What is the option for civilians?
According to a newspaper report of Nov.10, the
Colombo-Jaffna air traffic ban is to continue. The article itself shows
the weakness of the intelligence. The article quotes that the Tigers are
planning to hijack a passenger plane, belonging to a private company.
Now it is well understood that in Ratmalana and Palaly the airports
are controlled by the Air Force personnel, where less than 50 passengers
board the plane. So cannot these 50 passengers be thoroughly checked.
The article also says the Tigers have constructed two air strips in
the Wanni area. To build an air strip for landing an aircraft, a land strip
more than 6000 ft is needed. Now cannot these air strips be seen by the
Air Force and the place be bombed.
Civilians like me, find that the only mode of transport now available
to Jaffna is by air, but according to aviation law, locally or internationally
no military organisation can carry civilians. When we went and asked for
information from the domestic airline, they were clueless as to what was
happening.
I have come all the way from Canada and am sick of what is happening
because I waited a long time to see my loved ones and even missed my father's
funeral which took place last week.
K. Ramanathan,
Kotahena
These heroes are not noticed
It has been observed there are statues in memory
of past national heroes erected in congested traffic areas and most people
just drive past and do not even bother to look at them.
Since some of these statues are also part of our history, I suggest
that we allocate a plot of land, perhaps close to the Parliament in Kotte,
and erect all these statues in the one area as an open air Museum.
In countries like England, there is a Wax Museum called Madame Tussaud's
which has established a worldwide reputation as one of the tourist attractions
in the World - perhaps we can follow this example.
Furthermore, a National Policy should be implemented for the erection
of statues or else all the bare spaces in this country would be full of
statues.
Anura S. Lokuhetti,
Battaramulla
The common man will be affected
Students were admitted to the Faculties of Engineering
at Moratuwa and Peradeniya Universities up to now in a just and fair manner
in keeping with the standardization introduced by earlier Governments.
However, contrary to the accepted procedure the University Grants Commission
has introduced a novel method of admission for the academic year 1998/1999,
for the first time, without any prior information to the general public
thereby causing immense economic difflculties to students of low income
groups.
By admitting students from Moratuwa and around to Peradeniya University
and students from Peradeniya and around to Moratuwa University parents
who are already undergoing severe economic hardships have been thrown from
the frying pan into the fire.
According to a clause with regard to university admissions that appears
in the manual issued by the UGC to university students, a student is entitled
to receive his higher education depending on his wish, in the university
that is situated closest to his residence but this year the UGC has grossly
violated this clause.
As a result of this unexpected decision, the student have been terribly
affected in the following ways:
(1) The students who were guided by the previous method of admission
were deprived of the chance of gaining entrance to the university of their
choice by sitting the exunination a second or third time and thereby improving
their performance.
(2) Students who passed the same examination were treated in two different
ways.
For instance, according to a statement of the Chairman of the UGC which
appeared in the 'Divaina' newspaper of 05.11.1998, the Faculty of Engineering
at Peradeniya University will commence its courses six (6) months later
than the Moratuwa University. As a result of this situation, the vacancies
that exist in the country will be filled with the engineering graduates
who pass out of Moratuwa university after following the course for four
(4) years while the Peradeniya engineering graduates will be pushed into
the unemployment queue.
By this whole exercise it seems to us that the present Government has
started doing away with standardization, which did justice to the less
privileged sections of their nation, in a subtle and diplomatic way. For
example twenty eight (28) students have been admitted from the Kalutara
district to the Faculty of Engineering at Moratuwa University for the academic
year 1997/1998, but this number has been drastically reduced to about eight
students for the academic year 1998/1999.
Is it not the duty of a responsible Government to keep the general public
informed well in advance when such an important decision is taken.
The Association of the Affected Parents
|
