The Police were in full strength on Feb. 02 in Kandy in general and at Asgiriya in particular. The occasion according to the top cop directing traffic here and there was that the President of the Socialist Republic of Sri-Lanka was to land by helicopter at the Asgiriya grounds.

The President of the Trinity College Kandy OBU club was there in person to ensure that the club premises were shut and barred for the arrival of the VIP in person.

All is well and good for the most popular president of all time.

MR deserves the best possible security at a time the country is defeating a deadly terrorist outfit. Sri Lanka is a small country with basically an agrarian economy with the small trader and farmer dependent on transporting their produce by three wheel taxis and vans to a market place about one kilometre away from Asgiriya in the heart of Kandy.

Kandy is basically a one horse town. The Trincomalee Street is the main artery of the town and unfortunately it is situated in close proximity to the then Governor's house, which has now become the President's House.

When the Trincomalee Street or parts thereof are shut down then the whole of the Kandy town's transport network is in disarray.

Parents taking children to school have to suffer because of heavy traffic congestion due to the President's presence. They sweat it out in private of public vehicles.

The question from the general public and particularly those of Kandy is when their suffering will be over.

Interestingly, not even Gordon Burrows, one time vice principal of Trinity College and the Intelligence Chief of the then commander of the Pacific made such a nuisance of himself in the Kandy town even during the height of the WWII. They had courtesy and consideration for the ordinary folk like you and me.

G. Mahen P. Siriwardena

Kegalla