stooped nun — clad spartanly in her white and blue-trim sari — had become a household name associated for her long years of service to humanity's most disadvantaged ranks. Mother Teresa had spent most of her time living and working with the slum-dwellers of Calcutta, but she would also be remembered in Sri Lanka.
According to missionaries, the Order's six nationwide chapters now look after more than 500 people, who are drawn from Sri Lanka's destitute, its orphaned, its deformed, its mentally retarded, its handicapped, and unwanted others.
On Saturday, tributes were paid in Colombo to Mother Teresa.
"We are in mourning," said Sister Regine, who heads the Shanthi Nivasa home in Mattakkuliya for abandoned children and elderly citizens. "For us, this is like losing our own mother."
"Teresa picked up the destitute and the retarded who no one else had the time, nor the inspiration, to care for," added Thiagarajah Pattakannu, a Lankan who had known her for 30 years.
The Presidential Secretariat sent condolences to Missionaries of Charity's headquarters in Calcutta.
In it, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga praised its founder's 50-plus years of "selfless service" to the "sick and deprived of the world".
"In the tapestry of human endeavour and achievement during our times, Mother Teresa and her work represent a brightly shining thread which lends lustre to the whole," she said. "We in Sri Lanka have, like so many others around the world, experienced and been enriched by the work performed through the noble Order she founded."
According to Pattakannu, who had briefly chronicled her life, Mother Teresa — nee Agnes Bojaxhiu — was born in Albania on Aug 26, 1910. Her association with the Sub-Continent dated back to 1928, when, at 18, she travelled to the Loreto Noviciate in Darjeeling, India. In 1948, she left for Calcutta and never looked back. She had decided that her calling was to be found in that city's infamous "Black Hole". It was an inner command that made me to renounce Loreto, where I was very happy," Mother Teresa was quoted as once saying. "I felt that God wanted something more from me, He wanted me to be poor and love Him in the distressing disguise of the poor."
Pattakannu met Mother Teresa in 1967, during her first visit to Sri Lanka, when her Order began its missionary work here.
She had knocked at his door one night during a power-cut, asking to borrow a lantern, Pattakannu remembered. She had been tending to a needy person at a nearby house, when the lights went out.
"The mission [in Sri Lanka] was started with 12 old people picked up from the road and from the slums nearby, including the first destitute picked up and cared for by Mother Teresa herself at New Chetty Street," Pattakannu said.
Mother Teresa only re-visited the island in 1984 and 1987 when 1970s governmental visa restrictions for missionaries were lifted, he said. She was scheduled to come back in 1994, but the trip was cancelled due to one of the long bouts of illness to which she finally succumbed on Friday night.
The Maha Bodhi Society of India yesterday in a condolence message on the death of Mother Teresa said:
The demise of Mother Teresa has enveloped almost the whole world in sadness.
"She was a giant symbol of selflessness. Her life was wholly devoted to the uplift of the poor. Regarding certain social activities in Calcutta, she even discussed important matters with the Maha Bodhi Society of India. I have seen very often many Nuns, assistants of Mother Teresa in the city of Calcutta, helping the poor."
"I feel it is incumbent on her assistants and her followers to continue the good work which Mother Teresa did during her lifetime. I, on behalf of the Maha Bodhi Society of India wish to convey our heartfelt condolences on the demise of Mother Teresa," the message by the President of the Society Dr. Mapalagama Wipulasara Thero said.
In a scramble over eggs, the government and local poultry farmer owners continue to quarrel over what should be done first and how to stabilise the price of this principal item of nutrition in most Lankan homes.
Trade Minister Kingsley T. Wickremaratne, alleging that manipulation by big poultry farms had sent egg prices soaring above the five rupee mark ordered the CWE to import millions of eggs from India and flood the market to bring down prices. Sri Lanka's average consumption is upto two million eggs a day.
After representations were made by poultry farmers, the minister recently agreed to wait three more weeks. He warned that he would go ahead with egg imports if local producers did not reduce prices to reasonable levels. But poultry farm owners have hit back, saying that government policy is cockeyed.
An official of Bairaha farms, one of the biggest producers said an epidemic recently had caused devastation among the chickens. In addition the prices of chicken feed had shot up and those were the two main reasons for the high prices of eggs in the local market today.
Imtiaz Samad chairman of the Gampola based Midland Breeders said he could not understand why the government was trying to increase the revenue of Indian breeders instead of working out a solution to help local producers.
He complained that when local poultry farms faced a crisis recently because of diseases and high prices of poultry feed the government did not give a helping hand. But now when the local producers were trying to make up for their earlier losses the government was literally threatening to throw egg in their face through imports.
He appealed to the government to provide assistance such as bank loans to both small and big producers, while encouraging the production of local chicken feed.
Chetna farm owner K. Jinadasa warned it would be impractical for the government to import eggs from India. At two million a day, huge stocks would have to be brought in boxes with straw and the government might soon end up with loads of rotten eggs.
