By Dr. Tilak S. Fernando

British Police wearing prominent luminous coats to be seen as opposed  to Sri Lankan police inferior jackets with only two faded white lines.

Of late Sri Lankan Police has been able to dominate the news headlines on various issues of complaints ranging from Negligence, Assault, Abuse of Power, Prejudice , Illegal Arrests and Detention, and Bribery and Corruption,  etc.  As a consequence, President Mahinda Rajapaksa had to intervene and summon the Inspector General of Police Jayantha Wickremaratne with Senior DIG’s at Temple Trees on 17 August 09 to give a pep talk on police responsibilities and also to remind that “NO ONE IS ABOVE LAW”, which was followed by a Presidential Directive to the IGP to ‘hunt errant police officers’.

Despite the arduous task the police is doing at present in performing their official duties which one must accept, a few rotten apples adorning police uniforms have always been the cause to tarnish the police image by their undignified, high powered and tyrannical actions,  such as the recent Anuglana incident and a beating up of a student at  SLITT  Malabe University.

The purpose of this article is not to have a post- mortem of these recent incidents but to strike the iron while it is still hot on another area of Police responsibilities which is equally important but has been eclipsed for a fair amount of time.

TRAFFIC POLICE

 “Traffic Police Headquarters was established in 1953 and it assists the Inspector General of Police in taking decisions on traffic policies and, thereafter it helps to implement them and closely monitor execution. Today, policing of road traffic in Sri Lanka has become a major task.  Implementation and Enforcement of regulations and Laws come through powers vested on the Police by the Motor Traffic Act of 1951.The necessity to form a separate unit to control traffic within the city was recognized in 1950 by the Colombo Metropolitan Police.  Due to the increase in volume of road traffic in the island, the Traffic Headquarters was inaugurated in 1953 to cover the entire island”

Some of the main functions of the traffic police and its Headquarters are listed as follows:

• To enforce Traffic Laws, prevent violations of traffic regulations and prosecution of offenders
• To investigate into accidents
• To Control traffic on highways

Important Functions of the Traffic Headquarters

1. To maintain the Island’s accident statistics; and to supervise and guide The MAPP system and its Island wide functions. Also to coordinate with the RDA and other stake holders in order to identify Black Spot Areas and to attend to Road Infrastructure defects and to take preventative action.
2. 2.       To direct accident prevention action
3. To Organise Road Safety work on Island wide scale
4. To train Police Officers engaged in traffic work and accident investigations.
5. To investigate any special traffic problems with a view to suggesting remedial action.
6. To examine the working of Divisional/District Traffic Branches, with a view to bringing about co-ordination and uniformity in the methods of handling traffic problems throughout  the Island and to organise ,maintain and direct the activities of a “ Traffic Circus” and which will operate throughout the Island giving demonstrations of the Road Safety  rules at schools and public places.
7. To organise and conduct lectures Island wide for schools , Public and & Private organisations with a trained team of lectures specially selected on Road Safety and Road Craft and also training of school and other traffic wardens.
8. To co-ordinate with Ministry of Highways, Ministry of Transport, Commissioner General of Motor Traffic, National Road Safety Secretariat and other stakeholders with regard to Traffic Administration and Road Safety.
9. To conduct Senior and Junior Traffic Management Courses, Refresher Courses for officers in Traffic Branches.
10. To supervise the issue of traffic gear and to make necessary applications in keeping with modern technology to entire traffic for traffic administration and road safety.

 When there are nearly 23 such  wide and varied areas of responsibility entrusted to the Traffic Police, the Million Dollar question a sensible motorist would like to raise would be whether the Traffic Police dedicatedly and effectively monitor and implement the policing of the most vital sections of road traffic  at a time the traffic problem  has  become acute  chaotic.

Many articles, features and letters to the editors of news papers have been brought out over a long period of time highlighting various points, ideas and suggestions as constructive criticism in the past by  prominent figures in the public to help the traffic police in their arduous task of  policing  road traffic, but it is very unfortunate that many of the sane ideas that have been offered by the public have fallen on deaf ears on traffic authorities, the consequence of which 99% of the motorists  as well as pedestrians today are either not aware of  the meaning of the word ROAD DISCIPLINE, or able to convince that they have an iota of knowledge on the Highway Code.

ROAD DISCIPLINE AND OVERTAKING

 Do we drive on the left or right side of the road in Sri Lanka? A very appropriate question indeed! This has baffled me every time I sit behind the steering wheel in Sri Lanka and have always had to remind myself that I am not in Europe.

 Everyone admits this as a major hazard on Sri Lankan roads today, and this in fact falls within the perimeters of the Traffic Police functions and their responsibility to enforce the Law, prevent violation of Traffic Regulations and prosecute offenders.

 Pedestrian Crossings

Pedestrian crossings in Sri Lanka mean nothing in terms of moving heavy traffic on Sri Lankan roads but has turned out to be  a mere joke ! There is an element of indiscipline on the part of both motorists and pedestrians equally on road usage. Most drivers do not bother to stop at zebra crossings unless they are forced to do it. They simply do not consider it as a must by Law. It makes it even worse when a police officer waves to the motorist to proceed while the pedestrian is held back at the crossing standing on it. In the West this is regarded as a serious motor offence and the moment pedestrian steps on to zebra crossing, motorists MUST stop at once.  So what we see today while trying to cross a road is pedestrians either doing tangos and running back to the pavement, commanding motorists to stop with their raised hands or saluting to motorists as a means of begging to stop and spare their lives!

 Pedestrians on their part have no fear whatsoever for their dear lives when crossing roads in most idiotic ways. They believe that it’s their god given right to dart across  the road from any place any time, even after jumping out of moving buses. This no doubt definitely comes under the purview of  ‘Accident Prevention and Police Training ‘ clauses in the traffic police responsibilities.

 Tuck-Tuck ( Three-wheelers) and Motor Cycles

The way Tuck-Tuks and motor cyclists use public roads is condemnable. Their belief that roads and even pavements are their domain makes the traffic situation more acute and dangerous as they keep on creeping in and out of every available space from all sides like cockroaches;  and motor cyclists riding on opposite lanes  ( head -on with oncoming vehicles) to avoid traffic  queues pose unwarranted danger for motorists as well as pedestrians.

  Confining them to the near side of the road (inner lane) would be the answer to overcome this problem, with vigorous traffic police monitoring and  imposition of heavy fines   for riding or driving on pavements  as well.  

 It is equally important to restrict heavy lorries and juggernauts carrying 40ft long containers to their allowed speeds and lanes (unless for overtaking purposes). Traffic police  is supposed to monitor this along Colombo- Negombo road but one could only see,  on and off,  three wheeler drivers being copped  while heavy and long vehicles  and buses take to the fast lane and  over speed. Such law breaking would come under Traffic Headquarters responsibilities to train police officers engaged in traffic duties.

 ‘Nose Diving’ at Traffic Light Signals.

It’s not only annoying for a disciplined motorist who waits at the white line, at the base of  a traffic light signal post, when red light is indicated  to see some motorists, motor cyclists and tut tuts creeping  in and out and  occupying  the road area of  moving traffic, thus making it highly dangerous too. This is another area where motorists have to be ingrained strictly to ‘stop’  at the white line and ‘not beyond’ to block the moving traffic.  

So much have been written about  the behaviour of private bus drivers who  are always on high speed  and in  a mad rush , as if there is no tomorrow, overtaking all passing vehicles from the wrong  side (left lane)   while blaring their ear piercing horns.  Buses are a major factor for causing accidents. This has been proved over and over again and  umpteen number of articles have appeared on the print media as well as on the television news coverage,  but it is very sad to see the problem  is getting from bad to worse despite all such publicity.

 If Traffic Police were to concentrate 100% on their responsibilities as detailed in their own web site, and concentrate on Road Safety work on an Island-wide scale and act as ‘Adviser and Consultant’ in all traffic matters, then they should also take into consideration on the  police officers who stand in, on street junctions in pitched dark, managing traffic without being seen by the motorists.

