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Austin's
latest order Someone at
the Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
office in Kilinochchi had telephoned him and asked that the Alpha
Nine (Kandy-Jaffna) highway be kept open round the clock last Thursday. The LTTE was
commemorating Tamil Women's Day, which coincides with the death
of its first female cadre Malathie during a confrontation with IPKF
(Indian Peace Keeping Force) some 16 years ago. He ordered
the Army to ensure that facilities at Omanthai, the last Checkpoint
in the North, before Tiger guerrilla dominated Wanni, is kept open
throughout Thursday night. Senior Army
officers in the Wanni found that it was almost impossible to conform
to hurried orders issued by Defence Secretary Fernando. They had
consulted officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) based in Vavuniya to ascertain whether their staff could
be on round-the-clock duty that Thursday night. Their presence is
essential for liaison with the LTTE, with their own Checkpoint in
Omanthai. The ICRC politely declined the request since there was
inadequate time to make the arrangements. However, the
Army managed to keep the Omanthai Check-Point open until well past
8 p.m. on Thursday night in a bid to oblige Defence Secretary Fernando
as best as they could. The Check-Point usually opened at 7.30 a.m.
and closed at 5.30 pm. This is the first time it has remained open
till night. Last month, an order by Mr. Fernando, to the GOC of the Army's 21 Division, Maj. Gen. Gamini Jayasundera, that seating arrangements for the September 28 prisoner swap should be mixed, or made in such a way that senior security forces officials sit alongside Tiger guerrillas, led to a furore. It angered the Security Forces top brass. As reported
in The Sunday Times last week, they felt that joint seating arrangements
amounted to humiliating the Commander of the Army, Navy and other
senior officers in the public eye. They said the guerrillas, in
uniform and with self-exclaimed titles of "Colonel," had
no status and were not recognised. All out
to please them It's not only
the vote conscious politicos and publicity crazy bureaucrats who
are vying with each other for kudos over this. There are also some
who are responsible for issuing official statements, ones on behalf
of the Government. One such statement
issued on behalf of the United Front Government after the mob attack
on the Kanjirankudah camp of the Police Special Task Force (STF)
last Wednesday, said "The Government of Sri Lanka conveys the
deepest sympathies to the families of seven persons who died at
Ampara, Kalmunai and Kanjirankuda…." Only the results of the impartial inquiry, for which the statement says action has already been taken, will reveal the real truth about how the incident occurred. But one thing
remains abundantly clear. A mob did attack the STF camp. Such an
attack, for whatever reason, is a violation of the law. Hence, were
those involved in the attack not law breakers ? If so, how could
a Government statement officially express sympathy and offer compensation
to lawbreakers? That too before the conclusion of any inquiry to
ascertain what happened ? Was it only because the incident occurred
in the East ? Would a similar
statement of sympathy and payment of compensation have followed
if a mob were to carry out a similar attack in the South ? No, no.
That would not be fashionable. Goni billa
parade When a security
detail of the Navy Chief of Staff, Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrema,
appeared, the duo pointed their finger at him, one after the other. That was how
a Board of Inquiry appointed by the Commander of the Navy, Vice
Admiral Daya Sandagiri, conducted an identification parade on October
2. The parade
was to identify who among the two sailors from Rear Admiral Wijewickrema's
security detail rode a motorcycle to photograph Vice Admiral Sandagiri's
private residence at Kumbaloluwa in the Veyangoda Police area. The
Navy Chief has told President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga
that this incident, he feared, has endangered his life. Earlier, Vice
Admiral Sandagiri tried to get the Police to conduct the same identification
parade but the Superintendent of Police, Gampaha, Lucky Peiris,
rejected the move. He said no criminal offence has been committed.
The Attorney General's Department endorsed his view. They said,
"there is no basis to move for an identification parade." The Goni Billa parade, for the first time ever in the history of the Sri Lanka Navy, is a record for many reasons. Most importantly, this is the first time ever an action by a Navy Commander violated the accepted principles of natural justice in Sri Lanka. The man so identified
has been transferred out from Colombo. And so, battles in the Navy
continue. John defines
today's police CRIME: the
work now being done is not sufficient and not penetrative enough…
Police have got into a lethargic situation… no action is being
taken or at the most is satisfied with limited action…There
are allegations that Police officers at all levels are connected
in a big way to various king pins in crime and prevent the due process
of Justice taking place… TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT:
…..One sees most of the traffic men herded together and not
being attentive towards their duties. In any given situation it
is difficult to find traffic personnel although they are being issued
with high-powered motorcycles, communication equipment etc. ….one
finds that most of the traffic personnel are ill trained to handle
functions….. Patrol cars are used as a taxi service …. DISCIPLINE:
Even in day-to-day matters, OICs do not attend to their duties in
Courts. Court action is left to a Sergeant or to a PC. I was recently
informed of a reserve Woman Constable who handles prosecutions at
a courthouse… PUNCTUALITY:
Even at Police Headquarters senior staff officers cannot be found
at their desks during normal working hours… New Police
Chief, T.E. Anandarajah, sure has a big task on his hands to put
things right. |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
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