He pointed out that the proposed egg import scheme would be similar to an earlier case where deep frozen broilers were imported from China but were unfit for consumption.
Meanwhile consumers told The Sunday Times that with no cricket victories to divert attention people were now feeling the full impact of soaring living costs with bread, milk powder, dhal and electricity hikes eating deep into the family budgets.
Shell Gas Lanka may soon stick warning LABELs on its domestic gas cylinders, alerting consumers to the dangers of using these for auto propulsion, a company spokesman said on Friday.
"It is something that needs to be done, but it is still being discussed with safety institutions of the Sri Lankan government," Jules Croonen, the company's Director of Human Resources and Public Affairs, told The Sunday Times.
The company was weighing spending up to Rs. 30mn to stick LABELs on the 1.1 million domestic gas cylinders (DGCs) in nationwide circulation. Shell was hoping to reverse what Croonen called an "absolutely unsafe" trend in Lankan motoring.
Shell Gas Lanka, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch/Shell, the Anglo-Dutch petroleum giant, owns and distributes all DGCs in Sri Lanka — used mainly for cooking. Shell is also the sole retailer of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) to the three autogas conversion chains in Sri Lanka that, according to industry sources, comply by international safety standards.
But, lately, Shell has expressed alarm over reports of motorists driving gas-powered vehicles that are equipped with such cylinders. The company had been alerted about a new trend of so-called "backyard" engine conversion businesses setting up in Sri Lanka. Shell was aware of at least six such operations, and there could be more rogues out there, Mr. Croonen said.
The company highlighted its concerns in a recent statement made to the press:
"The standard blue Shell Gas Lanka cylinder and the older red or yellow Colombo Gas Company cylinders still in circulation should only be used domestically. Under no circumstances should they be used with converted motor vehicles. In the event of a serious car collision, it is quite possible that the cylinder could explode."
To Shell officials, motorists are at risk because these cylinders are designed and tested specifically for the safety of the home. Once they are taken out of the kitchen, and laid flat in the boots of cars, they become potential bombs on wheels.
To date, there have been no reports of casualties from DGC-related accidents. But, as far as Shell is concerned, it wouldn't want its name associated. In such an event, the company could be in for a public relations nightmare.
'You can't just put it [a domestic cylinder] in a car, where you have much different potential forces influencing that cylinder," Mr. Croonen said. " In the case of an accident, it would have a much higher impact than you could ever have at home — and that's where it becomes dangerous. "
Unlike in a properly installed autogas system — where the tanks are built to withstand high impacts, and the gas supply to the engine is automatically cut in the event of a crash — there is another danger with using DGCs on the road, industry sources said. Gas could leak into the rear of the car and become lethally compressed.
According to a senior consultant with Shell, in such a leakage, the LPG inside the cylinder can expand dangerously to 150 times its volume once it is out.
"In any impact on a car with a domestic cylinder — when the cylinder is impacted by another vehicle, for instance — chances are, the cylinder will rupture, and release the contents of the gas cylinder into the boot of the car," said Jim Nelson. "This would easily find an ignition source, because, on the roads, a spark from a petrol emission car is enough to ignite gas."
Government motor traffic officials, who were contacted for comment on Friday, said they were unaware of any such backyard operations using domestic cylinders. But penalties of at least Rs. 5,000 could be slapped on offenders, and their vehicles detained, they said.
Under the Motor Traffic Act, the use of natural gas in vehicles is technically prohibited, they said. But, according to D.S. Edirisinghe, the Commissioner of Motor Traffic, this could soon be changed to accommodate those motorists who have switched safely from petrol to gas.
An amendment to the act was awaiting approval from the Cabinet and Parliament, he said.
"We are only permitting the use of natural gas in a properly constructed way for motor vehicles, which means domestic gas cylinders will not be allowed," he said.
But it may be difficult to persuade people that using those in their cars is hazardous to the health, particularly where economics is concerned.
According to gas industry sources, motorists are mainly making the switch because they want to cut down on fuel costs. At the pump, a litre of gas costs about half the cost for a litre of petrol — currently priced at about Rs. 50 — and performs almost as efficiently, industry sources said.
The Planters Association of Ceylon (PAC) has alleged that attempts are being made by local bodies and other agencies to seize prime cultivated land from estates under private management.
According to the PAC officials of the pradeshiya sabhas, divisional secretaries and even grama sevaka officers are violating Plantation Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake's directives after he assured the companies would not allow such lands to be acquired if there are alternate lands available.
In a letter to the Minister, the PAC had mentioned several incidents where such land is being seized. One particular case was when 250 acres of cultivated land on an estate in Galle had been forcibly bulldozed on the instructions of a prominent politician in January.
"While this puts all the development plans of the estates in disarray, privatised companies are at a loss to explain to their foreign shareholders about the blatant violations of their agreements with the government," the PAC said.
Meanwhile an official of the Ministry said he was not aware of the incident involving a prominent politician.