Some officers do not bother to wear a reflective overcoat which should illuminate in the dark against light beams of motor cars. Standing on  road sides in the dark (in most  areas roads  are in pitched darkness)  and  trying to sort out traffic is an highly dangerous operation which  can act as  a death trap itself , as the  powerful light beams of vehicles coming  from opposite direction  ( most of the time coming with full beams on , particularly  the private buses) tend to blind  motorists . In such predicaments motorists  could  hardly spot shadows of any  police officers standing in the dark  as  drivers have to concentrate on the road ahead, try to avoid the glare  from oncoming vehicles from opposite direction and also to be cautious of the ‘ creepers’  trying to overtake from the wrong lane.  In the olden days there were circular platforms in the middle of the road as ‘Police posts’ where the traffic police officer could stand on it and monitor traffic, which enabled both drivers and the traffic officers to have a clear vision of what was happening ahead.

Bicycles and mopeds

Push bicycles going in the dark without lights is another major hazard on road safety. Traffic Police used to prosecute cyclists who rode in the night without lights a decade or two ago. Suddenly such enforcements seem to have flown through the traffic headquarters windows!  Riding without lights in the night time is also a violation of the traffic law.

49 cc Mopeds with pedals are not supposed to register with RMV or the rider required to wear a helmet, whereas the models without pedals need registration and a helmet becomes mandatory.  But there are so many 49 cc mopeds on the roads today (peddle-less type) without a registration number and the rider not heeding to the law! This, in a way is a very awkward interpretation of the traffic law because if in the case of a rider of a 49 cc with pedals knocks a pedestrian down on the road there is no way of identifying the offender if he were to scoot off . A fall can cause head injury whether one rides  49 cc or even a push bicycle, and that is why even cyclists are wearing helmets in western countries and wearing helmets for motor cyclists have made law.

Traffic police overpowering electronic traffic signals.

There are numerous instances where electronic traffic light commands are over powered by a traffic police officer standing in the middle of the road. This is said to be to speed up of the movement of traffic flow but the disadvantages by such operations are many fold.

 (1) When a traffic police officer overrides a Red signal and commands a motorist to proceed, a motorist coming from opposite direction gazing only at Green Light  (for him )  may dart across without observing the traffic police who is not visible to him. In case of such an incident and  an accident  were to take place,  will the police give an assurance  or evidence in a court of law to say that the police  over powered the red signals and commanded the motorist to proceed?  In such a scenario it will confuse the issue   to isolate who the offender is – Is it the Police officer or the motorist who is at fault ?

(2) To install a traffic light signal post at a busy junction costs a considerable amount of money the aim of which is to have uninterrupted traffic flows and  giving an equal and a  fair share of time limit to every motorist.  When a traffic police officer stands in the middle or at a corner of a road and takes charge of the situation, it  not only creates problems, as level of thinking  between a human mind and electronically set precision timers of traffic light signal system tend to differ. Besides, there is nothing more frustrating than to stand idling behind a traffic light once it turns green and  a police officer decides otherwise and let motorists who face red light proceed!  This kind of incongruent activity not only helps to pollute the environment, but builds up unnecessary traffic jams , and contributes to extra consumption of fuel too. Borella Bo tree junction and Welikada clock tower junctions are typical example of such constant operations.

Alternatively, well timed traffic lights signals at Devi Balika junction at Borella is a tailor made operation where timing is set to give one minute to every direction of traffic. Unfortunately, even at times a police constable comes in between and overrides the traffic light operation to bring chaos. After spending hundreds of thousands of rupees to install traffic light systems at the Kottawa junction it appears either the system is defunct or shut off recently, thus making very difficult for motorists. Traffic light system that stood at the Ward Place, Austin Place and Gregory’s road cross junction has been removed  suddenly for road repairs recently thus making it more chaotic for traffic flow as there are no signs yet of its emergence!

SPEED LIMITS

One would say speed limits in Sri Lanka are a thing in the past, pending a court case.  Mr. Leo Perera, a retired Senior Inspector General of Police and presently a practising lawyer once appeared in a speeding case between one Mr. Premasena Dissanayake and Wattala Police on an alleged traffic offence and the Wattala Magistrate discharged the case urging the police to be more aware of the traffic laws (Daily news article by Thava Sajitharen – Cops lose case trying to enforce illegal speed limits). During a  Fundamental Rights  Case at the Supreme Court, the then Chief Justice Sarath N. De Silva noted  there were different  signboards stating various speed limits though the  speed limits at the time  in the City was  56 Kmph and 72 Kmph outside  city limits.

 Although he ordered “all boards which were against the law should be removed’ it is pathetic to see numerous boards at various places displaying varying speeds. Only hundred yards away from the main access to  Sri Lanka Parliament on Jayawardenapura  road  50 Kmph board  hangs day in and out as an  eye sore to be seen by all the  Traffic Police who constantly go in and out of Parliament. So are other law makers, ministers and parliamentarians who attend parliament sessions regularly but no action has been taken to carry out the Supreme Court order!  Same pattern is repeated along Colombo- Negombo road with 40 and 50 kmph boards still glaring at motorists. Last week I was struck by a speed limit board which said 40 kmph in the Ambalantota town area. Surely these are areas that enable the public to point a finger at Traffic Police and to question on  their devotion  and dedication to what they  been appointed for !

 Traffic offences are equal to general crimes as accidents due to negligence and non adherence to motor traffic laws in the country contribute to unwarranted fatal accidents and deaths. As the road accident death count is on the rise every year the pressure will naturally will build on the Traffic Police authorities to deal with the problem.  Like in the case of Dengue outbreak several drastic steps were taken to inform, educate and finally impose fines on perpetrators of the law, it will become the bounden duty of the Traffic Police Headquarters to move with the times and find solutions to the ever increasing chaotic conditions on the roads.

 It would be prudent to first educate the public on thet High Code and Traffic Laws of the country with the help of news paper advertising , radio and Television and finally giving  a warning and a cut off point that anyone who defies traffic laws will be fined on the spot. And in doing so,  traffic police should be vigilant  and efficient to perform their function strictly as otherwise we can only say Good Bye to any hope of building a disciplined motoring society in Sri Lanka. After all, there is no point in having hundreds of Laws in the statute book if they are not executed properly and efficiently. Unless these problems are solved, Sri Lanka will never be able to see the light of a disciplined motorist society for generations to come

Ends

  Writer is an Associate Member of the Institute of Motor Management and The Institute of  Road Transport Engineers,  London

02 September 2009

By Dr. Tilak S. Fernando

Tarusha Fernando’s  excellent performance (while playing for Switzerland) at a tender age of 15 will no doubt catch the eye of the selectors of the Sri Lankan Cricket Board  with a fervent hope of yet another shining star emerging to uplift and maintain the high international standard of Sri Lankan cricket in the future. 

A fifteen year old Sri Lankan Tarusha Fernando, playing for Switzerland, shone in Bologna, Italy, when he exhibited a magnificent display of the Willow on the cricket field by massacring European bowlers with fourteen astounding boundaries to score 58 runs before top edging a return catch to the bowler. During the same match, Tarusha captured two wickets for 27 runs in five Overs at the Sixth ICC European under 15 Division, Championship in Bologna, which began on 16 August 2009 where eight European countries, France, Switzerland, Italy, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Israel, Belgium and Germany participated.

 On the opening day four matches were played of the 35-Over a side Tournament where all eight countries were to strive for superiority for the prestigious Championship Title. The hosting team Italy, coached by legendary Joe Scuder was expected to be among the favourites.

 The match providing maximum entertainment for the day was between Switzerland and Israel. Switzerland winning the toss decided to bat first. The openers Tarusha Fernando (15) and James Hadden got off to a rollicking start with a 48 run opening stand in just 2.1 Overs before Hadden was bowled out for 5 runs. 

