Letters to the Editor

 

Call of nature: A stinking affair at Yala Park
The toilets at the Yala National Park, visited by thousands, are in a deplorable state. Visitors to the park are not allowed to get off from their vehicles except at two places. So it is very important to provide adequate toilet facilities at these points.

When I visited the park on December 30, the toilets at the entry point where the ticket counters are located were stinking. The women's toilets did not have a drop of water while the men's toilets could not be flushed.

Even the toilet close to the beach, where the army camp is, had no water and was filthy with polythene scattered all over.

In some countries, zoos and nature parks have toilets and drinking water every 500 metres, with special facilities for the disabled.

It is time the authorities looked into these shortcomings and rectified them immediately, particularly at a time when Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is keen to develop tourism.

Having charged a very high entrance fee from foreigners, it is unfair not to provide them with basic facilities. Maybe the authorities could charge a nominal fee for the use of toilets and channel that money to wards their upkeep.
NJ
Via e-mail

No fairplay in insurance
In 1981, I obtained a fire insurance policy from the National Insurance Corporation Ltd. for Rs. 20,000 covering risk of malicious damage, riot and strike, for a building in my garden in Uppuveli.

In September 1985, my house along with several houses and buildings in the area was damaged during the violence.

I forwarded the claim forms with the necessary documents, but the National Insurance Corporation denied liability on the grounds of the damage occurring under terrorism. Despite numerous appeals, the National Insurance Corporation has been adamant.

Meanwhile, in fire cases initiated by claimants in the District Court, the judgments were given in favour of the plaintiffs and the respective claims settled in full with interest, in 2002.

On the face of this, I appealed to the Corporation on December 15, 2002 and January 17, this year. However to my disappointment they have refused my appeal with the excuse that the relevant documents have been destroyed. Where is justice and fairplay?
S.P. Jeyaratnarajah
Trincomalee

Bags of burden
It is pathetic to see schoolchildren, like beasts of burden, carrying back-breaking bags full of books plus lunch-boxes and water-bottles.

Soon we will have a generation of hunched adults. This form of cruelty to children can be put right if school authorities instruct teachers to work according to a timetable. Then the student will only need to bring the books required that day.
C. L. Terence Fernando
Moratuwa

Fuss over a woman PC
Criticism has been levelled against the authorities, particularly the Presidential Secretariat, the Service Commanders and the IGP, regarding a woman PC representing the President at the Independence Day armed services parade rehearsal on February 3.

The service commanders and the IGP "saluting" the woman PC, has been severely criticised.

The fuss over this incident may be due to ignorance. At a rehearsal the events are gone through exactly as for the event proper to ensure that the participants know exactly what should take place at a particular time, detailed timings, the sequence of actions etc. Having been a participant in many Indepe-ndence Day parades, I know this for a fact. Of course, this is the first time a woman PC represented the President and she happened to be from the PSD.
Major General
Gratiaen Silva VSV (Retd.)

National Flag: Power of the bat, not the sword
My memories of the Sri Lankan National Flag were refreshed by the interesting article in The Sunday Times by C. V. Vivekananthan. It is clear from this article that we all want to end this war and be once again united in one Sri Lanka.

I have noticed that the National Flag is used quite often for cheering at games, particularly cricket. Cricket has brought Sri Lanka forward and with it, the National Flag.

Foreign fans are impressed by the 'unity in diversity' of our cricket team consisting of Sinhalese, Tamils, Buddhists, Christians and Muslims. At lunch during a national conference in Canberra, I overheard an Australian telling another that Sri Lanka is a great country, for in spite of war they are doing fairly well in their cricket and in their economy.

When the Sri Lankan cricket team arrived in Sydney airport, two children (Cleon and Nina) held Sri Lankan flags with the lion holding a bat instead of the sword. Probably they got the idea from an Australian sports flag where the kangaroo is in a boxing action.

