The latest in the ongoing conflict of the medical students with the administration is taking the Vice Chancellor and the staff as hostages.

In a civilized country, students should not be allowed to browbeat and bully the teachers and the Vice Chancellor.

At the rate discipline at the Ruhuna Campus is deteriorating, one really wonders whether these are students or beasts.

First, they beat the female nurses and now they take the Vice Chancellor hostage.

Such students are fit neither to be doctors nor even bus conductors.

It is time that the Sri Lanka Medical Council took a stern view of this situation and decided not to register such rascals as doctors. They are the type who will in the future hold the patients to ransom, not that the present government doctors do not do so.

I am sure that the SLMC can issue a code of conduct for medical students, the breach of which will preclude registration.

This, I believe will be a good deterrent.

Recently my good friend Tilak Karunaratne, the President of the Colombo University Alumni Association, sent me an invitation to sponsor some event. I did not care to do so for the simple reason that whenever I pass the Colombo University, I see slogans on the walls demonstrating their low mentality and unworthiness to be graduates.

As a tax payer, I really wonder why my money should be spent on such irresponsible people. In our times we respected our teachers and the university. Not one even dared to desecrate the walls till the JVP insurgents taught this dirty habit.

It is high time that the authorities and the government took serious steps to stop the growing deterioration in university education.

The vice chancellor, lecturers and the senate should be congratulated for fearlessly treating the university thugs in the only language they understand.

I hope that politicians will not attempt to undermine the Ruhuna University by attempting to take back the criminal elements in the university.
Dr. Neville Fernando
Asha Central Hospital