| BASL snubs CJ |
By Stanley Samarasinghe-2013-03-31
 In a plain snub directed at incumbent Chief Justice, Mohan Peiris, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) had Peiris' predecessor, the 43rd Chief Justice, Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, as the chief guest of the induction ceremony of the newly-elected BASL President, Upul Jayasuriya, and the executive committee, held at the New Town Hall yesterday.
Attorney General Palitha Fernando left the event, accompanied by the Deputy Solicitors General, minutes after the arrival of the former Chief Justice at the venue.
Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who is reportedly exploring a return to politics, was also present on the occasion.
Justice Minister, Rauff Hakeem, was a notable absentee. Among others who were present were former Attorney General, Sunil de Silva, and former Supreme Court Judge, C. Vigneswaran.
The centuries old tradition is that the incumbent chief justice is invited as the chief guest of the induction ceremony of a BASL President.
Jayasuriya, delivering his inauguration address said: "A political judge or a political chief Justice can, in fact, cause more damage to the morale of the Judiciary than an unscrupulous politician.
Yet, it is the solemn duty of the Bar to face these challenges with firm resolve, to stand up to judges acting according to political dictates rather than the judicial conscience and on the contrary, to defend judges who defy political commands at the expense of their civil liberties and sometimes, their very lives."
Justice Vigneswaran, delivering his speech at the ceremony said, "The powers that be in this country are missing the wood for the trees, it appears. By interfering with the independence of the Judiciary, they are disturbing the course of law and justice in this country for all time."
The BASL, in an earlier extraordinary meeting, held during the height of the attempts to remove Dr. Bandaranayake from the post of Chief Justice decided it would shun her successor, if she was removed from her office in violation of a Supreme Court determination.
|
Peace for the World
First democratic leader of Justice the Godfather of the Sri Lankan Tamil Struggle: Honourable Samuel James Veluppillai Chelvanayakam
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Long, long rope for Lanka
Maja Daruwala
March 29, 2013
The Commonwealth secretariat recently confirmed that Colombo will be the venue for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting due to happen at the end of 2013. Earlier this week, the secretariat said that Sri Lanka (SL) would also not be on the agenda of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) which is due to meet next month. This is a surprising because SL has been violating the Commonwealth's Latimer House rules and usually if a nation breaches the rules, it is put under scrutiny for suspension or at the very least is referred to the CMAG. The House Rules are a set of guidelines on the good practices governing relations among the executive, parliament and the judiciary for the promotion of good governance, the rule of law and human rights.
The island nation has been flouting the rules for sometime; only recently it impeached its chief justice Shirani Bandaranayake illegally. But Kamlesh Sharma, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, failed to see that the impeachment is another step in a series of illegal actions taken by the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. Sri Lanka has been refusing to allow an international inquiry into the accusations of human rights violations in the last days of its civil war in 2009 and is even reluctant to hold an internal inquiry.
After public outrage against State repression in SL, in March 2012, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) censured the country, albeit gently. However, a recent UN report points out that little has changed in SL since the 2012 resolution. Amid demands for more stringent action against the nation, another UNHRC resolution was passed in March 2013. Though the resolution failed to call for an international probe, it censures SL for lack of accountability, places the country under the scrutiny of the UN and intends to review the issue periodically over the next one year.
In such a scenario, the Secretary-General's stance undermines all such efforts. But the issue is being discussed at various platforms because the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting is slated to be held in Sri Lanka in November. Many Commonwealth members and civil society are demanding a change of venue. Canada, which accounts for the second-largest contribution to the Commonwealth's coffers after Britain, has said that it may not attend the meet if the venue is not changed. Britain has also voiced doubts about the level of its representation.
On its part, SL is using the race card to deflect external pressure. This posture is obscuring the true issue within the Commonwealth: does the Commonwealth have a core set of fundamental values like democracy, rule of law and human rights and who stands for them?
But SL's stance might not work. Several African and Caribbean members are questioning the value of the Commonwealth if the meet is held in Colombo. Others have offered to host the meet. India is also edgy about SL intransigence. In 2012, and again in 2013, it supported the UNHRC resolution against Sri Lanka. Despite increasing pressure, the Secretary-General is unmoved.