Certainly, the children did not want to disgrace the flag, just to welcome the team with cheers. For them probably, the green and saffron stripes as well as the four leaves were insignificant.

They were not interested in the power of the sword, but in the power of the bat. They brought humour and good feelings to our cricketers after losing very badly with 64 all out to Australia-A on the previous day in Adelaide.
Dr. Leonard Pinto
Australia

It’s an abomination and rebellion against God
In connection with the article in The Sunday Times of February 9, on homosexuality, I wish to refer to a passage in the Bible, in Lev. 18:22; 20:13 which says, "It is an abomination (to God) for a man to lie with a man as with a woman, and a woman to lie with a woman, as with a man". Lev. 18: 25 says that because of abominations such as homosexuality, a land will "vomit out its inhabitants".

In the New Testament, Apostle Paul says in 1 Cor. 6:9,10 that those who practise homosexuality will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Paul goes on to say that homosexuality is a final order of rebellion against a holy God. When people exchange the truth of God for a lie, and begin to worship the creature instead of the Creator, they (the people) are given up to evil.

When values are turned upside down and moral anarchy appears, men burn with lust for other men and women for other women, and will receive in their own bodies the punishment for their actions (Rom. 1:22-27).

When God created us, He created man and woman. It was His will that men should multiply, so they can serve and worship a good God, whose blessings to those who obey Him are plentiful.

The ultimate purpose of God is to dwell with man/woman. Man/woman is to be blessed in God, and God is to be glorified in man/woman. John, a disciple of Jesus, points to this in his Gospel (John 1: 11 to 14).

Then let us look at the article in The Sunday Times. It states that experts are yet to find a gene to explain homosexuality. I can tell you, based on the Bible that teaches about man's creation and his genealogy that there is no such gene because God never intended man to "define his/her own sexuality". What is the Christian marriage all about? As a believer, we must pray for those of our brothers and sisters who think that homosexuality is a "way of life", and not condemn them. Christ condemned no one, only taught us how to live, have love for one another and worship God. We may hate the sin, not the sinner.

Homosexuality is definitely a sin. It is not a way of life.

While the efforts of Women's Support Group and other similar associations are commendable, such help and advice, from a human perspective, will not lead to a solution to the problem (of these women and/or men). We have to accept the fact that homosexuality is unnatural, as stated in the Bible.

If at this stage we choose to say that what is said in the Bible (about homosexuality) is wrong, or that this truth may be "stretched" to suit our needs and desires, or that we are taking Bible teachings too literally then we must also accept that the Bible and all that is said in the Scriptures, written by the holy men of God, as inspired by God, the Holy Spirit are also wrong! We cannot say that some passages in the Bible are literal and others not! Those of us who believe in the God of the Bible cannot accept the position as reported in The Sunday Times.

I must also emphatically state that these homosexual women (and men) must never be ostracized or humiliated. They must never be criminalized.

Jesus never did that. He healed sinners and forgave them. I agree that love and the right to love are sacred.

We are all called upon to love one another, as Christ loved us. This is Agape love. And that does not mean that the homosexual form of "love" between a man and a man, or a woman and a woman, is an accepted form of love scriptually. An adulterous form of relationship, abortion etc are also sins, according to the Bible.

These women (and men) who are under the notion that their lifestyle is normal need the prayers of righteous people, who acknowledge God's power to heal and forgive.

They need to be told that homosexuality is unnatural. If they are not told the truth then they cannot be helped.

There are many instances of homosexual persons being healed, renouncing their homosexual lifestyle, marrying and raising families.

As stated, those of us who read the Word of God as found in the Bible and apply those teachings in our lives can never accept that "people must be allowed to define their own sexuality".
K. Soysa
Piliyandala

Raw deal for disabled people
A secretariat for disabled people functions under the Ministry of Social Welfare.

However, it is regrettable that no useful purpose is served, Those who call over there are treated with utter disregard. It is time the Minister of Social Welfare looked into this matter.
L.S.R. de Silva
Maharagama


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