Image courtesy AFP/Times of India

 

They were arrested for drinking at public places,

driving on roads, keeping restaurants open,

for unruly behaviour after drinking and selling

merchandise during the curfew the Colombo Page

quoted police spokesman S P Jaliya Senaratne

as saying. Senarante I congratulate you.

Your diction is pithy, succinct, commendable

on all counts. And how sweeping you are

in documenting reasons for the arrests.

Sri Lankans are unruly, some of us, unwilling

to have their arrack prohibited, thosai kaddais

closed, and for good reason. Who wants income

stopped, not to mention news of the day, tit for tat

with customers, the social in society? Yes, I know

government is asking for a sacrifice to help

stave off a potential humanitarian disaster,

but we understand natural skepticism about

humanitarian operations in the context of recent

island history. Hint. Hint. Wink. Wink. There

he goes again, that bloody eater of turmeric,

lover of Armenia, still remembering

 

Indran Amirthanayagam, (c) March 22, 2020