 Italy winning the toss, batted first  and compiled 231 runs in 30.5 Overs. Isle of Man were  dismissed for 191 runs in the 35th over.

 Belgium bundled out Germany for 129 runs in 28.4 and scored the winning target in 12.2 Overs, with a 130 run unbeaten stand between the openers J Aron and F.Mcrae.

 In the third encounter Gibraltar was beaten by 7 wickets by France. Gibraltar won the toss and decided to bat first and scored 129 runs in 28. 4 Overs. France reached the winning target for the loss of 3 wickets in just 17.4 Overs.

 On the first day of the Championship Tournament Tarusha Fernando continued to wipe out the bowlers to all parts of the field before top edging a return catch to the bowler. The other batsmen continued on the solid foundation provided to mass 290 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in the allotted 35 Overs.

 Switzerland registered an empathetic win by 180 runs bundling out Israel for 110 runs in 25.3 Overs. Israel was penalized for their slow over rate where they lost 4 Overs.

 Tarusha Fernando who studies at present in Switzerland has managed to prove his mettle in the international cricket arena as an all-round performer. .

 Tarusha Fernando’s  excellent performance (while playing for Switzerland) at a tender age of 15 will no doubt catch the eye of the selectors of the Sri Lankan Cricket Board  with a fervent hope of yet another shining star emerging to uplift and maintain the high international standard of Sri Lankan cricket in the future. 
Dr. Tilak S. Fernando
17 August 2009

By Dr. Tilak S. Fernando

Twenty one years ago on a sunny morning, 3 of July in 1989 to be specific, thousands of Sri Lankan expatriates gathered at the Maori Club in a suburb of London, Worcester Park, Surrey, to witness and celebrate what was introduced as the Festival of Cricket (FOC) organised by Six Old Boys Associations of Sri Lankan alma mater . The main objective behind the founding was to attract a full spectrum of the Sri Lankan expatriate community in the UK, with their families, to a single rendezvous on an open day, and offer them an opportunity to relax and enjoy the day in multiple of ways from watching cricket, meeting up with old friends and renewing new friendships with a full gamut of entertainment which could be summarized as an all-embracing social intercourse.

It was during an era where a dark cloud overshadowed Sri Lanka with a terrorist war spreading from the North to East and the South experiencing the full brunt of it; The meaning of the words ‘Unity’ and ‘Friendship’ was at its lowest ebb and terrorist pressure at point tried to creep into one or two old boys associations which represented the north and eastern alma mater. However, the fundamental modus operandi started to work and the FOC started to gather momentum year on year with more and older boys associations joining the cricket tournament, while the initial crowd increased in multiples.

FOC objectives from its inception have been:

• To organise the Festival of Cricket annually

• To establish goodwill and harmony amongst the Sri Lankan OBAs in the UK.

• To raise funds towards the development of education in the participating member OBAs in the UK, and

• To raise funds and contribute such funds and equipment to a national charity.

FOC’s Beneficiaries have been:

• All Participating OBAs

• National Cancer Institute of Sri Lanka

• Cancer Research UK

After two decades of its successful operation and the FOC becoming an icon on Sri Lankan expatriate calendar, twenty five OBAs of leading schools in Sri Lanka in the UK participated in the Cricket Festival in 2008.

FOC is organised annually with the assistance and cooperation of volunteer committees of each OBA working together in perfect harmony to make the event an immense success. Here, the game of cricket being the main focus, raising of funds to help individual alma mater and also running a children’s charity, particularly to help the Mahargama Cancer Hospital and lately the Cancer Research in the UK has been the main agenda.

The game of cricket bolsters a number of other activities held around the grounds during the festival to keep the captive audience/visitors entertained and occupied. These activities include music, children’s fun fare, a Sri Lankan bazaar, excellent international cuisine from numerous food stalls, beer tent and trade stalls representing many Sri Lankan business houses including that of airlines, freight companies, insurance, telephone, banks etc., which turns the event into a comprehensive open day for Sri Lanka.

An exclusive Hospitality Marquee caters for the elite and entrepreneurs who can afford to entertain their business clientele and British friends while watching cricket in a relaxing atmosphere. For western visitors observing the Sri Lankan culture and sampling mouth watering Sri Lankan gastronomy becomes a far-reaching Sri Lanka tourist promotion.

All proceeds of the event are divided amongst the participating schools to purchase educational materials, equipment or to set up Scholarship Funds in Sri Lanka with a separate Children’s charity that always make a substantial donation to the National Cancer Institute of Sri Lanka.

This year FOC celebrated its 21st anniversary as the major annual gathering of Sri Lankans in the UK/Europe, with over 5000 Sri Lankan expatriates and their British friends attending the festival on Sunday, 12th July, 2009 at the Winchmore Hill Cricket Club Grounds, North London.

24 Sri Lankan OBAs participated on a limited-over knockout tournament on 3 pitches simultaneously, creating an atmosphere of inter-school ‘Big Match’ rivalry and fun as in Sri Lanka. The results of the 2009 Festival of Cricket tournament were as follows:

Challenge Trophy winners – Royal College (63-3 in 4 overs), won by a single run.

Challenge Trophy Runners-Up – Thurstan College (62-2 in 4 overs)

Plate Tournament winners – Zahira College (40-1 in 4 overs), won by 1 run

Plate Tournament Runners-Up – Mahinda College OBA (39-2 in 4 overs)

Best Batsman Award – Damith Indika of Thurstan College

Man of the Tournament – Malinda Thotiwilage of Royal College

One more thing that will go down in FOC history on its 21st birthday would be two teams scoring the same number runs for equal number of wickets with the same number of extras, resulting in a bowl out!

Dhanushka Perera (Captain), Gayan Maduranga, Malinda Thotiwilage, Sineth Withanage, Kasun Ranabahu, Samira Perera, Dulith Weeraratne, Nirosha Wijenayake, Gihan Premachandra and Shanaka Herath played for the Royal OBA’s historic winning team.

The Chief Guest was His Excellency Justice Nihal Jayasinghe, High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in the UK. Among other eminent guests were the Chairman of Bank of Ceylon, Dr. Gamini Wickramasinghe, The Chief Executive Officer of SM Call Dialog, Mr Sam Seinthan, the Country Manager UK and Ireland for SriLankan Air Lines, Mr. Chanaka Olagama, and Councillor Martin Prescott, London Borough of Enfield , Winch more Hill Ward . Along with Bank of Ceylon, as the main sponsor, SM Call Dialog and Sri Lankan Airlines co-sponsored the event.

The FOC’s survival and success story over this long journey of twenty one years is nothing but due to their upholding its very basic principles, collective responsibility and mutual respect for each other which they have managed to exhibit to the world as an excellent winning formula .

On its 21st anniversary, the Joint Presidents Brian Ratnayake and Jayantha Edirappuli together with the Festival of Cricket Executive Committee 2009 could be congratulated for continuing and upholding their commitment and dedication in making this year’s Festival Of Cricket even more entertaining.

Ends

Dr. Tilak S. Fernando

Photographs by FOC 2009 Official Photographer Nimal Navaratne, Bandula Manage, Sesatha Web and Donald Edwards.

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By Dr. Tilak S. Fernando PhD, MBA, BSc (Hons) Lon.

“Dengue fever (and even chikungunya) is a disease which can be easily prevented to a great extent by homoeopathic prophylactic (preventive) treatment. Empiric treatment has proved the efficacy of homoeopathic prophylaxis. So, what is the Ministry of Indigenous Medicine and the Homeopathic Medial Council operating under this Ministry doing when they have the resources and the drugs to embark upon a prevention program and even to successfully treat affected patients so that mortality rates would drop down dramatically in tandem with nil or with short hospital admissions”. - Dr Mass R. Usuf

Quite recently an island-wide outbreak of dengue fever in Sri Lanka has underlined the steady deterioration of public health care and preventative measures to contain the disease. The Sunday Times of June 21, 2009 carried an article written by Dhananjani Silva where the first paragraph said: “The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has asked President Mahinda Rajapaksa to appoint a Presidential committee to find “practical and scientific methods” to check the dengue epidemic.