If those calling for a change in venue are defeated, the Commonwealth will have no meaning in the future. If they are not, then after the first shock to this old gentlemen's club a real organisation of the 1.6 billion people it represents will perhaps take shape.
Maja Daruwala is director, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
The views expressed by the author are personal
Maja Daruwala
March 29, 2013
The Commonwealth secretariat recently confirmed that Colombo will be the venue for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting due to happen at the end of 2013. Earlier this week, the secretariat said that Sri Lanka (SL) would also not be on the agenda of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) which is due to meet next month. This is a surprising because SL has been violating the Commonwealth's Latimer House rules and usually if a nation breaches the rules, it is put under scrutiny for suspension or at the very least is referred to the CMAG. The House Rules are a set of guidelines on the good practices governing relations among the executive, parliament and the judiciary for the promotion of good governance, the rule of law and human rights.
The island nation has been flouting the rules for sometime; only recently it impeached its chief justice Shirani Bandaranayake illegally. But Kamlesh Sharma, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, failed to see that the impeachment is another step in a series of illegal actions taken by the Mahinda Rajapaksa regime. Sri Lanka has been refusing to allow an international inquiry into the accusations of human rights violations in the last days of its civil war in 2009 and is even reluctant to hold an internal inquiry.
After public outrage against State repression in SL, in March 2012, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) censured the country, albeit gently. However, a recent UN report points out that little has changed in SL since the 2012 resolution. Amid demands for more stringent action against the nation, another UNHRC resolution was passed in March 2013. Though the resolution failed to call for an international probe, it censures SL for lack of accountability, places the country under the scrutiny of the UN and intends to review the issue periodically over the next one year.
In such a scenario, the Secretary-General's stance undermines all such efforts. But the issue is being discussed at various platforms because the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting is slated to be held in Sri Lanka in November. Many Commonwealth members and civil society are demanding a change of venue. Canada, which accounts for the second-largest contribution to the Commonwealth's coffers after Britain, has said that it may not attend the meet if the venue is not changed. Britain has also voiced doubts about the level of its representation.
On its part, SL is using the race card to deflect external pressure. This posture is obscuring the true issue within the Commonwealth: does the Commonwealth have a core set of fundamental values like democracy, rule of law and human rights and who stands for them?
But SL's stance might not work. Several African and Caribbean members are questioning the value of the Commonwealth if the meet is held in Colombo. Others have offered to host the meet. India is also edgy about SL intransigence. In 2012, and again in 2013, it supported the UNHRC resolution against Sri Lanka. Despite increasing pressure, the Secretary-General is unmoved.
If those calling for a change in venue are defeated, the Commonwealth will have no meaning in the future. If they are not, then after the first shock to this old gentlemen's club a real organisation of the 1.6 billion people it represents will perhaps take shape.
Maja Daruwala is director, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
The views expressed by the author are personal
Photograph Evidence: TNA Meeting Attack, Attackers Had CID Identity Cards
By Colombo Telegraph -March 31, 2013
The TNA organized a meeting at the Kilinochchi office of Shritharan MP on 30th March 2013 with some of TNA party supporters. MPs Mavai Senathirajah, E Saravanabavan and M A Sumanthiran were present with Shritharan.
The TNA press statement says; “Although there were police officers at that place placed for our protection, they took no effort to quell this. The people had to forcefully close the gate. Two attackers who got into the premises we caught and given to the police, who promptly chased them away out of the gate. A little later the DIG and a team of senior police officers arrived and at that the people caught another man in green T shirt (photographs show him clearly) and identified him as one of the attackers. He had a CID identity card with him. But the police officers took no notice of that and let him get away from there. Photogrphs taken show the identity of the attackers very clearly and the fact that they came in a procession along A9 without police permission for a procession, passing many police personnel on the way. No one has been arrested so far in connection with this open day light attack. “
Related stories;
Fashion Bug Attack, Gota, BBS And The Anti-Muslim Hatred
Kshama Ranawana
Facebook is full of posts from Sri Lankans thanking the eight countries that voted against the United States sponsored UNHRC resolution that censured Sri Lanka on Human Rights violations. Considering the wave of anti-Muslim hatred being unleashed by the so-called patriotic forces in Sri Lanka, it’s ironic that several of those that supported the country in the final vote are Muslim countries.
