By Sannasa –
Julampitiya Amare epitomizes the mockery of our law and judicial procedure, which is now down in the doldrums. The invasion and tragic assault on the JVP meeting at Katuwana on the 11th of June was just the latest in a string of outrageous acts purported to have been executed by this man. Associating with the highest in the land, Julampitiya Amare has been acting as though he has a permanent license to do anything to anyone at any time.
Didn’t this man literally get the law to kneel before him? Julampitiya Amare was once reported to have been illicitly felling jak trees. The police were called in. Amare got the cops to kneel outside in the burning midday sun for several hours before he decided to release them. Such was the metal of this obstreperous character.
The data for this article comes from a news story published in the independent national daily Divaina of the 24th of June 2012.,
What will come of Amare now that there are many eyewitnesses to what transpired on that fateful day of the JVP meeting in the President’s stronghold?
That was a protest meeting against the government. Now, readers, think you are watching one of those countless teledramas that are being churned out to deaden the cultural taste and critical faculties of our people. While the meeting was in progress ’Dushtayas’ arrive in five motorbikes armed with T56 rifles and sticks. The latter descend on the meeting and keep battering the audience. A youth and a woman lay dead, hundreds lay injured having been spared of the T56 but hammered by sticks. Three three-wheelers and a van were destroyed and the marauders, after a thirty minute onslaught, left the battleground.
More than a teledrama, this event resembled a Bombay Masala. The only difference is that in this case there is no hero to tackle the dushtayas. The Divaina story remarked that there are no heroes in Lanka today. Dushtayas can operate at free will with no heroes whatever to counter the latter and to bring them to book. Surely, these criminals would have passed many security posts in their murderous journey to Katuwana? The politicized police are trained to look away at the misdeeds of the powerful. As far as the people are concerned, they are too focused with their own insufferable plight of having to make ends meet; in the case of some others, the latter are in utilizing self -aggrandizing opportunities that are available in a growing anarchy.
For now, we have an anti-hero in the name of Julampitiya Amare. Let’s find out more of this man by going back to the Divaina story. On June 30th in the year 2000 there had been a revolt in the Tangalle prison where prison officials on duty had been taken hostage by some 20-odd prisoners. The officials were physically restrained and some T56 guns and other arsenal spirited away. There was a UNP government at the time and John Amaratunge had been the Minister. A meeting was held by Amaratunge to sort out this crisis. The current President, Mahinda Rajapakse, then Leader of the Opposition, and Amaratunge sat down to discuss. There was another participant brought to this discussion and that was none other than Julampitiya Amare who was allegedly the prisoner that led the revolt. The Divaina report states that by that time Amrae had been serving over three years in prison for alleged assault etc. Amare eventually escaped from prison in the year 2002.
Since then, Julampitiya Amare has been prime suspect in 6 murders. Recently, it was revealed in court that Amare had figured in five more attempted murders and kidnappings. Police had reported that Amare figured in the killing of a Middeniya bus owner named Amila Chooti who had been shot by a rifle said to belong to Amare. As if the list was insufficient there had been reports made to the police against Amare over other charges related to illicit timber felling, Ganja growing, and cattle lifting. The Divaina story says that the police could not touch this man despite all these complaints.
In fact, Julampitiya Amare had played a prominent role during the last General Elections where he appeared on platforms, spoke, and even sang! Lined up with powerful politicians this man Amare had been seen brandishing the T 56 in public. At the time he had another underworld opponent called Neluwe Priyantha. The latter was gunned down by the STF. Neluwe Priyantha was succeeded by Navy Ruwan as mafia leader. Navy Ruwan believed that his predecessor had been killed on a tip off by Amare.
It was well-known that in recent times there was simply nothing that Julampitiya Amare could not do. He went about with a body amour and flanked with rifles and supporters frightening all and sundry into submission and supplication. It was said that even the crows in Tangalle would not dare to fly over Julampitiya Amare.
Thus even before the Katuwana incident we have a picture of Amare who treated the law as a joke and its enforcing officers as a bigger joke. What after the Katuwana? We had it from Lakshman Hulugalle, head of the government media centre, that this Katuwana murder would have been caused by the other JVP faction. The Deputy IGP asked the people to find the culprit. The trend now is for the police to request people to find the culprit. In this particular case there were persons who saw the culprit in action.
While the dilly dallying was going on Amare smelt violent counter reprisals against him and he presented himself to the police. Mind you, Amare’s surrender was not in connection with Katuwana but in a late response to an earlier warrant issued to him in 2002. The story is that Navy Ruwan has been stalking Amare to take revenge on the latter for the assassination of Neluwe Priyantha. Viewed in this context Julampitiya Amare’s surrender to the police was to seek temporary haven.
What precisely will happen over the Katuwana incident is thus an open question. Will Julampitiya Amare be protected as Duminda seems to be protected? We have witnessed over the past several years how paramilitary goons like Julampitiya Amare are being allowed to operate freely. Is the government not content with a politicized police force to give it an unusually strong arm? Is the developing mafia mechanism the outcome of a deliberate step to have a ring of paramilitary action goons doing the dirty work that a police simply cannot do by virtue of the fact that the police force is within the formal government system? Authoritarian regimes all over and open dictatorships have been employing such paramilitary mechanisms. The dictatorships in Latin America are well-known contemporary illustrations. When human rights violations could be attributed to goons outside the official system governments can more easily escape reprisal by international human rights bodies.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Above article was wrongly attributed to Tissa Jayatilaka. It was from www.sannasa.net . We apologize to our readers and to Tissa Jayatilaka.
