I write with some trepidation about the curious case of E. K. Premasiri, Siridhamma College, Labuduwa, Galle, Principal, who has been interdicted ostensibly for a mini school play which was derogatory of the President.
As the only information I have comes from the Sunday Times which has been faithfully reporting the unfolding saga, (including his Fundamental Rights application in the Supreme Court last week against his interdiction) I am hesitant to comment on the many twists and turns in this sad tale.
What I can unhesitatingly applaud however is that he seems to have withstood the political interference borne on him to admit 11 students who had not originally applied to the school; secondly, his refusal to bow down to Education Ministry officials initially, until he was compelled to do so later on; and finally, when he not only intervened immediately to stop this unseemly play being enacted in his school, but also personally reported the matter to the Provincial Director of Education and the police. (as reported in ST of 22/1/12)
In an era where few public servants stand up against political interference or speak out against corruption and injustice, interdiction seems a raw deal for such a person. It would be tragic indeed if he is victimized and denied the relief he seeks.
Shanthi Dias,
Via email
Drag racing – the nightmare of Elvitigala Mawatha
After an appeal to the Secretary, Ministry of Defence, in April 2011, midnight drag racing on Elvitigala Mawatha was stopped. However, of late, it has started once again.
Are the officers of the Borella Police Station hard of hearing, or is it that the drag racers are the spoilt brats of influential persons that the police do nothing about this menace?
Can the City Traffic Police please take note that drag racing is taking place on a primary highway in the centre of the City of Colombo, and that this constitutes a grave danger to the life and limbs of other road users?
I note with satisfaction that the Central Environmental Authority is taking steps to prosecute those who modify engine silencers, with a view to ensuring some peace and quiet in the city. But nothing seems to be done about these drag racing brats who disturb the public peace between 1.00 am and 2.00 am every night.
Elvitigala Mawatha is lined with blocks of residential flats. There are expatriates and foreign visitors residing in the Trilium apartments. What would their impression be of the “Miracle of Asia” if this is allowed to continue?
We earnestly hope the Secretary Ministry of Defence will do something to stop this menace to the safety, peace and quiet of our beautiful city, and ensure the right of all citizens to a peaceful night’s rest.
M.C. De Silva,
Elvitigala Mawatha
High risk getting on and off trains
It is heartening to see the railway tracks being rebuilt. But I wish to point out that most of the railway station platforms are at a lower level than the floors of the train bogeys.
This is a great inconvenience and poses a high risk for passengers entering or getting off a carriage.
The risk is especially high for ladies and elderly commuters. The Kollupitiya station platform is the worst in this respect.
Commuters have a right to ask the railway authorities to do something about this matter.
Railway Passenger
Siri Kotha was an
Abdul Caffoor property called ‘Icicle Hall’
It was surprising to note reputed writer Neville de Silva, in a piece titled “When Elephants Fight, the Grass is Crushed”, under his column Random Thoughts (Sunday Times, January 1, 2012) incorrectly stating that, “It [Siri Kotha] was the ancestral home of the Kotelawala family, which had been gifted to the UNP.”
The Moors’ Islamic Cultural Home (MICH) Inc souvenir, published in 1965, carries on Page 78 Mohamed Sameer bin Haji Ismail Effendi’s profile on the illustrious Ceylon Moor philanthropist, Noor Deen Hajiar Abdul Caffoor.
The article mentions N. D. H. Abdul Caffoor’s residence, known as “Icicle Hall,” and which later became “Siri Kotha.” The same piece is reproduced in a book published by the MICH, titled “Personages of the Past,” by Mohamed Sameer bin Haji Ismail Effendi.
MICH Inc president Omar Kamil has confirmed that N. D. H. Abdul Caffoor sold Icicle Hall at a meagre, special price to the UNP, and that it became the UNP’s headquarters, and was renamed Siri Kotha.
This was further endorsed by A. H. M. Azwer, MP, in Parliament on December 12, 2011.
Coincidentally, another newspaper columnist, Sher Azad, has also incorrectly referred to Sir John Kotelawala as the “eponymous donor of the original Siri Kotha at Colpetty.”
Firoze Sameer,
Colombo 6
Visa-on-arrival policy is a dampener for visitors
I write to express my disappointment over the new visa-on-arrival policy of the Sri Lankan government. Under this policy, tourists are required to get an ETA (electronic travel acknowledgement) before entering the country.
I am a Pakistani national working in Malaysia, and whenever I go back home, I prefer to take the Sri Lankan airline to Karachi. On one such occasion, I had the opportunity to stay in your wonderful country for a night (I was in transit on my way back to Karachi).
I cannot describe how much I enjoyed the Sri Lankan hospitality, the food was excellent, almost like Pakistani food, and I had a chance to visit the wonderful city of Negombo.
This time too I wanted to break journey in Sri Lanka and visit the famous Adam’s Peak. But the new policy discouraged me from doing so. I know the policy has been introduced to earn valuable foreign exchange, which will be pumped into an economy still recovering from the ravages of years of civil war, but surely citizens of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) should be exempted from the new policy.
We Pakistanis have not forgotten the role Sri Lankan doctors played in fighting the dengue epidemic that broke out last year in some parts of Pakistan.
The gesture of exempting SAARC countries from the new visa rule will go a long way in promoting the good relationship among the SAARC countries.
Muhammad Razaullah,
Qureshi Pakistani expat in Malaysia |
E-mail