Those who believe that Sri Lanka has been wronged need to look beyond the Sri Lanka can do no wrong ideology. The UNHRC resolution is pretty lenient, asking only for a “credible form of domestic accountability.” Sri Lankans should be grateful for this watered down resolution- which indicates that the so-called “foreign interventionists” are even now willing to give the country more chances. However, if the current trend to openly suppress religious minorities continues, Sri Lanka will certainly be facing stricter censure.
Instead of posting “thank you’s” on Facebook, those who are pained by the UNHRC resolution should be banding together to stem the vile behavior of the Bodu Bala Sena and their supporters. That would definitely save Sri Lanka from digging itself into a deeper pit than it is in already.
The Sinhala community has valid concerns. They fear the spread of Muslim exclusive schools and the introduction of Sharia Courts in Sri Lanka. They also worry about Buddhists converting to Christianity. However, whipping up the public into a frenzy and taking the law into their hands will not resolve the issue.
It has taken the attack on the “ Fashion Bug” group of companies for the Rajapaksa regime to wake up from its slumber and condemn those who fan communal and religious hatred. Secretary to the Ministry of Defense Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and the government information department have issued statements warning of legal action against those who carry out such attacks or spread anti-religious or communal sentiments. What prevented the government from arresting those who have been spreading such venom these past months?
Those leading the attacks on religious minorities are a fringe group; one that appears to have Ministry of Defense Rajapaksa’s blessings. After all, he attended the opening of the groups’ training centre. Despite the controversial nature of the BBS, the fact that the powerful Rajapaksa, who has the huge security forces apparatus at his disposal, officiated at a key ceremony gave the impression that with a nod and a wink, he approves of their extremist philosophy.
And who is to blame for the trouble? The Rajapaksa’s once again flog a dead horse, the one that has been used ad nauseam since this regime took power; “local and foreign elements against the country are attempting to destabilize the peace and reconciliation……” Why not arrest the leaders of those groups who have been regularly spewing hatred on stage and on the airwaves? Are they not disturbing the peace of the country with all the speeches they have been making against Muslims and Christians? By the Defense Secretary’s own admission, it is these very same people who are working against the country! How ludicrous then to ask that people report to him personally about those who are fanning anti-communal and religious ideology? If one were to accept the argument of the State, then it is these extremists who must be hand in glove with the “foreign” hand. Where is the “unpatriotic” label that the government and its supporters use to tarnish anyone they perceive as not abiding by their version of politics?
Four individuals, the alleged culprits who vandalized “Fashion Bug” are reported to have been arrested, even as I write. Are they the real culprits or are they scapegoats? Will we see the appointment of yet another Presidential commission, the report of which, like so many others before, may never see the light of day?
It is reported that the attack on “Fashion Bug” took place following a meeting at a nearby temple. During this meeting, allegations were made that a Muslim employee of that establishment had raped a Sinhala Buddhist girl. Should we be adopting mob mentality in resolving the issue? Stoning and attacking the employees of Fashion Bug is similar to the behavior of those in some Muslim majority countries where the slightest provocation would result in the physical and psychological abuse of those who are not of the Islamic faith, behavior that has, in some cases, resulted in death.
Reading the speeches and articles of those defending the rights of Buddhists, it is clear that they want a mirror image of Muslim majority countries in Sri Lanka, where those of other faiths, are declared infidels and have little or no rights.
During the four years my family and I spent in Pakistan, I was often accosted in public and admonished for not covering my head. We dared not eat anything in public during the month of Ramazaan for fear of censure.
Attempts to build an Anglican church and Buddhist temple were thwarted many times, by religious political parties similar to the Bodu Bala Sena, until the enlightened government of the day intervened and granted land within the diplomatic enclave to build the temple.
Is that what we want for Sri Lanka; a country where minorities must live in fear?