Stegomyia aegypti (formerly Aedes aegypti) mosquito biting a human.

 Combating dengue epidemic has now taken a different turn with the introduction of new laws to prosecute households and persons who allow breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Several people have been so far prosecuted.

  The Fourth Estate these days are full of it on a routine basis with various versions of public opinion and statistics. Some blame  the government and local authorities for  having failed  in their responsibilities in cleaning  their ‘mess’  in the first instance in maintaining healthy environments by  properly adopted organisational  and  maintenance procedures  of  garbage disposal from streets and  dumping grounds; leaving  public  blocked up  drains   unattended, not cleaning canals, ponds etc. thus  providing ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes to lay eggs.

 Different opinions from critics too have surfaced to say that Public Health Inspectors (PHI) are not given godly powers to enter into private premises unless with a court order   and their duties should extend beyond their immaculate white uniforms to maintain a ‘clean environment’ and not wait until government regulations enforce them to go after residents and inspect sites for mosquito breeding.  So the discussions, arguments and suggestions fill the news paper columns and in certain cases with banner heads such as   “Keep your environment clean. Dengue is spreading”.

 The  war of words between The Public Health Department of the Colombo Municipal Council  and the  Land Reclamation Department   has been the talk of the town some time back,  the  crux of the argument being  ‘to clean  all  polluted canals  coming under them in the city . This had reached at one stage where legal action was being discussed on Dengue Mosquito Breeding Places. During such administrative ding dong the number of deaths seems to  have increasd according to the latest statistics published so far.

Dengue is a vicious vector-borne disease in Sri Lanka. It affects the young and the old, the rich and the poor alike, especially among those living in densely-populated urban areas throughout the tropics.

In Dengue Bulletin Volume 22, December 1998, under the caption “Control of Dengue/Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever in Sri Lanka”, Messrs A. Kulatilake and W. S. Jayakuru attached to the Epidemiological Unit, Department of Health Services, Colombo 10, proclaimed that ‘Dengue fever had been endemic in Sri Lanka from the beginning of the 20th century and it was serologically confirmed in 1962’.

The paper further stated that following an outbreak of Chikungunya in 1965, there was an island-wide epidemic from 1965 to 1968. The first two cases of DHF occurred during this period. A few scattered cases were reported over the years and the largest outbreak occurred in 1990.

Surveys up to now have indicated that more than one serotype was in circulation and two peaks of the disease occur annually in association with the monsoon rains. The highest incidence is said to occur in the 5-9-year age-group.

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are the vectors responsible for dengue transmission. The control programme consisted of disease, vector and laboratory surveillance; vector control; social mobilisation; clinical management of DF/DHF and emergency response.

All this time Sri Lanka had a multidisciplinary dengue task force established at provincial and district levels to train clinicians on clinical management with the hope that implementation of such a programme in collaboration with other governmental and non-governmental organisations and with the maximum cooperation from the community, the morbidity and mortality caused by DF/DHF would reduce in the near future.

Dr. Mass R. Usuf – PhD, MD (Acu), MFHom, Former Senior Vice President National Association of Homeopaths & Affiliates and Country Co-ordinator for Natural Healthcare Worldwide (Switzerland) vis-a-vis the free post-tsunami homoeopathic medical camps conducted in the east coast, is of the opinion that Dengue fever (and even Chikungunya) is a disease which can be easily prevented to a great extent by homoeopathic prophylactic (preventive) treatment.

 He says that empiric treatment has proved the efficacy of homoeopathic prophylaxis. Therefore, the dengue menace would assume the character of a very localised spread of some mild viral happening instead of assuming such alarming epidemic proportions with tragic consequences by providing such prophylactic treatment in all homoeopathic hospitals/dispensaries island wide, and by setting up temporary homoeopathic prophylactic centres in schools and community centres in major cities/towns. 

Dr. Usuf says he would like to know from the Ministry of Indigenous Medicine and the Homoeopathic Medical Council operating under this Ministry what actions have they taken when these entities have the capability to contribute immensely vis-à-vis the prevention and treatment of dengue fever!

It is his contention as a homeopath that President Mahinda Rajapakse needs to direct the Ministry of Indigenous Health and the Homoeopathic Medical Council to form a committee and provide such homoeopathic prophylactic treatment to the vulnerable masses using the aforesaid premises. This would to a great extent reduce the numbers affected by dengue fever.

Dr.Usuf is confident that those suffering from dengue fever (even Chikungunya) would find rapid relief by taking homoeopathic treatment. A patient affected by dengue fever, he states, would be up and about within 48 hours with all distressing symptoms receding fast. Timely homoeopathic treatment even prevents a patient progressing into the severe forms of dengue fever – dengue shock/haemorrhage – which can at the end lead to loss of life.

Dr. Usuf recommends three versatile Homoeopathy drugs – Led Pal, Eup Perf and Pyro – which are given as prophylactics on a bi-weekly/weekly basis against dengue (and Chikungunya). These drugs are devoid of any side effects and can be administered even to a day old infant. The few complicated cases (shock/haemorrhage) can be easily treated by adding one or two other homoeopathic drugs as per symptoms manifested.

As the homeopathic drugs are so cheap,  Dr. Usuf is of the opinion that treating people with  homoeopathic prophylactic (preventive) treatment  the government coffers will not be strained unlike in the present circumstances where the Health Services have to spend millions in  treating dengue patients with extended hospital stay!

So the twenty million question this former Senior Vice President of the National Association of Homeopaths & Affiliates poses is:  “What is the Ministry of Indigenous Medicine and the Homeopathic Medial Council operating under this Ministry doing when they have the resources and the drugs to embark upon a prevention program and even to successfully treat affected patients so that mortality rates would drop down dramatically in tandem with nil or with short hospital admissions”.

Dr. Usuf has seen many young and old patients afflicted with dengue fever (and Chikungunya) taking  no longer than 48 hours to recuperate with no complications, no hospitalisation and no fatalities. He fervently hopes that President Mahinda Rajapakse would direct the Ministry of Indigenous Medicine and the Homoeopathic Medical Council to initiate action and implement a programme to combat this dreaded disease that is taking toll of precious lives by providing the homoeopathic prophylactic and treatment for those affected as well.

Chikungunya has come and is virtually gone. It is dengue time now. To add to the misery people are facing the threat of Swine flu now. However, Dr. Usuf very confidently says that it is opportune to mention that homoeopathy has ample, cheap and versatile drugs even to combat Swine flu.

Dr.Tilak S. Fernando  PhD, MBA, BSc( Hons) Lon

11 July 2009

By Dr. Tilak S. Fernando

“In any other country the person in charge will apologise for any delay and beg pardon from passengers. In Thailand they will first worship passengers. That is why they get 12 million visitors a year; we beg the world to get 300,000. These are the people who come to your country and spend foreign exchange and help the government and pay your salary. Is this the way you are disciplined and trained to address others? This is not checking but harassment!”- Tissa Jayaweera

The Chairman of International Chamber of Commerce is not a simpleton of this country. He is an official who is determined and committed to promote Sri Lankan trade internationally, which embraces tourism as a vital component of the exercise.  If such an official, in the midst of an legitimate visit to promote the country abroad can be subjected to harassment, along with foreigners at the threshold of the Bandaranaike International Airport,  by a rotten apple donning a SLAF uniform, then something has radically gone wrong and/or going wrong lately with security arrangements at the Bandaranaike International Airport . .

