The Arrest and then transfer to rehabilitation of 4 Jaffna University Students

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.