Buddhists are now discouraged from working for Muslim owned businesses; in doing so, Buddhists are paving the way for Muslims to hire only Muslims.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs recently stated that legislation would soon be introduced to ensure that only original teachings of the four main religions- Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity would be practiced in Sri Lanka. Now, that would be an interesting exercise. How or where do we start? Buddhist ritual, as practiced in Sri Lanka is so deeply entrenched in Hinduism. On Buddhist holidays, greeting cards are sent out to friends and relatives in a manner copied from the Christian custom. Similarly, other religions in Sri Lanka have co-opted customs from each other and from Buddhism as part of the healthy contamination that occurs when different cultures live together. Adam’s Peak/Samanalakanda, for instance, is a perfect example; it is a shared symbol of faith and pilgrimage between different religious origin stories. What will we declare as authentically ‘Buddhist’, ‘Muslim’, ‘Hindu’, or ‘Christian’? More importantly, who will decide authenticity? Religion has been heavily influenced by cultural practices, and to declare one branch of it pure would be to deny the right of another.
In Pakistan, the Ahamadiya’s have been declared non-Muslim; the Sunni’s and the Shia’s are at eternal loggerheads. When the Shia’s observe Muharram the government deploys the police to protect them from the Sunni’s. We witnessed many processions of the Sunni’s chanting “Kafir, kafir, Shia Kafir” (Shia are infidel). The world witnessed not so long ago the carnage that resulted from the Hutu-Tutsi conflict in Africa.
A Sinhala only Act drove away a large part of the Burgher community and was one of the main issues that caused tension amongst the Tamils. Leaders of the Sinhala and Tamil communities acted selfishly, playing to their constituencies instead of forging a united country. The result was a conflict that has left wounds and pain that will last for many years to come. The current situation should also serve as an eye-opener to Sinhala Christians who opted to hide behind their Sinhala identity in the Sinhala –Tamil ethnic conflict. Sri Lanka’s Muslim’s too used that conflict to their gain never realizing that they would be the next target. None of the communities in Sri Lanka have attempted to genuinely forge a Sri Lankan identity; we grew up with and still hear the “anti” rhetoric, whether it be Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim or Burgher.
It is crucial that Sri Lankans understand that the country is a in a post-war situation and that the root causes for the ethnic conflict remain unresolved. The triumphalism of the government has helped to bring to the surface the majoritarian ideology that has been simmering amongst the professional and educated class for many years.
On a holiday to Sri Lanka in 1996, we were dismayed by a dinner table conversation that took place at a friend’s home, where guests were unanimous that Muslims should not be allowed to further expand their businesses in the country.
Radical speeches of those such as the Bodu Bala Sena have resulted in many Christians and Muslims being harassed, their places of worship attacked and now Muslim business establishments too are not spared.
The monks leading the charge in Sri Lanka are the same purveyors of outrage that you will see in the shrill sloganeering of Muslim extremists in Pakistan, the Shiv Sena in India and the Koran-burning Christians in the United States. While such ideologists will always be around, it is the responsibility of governments and the saner elements of society to hold them in check.
If not, then this is the beginning of a slippery slope once more. In Pakistan there are no more Hindus and Sikhs in significant numbers for the extremists to slaughter. So the majority Sunnis go after the minority Muslim Sects and the poor Christians.
So in the BBS driven Sri Lanka where will society head? Once the Muslims are cowed – as the Tamils are now, the few anti-Christian skirmishes may well blow into major incidents –Then after that, what? The Sinhalese who believe that Sri Lanka belongs only to them can start annihilating each other; they can begin with the Kandyan versus the other Sinhalese and, when that is done, kill each other over the supremacy of their castes.
When the Ministry of Religious Affairs has figured out which form of Buddhism is the “perfect” form, they can begin slaughtering everybody who does not adhere to that prescribed format.
What a future we prepare for ourselves when we refuse to learn from history.
NO ARRESTS YET IN TNA MEETING ATTACK - POLICE
March 31, 2013
Police today said that a team led by the OIC of the Kilinochchi Police Station has commenced investigations into the attack on the TNA office during a meeting.However, no arrests have been made over the incident so far, police spokesman SP Buddhika Siriwandena said.
Several persons were injured and hospitalized after a group of individuals protested and pelted stones at the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) office in Kilinochchi yesterday (30) morning.
A political meeting was held at TNA MP S. Sridharan’s office in Kilinochchi which was attended by several parliamentarians including Suresh Premachandran, M. A. Sumanthiran, Mavai Senathirajah, E. Saravanabhavan and other party activists.