Eminent lawyer V.C. Motilal Nehru died last Tuesday evening at the age of 57. His remains lie at his residence at No. 10, Kotalawela Terrace, Asoka Garden, Bambalapitiya. Cremation will take place at Kanatte today. Cortege leaves residence at 4.30 pm.
Mr. Nehru had a slight heart attack last Saturday and recuperated but the second attack on Tuesday was fatal. He died as he was being taken to hospital.
Mr. Nehru who took his oaths as a lawyer in 1965 became President's Counsel in 1990. In 1966 he left the Communist Party on the language issue and joined the All Ceylon Tamil Congress.
In 1977, he contested as an independent candidate for the Udupiddy electorate in the parliamentary general election, and in 1982 he supported Kumar Ponnambalam in the presidential election, while in 1988 presidential election he supported Sirimavo Bandaranaike on the Common Front Democratic People'd Alliance. He contested in the Western provincial council election in 1993 on the UNP ticket without rendering resignation to the All Ceylon Tamil Congress, while holding the post of Vice President.
Motilal Nehru, prior to the Presidential Election in 1988, was instrumental for the rendezvous of Anura Bandaranaike and Anuruddha Ratwatte with the LTTE hierarchy in the jungle of Wanni for the facilitation of a peace confab. He himself went to the jungle with the harbingers of peace.
In 1988 February, he along with Kumar Ponnambalam arranged a rendezvous between the late Gamini Dissanayake and LTTE representatives in Madras but that mission failed as both Tamil leaders were reportedly refused Indian visa.
He escaped an attempt on his life in 1994 although he sustained five bullet injuries due to the shooting by identified gunmen. Thereafter he kept out of active politics.
He was instrumental for the facilitation of PTA advisoty board sittings being held at Boosa detention camp once a month and he had appeared for several PTA suspects without a fee.
He was an old boy of Sivaguru Vidyalayam and Valvettithurai Sithampara college as well as Jaffna Central college . He leaves behind two sons a daughter and wife who is a deputy registrar of the Supreme Court.
A lack of knowledge and awareness about legal rights and labour legislation, among garment workers is revealed in a study done on garment workers of Sri Lanka.
The research titled "Garment workers and the 200 Garment Factory Programme", the first ever research of this type, provides an in-depth analysis of the social issues affecting women in these factories.
The research which was carried out by the Centre for the Welfare of Garment Workers of Sri Lanka aimed at providing a place where workers can come to address their work, housing and social problems. 145 women garment workers from 32 factories in 9 districts were chosen for the research.
On legal rights and labour legislation, 75 percent of those questioned admitted that they did know the laws pertaining to overtime work while some were not aware that such laws existed. Such revelations clearly showed that some employers violate the labour rights of employees.
A section of the women have had to work seven days a week to complete emergency orders. Sundays and Public Holidays were often considered working days. The work was considered compulsory and women were fined and punished for not completing their allotted work.
For most of the workers the long working hours and wages which did not commensurate with their work and the lack of free time were the worst conditions. More than 50 percent of the women admitted that they did not know their rights. Sixty percent of them agreed that collective organisations, such as trade unions, were the best way to deal with work related issues. But often they were too scared to be involved in trade union activities for fear of employer reprisals.
A startling revelation on the wages for a full-time machine operator indicated that they were below the legal wage. Pay ranged from Rs.500 to 2,680 which was way below the average.
For most women the wage they received from their job was their sole source of income and vital for their families' wellbeing. More than 80 percent of the women lived at home with their families. Thus the problems of inadequate, congested, expensive and unsanitary accommodation, having to move away from their family unit and sexual harassment were not experienced by them.
Although they received a training most of them felt that it was essential only to their day-to-day work and only 19 percent felt they received training for future promotions. Therefore the opportunities for upward mobility in their jobs or in any other remained limited.
Opposition, and UNP leader Ranil Wickremeasinghe accused the government of vilifying the Sri Lankan media using the incident of Princess Diana.
The UNP leader reproached the government for using Diana's death to attack the free media in this country by misrepresenting the facts to the people. The Opposition leader yesterday addressing a meeting at Kurunegala Town Hall with grassroots party organisers said that Sri Lankan media is right now suppressed and curbed.
He expressed sorrow over the death of Diana and said that she was a person who understood the suffering of the poor people and that she worked for the alleviation of poverty, oppression and suffering. This was also the vision of the UNP. He expressed concern that the government has not expressed the people's sorrow and condolences to the British government and finally the Opposition leader had to do it.
President Chandrika Kuamaratunga will next month go to London to address the Commonwealth Business forum, a major international event bringing together political and business leaders from some 50 countries to encourage its development as a powerful global network for trade and investment.
Ms. Kumaratunga as one of the keynote speakers will tackle 'Enhancing Trade and Investment' while other heads of governments and the Commonwealth Secretary General will also speak.
This meeting precedes the Commonwealth summit to be held from October 24 to 27 in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, emphasising the importance that the grouping now attaches to business and investment issues, compared to the formal protocol of a summit.
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