𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝑾𝒂𝒊𝒍 ( දුක් ගන්නා රාළ )

The Scene One. Seventeen days after paying money in full only the installation and connection were completed by a private television company. At the time of payment, it was to take only three to five working days to complete the transaction. I am still trying to understand the true meaning of their interpretation of the phrase “Working Day” as it is apparently obvious that they do have fewer working days than non-working days. Exactly the same numbers of days were taken by someone to travel around the world in a hot air balloon a few years back. The installation party confirmed their arrival in the morning but arrived at the location five hours later. That too without many of the tools needed for the work. And imaging the plight of us, if we were unable to provide them the things that they were supposed to carry along with them in their mobile unit.   The company was happy to blame everything under the Sun like high demand, holidays, inclement weather to name a few th...

http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2011/01/01/development-at-what-cost/

http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2011/01/01/development-at-what-cost/

Yesterday, I was shocked and amazed to see the safety regulations being openly violated at the Matara-Colombo Hi-way construction site situated at Makumbura. The workers were allowed to work on machineries, carry heavy items etc without the proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs). Except for Hard-hats, no other protective equipment has been provided to any of the staffs working at this site. When I tried to communicate with one of the foreign nationals overseeing the operation at this site to raise my concerns, he was pretending not to understand a word of English. I am sure those who have accepted the BOT (Build/Operate & Transfer) contracts are aware of those safety concerns and given enough provisions to fulfill all the requirements prior to acceptance. I also wonder where the government Health & Safety inspectors were. Development is necessary but at what cost and on whose expense are important questions that we need to ask when such flagrant violations being committed ...

A mail doing rounds with a heading “The Greedy Buddha Restaurant” somewhere in the United Kingdom with a couple of pictures of it and a passionate appeal written to the owner of the establishment by a shocked Buddhist, who discovered it recently. Should the Buddhists be alarmed of this development? No! First, the name itself is self-defeating. Because the word “Buddha” means the” Enlightened One” and no enlightened one can be greedy. The Gautama Buddha was the second in the long line of Teachers who have shunned the idea of idol worshipping and it was almost 500 years after the passing away of this great teacher that the erection of statues took roots in the Buddhist culture. The intention of choosing such an eye catching name is to get an instant attention, and then the owner of the establishment is quite successful, given the attention it gets on the internet. If the reason is ignorance, insult or both, then the owner has done a great favour to those who believe that they are follow...

The Chairman, Seylan Bank Limited, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Dear Mr. Narangoda, The purpose of this mail is to formally notify you of my displeasure of the way my remittance matter was handled by the Asia Express Exchange in Oman, which is under your management. I have been dealing with the said Exchange from the inception in Oman. On the 27 th October, I deposited some money in one of your branches in Seeb to transfer the funds to my wife’s account in Sri Lanka. At the time of the transaction, I was assured that the money would be available in Sri Lanka, the following morning and I had no reason not to believe Teller then. On the 29 th morning, I received a call from my wife to inform that the money has still not reached her account. Immediately I contacted Mr. Don Malinda, the person who assured me that the funds will be made available the next morning. He took down my contact and promised to check that out and call me back. Sadly that promised call never came up...

The recent News item “24 nails hammered into the maid’s body” may have angered some but this was not an isolated or one off cases. Such incidents happen almost every day in this part of the World but seldom get the media limelight. I am happy that except of her traumatic experience and entailing consequences, the lady is now out of any danger. Should Sri Lanka stop sending unskilled labour abroad? I think this incident should be used as a springboard to start that process in earnest. The initially the financial consequences of such a decision may felt. But the adverse social consequences come along with the exporting of unskilled labour abroad such as this are far greater and long lasting then the financial consequences, hence now it is time for the Government of Sri Lanka to take the bold step and impose a total ban. It said that the Paradise is open only to kind hearts and I wonder where would the couple go after what they have done to their maid. I am sure not to ...