The TNA alleged that “state-sponsored” thugs carrying the National Flag had protested outside the office and then pelted it with stones injuring several persons inside.
Sunday , 31 March 2013
Ruthless attacks were carried out yesterday in Kilinochchi with the assistance from government and the state forces was the allegations made by Tamil National Alliance parliament members Mawai Senathiraja and M.A.Sumenthiran.
People’s discussion was held at the Tamil National Alliance office located in Kilinochchi, and this brutal attack occurred, and concerning this, the above statement was made by them.
They said, in broad day light attacks were carried out. Those engaged in this ruthless activity came by the road in a procession and attacked us. But police notified that they did not give permission for this rally.
If it so, how did the procession held bypassing the police station, and with the assistance of traffic police?
“When attacks were carried out against us, police without taking action were watching”. “People caught those engaged in attacks, but police released them”.
This is much visible that this attack was carried out with the support of government and the assistance from state sub-forces.
This clearly establishes who instigates violence, and it is identified now by the people. In the past, similar incidents happened, said MPs.
Sunday , 31 March 2013
The Barbarians Within
By Tisaranee Gunasekara -March 31, 2013
“The elephant is crashing about in the room, trampling people to death, and politely ignoring it is no longer an option”. AC Grayling (To Set Prometheus Free)
With the mob-attack on a Muslim-owned shop,Sri Lankatook a giant leap towards a new conflagration.
The attack on the Pepiliyana outlet of the ‘Fashion Bug’ happened less than a month after Gotabhaya Rajapaksa publicly associated himself with the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) and less than a fortnight after the outfits’ Rabble-Rouser-in-Chief, Rev. Galagoda-Atte Gnanasara Thero, launched an uncouth diatribe against the Muslim owners of the ‘Fashion Bug’, accusing them of conspiring to turn pure Sinhala-Buddhist maidens into harem-inmates[i]
According to video footage, the mobs were led by monks. Reports indicate that the attackers took their time, undeterred by a heavy police/riot-police/STF presence[ii]. The criminal-mob was not tear-gassed, baton-charged or water-cannoned by the uniformed guardians of law and order. Even when the advance guard of the mob manhandled police officers, the police forbore to react[iii]. Why the screaming horde got the licence denied to law-abiding political demonstrators is not hard to guess. Which policeman is going to lift a finger against a saffron-mob, after Gotabhaya Rajapaksa came out of the closet and paraded his affinity with the BBS? Which policeman wants to risk a sudden punishment-transfer to nowhere?
The tactics used by the Rajapaksas and the BBS, to clear themselves of any blame for this deadly incident, are identical to the politico-propaganda ploys used during the ‘Humanitarian Operation’. The attack is being de-politicised by depicting it as an ordinary crime, caused by an ordinary girl-boy issue. The purpose is to deceive the international community and that part of the Lankan public still sane enough to be alarmed by the thought of another Black July.
The modus operandi is clear. Incite the Sinhala-Buddhists to fear and hate Muslims. Instigate/permit a few attacks on Muslim establishments. Mouth pious-platitudes about peace and harmony. Impose an unofficial censorship on the media. Use lies and half truths to explain/justify any crime which cannot be covered-up. Blame the opposition, the NGOs or international conspirators if things get out of hand.
The current anti-Muslim hysteria, like the past anti-Tamil hysteria, did not happen spontaneously; it was created, word by word, figure by figure, image by image, by the BBS and its offshoots, in an enabling environment of Rajapaksa-provenance. Even if the Pepiliyana mob was not a BBS-creation, the BBS is politically and morally responsible for the outrage. In the last few months the BBS monks went from city to city, town to town, village to village, spewing the anti-Muslim toxin among ordinary Sinhalese.
Unless the Rajapaksas do not lock up their baying hordes, a new war will be upon us.
An Encore for Black July
Pity the people who abandon their destiny into the hands of their own barbarians. They will know neither peace nor progress; only endless bloodshed.
In July 1983, the barbarians within the Sinhala community were given a free rein to indulge in their bloody fantasies. In return many – if not most – Tamils abjured moderation and threw their lot in with their own barbarians.