The very fact that Mr. Tissa Jayaweera had the courage to tell the Corporal what he thought about his behaviour  to his face  at the scene and to bring his pathetic experience  to the forefront, purely as a constructive criticism,  in order that it reaches the highest authorities, is worth  exposing further and give wide publicity as much as possible  to protect  the prestigious image of Sri Lanka as a tourist destination, and simultaneously to help in rooting  out parasites from wherever,   prior to the cancer  spreads into an epidemic.

Sri Lanka has won a terrorist war which lasted for thirty long years and the people are enjoying free travel without having to think about parcel bombs, suicide attacks etc., any more. The tight security once enforced is relaxed to a greater extent all over the country today maintaining only  a trickle to battle with any hidden ambers of  the crushed terrorist outfit  which may still glow under the present calm ashes of  freedom,

In such a back drop, a new problem seems to have surfaced at the BIA security just a few meters away from the departure terminal, and apparently some uniformed staff seem to abuse power and suffering from delusions of grandeur while the whole nation has begun to respect, uphold and salute the gallant  Security Forces who fought a terrorist war in the jungles of Wanni to give the freedom  to people of the country.

The most recent problem appears to be with a bus service set up at the SLAF security barrier, only 100 meters away from the departure terminal. One could reasonably argue in favour of this arrangement if the national security was heightened to a sudden impending risk, but to make it a daily occurrence at this juncture, after the war has been fought against terrorism in Sri Lanka and won, it sounds a bit mind-boggling.  

It has been the practice for many years during the conflictual days to check every vehicle at the SLAF security barrier at the entrance to the passenger departure terminal. As things got modified, single lane traffic was diversified into several lanes separating cars, vans, taxies and airport staff vehicles to streamline and speed up the operation.  At this check point each vehicle was checked, questions asked from passengers, double checked their ID or passports, and driver details recorded.

During the height of terrorism everyone cooperated  by even getting down from vans and/or unloading their baggage for inspection at the SLAF check point and the vehicles  proceed to the departure terminal and passengers had no complaints.  However, with the terrorist war coming to an end with the elimination of the complete terrorist outfit from this earth, a new security system seems to have surfaced only to confuse and discomfort passengers.   

With the introduction of this ‘bus terminal’ at the SLAF  security check point passengers who arrived at the airport by vans  initially had to get down with their baggage and  queue up until a bus arrived and then took them to the terminal. In this scenario passengers had no choice but to waste time until the officials decided when to send the bus with a full load! Those who travelled by car could proceed straight into the departure terminal.

Quite suddenly another dimension appeasers to have been added to this arrangement where even the motor car passengers have to get down at the bus terminal, drag their heavy baggage with them and get into a bus and cultivate patience until the officials give orders to the driver.

Bus rides of this nature are introduced normally in major International Airports in the West where passengers who drive into the airport could leave their vehicles in long term car parks and take a coach to the departure terminal. Usually such car parks are assigned  a few kilometres away from the airport building and transporting of passengers are done in  specially designed coaches with ample standing room areas for passengers and special racks to hold  air passengers’  bulky baggage. For a quick turn-around service one coach follows another not to waste time.  

In Sri Lanka, it is a different story. A bus ride is in operation for a distance of 100 meters from the SLAF security point to departure terminal. Passengers after going through security screening are put through an ordeal where they have to lug their heavy luggage into unsuitable CTB type buses for transportation to the terminal building.  .

What the Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce has experienced recently is rather pathetic and disgraceful. According to him all passengers arriving at the airport by car, 4×4, double cab or any other small vehicle are forced to get down at the Air Force checkpoint, at the entrance to BIA and board a bus at present.

 When queried about this from the officials, staff manning the gate had told him : “Only VIP vehicles are allowed, and all other passengers have  to disembark and board a bus to reach the departure terminal”.  This he admits as quite acceptable in the name of security, but he feels that it stinks to high heaven only when irregularities occur. During his enquiry about the new arrangement he had spotted a 12-15 seat Mini Van full of passengers allowed to overtake his car and proceed. Under such circumstances it is natural that even a most calm person’s adrenalin will start working overtime and end up challenging such misdemeanour. When this was done the security officer had blatantly retorted back by saying, “Vans are allowed not cars”.

The melodrama that had followed from that point onwards is somewhat hilarious, if not appalling, and could be adopted  into a Sri Lankan tele-drama !

The Scene:

 “A young man at the bus stop approaches and unloads bags to a trolley and moves towards the bus.  At that very moment an Air Force Corporal, in the fashion of a dumb person, with no words uttered, stretches his hand out to the passengers as a commanding sign to stop.

 “The Air Force Corporal looks at every passenger and simply says:  “Passport..…! –  He exhibits no manners – No such words as PLEASE or THANK YOU come out of his mouth – not even hint of a smile!  He then glances at the passports of the passengers and proceeds towards the bus.

 In the queue a foreign couple stands ahead of the Chairman with a trolley full of bags. They try to board the bus but the person at the entrance talks to the foreigners in Sinhala “Make Ida naha. Anik eka yanda.” ( There is no room in this, take the next bus). Foreigners do not understood Sinhala and try to board the bus again. The man prevents them from boarding the bus by blocking the entrance , and the door of the bus closes.  

Embarrassed Chairman having witnessed this deplorable act approaches the foreign couple and says: “My apologies, this bus is full, let’s wait for next“. Apparently they are not pleased and they are in a hurry, yet there are no comments from them except a smile from the foreign lady.

 The next bus is described as an ordinary old Sri Lanka Transport Board vehicle which is not suitable at all for the task involved  with  faded out red paint, a  lower  footboard where  passengers need  to climb three steps carrying their heavy bag and baggage  to be on deck.

 “The engine is noisy and exhaust smells terrible. The bags are loaded by attendants and kept in front of the bus obstructing the front exit. Passengers have to sit on dirty seats in a row on either side.”

  “Although the bus is air conditioned the doors are kept wide open. It is hot, and humid, as the time is around 12 noon. Exhaust smell and fumes get into the open bus as the engine keeps running. Purpose of having AC is completely lost. Passengers of various age groups, children, elderly, foreign, local, business travellers, continue to board the bus and some find the climbing of footsteps to the deck of the bus quite harrowing.

In the meantime the Chairman sees vans full of passengers speeding by, people in them
looking at the bus with great pleasure on their faces and sympathizing with ‘the rich’ who come by car with the usual Sri Lankan smile.

Passengers are kept for about 15 minutes inside the bus in hot and humid conditions Some passengers keep standing inside the bus and bags extend along the passage up to the main entrance.

 “Let’s go now, we are late“. The foreigner speaks up.

Man at the entrance of the bus then approaches the Air Force Corporal in charge, who is engaged in a friendly chat with his female colleagues. Man says to Corporal in Sinhala: “Sudda kiyanawa parrakui dan yang kiyala” (The white man says it’s late and let’s go now)!

The Corporal then enters the bus and speaks to the foreign gent in a shameful tone in English: “Why are you late” and looks at his colleagues proudly, like a  cock on a brick wall, as if to impress that he could speak to a Sudda (Whiteman) in English!

The foreigner looks at his wristwatch and says: “Let’s proceed“

Air Force Corporal barks back at him again:  Why are you late ?

Irritated Chairman intervenes and speaks to the Air Force Corporal:  ”Passengers getting late is not your problem, but the  bus not departing is a problem for all of us“.

 The Corporal stares daggers at the Chairman and says:  ”Welawata enda denaganda oney” (You should know to be punctual.)

Chairman retorts:  ”That is not your problem”.

 Air Force Corporal gets   annoyed and starts muttering and swearing loud at the Chairman.

 The Chairman then tries to put some sense into the Corporal:  “In any other country the person in charge will apologise for any delay and beg pardon from passengers. In Thailand they will first worship passengers. That is why they get 12 million visitors a year; we beg the world to get 300,000. These are the people who come to your country and spend foreign exchange and help the government and pay your salary. Is this the way you are disciplined and trained to address others? This is not checking but harassment!”

