The prevention of the candlelight vigil on
Marveer Day, within the Jaffna University in November by the forces, then the
suppression by force of the demonstration the following day at the UNI to
protest at the earlier prevention, led to the arrest of a number of Student
Leaders who happened to be Tamil.
There were international protests, and in
the end they have not been given the usual rights afforded to citizens of this
country, but sent over to detention in Welikanda to a camp for rehabilitation
used to rehabilitate former LTTE terrorists who were apprehended when
surrendering. It is also noteworthy that about 50 suspected LTTE carders were
also recently apprehended, as not having surrendered.
We must assume they were terrorists who did
not surrender, and not innocent people, though the true facts may come out
later. I therefore presume they too will be charged or sent for rehabilitation.
What all this does is to further strengthen
the notion that the SL govt. is still not intent on truth and reconciliation,
and still in the search and arrest mode for the drifters of the fighting that
ended over 3 years ago, still treating it as top priority.
Is this for local political consumption? To
fool the people that the issue is very grave and that the govt. justifies the
use of force in search and detention to prevent a further insurrection! I don’t
know the answer. However what I am willing to guess is that when there are
political problems in other quarters this excuse deviates from the main issues
at hand, and focuses news items elsewhere to distract the people from real
issues, being replaced by imaginary ones. The various opposition forces are
then challenging these govt. created problems, rather than addressing the real
problems of the day, further strengthening the Govt. ability to deceive! These
are all very worrying acts that must be seen for what they are.
I cannot see why the Govt. continues to intimidate
foreign criticism and thereby expect more, other than they need more international
condemnation so that the electorate back home can be fed the diet of an international
conspiracy against the state, something easily marketable to the hinterland, through
the effective media campaigns in the state media, especially TV. This therefore
is part of an overall campaign at obtaining obeisance from the local populace. The
Govt. knows the foreign condemnation does not affect them at all, and therefore
relishes it. This plays into the hands of the divisive elements bent on using the
events arising to prevent any true reconciliation, citing real unresolved problems.
Tell that to the LLRC.
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