There have been a spate of letters in the press regarding the BURGHERS in Sri Lanka, and the latest are two letters, one from Mr. A. R. Fonseka, Colombo 10, and the other is from Mr. J. T. Mirando from Negombo, which was published in your daily of 21/3/98 & 17/6/98 on the above-metioned captions. In this context, I would like to mention that being a Burgher I fully endorse their views that the Burgher community should be represented in Parliament.

In this context, I would like to menntion that I sent a letter "MORE ON THE IDENTITY OF BURGHERS" and it was published in the Daily Island of 31/1/98, in which I focussed on the role played by the Burghers who were the part and parcel of the administration of the country, viz: Railways, Cable and Wireless, Customs, Police, not forgetting the Judicial Bar, Plantations, Health etc. I wonder now many Burghers are still living, who have rendered yeoman service to this country. Where bribes and corruption were not in existence, are still in the land of living and relaxing as JPs (Jolly Pensioners) and those who have departed grant them eternal rest in their Heavenly Kingdon.

Now the biggest question is how the Burghers can enter the political stream. In my letter of 31/1/98, I paid tribute to the late Comrade Pieter Keuneman, who as a Minister of Housing in the SLFP government in 1970, introduced a Bill on excess houses, and by this bill so many poor tennants were benefited. I also made an appeal to the Dutch Burgher Union, to find suitable canditates to enter the political arena.

So now the million dollar question is how are we to organize ourselves and select a suitable name for our political party.

At the moment you find the Tamils asking for Eellam in the North, the Muslims in Batticaloa, the Sinhala in the South, so why we Burghers get ourselves registered in the name LANSEELAM Our territority will be from Bambalapitiya flats to Wolfendhal Street, English will be the State language, and medium of education in LANSEELAM. Dutch will be our second language, and our headquarters will be the new B. R. C. at Wolfendhal.

So finally I call upon all the remaining Burghers in Sri Lanka, to organise themselves. and through the co-operation and assistance of the Dutch Burgher Union, call upon a metting at their headquarters in Bullers Road, with an ad in the press, to enable us to find suitable candidates to enter the stream of politics in the future, starting with the Provincial Councils.

Summing up I must pay a tribute to the only Burgher Duncan White to win a Medal at the Olympics, and sad to mention that I just read a notice in the daily papers that he has passed away after a heart attack. May His Soul Rest in Peace.

Cutty Felsinger,
Dehiwela.

Commercial banks in Sri Lanka do not pay interest on credit balances on current accounts. In many other countries, like England and Australia credit balances on current accounts are paid an interest.

I understand that the Commercial Banks, though they very much like to pay interest on current accounts, are unable to pay the interest, due to instructions to the contrary by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. This embargo should be lifted to attract more customers and for the development of banking in Sri Lanka. After all, a well structured commercial banking system provides a strong basis for the development of the money market.

Recently at the Banking and Finance Symposium held in Colombo. Mr. A. Buxton, the Chairman of England's Barclays Bank PLC, stated that it was the common practice of all commercial banks in developed nations to pay interest on current accounts, and that he cannot see any justification for not paying this interest.

Presently the average interest payable annually on fixed deposits by commercial banks in Sri Lanka is 10 percent. After all, the banks use the customers money to reap larger profits, so is it not reasonable, for the banks, to share a part of the profits so earned with their customers, by paying them interest on credit balances over a fixed limit on current accounts.

I trust that the authorities concerned will favourably consider this reasonable request.

N. Sri Pragasa
Colombo 06.

The local Catholic church in spite of Vatican's unshakeable opposition to divorce, has recommended one in the recent past without conducting a full and fair inquiry ignoring laid out guidelines in the Catholic doctrine for family counselling. Following is my personal experience with the ultimate authority of the local church with regard to the appeal I made to him for redress through counselling.

Divorce, although forbidden in Catholicism was promptly recommended for me by the counsellor appointed by the Archbishop to inquire into the appeal I made to him for redress through counselling. It took only 64 days for the local church to recommend a divorce (exact word used by the counsellor) for me from the day of my appeal without any counselling done or inquiry held solely due to the opposite party's unwillingness to continue with the marriage.

