By- Sanjaya Dassanayake
(Lanka-e-News -03.March.2025, 9.25 PM)
Janatha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP) is the leading political party, hit by state terrorism in this country. Recent political history testifies that during the April 1971 rebellion, more than ten thousand JVP members were killed by then Sirimavo Bandaranaike's Samagi Peramuna government.
Even though there were no tire crematoriums at that time, thousands of JVP members were arrested, without trial, killed, and buried in mass graves by the government forces and the police, who accused them of plotting to overthrow the government.
After that, President Premadasa unleashed state terrorism against the JVP very badly during the terror period of 88-89. On his orders, the then Defence Minister Ranjan Wijeratne, in addition to the government forces and the police, deployed paramilitary gangs and killed more than 60,000 young people on tire burial grounds.
During the terror period of 88-89, JVP founder Comrade Rohana Wijeweera, who was arrested in Ulapane, Kandy by the state forces, was severely beaten, brought to the Colombo golf course, shot in the head, and buried in Borella Cemetery.
In addition, let us not forget that neither he nor his current colleagues in the government have forgotten how Anura Dissanayake, the current president, survived the time of terror and how thousands of his contemporaries were killed by state terrorism. We think that the NPP government led by Anura Dissanayake has a proper assessment of how severe state terrorism is and how many young lives have been taken by it.
The civil war in the north of Sri Lanka, which started with the killing of Jaffna mayor Alfred Doreiappa in 1975, can be considered the most horrific phase in the country's recent history. The Eelam war, which dragged on for 30 years between the Sri Lankan forces and the separatist groups, ended in 2009. Terrible acts of terrorism were practiced on both sides. At that time, the separatists carried out acts of terrorism targeting the army and the civil population in the south, and the state forces also unleashed state terrorism targeting the separatist organizations, including the LTTE.
It is no secret that after the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka, many of the weapons found by the army and hidden by the LTTE got into the hands of criminals in Colombo and the South through various means. These weapons are being used by former LTTE members and members of the security forces involved in various crimes, including murders and robberies.
Along with the drug trade, which is one of the most profitable businesses for criminals in the world, arms trafficking also happens. It is no secret that some of the members of the security forces involved in combating drug trafficking in Sri Lanka join forces with the traffickers to help them run their business unhindered. It has been confirmed through investigation that they are given crores of money and other bribes for that.
The accusations that corrupt officials are making money by returning many of the drugs seized by the officers engaged in combating drug trafficking are huge. Also, these corrupt officials have been accused of killing members of rival groups of drug smugglers who are friendly to them.
The NPP government of President Anura Dissanayake is well aware of the politics behind state terrorism, underworld, drug trafficking, and crime. For the first time under the NPP government, state terrorism killed two people arrested by the police, accusing them of being criminals who had come to kill a person for hire in Modara recently.
The incident happened when the two persons who were accused of shooting and killing a businessman in Kotahena were arrested by the police, and within a few hours of being assaulted, they went to show their weapons and shot them dead. The police officially revealed their usual show of arms drama about arresting the two and killing them in custody.
Some police officers investigating organized crime have been accused of misconduct and bribery. There have been many reports of killing suspects to suppress accusations and investigations of criminals by the police and to prevent their involvement in crimes from being revealed.
Therefore, if the government does not take action against official state terrorism, which is the method of punishing those accused of being criminals by the police without confirming their guilt through a proper judicial process, it will undoubtedly be a very dangerous omen.
Especially in the Kotahena incident, the President should personally investigate and reveal the truth about the person who decided to shoot and kill the suspects.
There is hardly any country where crimes and murders do not occur. But crime can be reduced. It requires skilled and honest investigators, a strong legal system, and a speedy judicial process. The system of solving crimes should also be free from any influence. Sri Lanka also needs a strong legal system that the powerful countries of the world use to fight crime.
The people gave the NPP government a two-third parliamentary majority to move the country forward through democratic measures and not to engage in anti-democratic activities. Part of that mandate is to punish criminals and deliver justice to victims through a speedy judiciary. 5 years is not a very long time for a government. Time will pass quickly.
The police and security forces are always bound to implement existing government policies. Then, they define criminals and terrorists according to the existing government. In 1971 and 1988-89, the security forces saw JVP members, including JVP founder Rohana Wijeweera, as terrorists and criminals. Therefore, state terrorism was used against them. They were killed to put an end to their politics, but no one could do that.
‘Ganemulla Sanjeewa, Middeniya Kajja, and Makandure Madush’ are suspected criminals, and the two suspects who were shot dead a week before in ‘Craw Island’ are criminals according to the existing regime. They were defined as criminals and killed, denying them the right to a fair trial. There may be a need to cover up evidence behind these murders.
Suppose the NPP government led by President Anura takes the killing by state terrorism at Craw Island for granted or accepts it as self-defense. In that case, those responsible for all the killings by all governments in the past should also be forgiven.
By- Sanjaya Dassanayake
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by (2025-03-03 15:54:21)
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