Letters to the Editor

There is much discussion about the implementation of the death sentence which has not been carried out for nearly two decades. Opposition to the death sentence has been voiced basically by those who live in Colombo.

Some of these protesters, the beautiful women from Colombo, do not know the ground situation. They are affluent people. They do not read Sinhala newspapers. They have no experience about rural Sri Lanka. None of their loved ones has been murdered. Their daughters go to school by car. So, army deserters cannot rape or kill them. The other category of protesters represents the NGOs funded by European countries.

None of these groups represents public opinion. Their combined strength cannot exceed 0.0001% of the total population. Of course, they make a big song and dance about the death penalty, while ordinary people suffer in silence.

The non-implementation of the death sentence has led to a wave of crime, never seen in the history of this land. Murder, contract killings, rape, child abuse, mass murder and drug trafficking have become the order of the day.

Since the ethnic war began the country has been flooded with dangerous weapons. Soldiers have brought home all sorts of modern weapons while MPs, Ministers and 'People's Representatives' have received sophisticated weapons for their protection, which sometimes are used to eliminate their enemies.

As the strength of the army increased, the number of deserters has also gone up. It is estimated that there are about 60,000 deserters, some of whom are committing murder, rape, abductions, ransom killings and robberies.

This situation has been aggravated by the 1988/89 uprising in the south, which led to a state of lawlessness.

We have still not recovered from this. Politicians armed with the latest firearms, employing army deserters, resorted to killing their opponents, both political and personal. Many individuals also hired assassins (once again deserters and thugs) to eliminate their rivals, as our legal system failed to deal with the situation. Elections were violent. Underworld gangs and drug barons killed each other in broad daylight. The police could not do very much, as their priority was to give protection to VIPs. Hell was let loose in our society.

Except in a very few areas such as the fashionable parts of Colombo, 99% of the country became unsafe.

At one time, hundreds of bodies were found burnt by the wayside, whilst the north and east was burning under bomb attacks. The murder of a person was a simple thing. No one was worried about killing another as there was no capital punishment.

In Katupotha, Kurunegala, a soldier killed his girlfriend and her entire family of five, because she refused him.

In another instance, thugs in Madiwela killed six members of a family including two girls who were raped before they were killed, over a land dispute.

A schoolgirl of 13 who was selling hoppers to support her poor family was raped and strangled by three youths in Kalpitiya. A five-year-old girl who was returning from school was dragged into the bushes raped and killed about three months ago, once again by a deserter. We can still remember the rape and murder of Rita John.

A former minister from Kandy and his two sons, along with many soldiers are being tried today in courts for allegedly masterminding and killing 10 youths during the last parliamentary elections. A young MP, Nalanda Ellawala, was killed by a mob a few years ago.

An 18-year-old boy in a Ratnapura school stabbed and killed a girl in the same school as she refused his love. A group of over 50 students in the Sri Jayewardenepura University killed student Samantha a few months ago.For a desk in a tutory, a boy was killed in Kohuwela. The wife and daughter of a Peradeniya University don were strangled over a minor matter. The list is very long.

Those who are clamouring for the removal of the death sentence would not have faced these situations.

According to the latest statistics there have been 1,289 killings last year and 1,413 cases of reported rape. The actual number could be more.

The death penalty is essential as a deterrent against those who commit serious crime.

The United States, the most powerful country in the world today, implements capital punishment. No religious leader, Lord Buddha or Christ, has spoken against the death sentence.

Before we talk about the human rights of a murderer, we must think about the human rights of the victim and his dependents. In any case, the death sentence is given by the High Court after a proper inquiry during which time the offender can defend himself - with clever lawyers and appeal to the Court of Appeal and subsequently to the Supreme Court and finally to the President. Hence, there is no room for a mistake.

It is only a few days ago that Vinodini, a 21-year-old working for the 'Udayan' newspaper was killed and her gold chain valued at Rs. 5,000 snatched in Mallika Lane, Wellawatte. Life is worth only Rs. 5.000 today. Why are those who oppose the death penalty silent?

The Prime Minister and the Minister of Internal Affairs should be thanked for proposing the reintroduction of the death sentence, which is a long felt need. This should be carried out without delay as the crime rate is going up.