Informatively, divorce cases filed in civil courts too are dragged along for years striving for a reconciliation. The action of the church in this particular case implies that it will approve divorces without any questions asked or inquiry held if one party makes his/her intention known to discontinue with a solomenized marriage.

Should not the church open a dialogue between the parties in a bid to evaluate the cause for the differences prior to delivering a judgement? If the church maintains that such an attempt is not necessary, then precedent has been created for any Catholic to boldly demand divorce without giving any reasons. If the church rejects the above claim, then it has deviated from the laid out guidelines for family counselling perhaps, only in this particular case in order to conceal evidence that would embarrass the church and laity.

Can the Archbishop cite another instance of the church recommending a divorce without conducting a full and fair inquiry or give an assurance to Catholics that in future, divorces will be granted freely merely due to the unwillingness of one party to continue with the marriage? If not, will he admit that the pronouncement in this case is a deliberate attempt to sweep dirt under the carpet in order to protect a few from disgrace?

Another area that needs clarification is whether the local church should obtain the approval of the Vatican for a divorce as recommended for me and whether the Vatican will approve such divorces without any authentic evidence of the church's attempt at a reconciliation through counselling or without any impediments for marriage proved? However, the divorce granted to me will go down the annals of the local church as the first one granted under special circumstances without conducting a fair and unbiased inquiry.

Whatever the circumstances may be, the church through its selfish and dictatorial attitude in this instance, has not only broken a family but has caused the children of that family to be products of a home broken by the church.

If one is to analyse the consequences of a divorce recommended by the church whether indiscriminately or otherwise, the divorcees cannot receive holy communion although allowed to attend mass, forbidden from re-marrying until the demise of one party, that too after obtaining clearance from a Catholic tribunal and perhaps, be deprived of a Catholic burial. I stand for correction if wrong. The undeniable fact is that divorcees are doomed to lead a life with the social stigma associated with a divorce.

Freedom of expression and the right to defence in my opinion is not afforded by the church to those who are frank and forthright and are bold enough to express their displeasure against the wrong-doings of the clergy. Although the church deprived me of these fundamental rights, I extend my invitation to the person responsible for debate on this issue thus giving him the opportunity to explain freely to the Catholic community the circumstances which prompted him to arbitrarily grant a divorce to me bypassing laid out guidelines in the Catholic doctrine for family counselling.

We read in the newspapers about the involvements of the Catholic church in controversies related to politics, education, violation of fundamental rights, character assassination and sinister manipulations to deprive others of their freedom of expression. The rapid deterioration of public respect to those holding high office in the church is clearly evident by the numerous court cases filed against the clergy for violation of fundamental rights and defamation of character.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, most Catholics are averse to publicly expressing their resentment for fear of causing disgrace to their own religion especially among other denominations. We as Catholics, should now collectively make a decision whether we should meekly allow the clergy to continue with their dictatorial and callous attitude and suffer at their hands in silence or courageously rise to save the sanctity of the Catholic church.

A. J. Hettige,
Mount Lavinia.

For some bank officials, the day on which pensions are paid, is just another day. The very old and infirm pensioner is just another client - no matter what ailment the person is suffering from.

Over 90 per cent of these oldies of both sexes, are weary and tired, travelling several miles in crowded buses being pushed about when they happen to be standing passengers.

If a study is made of the physical state of the average pensioner it would reveal that many of them suffer from diseases such diabetes.

But they enter the bank, to be pushed around again by those stronger who wish to take their stand ahead of the queue, despite their late arrival.

At the bank counter, there are other regular customers reaching over the shoulders of the old pensioners, women patrons too, try to use their feminine attributes to gain a few steps ahead. Some pensioners give up and turn away looking for a seat now occupied by younger patrons. The next option is to go out and squat wherever they can, till the rush is over.

