Morning Spice by Ginger
Barbaric killings

Ginger read a letter to the editor from an animal lover from Dehiwela. I am in total agreement with him on this barbarous and almost atavistic killing of strays. According to him all strays that are rounded up are thrown into a van and gassed to death by our local Hitlers in the most gruesome manner imaginable. In more civilized countries they are taken to pounds and every attempt is made to find new homes for them. It is after every thing fails that they are put to sleep and this is done in the most humane way possible.

The very thought of gassing any animal to death is horrible and certainly not becoming of a country that in theory at least holds all forms of life as precious. Those who perpetrate this crime would ask how rabies could be contained if stray dogs are not destroyed. It may cost a little but the funds could be collected from animal lovers’ groups all over the world for the purpose as suggested by the reader. Those who go round can fire tranquillizer guns at strays and once they are in that state they can be given their rabies vaccine and a tag put on them to prevent repetition of the exercise. The same technique could be used to sterilize the females.

Faulty ACs
Do you get a musty smell from your car? Do you get that same odour even after you wash it and wipe it. The trouble really may not be that there is some dirt that you have not spotted. The trouble could be with the air conditioner in your car. They say that quite a few cars have problems with their air cons.

The strange thing is that the cars so affected are the low and high priced cars. The cheap ones having faulty air cons we can understand but why the costly ones? Any way the fact is that fungi and bacteria breed in the moisture that collects in the air can. If you have hey-fever or any other allergic condition it could well get worse as a result of faulty ACs.

Methodist Church’s shame
Now it is not a very safe thing to be too severe on what you think is a moral lapse on the part of another. Now Robert Mugabes’ views on homosexuals is well known. The president of Zimbabwe has described gays as being worse than pigs and dogs and pulls no punches about it all.

Now evidently the president before him has caused quite a few blushes. Sixty two year old former Methodist minister and former Zimbabwean president is being charged with doing just what Mugabe loaths. He is charged on two counts of Sodomy, three of attempted sodomy and allegedly compelling 10 guards to have sexual relationships with him. One wonders what the Methodist Church would do about it all.

Between the devil and deep blue sea

Very often we see letters and other articles appearing in our national newspapers asking as to why the Tamils in Colombo and other parts of Sri Lanka (apart from the North-East), do not show their disapproval of the LTTE and their horrendous acts.

Firstly, I would like to ask my dear Sinhalese brothers and sisters, where were you when we as Tamils were hounded, looted and murdered on several occasions from 1956 to 1983? We never saw you all coming out and demonstrating against the mobs or the government. In fact the Sinhalese in foreign countries were conducting processions saying that all was well in Sri Lanka and that the Tamils were exaggerating. So how can you now expect us to demonstrate against the LTTE?

Secondly until the legal government of Sri Lanka can assure us Tamil citizens of Sri Lanka that they are sincere in finding a solution to this problem, how can we not support the LTTE? Why is the government of Sri Lanka not keen on obtaining third party mediation to solve this problem? Is it because it feels that the majority may be forced to concede more than they would like to?

It is time we as Sri Lankans (irrespective of whether we be Sinhalese, Tamils, Burghers, Muslims, Malays, Paravas, Boras, Sindhis or any race) think sensibly and see if we should be demonstrating against the LTTE (an illegal organisation) or the government of Sri Lanka (a legal government voted by the majority).

Finally please spare a thought for us Tamils as we are in a position of being between the devil and the deep blue sea and still cannot decide which is the devil and which is the deep blue sea!

R. G. Mahendran
Colombo 11.

A religious front for ethnic peace

War means vengeful killing of man by man. Postponing elections till the war is ended results in further killing and is a tacit approval of the continuation of same.

The country is severely mourning the sad loss of the cream of our youth and the avoidable drain of our meagre resources far more than elections which in Sri Lanka are like periodic change of pillows.

I would rather suggest to the very learned religious leaders to immediately form a religious leaders' front through which they could compel all political parties to make a public declaration of their plans, proposals, packages or whatever they wish to call them to end this ethnic conflict. Until that is done and consensus reached through public debate under the guidance of the religious front this war will drag on with endless loss of our youth - poor man's children - not the politicians' children.

After so many years of this conflict no political party worth its salt could ask for even a day's time to draft its proposals. If they ask for further time I hasten to pose the question whether they were dozing or foiling the constituency all these years. Reluctance to comply with this request is clear sign that they are up to playing the same old game of opposing while out of power and proposing the very same or similar proposals once again in power to be opposed by those out of power who once proposed the same.

These proposals could be placed on a fixed day and time before the religious front may be named. Religious Front for Ethnic Peace (RFEP) to ensure that there will not be leak of materisl from proposals of one to another.

I doubt if Sri Lankan political parties ever would get together to reach a rational solution to this vexed problem.

Dr. S. Murphy L. Perera
Kurunegala

Who will answer this question?

Which authority has given powers to the Sri Lankan Telecom Ltd. to sell its subscriber directory to its subscribers? What ethics do they have when they ask their subscribers in Matara to buy a Greater Colombo Directory paying Rs. 100.00 to find a number of a subscriber in Kotte and vice versa?

If SLTL and its directory publisher decide to issue separate directory for each exchange area and ask subscribers to buy all directories other than the directory for his area, who will safeguard the rights of the subscribers who pays regularly increasing rentals, tariff rates and taxes?

Who will answer these questions - Mangala Samaraw-eera, Rohan Sam-arajeewa or Hideaki Kamitsuma?

We have to also remind these people that most of the Greater Colombo subscribers have not got the new Directory despite repeated reminders to SLTL and its courier.

D. Rajapaksha,
Colombo 6.

Bouquet to Transport Minister but...

I take this opportunity to thank the Minister of Transport and Highways, A. H. M. Fowzie, for completely effecting repairs to the Meetotamulla Road, Kolonnawa.

This road which was one of the worst available road in the island, was transformed to a better road with the support of untiring effort of Benett Cooray MP and Bharatha Luxman MP, through the Minister of Transport and Highways, after a lapse of 15 years.

Unfortunately within a spate of three months after the repairs this road is subject to cruel treatment by the Urban Council of Kolonnawa. At present this road is dug out all over the place to lay pipe-lines and drainage system. I was made to understand that the UC Kolonnawa charge a fee for re-doing the road, but it is newer done upto now. If this nonsence is not stopped immediately the re-done road will again become a hell hole.

I appeal to all those who concern to take appropriate action immediately.

M. H. M. Zubair,
Kolonnawa.

No confidence

On going through past political records of both the UNP and the present government. I do not feel that either of above parties should get at least one vote at a future provincial, general or presidential election.

Hope some good person comes in to save us from this pathetic state.

Nagan Selvadurai
Colombo