TWO fires shocked the country on … Vesak. A warehouse at the Colombo Port was gutted and a Buddhist monk attempted self-immolation in Kandy against cattle slaughter.

The disciples of the Compassionate One should … strive to prevent man’s cruelty to animals, but it defies comprehension why any of them should ever resort to self-harm to achieve that noble goal. The Buddha never approved of such violent methods. …

The manner in which the fire in the Colombo Port was handled has raised many an eyebrow. It has been alleged in some quarters … that there was an inordinate delay in calling the fire brigade. The cause of the fire has not yet been established, but Colombo’s lack of fire preparedness has been exposed once again. No attempt is made to pin the blame for this situation on individuals. …

As the city expands, its fire-fighting capability needs to be enhanced if its safety is to be ensured, but neither the government nor the so-called city fathers seem to consider it a priority.

Colombo is unable to protect itself against even the wrath of the weather gods. It gets paralysed every time the heavens open; its arterial roads are waiting to go under water and bring vehicular traffic to a standstill.

…[C]olombo is a small city that even a cyclist could cross within … 20 minutes and failure on the part of the fire brigade or the police to respond to emergencies within minutes … is unpardonable. We … hope that investigations into the port fire will be conducted. … — (May 25)