Air Force Corporal growls at Chairman:  ”This is security.”  The driver realising it is time to move gets into the bus and closes the front door.  Air Force Corporal gets off.   

Then the bus proceeds and in less than 100 metres  comes to a stop again at the entrance of the departure terminal. The distance has not been enough even for the AC to cool the bus or get rid of the exhaust smell. Doors open and a man gets in and pull and push bags towards the

Front door of the bus and another unloads.

 There are no porters or any other attendants around. The people who unloaded bags have vanished by the time the Chairman gets off. Locals run to get trolleys about 25 meters away. Foreigners look around lost seeing locals running back towards them with empty trolleys. They are in two minds, to leave bags unattended and get trolleys or not.

 Locals take their bags toppling other bags causing disarray. The few foreigners now decide to venture out to get trolleys. Chairman looks around and comes across an Indian tourist. They look at each other with their baggage on the floor. Finally Chairman speaks to the Indian: “I will look after your bags, bring two trolleys please.”

They spend at least another 15 minutes on this exercise after alighting the bus. A total of 40 minutes lost from the entrance at Air Port security to Terminal entrance.

The Chairman of the International Board of Commerce is of the opinion that the so-called VIPs or people of Authority do not conceive these absurd schemes or undergo this ordeal.

He points out that Sri Lanka spends millions of US Dollars, Euros, Yen and Pound Sterling to promote Tourism with various flamboyant stories. Even during this ordeal at the airport security he too was armed with videos from Sri Lanka to promote tourism abroad.

In this backdrop he strongly feels that whatever Government or Tourist Board efforts and endeavours will have only very little impact in promoting tourism to the country given the situation described at the Bandaranaike International Airport. In stating so he sends a loud and clear message to authorities concerned that People who spend  their money and time in Sri Lanka have to depart with  ‘ pleasant memories’ and not with  experiences such as he has undergone . Unless these areas are looked into and cleared the obstacles, he says Sri Lanka cannot expect foreigners to visit our Paradise Island.

This raises a vital question that needs a positive answer when President Rajapakse has declared the year 2011 as “Visit Sri Lanka Year” and the country is aiming at a new target of 2.5 million tourist arrivals by 2016.

Should a bus service really necessary to travel 100 meters from the SLAF security check-point any longer which is evidently causing discomfort and distress to passengers ?

It is not  vital to ensure that the staffs that come in contact with tourists and passengers are courteous, well mannered and helpful to maintain the prestigious image of Sri Lanka being hospitable and friendly rather than allowing rotten apples to be mixed in well-preserved (disciplined) bags .

By Dr. Tilak S. Fernando

Recently Metropolitan Police Commissioner Paul Stephenson in the UK made a statement to a Parliamentary Home Affairs Committee in London about the colossal expenditure the British Tax payer had to put up with, in deploying a mega force to oversee and control a terrorist demonstration outside the British Parliament Square in Westminster, staged by supporters of the LTTE for 43 days- illegally initially, but with permission subsequently granted for 50 demonstrators with the
‘alleged intervention of LTTE supporting British MP’s’. This was done at a time when the Sri Lankan Security Forces were forging ahead strategically to trap Velupillai Prabakaran, with his inner circle of commandos, and annihilating the lot. Eighteen million pound sterling was quoted as the figure by the Police Commissioner which, according to his own statement, ‘could have otherwise utilised for other vital policing exercises to reduce crimes on London Streets’.

One has to bear in mind that the Metropolitan Police Commissioner is a responsible government official who has access to information on terrorist organisations and activities in London. The Metropolitan Police is part and parcel of the British Government and it is empowered with the responsibility of weighing pros and cons and granting permission, in advance, to any organisation or club to hold protest rallies / marches or even social events where crowds gather within the metropolis. In such a perspective the Metropolitan Police Commissioner should have been fully conscious of the LTTE, and their background and underworld activities.

His first priority, therefore, should have been to assess the climate to see whether it was sensible and practical; also whether granting permission to a terrorist outfit, which is banned in the country, fell within the perimeters of the Law – under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Whether it was feasible to allow a gang of sympathisers of a ruthless terrorist organisation which is proscribed by the British Government to march on London streets, waving Tiger flags, placards carrying the megalomaniac Prabakaran’s photograph publicly, wearing T-Shirts distinctly displaying the Tiger insignia on their chests and to bring chaos to the City of London for 43 long days! Even if the Met Police was under pressure by the so-called ‘alleged intervention of LTTE supporting Members of Parliament’ (one would have thought such indecorous occurrences are found only in developing countries!) what was the police doing for such a long period of time when the City was brought to a lawless situation and commuters were thrown into despair?

Metropolitan Police has adequate knowledge and experience on ‘Tigers’ for many years operating from London which amounted to hooliganism, law breaking, gang fighting, street disorder, coercion and even murder of their own rival gangs. It was the Metropolitan police who, on many an occasion, have arrested offenders and helped the British Courts to send Tamil lawbreakers to jail on long term sentences.

Patriotic Sri Lankan expatriates in London, on their part, have been continuously feeding the Metropolitan Police with intelligence reports, invaluable information on supporters of LTTE terrorists and their nefarious activities which have helped the Metropolitan police to establish and operate a special computer data-base solely on Tamil criminal activities. In such a back drop, it would be seen as ludicrous for the Metropolitan Police to deny that they were unaware of what to expect when a rally of such magnitude of terrorist sympathisers were allowed to gather and make a mockery of the British Law. Undoubtedly in the eyes of critics this was seen as duplicity and two-faced policies and politics adopted by the very champions (UK) who campaign and beseech other nations to help them eradicate terrorist menace from the modern world.

Diving into the recent past and from the time LTTE theoretician, the late Anton Balasinham was freely allowed to live an extravagant life in London representing the terrorist group by issuing press releases and statements on behalf of the LTTE ; permitted to appear on British Television programmes and BBC radio talk shows without restraint to defend the activities and atrocities of the LTTE , and his Australian wife, a former bar attendant of a Public House in the South East of London, nominated as the Secretary of the LTTE Organisation in Wanni and allowed to travel back and forth from London Heathrow airport to Wanni on secret missions to recruit child soldiers for the terrorist outfit, Metropolitan Police as much as the British Government have turned a Nelsonian eye.

Furthermore, the LTTE headquarters was once allowed to stand right on their door steps at Tavistock Square in Central London and operate on all LTTE terror activities. Subsequently it was moved to East London. In such a scenario, the Metropolitan Police will not have legs to stand on and say they were unaware of what to expect by allowing thousands of LTTE supporters to march on London streets and turn part of the city and the Parliament Square into a garbage skip. The other concealed aspect of the matter would be the additional expenses the Westminster Council had to put up with, in terms of overtime payments to Council staff in clearing the strewn litter by the demonstrators, all of which amount to tax payers money!

Even if one were to sympathise with the Metropolitan Police on this as an isolated incident, considering the general overzealous democratic approach practised by the British on any issue, which unfortunately allows the Central London to become an International dump yard where all global dirty linen is allowed to wash on London streets, commonsense will prevail that it was not a wise idea at all for the Metropolitan Police to have given permission in the first instance for such an abhorrent rally and a picket to take place for such a long time in that manner.

This latest London protest had been organised by the LTTE expatriate sympathisers with the help of some imported elements from neighbouring countries in the West at a time when the Sri Lankan Security Forces were going hammer and tongs to wipe out the LTTE for good. A few powerful Western countries, which condemn terrorism overtly but supported the LTTE covertly, backed them up deviously. They detested the idea of the LTTE getting beaten up. They became obviously annoyed for Sri Lanka going against UN and European beliefs that ‘a popular uprising (not even mentioned the term terrorism) cannot be destroyed except through negotiation’.

