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Morning Spice by Ginger
New cabs are more popular than three wheelersWill the new cabs that are getting more and more popular and at times cheaper knock the three wheeler out of contention. The other day I saw an ad where one of these services were offering to take their passengers for Rs. 24 a kilometre. Now that is less than what most three wheelers charge to go the same distance. The fare becomes a little prohibitive on the longer run though say a 10 kilometre run would cost Rs. 240 because the cabs run on a fixed meter where as you could knock the fare down by arrangement before setting off with the three wheeler driver.
That however is not the main issue. The return of the old taxi in a big way would create the necessary competition to improve this form of travel and also knock off those who over-charge or are rude and reckless. It could well mean that the three wheeler would be in the hands of a better element. However it is imperative that the two forms of travel should co-exist and there should not be monopoly conditions for either one of them as it could well become cocky and the whole object of it all would be lost from the customers point of view.
Skin diseases
Now your natural instint is to stretch out for your can of insect repellent when you see roaches and other forms of insects crawling all over the place. One good spray and you have the satisfaction of seeing most them out of action. You may however be doing you health some damage in the process.Now it has been discovered that quite a few of the insect repellents in the market are not very good for your skin. Researchers advise you to try a simple home preparation instead. Use one cup of witch hazel, half a teaspoon of citronella oil and eucalyptus essential oil and an eighth of a spoon of cedar oil. Don’t leave it near children as it smells good enough to eat.
Gross violation of Sinhala human rights
Nirmalan Dhas, the aplogist for Indian Tamils, talks through his hat once again. To use his own phrase, — "While apologists may proffer reasons and explanations ad infinitum...", it is a fact that:—
(a) Sinhala ancestral lands have been expropriated in 1840 (just 158 years ago which is not ‘ancient’ history) and an alien population planted therein by the colonials, basically to destabilize the Sinhala people.
(b) In this process of destabilizing the Sinhalese, an export economy (tea) was developed, which no doubt today, is an important sector of our economy. The fact that Indian Tamil labour contributed to this economy is totally besides the point and cannot in any way justify the land grab and the suffering of the Kandyan peasantry today. In fact a large share of the proceeds of the tea industry should justifiably go to this oppressed community who lost their lands and even their lives.
(c) This alien population of Indians were temporary, indentured labour. They were migrants and not long time settlers and as such, should have been repatriated to India a long time ago as per agreements entered into with India,
(d) The Indian government, Indian Tamil Trade Unions and worst of all, the two main political parties (SLFP and UNP) kept these aliens back so as to serve their own agendas. The repatriation agreements which are yet valid in law should be implemented even now, whatever the hue and cry it may create.
(e) The Sinhalese who were chased away from the hills have a legitimate right to get back their lands.
The above shows that there has been a gross violation of human rights of the Kandyan Sinhala people. It is an abominable fact that a group of aliens are being kept here so as to get their block vote for the purpose of keeping a few politicians in power. This group of aliens are being pampered at the expense of the indigenous people of this country. It is high time the people of this land realized the political rackets of successive governments and rose up against this gross injustice. These aliens have their ancestral home in south India and most of them have their hearts and minds there. These people must get back rather than demand all kinds of "rights" over and above the locals.
It is obvious that those without facts to support their arguments, depend heavily on rhetoric and emotion. And, Dhas has not set out one single fact in support of his contentions.
Indian Tamil leaders are now demanding special rights and are not prepared to be absorbed into the local polity. They are not prepared to live in villages with the locals or attend local schools. They want separate enclaves in the thottams, separate schools, separate Grama-Sevaka divisions, and a separate administration (ie., a "Commissioner of Indian Tamil Affairs" with powers to prosecute the others, i.e., the Sinhalese). These are suggestions of the Upcountry peoples’ Front which are endorsed by Dhas. They even want to rewrite history to include the "...role played by the Indian Tamil community in the development of the island...". Today, we have all kinds of ‘package’ historians trying to rewrite history. This appears to be another such stupid attempt. When will people realize that history cannot be ‘rewritten’. History is what has already happened and as such, can never be altered.
With respect to Dhas’ statement that the estate Tamil community is "underdeveloped", I would like to refer him to official facts and data. Dhas either does not know or wants to sweep them under the carpet. I guess it is the latter. Department of Census figures clearly show that in the estate sector, unemployment is much less (half that of the Kandyan peasantry), Nutrition status is much higher, per capita income very much more than for other categories of agricultural labour and there are many special benefits on estates which do not accrude to village people. A letter giving complete details of these benefits appeared in the ISLAND of 9.4.96, by a Planter and I do not wish to go into details here.
