Everyday when I open the newspaper and two news items are bound to be there - one in the Local section and the other in the World section. Both are about casualties.

In the World section, I will look for how many soldiers were killed in Iraq the previous day.

In the Local section, I will look for how many National Service programme trainees were victims of sex offences, assaults, fights and drownings the previous day.

Our government is sending the flower of our youth to a homemade battlefield and as in real wars there will be casualties.

I pray to God that the death toll does not increase.