In Sri Lanka’s point of view the democratically elected Government had reached a saturation point in trying to negotiate peace with the terrorists for nearly thirty years. They saw no alternative but to fight the terrorist with the bullet. Defence Secretary and the Chief Commanders worked out on a ‘Schlieffen Plan’, and awaited for the green light from the Commander in Chief, President Mahinda Rajapakse

The reprehensible behaviour of a group of two faced western powers then attempted to tarnish the name of Sri Lanka with human rights violations at a UN security council session while the Sri Lankan Security forces were engaged in a tiresome humanitarian task of rescuing thousands of civilians, who were being used as human shields by the terrorists.

Finally the Sri Lankan Security Forces made world history by crushing one of the most ruthless terrorist organisations in the world within a matter of two years and ten months, thus qualifying for an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. This became somewhat of an embarrassment to those two faced western powers.

To bring one nation under one flag, Sri Lanka had to fight two wars, a military one with terrorists and a diplomatic and a political battle with UN and many Europe based NGOs and Aid groups who hated Sri Lankan approach!

After the decimation of the LTTE in Sri Lanka, Metropolitan Police in London has an added burden and a responsibility to safeguard all Sri Lankan expatriates living in London against a new wave of terror and crimes reported to be in the increase by the frustrated LTTE supporters.

Call for such safeguard was strengthened by many appeals by expatriates during Sri Lankan TV and Radio live programmes. In the course of the last Thursday evening (4 June) ITN Thulawa programme a lady from London, Mrs. Rosy Weeratunge, was heard appealing publicly to Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe to take some immediate and remedial action to protect Sri Lankans living in London to help them go about in their normal day to day tasks without becoming victims to a few disturbed and frustrated Tiger cubs.

The general consensus in Sri Lanka is that the Sri Lanka High Commission in London should take an active role in dealing with this new form of violence in London by working hand in glove with the Metropolitan Police and Sri Lankan expatriates living in the UK.

By Dr.Tilak S. Fernando

Three decades of terrorist war waged against the democratically elected government of Sri Lanka by the LTTE (Liberation of Tamil Tigers of Eelam) came to an end 18 May 2009  when  the Sri Lankan security forces managed to crush the terrorist menace by eliminating the LTTE (Tiger) leader, Megalomaniac murderer, Velupillai Prabakaran and all his henchmen. This laudable deed thus created a  new world record  registering Sri Lanka in the Guinness Book of Records as the only country in the modern history where a democratically elected government eliminated a fast growing fungus of terrorism from its soil, even  after thirty years of bloodshed, loss of thousands of innocent lives and destruction to property.   

The Sri Lanka security forces’ triumph is not a victory for Sinhalese over Tamils but, against a ruthless Tamil terrorist unit who on the pretext of looking after their own people managed to lead luxurious lives by collecting money through coercion from Tamil diaspora abroad and trying to divide country and engage in mass killings and drive the country backwards by many years. Military action was also a marvellous humanitarian exercise during the last stages of the battle to rescue hundreds of thousands of innocent Tamil civilians who were kept forcibly under the Tiger boot as human shields.  It was an overall exercise to relieve the entire Nation from the clutches of terrorism and to create a single country and one nation, without any racial bias or division, and to promote brotherhood among all.

Prabakarn in early 1970s had gathered a few Tamils from the North and initiated his struggle calling it a freedom fight. Subsequently he demanded a separate State by dividing Sri Lanka into two and called it a liberation struggle and named the outfit as the Liberation of Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE). Progressively in an ethnic cleansing operation he massacred scores of Muslims in the East

In 1975 Prabakarn personally killed the Tamil Mayor of Jaffna Alfred Duraiappa and boasted about his personal involvement in the killing. Subsequently Prabakaran and his cronies assassinated 13 Sinhala police officers on duty in Jaffna. To provoke civilians the terrorists had even chopped off the police offers’ hands and removed wedding rings from their fingers.

His master plan to incite racial hatred in the south worked as planned when on 24 July 1983 during President JR Jayewardene’s administration mob violence took to streets  (Colombo mainly) where Sinhalese in the South went on an orchestrated campaign to kill innocent Tamils and loot their property. The incident has been described as a holocaust by the Tamil community and this resulted in half a million Tamils seeking refuge in Western countries – some genuine cases and others mostly for economic advantages.

It is also mentioned in certain circles that the architect behind such a ‘ holocaust’ was  masterminded by none other than Prabakaran himself because at the time Sinhalese and the Tamils lived in harmony in the South of the country and particularly  a good affluent majority Colombo and suburbs. It was alleged that only Prabakaran’s agents in the South were aware of all the details of Tamil households in Colombo and the suburbs. Prabakaran was not apparently happy with the elite Tamils who lived in the South for not supporting his struggle in the North. He called them ‘Week-End’ Tamils as they visited their folk in Jaffna only during week-ends. In this backdrop an accusing finger was pointed at Prabakaran for secretly organising the indecorous incident on 24^th July 1983 purely to incite racial hatred and take revenge from those Tamils who did not support his struggle. 

Some analysts have even put a theory forward to substantiate such a claim by stating that during the July 24th incident in the South, the Inspector General of Police was a Tamil named Rajasingham with six Deputy Inspector Generals under him, all of whom were all Tamils, who did not take swift action to thwart the outburst  but turned a blind eye .

Tigers intensified their atrocities after this tragic incident in July 1983 which had overnight won the hearts and minds of the world. Seemingly the organisation which was seen as only a trickle at the inception was allowed to expand and the Tigers started to breed to an alarming state and become one of the most ruthless terrorist organisations in the world. They managed to give birth to a different kind of offspring such as suicide bombers, black tigers, sea Tigers, women fighters and started to recruit child soldiers.

Finally it reached a stage where the LTTE virtually controlled the North with a rebel army backed by artillery, a self imposed navy, police and a nascent air force and their own banks and started printing their own Eelam currency. LTTE’s tactics inspired networks throughout the world including Al Qaeda due to either mismanagement or weaknesses of several Administrators and politicians in the South over the years.

Behind the scenes Prabakaran worked vigorously and effectively to relate to a vast number of Tamil expatriate Diaspora throughout the world who had fled the country in the 1983 debacle and settled down comfortably in the West as refugees.  Prabakaran’s bait of offering his Tamil community abroad a separate Tamil homeland in the North and East of Sri Lanka appealed to many Tamils who had fled the country. Kith and kin who had settled down in foreign lands as refugees  soon started to  assist  those at home and paved the way for many more Tamils in the North and East to flee the country seeking refuge in western countries. These refugee seekers travelled all the way to Colombo, used the International Airport, went through Customs and Immigration formalities like any other ordinary air passenger without any harassment and took Air Lanka and Sri Lankan flights to the West  simultaneously pointing a finger at the Sri Lankan government for racial harassment and even quoting ‘ethnic cleansing’ operations by the State. Otherwise how could they have qualified for Refugee status in a foreign land?

On another aspect  the LTTE  became busy in brainwashing the  new generation of youth who were born after 1983 by calling Sri Lanka an alien country trying to annex their  Tamil homeland. Tamil expatriate diaspora swiftly went into action and backed Prabakaran with all sincerity with funds, technological knowhow and expertise in many a field to make the LTTE one of the most richest and effective organisations with a sophisticated network of communication. Successful lobbying of politicians in the West was done with remarkable success to brainwash the international community and condition their minds with distorted information. On the other hand, once they had entered foreign lands and sought refugee status they had to make sure that their cause was genuine to remain and continue their new found luxurious lives.

Meanwhile, in the South, the self-styled, lethargic, ‘we know all’ attitude taken by the Sri Lankan Administers and incompetent Sri Lankan foreign high commission and embassy staff were in their slumber. By the time they were whip lashed from Colombo and woken up from their forty winks, Sri Lankan Administration was fifteen years behind their communication machinery. Taking the upper hand in the meanwhile the LTTE manoeuvred and launched false propaganda to concrete their ambitions and actions to win sympathy of the International community, which they did quite effectively.

