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| Morning Spice by Ginger Environmentalists do no good to anybody Sometimes one feels that all our woes are due to the environmentalist in this country. They seem to be set of nosey do gooders who do no good to anybody. Apart from objecting to golf courses and killing a lot of fun and the tourist industry they set a lot of standards and norms that cannot be flashed into reality and throw everybody into a state of confusion and uncertainty when they realize that all laws made in the interest of a better environment are flouted with amazing impunity. They just don't care a hoot for such laws. Ginger takes roughly half an hour walking to the bus stand which is just 300 yards away. Every conceivable kind of repair is undertaken along the way and much of the pavement too becomes part of such establishments. Welding jobs, motor cycle repairs and a host of other such repairs go on through the day with every kind of gas assailing one's nostrils. Some of the lorries and other vehicles parked appear to have been produced at the turn of the century and belch enough smoke to choke all but the toughest. I bet some city father backs it all. There is more percentage in gaining votes than saying lies in his estimate of priorities. So where does the environmentalist come in. He is just a cipher in the process and a voice in the wilderness. Without pizza Women after liberation and so forth do not stick to essentially feminine working routines as they did in the past. They take on assignments that involve changing shifts. Now Italian researchers have discovered that women who are on rotating shifts may not be able to conceive as easily as those who don't. They run twice the risk of delayed pregnancies of ten mothers or more than those who don't. Looking for a
partner This Zhing Haixia of the Chinese basket ball squad decided to forget matrimony and go for money plain and simple. At least this was a couple of years ago. This veteran of four Olympics decided to join the U.S. women's national basketball association. She was to get two hundred and fifty thousand dollars which is quite an income for a woman from communist China. |
| Kilinochchi citizens demonstrate on free
ration cut From July 1, 1998, Jaffna peninsula, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Mannar districts, were undergoing a terrible cut on the displaced people's provisions (free ration) by our government which led to the misery of our people's daily life and their employment. It is important, we the people who are from the district of Kilinochchi had many a times appealed with a heavy heart in the hope of getting relief for our people. The statistical particulars of our government kachcheri shows that there are 42,000 families of 175,000 members including children and dependents. There are 32,000 families who are entitled to receive free ration from the government. Even then the government insisted that only 27,000 families were entitled to free rations. Today only, 8,880 families were given the free ration which is a mere pittance when compared with the sufferings they are undergoing. Our Government Agent and Assistant Government Agent Departments, who are in charge of distributing the free ration are in a terrible situation as to how they could distribute the provision to the people or in what category the ration should be distributed. The people have lost all the source of sustenance and are pushed to the edge of starvation by this cut on their ration and with banners and placard they assemble out before the government agent and assistant government agent in the hope of getting a relief from them and by this act they bring the working of the offices, to a standstill. They have gone even further by blocking the paths to govt offices. By these acts the starving people might be compelled to take drastic action to have their grievances redressed. The people of Kilinochchi were farmers and all the sources of farming and cultivation are under the forces cleared area. The people who depended on farming were relieved by the free ration but now they have lost every thing and are doing odd jobs struggling for servival. These rations were not given to the displaced people from Jaffna and Sathjeya people too were not given the free ration. These people too sent petitions and write to institutions, and all the departments were dealing with this free rations and even staged a demonstration in front of the office from the morning till evening without even a meal. They blockade the entrances to offices. They even appeal to the International Red Cross Society and Human Right Organisations all in vain. The government had allowed 2500 barrels of kerosene oil in Kilinochchi district. This month the government had allowed only 515 barrels of kerosene. The Organization tried to prevent this sorry situation but had to obey the orders of the government and allow the government to distribute rations. They had allowed other things that are not concerned with food and medicine. We as a last plea beg on behalf of our people and to all the world organizations to bring pressure on our government to provide free rations to all the needy. Pon.
Vinayagamoorthy |
| Conditional
and unconditional talks These days the newspapers and state media give much publicity to various view points expressed both by the government party and the opposition focussed on direct "Conditional" and "Unconditional" talks with the LTTE! Various reasons are being adduced in support of one or the other giving the public the impression that either party is more concerned about political mileage gained rather than finding a speedy solution. True there is no other way of checking the pulse of the nation than by having an opinion-poll on this vital issue! But the main question is - "Can any party, government or opposition, offer to have talks - whether conditional or unconditional - with an organization which has been already officially proscribed by the state?" Recently the papers reported an instance of the arrest of a civilian who had been compelled under death threat to buy some loaves of bread for the LTTE, and civilians had been taken into custody for even renting out premises to suspected LTTE cadres under the emergency regulations. Such actions were deemed to be criminal offences. If that be the case, I wonder what the Attorney General's interpretation of any kind of talks with the LTTE, as suggested, could be the citizens have a right to know. Several other countries have also proscribed the LTTE on the request of the Sri Lankan government. What will their attitude be now? Can someone like the Minister for Constitutional Affairs please enlighten, the not so-enlightened on this matter? Citizen, |
| Abuse of uniform Police constables in uniform are in the very regular habit of stopping vans on road and questioning the driver where he is going to. Now, this appears as if done in the course of duty. Immediately the answer is given the driver is then asked whether he can oblige by giving a lift to the constable himself or someone who is standing by his side. This other person in most cases is someone in civils. Taking a cue from this practice a LTTEer or otherwise can play the part of a constable and get his accomplice a ride to whatever place he desires in this manner. Hence this practice has to be stopped for the sake of the security of the nation. J.
Wickramasinghe |
| Fertile ground for vices In every nook and corner of this country liquor shops have sprouted like mushrooms in the past four-year term of this Govt. almost all of them as largesse for services rendered to the P.A. coalition. In like manner, illicit liquor dens have also increased twenty fold under the protection of PA politicians. There are any number of race bookies now known by the respectable term 'Turf Accountants', Fortune sellers hawking lottery tickets and health therapists catering to the seekers of lust in massage parlours. No citizen of this country dare raise his voice against these lust and moral degrading dispensers for fear of incurring the wrath of the goon squads, the patronising M.P. or the guardians of the law, who provide the necessary protection to carry out their nefarious activities. These politicians need the funds for their party and assault whoever dares to cross their paths. It is a well known fact that in this country elections are won by the use of thuggery and force. President Chandrika Kumaratunga is lamenting that the consumption of liquor and liquor related crimes are on the increase, where as under her government more and more liquor licences are issued to party henchmen. Has this nation turned out to be a set of gamblers and drunkards with the blessings of the Govt.? All crusaders for morality should divert their attentions to other pursuits because all their efforts will be futile with this insensitive Govt. in power. Only providence can save the growing children from falling into moral degradation. It is time this sleepy nation woke up from its deep slumber to save this nation from perdition and further moral degradation. Doosh-Boosh, |
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