Kallinga / July 10, 2012
All true! The police also lie to cover up criminals and their political bosses.. the rot is a deep spiral.
The criminal Rajapaskse regime must be purged from Lanka!
/
Jim Hardy / July 10, 2012
This article is exactly correct with accurate information, with some missing points not referring to whose political umbrage Amare is ?
Well I am not afraid to call a Spade as Spade, this thug is well protected by Mahinda & his Son to do their dirty politics.
/
DAS / July 10, 2012
This article gives the true picture of the law enforcement system in sri lanka.
The police obviously are unable to enforce the law.
How the justice system deals with Amare, will reveal whether the government is able to truly uphold Law & Order.
/
Senguttuvan / July 10, 2012
It takes time for a despotic regime to completely destroy a
once-lawful State. Rajapakses are not the only culprits. CBK employed
notorious criminals who openly worked with the Police/Army security
personnel whereas these dangerous and anti-social criminals should have been behind bars – where they belong. Ranil, who followed, may have been less culpable and yet did not feel it improper to hobknob with known sections of the underworld. So in a way every political party and its leadership made their own contribution to make us a Failed State.
What is the civil society leadership and the much-hyped Buddhist clergy – the real source of political power – doing in the circumstances other than either act in collusion or look the other way around? Let us not blame the diaspora for all our ills. We are doing a fine job ruining our present and the future.
Senguttuvan
/
Java Jones / July 11, 2012
“What is the civil society leadership and the much-hyped Buddhist clergy – the real source of political power – doing in the circumstances other than either act in collusion or look the other way around?”
The Buddhist Clergy? Other than (many of them) blasting their surroundings with amplified ‘bana’ and other questionable activities, take a look at the following link – http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/20176-post-of-chief-sangha-nayaka-suspended.html
/
Samson / July 10, 2012
But Gota ´s point of view he sees it different:
As quoted from infolank.com:
“Today no one influences the police. The police do not take orders from ministers. Extensive freedom has been given to the IGP to enforce the law and arrest the culprits and do everything necessary to reduce crime in the country,” he said.
I think he is sleeping round the clock, while the nation is weeping.
/
Mradankadawala yakadaya / July 10, 2012
Senguttuvan,
This criminal tendency started to rice From J.R.J ,Then R.P . Then the Notorious C.B.K., And Ranil as well (Duminda was a ex U.N.P er) .And now it has become worse.It seems nobody can stop them than the voters them self.Poor country Sri Lanka is still bleeding.It is a curse.
/
Samson / July 10, 2012
Police brutality’s scaring half the nation
Juvenile delinquents spread fear in central station
There’s no law or order, law or order
Maybe it’s total control, oh, I don’t know
But they can bend it and shape it and a little bit break it
To make it easier to follow Criminal activities late at night in the subway
Newspaper headlines all across the nation
There’s no law or order, law or order
Every thing’s out of control, well, I don’t know
But they can bend it and shape it and a little bit break it
To make it easier to follow
Hey, Johnny, where are you going with that gun in your hand?
Don’t you understand, they’ll just kick you down to the floor
They won’t give you another chance, you’re all alone
And they’re a million, they’ll just lock you in for evermore, y’know
Well, the only choice you got boy, is to be nasty
Hate everybody and everybody will hate you
You can bet on that ‘cos you know, you can’t fight the justice
But the justice can fight you, even if it wasn’t you, it’s you, Johnny
There’s no law or order, there’s no law or order
There’s no law or order anymore
But they can bend it and shape it and a little bit break it
To make it easier to follow
Yes, they can bend it and shape it and a little bit, break it
The rules cannot be hollowed
There’s no law or order
There’s no law or order
There’s no law or order anymore
There’s no law or order
There’s no law or order
There’s no law or order anymore
There’s no law or order
/
Babsy / July 11, 2012
The bitter truth is not digestible for some and those who want to live in denial can do so but the truth remains ..PRESENTLY AMARE, THE GREAT PAL OF THE PRESIDENT IS ADDRESSING LOCAL ELECTION MEETINGS WITH T56 by his side
he leaves his pistal on the table of IP as well. So what more do the public need.,
/
Samson / July 11, 2012
False information will no longer suffice.
as Gotta himself sees it “Today no one influences the police. The police do not take orders from ministers. Extensive freedom has been given to the IGP to enforce the law and arrest the culprits and do everything necessary to reduce crime in the country,”
What must be realised to everyone is that by failing to tackle a situation that is fast becoming endemic in nature, authorities are not only failing to fulfil their duty as administrator and keeper of the ‘law’, the general apathy of law enforcers is unwittingly encouraging greater lawlessness where criminals may carry out their nefarious activities with all impunity.
The government must crack down on this supposed lack of enthusiasm of enforcers to pursue and bring to book those who walk outside the law for in the final analysis of things it is to government people look to for a safe environment to live in.
/