Whether the Tamils have learnt from their Tiger-error remains to be seen. But the Sinhalese seemed to have learnt nothing and forgotten everything.
How can a nation learn from its past mistakes and misdeeds if its leaders deny the very existence of such errors and crimes? Being a Sinhala-supremacist precludes seeing the ‘Sinhala Only’ as an error or Black July as a crime. In the Sinhala-supremacist cosmos, moderation was the sole error, restraint the sole crime. The war happened and lasted for 30 years because the Sinhalese were too weak, too complacent and unwilling to crack down hard enough and fast enough on the ‘erring’ Tamils.
Today that same logic is being applied to relations with Muslims (and Christians). Since the ‘original sin’, according to the Sinhala-Buddhist creed, is being too soft on the minorities, the way to prevent another war is to ensure that all minorities know their place and they never depart from it, even for a second.
A nation must be driven out of its senses, before it can be induced commit homicide and suicide.
Black July happened because the South was a dry prairie of anti-Tamil beliefs. Respectable, educated middleclass Sinhalese believed that Tamils were overrunning the country, taking over the professions, the universities, the businesses. The tracts produced by UNP’s Cyril Maththew were avidly read, discussed and distributed not just by UNPers but also by committed anti-UNPers. Both UNP and SLFP parliamentarians freely indulged in anti-Tamil rhetoric. The plague of hatred permeated every nook and cranny of Southern society. No institution was immune to it; it seeped into political parties and professional bodies, universities and schools, the police and the armed forces, ordinary homes and ordinary temples. When the Tigers killed 13 Sinhala soldiers, the South ignited because the prevailing climate of opinion sanctioned madness. Without societal approbation the orgy of violence would have died down in a couple of days; it continued because the perpetrators felt no opprobrium.
There were a couple of mini-riots in the run up to Black July. Had they been condemned by society and cracked-down on by the regime, the final carnage could have been avoided. The regime indulged the mobs. Decent, kind-hearted people justified the horrors. A few years later the mirror images of this approbation became visible in Tamil society.
Today the past is returning. Like then, decent, respectable middleclass people are talking about the ‘Muslim menace’. The same apocryphal charges can be heard across Sinhala society: ‘They’ are everywhere; ‘They’ are taking over our land, our resources and, this time, our women; ‘They’ must be stopped.
In the Merchant of Venice, Shylock asks: “Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means… as a Christian is? If you prick us do we not bleed?” We lost this sense of common humanity in Black July and became lost in a moral-ethical wasteland.
We were too busy being Sinhala patriots to be human – a fate that befalls any people who lapses into fanaticism.
Are we going to allow the barbarians within to decide our destiny, again?
Are we going to be amoral and stupid, again?
“State Terrorists” Carrying Lion Flags Launch Stone Attack On TNA Meeting in Kilinochchi
SUNDAY, MARCH 31, 2013
D.B.S.JEYARAJ |
| ........waving of lion flags while the dastardly attack was in progress |
The assortment of state sponsored, inebriated rowdies shouting abusive slogans and throwing stones was also carrying the sword bearing Lion flag with two stripes as it engaged in the sordid act thereby insulting Sri Lanka’s national flag.
At least fifteen persons including two Policemen sustained injuries in the stone attack which also damaged parts of the office building and a few parked vehicles.
The Tamil National Alliance(TNA) which is the premier democratic political configuration of the Sri Lankan Tamils was holding a “Makkal Santhippu”(peoples meeting) in Kilinochchi on March 30th Saturday at the party office precincts. These Meetings where people of the area meet their elected representatives and engage in discussions about current developments is a familiar feature in contemporary Tamil politics.The TNA comprising four political parties contests elections under the house symbol of Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchi(ITAK).
The discussion was held in the compound under a Jak tree with chairs and benches being placed in the open.Around 60 -65 people including some women participated along with four TNA members of Parliament. The meeting was chaired by senior Jaffna district MP Somasuntharam Senathirajah known as “Maavai” Senathirajah.Jaffna district MP’s E.Saravanabavan and S. Sritharan along with national list member MA Sumanthiran were also present.Sritharan is the TNA organizer for the Kilinochchi electoral division within the Jaffna electoral district.