Murder, rape and drug trafficking should be declared punishable by the death sentence. If NGOs make a big noise, a referendum should be held. All law-abiding citizens will vote for the re-introduction of the death sentence.

How very true the letter of W.S. Nanayakkara (The Sunday Times, March 16). In the pre-election period Milinda Moragoda proposed the setting up of an Institute for People's Empowerment within the Colombo West electorate and issued a questionnaire, requesting people to respond.

The proposal was to appoint senior, responsible, honest and impartial citizens to liaise with officials for the betterment of society. I too thought there was a minister concerned about our welfare.

We were not only thrilled by this proposal but also had high hopes of a dream electorate where the Colombo Municipal Council, Urban Development Authority, police and other officials would be co-ordinated by Mr. Moragoda to ensure the legitimate needs of the ratepayers.

After we sent Mr. Moragoda to Parliament to fulfil our needs, the proposed institute faded into thin air.

On May 23, last year, I sent a reminder expressing my interest on this project and inquiring about its progress. Up to date I have not received even an acknowledgement.
People are now getting used to these election gimmicks.

Averiwatte Road in Wattala is a busy one, mainly because it connects Airport Road with the Colombo Kandy highway. The road also leads to the two schools, St. Anne’s Convent and St. Anthony's. It is frequented by those going to the Hunupitiya Station and hence has constant traffic.

In the past year, pedestrians have faced much inconvenience due to a huge hole full of water about 600 metres down the road. This is because there are no drains on both sides of the road and the rain water gets collected at the foot of the incline, creating a mini swimming pool.

It is no problem for those travelling by vehicle. However poor schoolchildren in their white uniforms can be seen attempting to negotiate this every morning. But there is no escape. Their clothes become dirty and mud-spattered.

A simple solution is to cut drains along the sides after straightening the road at this bend. Over to you RDA.

With reference to 'Cashew, avocado and heart patients - a scientific explanation' (The Sunday Times, January 26 and February 2) the main thrust of the nutritionist's allegation is that I have advised "patients to eat cashew and avocado without reservations as against the advice of many doctors". Any careful reader will see that I have never recommended the consumption of these food items "ad libitum", words used by the nutritionist herself. The words "ad libitum" were never used in any of my articles on nutrition.

She, the nutritionist quotes Mr. Wickremasinghe who had said, "It is high time that the Medical Council meets, and arrives at a final decision etc."

It will be interesting to find out how this nutritionist, a non-medical person, responded to the Medical Council and whether she had a mandate to do so by this august body (to borrow another doctor's observations in a different context, is also an example of the donkey replacing the dog's bark with his braying!).

The Medical Council has so far remained silent apparently because I am not guilty of the spurious allegation and my advice has been least unscientific.

If the nutritionist has seen this dilemma going on for a long time, why did she wait to educate the public until Mr. Wickramasinghe brought it up? Since she herself has admitted that "foods such as cashew and avocado contain mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and a professionally qualified dietician (nutritionist) may incorporate such foods in limited quantities, she joins the issue with me.

My recommendation too is limited consumption of the above items. I have never recommended, as she has said, unlimited consumption of cashew and avocado (vide all my articles).

It is more than five months since the Central Bank took "timely" action to close down Pramuka Bank. What of its 15,000 depositors? They have been left high and dry sans their hard earned money.

The rest have not only lost their money but also their future. Some who have to get medical treatment cannot do so for lack of money.

Pramuka Bank was licensed by the Central Bank and was among the list of banks authorized by it to accept deposits from the public.

When things go wrong, it cannot put the blame on the depositors and cover up its lapses by mere liquidation. The Depositors' Association is in the process of highlighting in court the negligence and lapses on the part of the Central Bank.

I hope that even at this late stage, the President or the government will step in and safeguard the depositors. Otherwise, the public will have grave doubts on the professional capability of the institution that is supposed to safeguard their money in the banks.

The Traffic Police are making a hue and cry about restricting parking on Galle Road and Duplication Road to encourage the free flow of vehicles.

This is nothing new, only that Traffic Police favoured friendly and helpful shopkeepers, hotels, garages and school van drivers who were unaffected by the "no-parking" rule.

Such selective enforcement has made a mockery of no-parking rules.
T.M.A. Irfan Kawdana

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