Sunday 15 April 2012 By a correspondent
The white van is not just a phenomenon; it has now become a Sri Lankan phenomenon. It has become a de facto mechanism of administering justice (to underworld gangsters) and apparently an unofficial extension of the security arm that is tasked with securing peace in post-war Sri Lanka. The utility of the white van was vindicated during the government’s counter insurgency campaign against the LTTE. The counter insurgency campaigns, against the JVP in the late 80s and against the LTTE during its final years were devised to unleash an overwhelming terror that would break the will of the terrorist/insurgent operatives and cripple their operational apparatus. White vans and related extra judicial abductions played a vital role in unleashing both psychological and physical terror, as part of this strategy. And the powers that be, well aware of its operational and tactical utilities, are not prepared to give up this time tested instrument, even though the war ended in May 2009. The white van is, therefore, an institution that has outlived its time and designated purpose.Kafkaesque nightmare Full Story>>>
At last! A good ole robbery to distract from all these abductions
State media reported last week that the government will upgrade security at the Colombo National Museum. One cannot argue with the merits of this move, however spectacularly overdue it might be. But one must object to the prostitution of the word “upgrade”. How the devil do you “upgrade” something that never existed in the first place?The Colombo National Museum was established in 1877. Judging by just how easy it had been for robbers to escape with more than 250 valuable artefacts, you would think security arrangements are the same they were 135 years ago. The police, bless them, have not yet let their department down by arresting anybody. Having long nurtured a reputation for being useless at combating crime, they seem reluctant to buck the trend. Full Story>>>
The Gunaratnam/ Mudalige/Dayalal abduction/ disappearance/deportation case has a plot and a narrative that reads as if it is a cross between a John Le Carre and a Kopi Kade script -- replete with twists, turns and an unhealthy dose of absurd theatre.
As things are, the government flatly denies anything to do with the entire bizarre incident, but Gunaratnam, and his fellow party colleague Dimuthu Attygalle have made detailed and pointed public statements to the effect that they were abducted, interrogated and in the case of Gunaratnam, packed off to Australia by state actors.
It would be difficult for the government to shake off the impression that the entire thing was carried out by some agency of State, for the simple reason that Gunaratnam ended up at the Dematagoda police station, and was promptly escorted to the airport – from where he was dispatched to Australia.
Full Story>>>As things are, the government flatly denies anything to do with the entire bizarre incident, but Gunaratnam, and his fellow party colleague Dimuthu Attygalle have made detailed and pointed public statements to the effect that they were abducted, interrogated and in the case of Gunaratnam, packed off to Australia by state actors.
It would be difficult for the government to shake off the impression that the entire thing was carried out by some agency of State, for the simple reason that Gunaratnam ended up at the Dematagoda police station, and was promptly escorted to the airport – from where he was dispatched to Australia.
Importance of internationalizing support for democracy
Broad mobilization against dictators
Broad mobilization against dictators
The mobilization of international opinion in Geneva in the shape of 32 governments (24 ayes and 8 abstentions) to decry human rights violations in Sri Lanka was a significant step forward. However, governments are less important than internationalism in the broader sense of the term, or rather governments are but the mouthpieces of the intensity of pressure that their citizenry exert on them. The capitulation of Delhi to Tamil Nadu, forcing it to vote in favour of the resolution, is a stark example. Breaking the back of the military in Burma, parting the clouds for Suu Kyi’s star to rise, is another splendid example of the effectiveness of international pressure. When Assad is finally driven out, or strung up from a lamppost in Damascus, the victory, while not in any way eclipsing the heroic struggle of the Syrian people, will also in some measure, be thanks to sustained international support.
As if there aren’t enough irritants that disturb the Indo-Lanka relationship, the Kudankulam nuclear issue is now creating fresh tremors that most feel can only be addressed through expected bilateral talks. The Indian media has played down the issue — after all in Tamil Nadu, Indian nationals are themselves agitating against the planned reactors.Even so, this is the worst time at which this kind of issue should exacerbate relations between India and Sri Lanka, which were totally knocked out of kilter after the decision by the Indian government to support the adoption of the resolution concerning Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council.
Vanquish
Full Story>>>
This article was written before information was out that a person by the name of Noel Mudalige (apparently an alias for Gunaratnam) was said to have emplaned for Australia, and before Dimuthu Attygalle appeared at a FSP press conference to say she was abducted and released.Frontline Socialist Party
Full Story>>>