The People’s meeting began at 9.30 am.Due authorisation for the meeting had been obtained beforehand and three Policemen were stationed at the premises to provide security .After the four MP’s spoke briefly a question and answer session took place. There was much interest amidst the gathering about current events. Lots of questions were raised and answers given by the TNA parliamentarians.
EXERCISE
While the meeting was in progress another exercise of a different type was happening close by.Young men transported in buses and vans were alighting in the junction area known as “Kaakka Kadai Santhi”.Many of them were in an inebriated state. According to Kilinochchi residents some of the men assembling at the junction area were imbibing liquor from small bottles openly.Sensing trouble many people left the area or went into their houses.
The men dropped in vehicles at Kaakkaa Kadai Santhi were a motley crew comprising different sections of society. Some were former members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)who had been set free after “rehabilitation”. Some of them had been recruited as members of the civil security force formerly known as homeguards.Others were young members attached to the Kilinochchi office of the Sri Lanka Freedom party(SLFP). They were involved with the “Nil Balakaya” of Namal Rajapaksa MP. The Kilinochchi SLFP organizer is Ms.Geethanjali Naguleswaran.In addition to these persons there were also members of military intelligence, national intelligence and Police intelligence all of whom were in civils.
The group comprising both Tamils and Sinhalese and numbering around 75 -80 began marching in procession along the Main Jaffna-Kandy road or A-9 highway.They held aloft Sri Lankan national flags and walked down the road passing the Kilinochchi Police station.Some uniformed men attached to the Traffic police walked alongside the procession.They kept marching for about 150 to 200 metres till they reached the vicinity of Kandasamy Kovil the temple dedicated to Lord Muruga.
The TNA office is situated near the temple along a short by lane branching off from the A-9 road at “Kandasamy Kovilady”.The procession halted at this spot and started shouting slogans in Tamil and also Sinhala. They were very abusive of the TNA in general and M P Sritharan in particular. Some slogans were supportive of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and son Namal Rajapaksa. A few slogans were in praise of Sri Lanka.The TNA however went on with their meeting despite raucous cries renting the air.
At one point a small group of demonstrators split from the main group and moved down the by lane coming closer to the TNA office premises.They parked themselves at a convenient spot and kept chanting anti-TNA slogans. Thus the TNA was subjected to a twin –pronged verbal assault from two points.
PROGRESS
Suddenly some in the group at the far end of the by lane began pelting stones at the TNA meeting in progress.While this was going on others in the group kept shouting slogans while waving the Lion flags proudly in the air.
Interestingly many of the stones thrown were actually concrete nuggets. Cement had been moulded into chunks, dried and were now being used as stones for throwing. These novel unorthodox weapons were rather lethal.The stones fell among the gathering in the compound causing injuries to some.
When the stone throwing began the Police personnel assigned to the MP’s as bodyguards immediately pushed the people’s representatives into the office building. There were two policemen to each MP carrying firearms.The eight bodyguards however were intent only on safeguarding the MP’s they had been detailed to protect.It was not their task to restrain or stop the stone throwing. Some of the elderly persons and women also took refuge inside the house that functions as the party office.The younger members in the gathering however did not retreat. Some picked up the stones and cement nuggets and threw them back at the attackers.
In a surprise move the group standing close to the office premises and shouting slogans whipped out stones from bags and knapsacks and started throwing them. Now it was a twin pronged physical attack!Some in the group broke out and made a beeline towards the gate. A few entered the compound.
RESISTANCE
Some of the youths in the gathering responded swiftly to the new danger. They fought with the intruders engaging in fisticuffs.While this resistance was on, the cops assigned for security managed to beat back some of the intruders after a scuffle and lock the gates.
Two of the intruders grappling with the youths were trapped inside. The youths overpowered them and handed over both to the Policemen asking that they be arrested officially. The Policemen presumably knowing who the intruders were opened the gate and allowed them to escape.Threafter they shut the gate again.
Meanwhile another intruder was discovered inside the premises.When apprehended the man produced an official identity card stating he was a Tamil Police officer from the CID.However he did not seem fluent in Tamil.He spoke the language with a funny accent. Again the police assigned for security refused to detain him and once again opened the gates to let the man exit.