Some years ago, a bank in Kandy (People's Bank) had arranged bank officials to report ready to start paying from 7 a.m. on pension days only. Usually, the majority of the pensioners have drawn their pensions by 12 noon. From this time, the counter is made available for other patrons.

Many are the times when old people collapse through exhaustion or fatigue.

May the hearts, eyes and ears of bank officials open at least on this pension days.

T. G. Edirimanna

In her analysis on 'Sinhala Buddhism and Indian Ocean countries' appearing in 'The Island' of July 22nd 1998, Kamalika Pieris has touched rather in detail on the cultural and linguistic relations of Sri Lanka with the Indian state of Kerala. She has stated 'The alphabet is in the Grantha script. Whether the Sri Lankans like it or not, it is now agreed by social historians that there were several migrations to Southwest Sri Lanka from Kerala. The geographical proximity makes this almost inevitable.'

Reading it made some reminiscences flash across my mind relating to Kerala national who migrated to Sri Lanka in the 1920s and remained a distinguished citizen here until his death in September 1978. One can recall that he stirred up sensation here in the 60s and 70s. My allusion is to the late Dr. Abraham-Kovoor.

His rationalist views and the path of collision with popular orthodox notions invariably gave rise to controversy and hot debate at the time. Kovoor wrote extensively our newspapers in addition to foreign journals. His lectures were much sought after both in Sri Lanka as well as overseas. His offspring, Aeries, Ph. D., incidentally, was appointed scientific advisor to the government by the President Kumaratunga because, I am made to understand, he was one of her close associates during her Sourborne days in France.

Kovoor the Senior has published a couple of books in India in English on rationalism, which by the way, I have translated into Sinhala and were warmly received by the Sinhala readership as evidence by the demand for several editions for them up to date.

To come back to Kamalika Pieris' references, Kovoor the Senior has demonstrated to me several times something which indeed amused me very much. He would write the word Sri Lanka in the script of Malayalam which is the language of Keralites. Believe me, the Malayalam word appeared just as if it had been written in Sinhala characters!

Indeed, both Kovoors have given me accounts of some cultural traits, food items, food habits, traditional dress designs, etc. in Kerala which are strikingly similar to those in Sri Lanka. For instance, fish 'ambul thiyal' for which southern Sri Lanka is famous or our mouth watering hoppers are not only prepared in Kerala just in the same way as we do it here in Sri Lanka but are found in Kerala alone in India. I have failed to find these and many other similar food preparations in any other part of India, south or north, even after much search.

Climatologically and topograpically, too, Kerala and Sri Lankan bear marked similarity. A few of such common features are (1) monsoon rains, (2) Central Hills and surrounding lowlands, (3) plantation of tea, rubber and coconut as main commercial crops, (4) a dry zone mostly inhabited by minority Tamils and a wet zone of majority Malayalees with a different language and (5) holiday resorts located in the cool, salubrious Hill Country.

Last but not least, according to my information, there appears to exist some distrust and displeasure in Kerala, too, like in Sri Lanka, between the Tamil speaking ethnic minority and the majority Malayalees, each claiming ethnic superiority over the other!

Dharmapala Senaratne
Attorney-at-Law

The Muslims believe that when animals are slaughtered by cutting their necks and bleeding them to death they are cleansed or made free from disease. That is why Muslims do not eat flesh not killed the 'Halal' way - that is cutting the neck and bleeding them to death.

If one should examine the carcass of an animal killed the 'Halal' way, specially the organs such as the liver, kidneys heart, etc., certainly a lot of blood will be found and not devoid of blood.

The purpose of bleeding animals on slaughter I understand is that there was a great famine in the Middle East during Prophet Mohamed's time. People started eating the rotting dead carcases of animals and fell sick. Thousands fell sick and started dying by eating the flesh of rotting dead animals. In order to prevent people eating dead animals, Prophet Mohamed decreed that animals necks should be cut and bled to death before being consumed - this was to ensure that rotting dead animals would not be consumed.

So it is now absurd to continue this cruelty and subject animals to this suffering.

Dr. C. Godamunne
Kandy Humanitarian Society.