(Lanka-e-News-25.Feb.2012, 4.00PM) This moribund Govt. under the pretext of security grounds , is tapping illegally the phone conversations of 687 persons daily including its own Ministers numbering 102, opposition MPs , media personnel and religious prelates , according to former Posts and telecommunication Minister Mangala Samaraweera. The latter made this most shocking and controversial announcement in Parliament yesterday . What is most significantly perplexing and unbelievable is , in this list there are Ministers of the Govt. itself. Mind you , there are also 29 Cabinet Ministers in this list. It is under the defense Ministry this modus operandi is being carried out. In other words , this regime has degenerated into such a low despotic level owing to its fiscal blunders , monumental corruption and raging nepotism not in national interests, that like in the olden days’ dictatorial reigns of Hitler and his like , it has begun mistrusting its closest cronies and supporters who helped it to come to power. Impliedly , this regime is giving out signals that it is also headed for a violent doom reminiscent of the last days of Hitler.Hereunder are some excerpts of the speech made by Mangala Samaraweera M P ,in Parliament :
Most countries are in the practice of listening to telephone conversations and eavesdropping on such conversations . But they are done following international laws. In Sri Lanka (SL) , this practice is absolutely in contrast to them.
In SL , the practice of this Govt. of eavesdropping on telephone conversations , reading private e mails and blocking websites are in excess of the legitimate limits and done unlawfully. I am revealing this information to you taking full responsibility .In like manner , this Govt. has also discovered new technological methods and modes to obstruct and hack websites which are exposing the monumental corruption and malpractices of the Govt.
There is a special officer by the name of Anoma Lafeer at the Temple Trees. She is the younger sister of SL Ambassador in Washington.
Her main task is to monitor the news reported in the websites early morning every day, and based on her decision , block and hack websites . Might I make special mention that I do not charge Minister Sarath Amunugama and other Ministries on that account. They are unaware. Yet I am stating with full responsibility that our privacy and our human rights have been plundered by the Defense Ministry.
This ‘rogue’ Govt. is illicitly eavesdropping on the telephone conversations of 687 persons daily. I can confirm this. You will be shocked beyond belief if you see the names in the list of those whose conversations are being tapped illegally.
The names in the list are not those of terrorists . In that list are names of religious dignitaries , opposition M Ps and media personnel.
The technological support to carry out this illegal tapping is provided by ‘Huawei’ and ‘ZTE’ companies. By the fiber optic chain they have established with the Telecom , under the implementation of I Sri Lanka projects, a sum of about Rs. three billion! had been paid to them.
These Companies ‘Huawei’ and ‘ZTE’ are helping Govts. in Central Asian countries to perpetuate their power by foul means , and is therefore a flagrant breach of human rights of the people. Said Mr. Samaraweera
