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to the Editor |
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Muslim representation
inadequate However, there
was no adequate Muslim representation at this meeting, reflecting
the ethnic ratio of the community in the Ampara district, to express
their grievances effectively. Many issues
related to the Muslim factor were taken up with the participation
of only one Muslim representative in the government delegation though
there were eight LTTE members to represent the Tamil community.
The Muslims of this area feel that they have been marginalized and
discriminated against though they are predominant in this district.
This has added
to their fear that they would be totally sidelined from the peace
process though both the government and the LTTE assure them that
the Muslim aspirations would be met when a final solution is reached.
The Ampara
District Muslims feel that the peace process should not be biased
towards one community at the cost of another. It is the responsibility
of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress which has been identified as the
sole representative of the Muslim community to ensure adequate Muslim
representation at peace talks and related forums. It should discuss
this matter with the government and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission
and allay Muslim fears. If the parties
to the conflict are really committed to peace, they should not try
to suppress the views of the other by means of military threats.
The SLMM as the facilitator of the peace initiative must ensure
that such things do not happen. Castrate the
clone doctor DNA from a male
nucleus With human cloning
Protect
local coconut industry While private
traders were selling coconuts at prices ranging from Rs. 18.50 to
Rs 20, the Coconut Cultivation Board headed by its Chairman Lincoln
Fernando was making coconuts available to the public at Rs. 13.50
at several weekend polas. Now, thanks
to the Plantation Ministry and the Coconut Cultivation Board, Sathosa
outlets will be supplied with nuts at Rs. 11.50 which will be sold
at Rs. 14.95. These nuts
will be made available from our own coconut plantations. The coconut
industry is a major industry in this country and to import coconuts
would deal a severe blow to the industry, affecting both growers
and workers. The coconut
is a vital component of the daily diet. To reduce production costs
and increase production at home is surely the answer rather than
promoting foreign coconut markets at the expense of our own industry. Trinco's
good Samaritans After reaching
Trincomalee from Colombo at 1 p.m., we
were stranded on "Skyward Lane'', leading to the beach, with
our bus almost sinking in the sand. The bus was
pulled out with the help of beach boys and police officers who commissioned
two tractors for the job. We are grateful to those who helped us
and responded to the call of Uppuveli police officers Pradeep Nishantha,
S.A.S. Siriwardene, Piyaratne, Sriyananda and Wanniarachchi. I have no words
to extol the gallantry of these men who spent almost five hours
without food or drink in the service of 65-75 year old teachers
who were helpless. I have to say
they refused even to take an honourarium. We should be proud of
these men. Wither
the weather: Whither English? It is okay
if their intention is to wither the weather away, whatever it means!
But obviously that is not what they intend doing! One is at a
loss to understand how glaring errors of this nature, which should
be obvious even at a cursory glance to anybody with a basic knowledge
in English go unnoticed and unrectified. In a way it
is not surprising when one considers the plethora of Sinhala grammatical
mistakes committed specially by the news readers. Being the premier
electronic media channel, Rupavahini should be much more concerned
and careful about the accuracy of what they dish out to the viewers
and listeners. Wither the
weather! Whither English? Congratulations
Dehiwela Police At a time when
the Police get blamed for the slightest offence, it is the duty
of every right thinking person to bring to the notice of the public
'acts' such as this that would nullify to some extent the 'bad image'
the public has about the police and its officers. One night when
my wife and I were relaxing watching the T.V, we heard a thundering
sound which really threw us a couple of feet up! The next moment
immediately after I came back to my senses I noticed that the middle
window glass in the lounge had shattered and within minutes it was
in pieces. I ran towards the gate in seconds followed by my wife
and son. We noticed two men standing about 20 feet up on the road
and one was shouting in filth and was admitting that it was he who
did it and telling me that he is not scared of the police and if
I inform the police he would kill me etc, etc. I immediately
recognized the man and to make a long story short: this person undertook
to do some work in our garden but, as he didn't complete the job
I had to pay him half the agreed amount that he willingly accepted. However as
we could not gulp down any more of the verbal diarrhoea, we locked
up the gate and closed the main door and sat down trying to bring
our senses back to normal. It did not take even five minutes, another
stone was thrown and the second glass of the window was broken to
pieces. A shower of stones damaging the lower roof of the house
followed this and for the first time in my life I felt how helpless
one could become when faced with a situation of this nature. The
entire neighborhood was awake watching this 'drama', but no one
dared to confront the 'thug' who went on a 'demolition contract'.
Bin Laden hid after bombing the WTC but this 'Bin' openly admitted
and started to demolish our property that gave us shelter for twenty
years, in front of a shocked audience, who themselves were helpless. During this
period we managed to contact the emergency number of the Dehiwela
police and believe it or not the mobile patrol of the Dehiwela police
appeared on my doorstep within five minutes! We offer our humblest
gratitude to you sir, the OIC of Dehiwela police who is an officer
and a gentleman, the inspector who settled the conflict displaying
the highest standards of conflict resolution, and to the entire
staff who paved the way for us to live in peace with dignity. Zheng
He: More on that great Chinese warrior, voyager Zheng He was
born on 1371 in Kunyang in China's southern Yunan province. His
parents were of Mongol-Arab descent and he was a Muslim. When Yunan
province was recaptured by Chinese forces of the Ming dynasty in
1382, Zheng He was captured, castrated and sent into the Chinese
army. Zheng He aided Chung Ti, the Prince of Yen to become emperor
Young Lo (Yung Lo). As a reward for helping him, the emperor named
him Grand Imperial Eunuch and changed his family name from Me to
Zheng. Zheng first
set sail in 1405 with 62 large ships laden with treasure and a 27,800-man
crew. The fleet visited much of southern Asia, including Indochina,
Indonesia, Malacca, Ceylon and Calicut. At Palambang in Indonesia,
Zheng's fleet defeated a powerful Chinese pirate who was taken to
Nanjin for execution. His second
expedition was between 1407 and 1409. He sailed westward across
the Indian ocean and again reached Calicut on the Indian Coast.
Throughout his seven subsequent voyages he created trade opportunities
and extended maritime and commercial influence in regions bordering
the Indian Ocean. His voyages had surpassed all previous naval experiences
in the world and opened trade and diplomatic ties with more than
35 countries. They were instrumental in encouraging emigration that
was the basis for Chinese colonization in south east Asia. This great
explorer, second only to Magellan and Vasco da Gama, died in about
1433 on the return trip during a stopover in Calicut. Legend claims
his body was never returned to Nanjin for burial. Historical records
indicate that he died between 1433 and 1436. His carefully drawn
nautical charts were destroyed and one surviving chart which shows
his Sumatra to Hormuz voyage has been translated to English. 'Letters
to the Editor' should be brief and to the point.
Address them to: 'Letters to the Editor, The Sunday Times, P.O.Box 1136, Colombo. Or e-mail to steditor@wijeya.lk or stfeat@wijeya.lk Please note that letters cannot be acknowledged or returned. |
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