Any demands, such as those by the Upcountry peoples’ Front, will only create a wider economic gap between the indigenous Sinhala people and an alien group whom they will see as the ’blue-eyed block-vote’ of the government. It will only create further resentment. This will definitely escalate into a ‘Malayanadu war’ with disastrous consequences for the Tamils in particular and all the people in general. A "warped perspective"is not exhibited by the Sinhalese as mentioned by Dhas, but by narrow minded racists like himself. It is these Tamil racists with a ‘warped perspective’ who are under the impression that the time is opportune to open up a second front in the hills while the ‘Sinhala’ army is taking a battering in the north. Strike while the iron is hot is the best way of creating an eelam and a malayanadu at the same time.
The Sinhalese have had enough of these antics. Our human rights as well as the basic right to live in our homeland is being threatened. Our politicians, minority leaders, Trade unionists, and the foreign funded NGO agents are all going all out to batter the Sinhalese into submission. They all want us to surrender to the enemy within, so that they can maintain power on the minority block votes. The "coming colurs" in the hill-country are being gradually exhibited by people like Dhas. I only want to tell the likes of him not to be responsible for the start of a volcanic eruption in the hills. The Sinhalese will then be fighting for survival. They will have no choice and will not be prepared to listen to traitorous politicians. Neither will the Generals be able to bluff them into submission. In Thondaman’s own words, the (Sinhala) worm is about to turn.
Citizen-D,
Kandy.
By now all the bally hoo except the snarling and grunting should be over in relation to the famous or infamous utterances made by the Dr. Ranjitha Senarathe. According to the learned Doctor there is no harm in using any words if they are in the Dictionary (English, Sinhala or Eng/Sin. versions) one may presume. Now, does this mean that the good doctor will use the four letter words too, because they are in the dictionary.
Over the years we have heard the words of Rev. Hettimulle Vajirabuddhi and Devamottawe Amarawansa and Members like Somaweera Chandrasiri, R. S. Perera, Asoka Karunaratne and S. B. Herath (another doctor). Some spoke utter rubbish some innuendo and some double entente. At these gatherings there were people who presided who took things with a smile and others like the late Dudley Senanayake who corrected even J. R. Jayewardene when he referred to Mrs. Sirimavo Dias Bandaranaike as a ‘geheni’. To go into all the stories and antecedents will take a lot of time and space but one can remind oneself of the deterioration of standards when one recalls the famous or infamous speech made by the late R. Premadasa in the House when he spoke of Sahajatha births in hovels and Awajatha births in walauwwas and this was followed sometime later by the speech of the late Weerasingha Mallimarathchi when he blasted the Anura Dias Bandaranaike with a choice selection of expletives.
All round us erosion is taking place, on the beaches, by the rivers and on land and the erosion of language, when it was an insult to refer to a person as bastard some years ago, is no more today it is a term of endearment and some other words unprintable are too used and with a sense love and well being. When Gustave Flaubert wrote Madam Bovary he was taken to court, a similar fate awaited Lawrence for his Lady Chatterley’s Lover. All this is in the dustbin of history people like Karaka, Joyce, Fleming, Spillane and even David Niven uses rather modern language in his two books. What was barrack room terminology is now the done thing it appears that in this modern age things have changed.
I feel that there is more to it than meets the eye, only another Jung or Frued can unravel this, have you not heard that ‘Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned’ may be that the good doctor feels slighted that with his toothsome good looks and his amiable nature that he has been overlooked by the Hon Mangala Samaraweera or is it that the good Doctor wants to declare war on homosexuals. Are there no homos in the Opposition? Just as the Doctor looks for the missing homo Minister he should look for homos amongst his own compatriots in the Opposition Benches. Or is it that the good doctor whose dispensary is situated at or on the outskirts of Mariakade or within the precincts of Mariakade cannot help but use Mariakade lingo.
Milroy A. P. Bulathsinhalage
Surgical castration a must for rapists and paedophiles
When Reeta Manoharan was brutally raped and gruesomely murdered everybody in our country wept and cried. Even in animal world only the serpents swallow another serpent alive when they are hungry but Reeta was swallowed alive by these serpents in human bodies (clothing).
We all wanted the Killer rapists to be killed in the same way that Reeta was killed but according to existing law, the culprits will be bailed out within 2-3 months of the incident and they will be free to carry out any type of criminal act until the court of law decides in about another 4-5 years on the sentence that may be 15 years imprisonment maximum. But what will happen when the criminals are free among innocent people like Manoharan couple and you and me?
The best punishment for these criminals must be the death sentence. If the death sentence is withheld due to some reason or other the criminal should be surgically castrated and imprisoned for rest of his life.
The surgical castration means removal of both testicles. Once a person is castrated he hardly gets any sexual urge {libido) due to the lack of testicular hormones (testosterone) and he will be fit to guard even a harem of an Arabic king. In some states of USA, this form of punishment is carried out on brutal rapists.
In Sri Lanka, all the rapists and paedophiles must be surgically castrated in addition to a maximum prison term.
Dr. Kande Bandara
Base Hospital
Negombo.