With their arsenal of stones and concrete nuggets being exhausted the attack came to an end. The State terrorist squad then started marching back still shouting abusive slogans and waving the lion flags. The entire “operation Hailstone”hd taken 30 minutes from 11.45 am to 12.15 pm.The demonstrators got back and clambered aboard their vehicles fortified with more intoxicating bottled brew.They returned victoriously after a good day’s work where the Lion flag was kept flying high.
The house serving as Party office was damaged in the stone attack. The roof was cracked in many places. Window panes were smashed. The door, electricity meter etc were also damaged. So too were some furniture and a few of the parked veicles. One motor cycle was extensively damaged.About twenty of the people including two Policemen received injuries. Thirteen of the injured were taken to the Kilinochchi hospital for first aid treatment.
MORALE
Despite the attack the morale of the TNA gathering was not shaken. The youths insisted that the meeting be continued. So it was resumed again and wound up after further discussions.
Meanwhile the TNA Parliaentarias had all rung up the Police in Kilinochchi and complained as soon as the attack commenced. Predictably the Police arrived only 90 minutes later.
The Police included the Kilinochchi HQI and also two officers of ASP and SP rank.The Police dutifully recorded statements and questioned those present about the incident. When the MP’s inquired who the demonstrators were the Police feigned ignorance. When asked whether they had obtained a permit to go out in a procession and demonstrate the Police replied that no permission had been obtained.
When it was pointed out that permits for a procession had to be obtained at least six hours before it commenced the Police remained silent. The Police had no satisfactory answer when asked as to why an unlawful procession was allowed to march past the Police station and why traffic police were detailed to accompany it.
In a sense the Police too were helpless as the stone throwing operation was obviously an “officially sanctioned unofficial demonstration”imposed from above by a higher authority.
The TNA had arranged for another Peoples meeting at Pallai inside the peninsula in the evening. The party decided to continue with the event in spite of what had happened in Kilinochchi. When the MP’s went to the Tutorial institute in Pallai where the meeting was to be held they found a large turn out. More significantly a very large contingent of Police was there to provide security. The meeting went off without any mishap.It was learnt that another demonstration of the same kind had been planned for the TNA at Pallai also but had not taken place as scheduled.
REPUTATION
The stone attack on the TNA meeting received and is receiving world-wide publicity. Once again the Rajapaksa regime’s reputation is tarnished. Earlier Non – violent political protests organized in public places by the TNA were targeted but in this instance a meeting held within party office premises was attacked crudely.
The masterminds behind this blatant act of “State terror” do not realise the damage they are doing to Sri Lanka’s image by exercises like this. Adding insult to injury was the was the “patriotic” waving of lion flags while the dastardly attack was in progress.An indelible black spot on the country’s national honour!It is indeed ironic that a great big fuss is often made about honouring the national flag with due respect whereas this motley crew of “patriots” engage in unacceptable and inappropriate violence waving the lion flag. The stone attack on the TNA is indicative of Sri Lanka regressing into the “Stone age” under the Rajapaksa regime.
TAILPIECE:The “Daily Mirror” reports thus about the Kilinochchi incident. “When enquired about the incident police spokesman Buddhika Siriwardana said a group of people had stoned a TNA meeting and fled the scene. Investigations are carried out to arrest the suspects”. Its good to see that the Police spokesman has a sense of humour!
Disturbing Images: Rotten Egg Assaults On Persons Buying From Muslim Owned Shops
Disturbing images have surfaced on an anti-Muslim Facebook page, that show rotten egg assaults on persons carrying shopping bags from a clothing chain vilified by hardline Sinhala groups carrying out a sustained campaign against Muslim enterprises.
The Facebook page, called Athugal Pura Sinha Pataw highlights the images of a man and a woman following an assault with eggs holding No Limit bags. The group’s motto is “Konda pana athi niyama sinhalayanta pamanai” (Exclusively for Sinhalese with a backbone)
Posted under the title Kurunegala Pursuit and Attack with Rotten Eggs and says “If you go to No Limit or Fashion Bug we will attack. If you have their bags in your hand we will attack. And that is not all. Those who betray the race, even if they have police protection will be attacked with rotten eggs today, feces tomorrow.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)