Credibility Of Army Inquiry On Weliweriya Killings?
By Laksiri Fernando -August 22, 2013 |
Dr. Laksiri Fernando
Even after three weeks of the killings,
no charges have so far been filed against the perpetrators of these
heinous crimes. No one was arrested or taken into custody, by the army
or the police. There is a possible cover up in the offing. The
opposition leader and the opposition at large should not forget about
their call for an ‘independent inquiry’ into these events. When this
issue was raised in Parliament on 6 August, Minister Nimal Siripala de
Silva, the Leader of the House, promised an independent inquiry but it
has not been appointed. Perhaps the Minister meant what he said, but
other vested interests preventing of an independent inquiry so far.
The way the government and the country treats this incident might
signify the direction in which Sri Lanka would be heading in the near
future. Are we moving in the direction of a full scale military rule or
are we reverting back to democracy are the two questions at stake. The
whole episode shows the symptoms of a full scale quasi-military rule in
the making in the country.
Incidents
The persons who were killed were all young: Akila Dinesh, aged 19 and
living in Helenwatta, Weliweriya; Ravishan Perera, aged 18, living in
Bandarawatte, Weliweriya; and Nilantha Pushpakumara, aged 29 originally
from Gampola.
The government propaganda machine has been claiming that the clashes
took place due to ‘outside elements’ attacking the army personnel. But
among the three killed, no one could possibly be identified belonging to
this so-called outside instigators. The government spokespersons
claimed that Nilantha Pushpakumara, only outsider, was killed by pole
attacks and not by army shooting. While this may be correct, the video
footages show the army personnel carrying poles other than automatic
rifles. At least one journalist, Ms. Deepa Adhikari, was assaulted by a
soldier with a pole, according to her report. There seems to be no
reason for the protesters to attack Pushpakumara, even if there had been
a clash. This is plain common sense.