 In such a back drop Norway came forward as a peace negotiator on the premise of bringing a negotiated settlement between the rebels and the government. In 2002 Norwegians managed to twist the arm of the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe, while blind folding President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge.  Wickremasinghe entered into a so-called ‘ Cease Fire Agreement ‘(CFA) with Prabakaran secretly even without  the knowledge of his  own Cabinet.. This was widely acknowledged  and criticised by many as giving an upper hand to the Terrorists to dictate terms to the Sri Lankan government and security forces when demarcation of land was made  and  given to terrorists on a plate as LTTE territory.   

Under the provisions of the ‘Peace Process’ brokered by Norwegians,   LTTE was recognised legally as the sole representatives of the Tamil minority in the North and East. No Sinhalese were allowed in their territory while Tamils were free to travel from the North and East to any part of the South, which made their suicide bombers travel freely and blast at will. However, Prabakaran’s monumental and self-centred leadership style did not permit the freedom of speech within the outfit which was thought to be his most foolish mistake in his decision making process.

This was clearly seen during the 2005 Presidential elections of the country when the architect of the Peace Process Ranil Wickremasinghe’s plea for his support from Prabakaran was brushed aside by  the Terrorist Leader  and instead enforced a boycott of the Presidential Polls in his ‘ territory’  marked as LTTE areas under the CFA. It prohibited the Tamil voters in the area from participating in the presidential poll which gave an added advantage to Mahinda Rajapakse, who was Wickremasinghe’s rival.

Mahinda Rajapakse in his election manifesto did not mix words but categorically emphasised his desire, willingness and the promise to eliminate terrorism from the Sri Lankan soil despite several failed attempts by four former Sri Lankan Presidents. Several endeavours in 1984, 1987, 1990, 1994 and 2002 had been made by the previous Colombo Administrators extending a willing-hand to the Tigers to come  forward towards  a peaceful settlement which Prabakaran  purposely ignored all the time and made use of every such occasion to mark time , regroup and stock pile more and more sophisticated arms and artillery.  

Peace Talks held in Geneva in 2006, under the Presidency of Mahinda Rajapakse too ended up, as before, when the LTTE team walked out of the negotiating table giving lame excuses.  However, when the LTTE attempted to assassinate the Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka, who nearly died out of a LTTE suicide bomb attack in Colombo, followed by another suicide attempt on the life of the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapkse who escaped death narrowly, President Rajapakse became more adamant to deal with the LTTE, but still kept all doors open for a peace settlement. By this time the terrorist organisation had become notorious internationally with their indiscriminate killings, coercion and money laundering exposed, and 32 countries including USA, European Union and Canada had proscribed it calling the LTTE as one of the ruthless terrorist organisations in the world.

In 2006, Tigers waged Eelam War IV with the help of newly acquired modern artillery, armour and high tech communication systems which were believed to have acquired during the CFA mainly with the assistance of Norway. Mavil Aru blockage by the LTTE was the greatest blunder Prabakaran ever made in his self-style, autocratic thinking by blocking the waterway which irrigated thousands of paddy fields, thus affecting thousands of farmers’ lives. President Rajapakse had no choice but to act swiftly. He took the whip firmly into his  hand and decided to go the full hog against the LTTE.

Prabakaran was suddenly caught up in two different dilemmas. Firstly, he had under- estimated the impact on the LTTE after his Batticaloa Commander Karuna Amman deserted him in preference to a democratic approach having convinced that President Rajapakse was genuine in his methodology to help the sufferings of the Tamil folk in north and East who were suffering under Prabakaran. Secondly, Prabakaran completely undervalued President’s resolve to wipe out the LTTE completely.

As the Commander in Chief, President Mahinda Rajapakse, gave a free hand to Army Commander, General Fonseka to go hammer and tongs in eliminating the terrorists. A close coordination between the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse  and  the three commanders –  Army, Navy and Air Force and the Inspector General of Police, the final offensive was launched with all its might showing no mercy on the enemy. LTTE, at this stage, rather than becoming aggressive adopted a  somewhat passive defensive strategy with a series of earth bunds. True that these earth bunds acted as defensive mechanisms and helped to deter the incoming enemy but they provided only a limited delay before security forces approached the foe strategically with heavy fire power. Blowing up of such earth bunds not only paved the way for the security forces to proceed forward towards the enemy but  those provided as gateways for hundreds of thousands of Tamil civilians, who were detained by the LTTE as human shields, to flee into No Fire Zones created by the security forces.

Despite heavy criticism, condemnation  and pressure exerted by the International media,  up to the very final hours before the terrorists perished, some foreign countries and INGO who had a vested interest in the LTTE,  and a mysterious affection to save Prabakaran, the mass murderer,  President Rajapakse and Defence Secretary stood firm in their steadfastness and encouraged the Sri Lankan forces to demonstrate their skill and show to the whole world how trapped civilians could be  rescued safely from the LTTE control, which the gallant soldiers did effectively,  an example all the world can emulate in their current  individual ongoing predicaments.

Finally on the 19 May 2009 the final nail on the LTTE coffin was driven by the fearless forces despite heavy  artillery from the enemy on one side and the government coming under enormous pressure from the international press and bullying tactics from powerful western countries who seemed to think Sri Lanka was still a colony.  It is said that Prabakaran tried his utmost best even in the eleventh hour through the Red Cross to persuade the Government to come for a negotiated settlement to save his and his family member’s skin which did not receive any positive response from the government. The Sri Lankan historical victory has thus exposed and denuded the double standards adopted by Western pundits who seem to preach:  ‘Do what we say but don’t follow what we do’!

Today Sri Lanka stands proudly on the map of the world as an independent unitary country. To quote President Mahinda Rajapakse’s words, it is a new independent country where there are ‘only two types of people – Those who love this country and others who have no love for this land of their birth.”

Freeing the country from terrorist clutches marks a new era for Sri Lanka where history will be re-written in golden letters highlighting the extraordinary role played by a remarkable leader and  a committed politician, President Mahinda Rajapakse, who managed to show his mettle and forge forward with his own agenda  with one pointed ambition  - to bring peace and harmony to Sri Lanka, by annihilating the LTTE,   amidst  enormous pressure from some super powers of the West and USA  who demanded to halt military operations against Prabakaran up to the final moments, which only exposed their  blatant hypocrisy and duplicity while denuding themselves shamelessly.

Sri Lankan are generally warm hearted and sensitive people who sob and cry at funerals.  Sri Lankans do not consider a person’s death as an occasion for ‘jollifying’ or engage in ‘Thamasas’. The level of their compassion was seen on television when the whole country in unison collected food and water to be sent to the displaced Tamil people in the North despite their gruesome memories of the past of LTTE atrocities in the form of suicide bombing and indiscriminate killings. The festive atmosphere throughout the country by lighting crackers, jumping for joy and waving the national flag upon seeing the perished terrorist leader Prabakaran and his lieutenants’ bodies has sent a clear message to the world at large about the true feelings of a nation with no more barriers or demarcations of their mother land.

After thirty long years of suffering, bloodshed and mayhem in the country Mother Lanka today has stood up firmly and strongly. For thirty long years she has been weeping for not being able to feed her children properly. Her breasts had been withered and only blood came out to feed her loving children, but today her mammary glands are full of nourishing milk and she expects her children to suckle them and grow up as healthy children in the future.

The main Tiger has been laid down for good from Sri Lankan soil, but still there are kittens who are scattered around the world who used to follow the big cat. It is up to the Sri Lankan authorities, especially the Foreign Ministry, to ensure that these kittens are not allowed to grow up and metamorphose into the category of Tigers again. In this regard Sri Lankan diplomatic missions must be on alert and take an active role and brief the appropriate governments  in the countries they have been posted  to,  on a tour of duty , to do exactly what they are expected of.