28 March, 2024

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Anti-Terrorism Act Is ‘State Terrorism’ In Sheep’s Clothing 

By Vishwamithra

“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.”  ~ Søren Kierkegaard

Ranil Wickremesinghe had to wait 46 long years to show his misplaced manhood. To show that ‘manhood’ to everyone to behold he introduced the so-called Anti-Terrorism Act. ‘The government of Sri Lanka’s proposed Anti-Terrorism Act would empower the authorities to systematically violate fundamental human rights’, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch further added that ‘the government should withdraw the bill and ensure through consultations that any counter-terrorism legislation upholds international human rights standards.

The Anti-Terrorism Bill, which was published on March 22, 2023, is intended to replace the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which led to widespread torture and arbitrary detentions since its introduction in 1979. The nefarious sagas of Batalanda-kind that were floating at the time were a direct result of these draconian provisos of the PTA. ‘While the new bill contains some improvements, it includes provisions that will facilitate abuse. The bill appears designed to give the president, police, and military broad powers to detain people without evidence, to make vaguely defined forms of speech a criminal offense, and to arbitrarily ban gatherings and organizations without meaningful judicial oversight’. Passage of this new Bill would be akin to offering a razor to a monkey (Vandurata deli pihiya dunna wage). 

Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brothers thought that the war victory gave them unmitigated powers over the general citizenry of the country and they virtually ransacked the country. In the same vein, Ranil Wickremesinghe might be of the idea that the mild relief felt by the masses today may give him the same license to tread down the basic human rights of the people. His anger and hatred born out of his inability to secure a majority in Parliament elections or at the Presidential Elections as a Candidate of the United National Party (UNP), has been burning him from inside, consuming him totally as a reasonable human being. His pathetic successive performances at the Hustings, more or less, has defined and shaped not only his conduct as a political leader, but more so his inherent character.

Ranil Wickremesinghe’s antipathy towards the ‘other’ of society has manifested itself on more than several occasions. Utterly comfortable with his class-friends (not just Royal College friends, but those who belong to the same social class), his aversion to the common man has tragically been present whenever he is before the ‘other’. But the megascopic overestimation of himself has pumped him up on his won psychological ladder, the brutal realities of political defeat and grueling experiences of its aftermath have failed to impress a positive shade upon his character which is usually the defining factor of great leaders. Instead, such successive defeats have brought upon a very cruel and totally un-empathetic disposition in him. 

Ranil Wickremesinghe is acting like, as Professor KM de Silva observed about JR in his JR Jayewardene of Sri Lanka as ‘an old man in a hurry’. While JR had the total backing of the electorate in terms of the ’77 General Elections results and launched himself into an open and free market economy, an Accelerated Mahaweli Development Program, massive Housing Development Projects and equally significant Colombo Port Development Project, his nephew has resorted to the begging bowl and draconian repressive measures upon the country’ youth and its intelligentsia.

The UNP was called the uncle-nephew party because of the relationship between DS Senanayake and Sir John Kotelawala. DS’s brother and Sir John’s father were married to two sisters, of the Attygalle  inheritance. That uncle-nephew combination has continued up to the twenty first century as JR-Ranil combo. What a country and what a continuation of a farce called democracy! Although Ranil Wickremesinghe has never been elected as President of the country he still became President thanks to the Constitution his Uncle created in 1978!

It is not only the leaders who have to be held responsible for the morass that we find ourselves in, it’s also those who voted for these characters time after time after time. Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s core argument about the elite vs. the rest is so valid in this convoluted context. A change, a real change in our sociopolitical character in the truest sense of the word is not only necessary, it is the only paradigm from which our continuation as a singular nation could spring upward and forward.

Ranil Wickremesinghe may have realized this; or maybe not. But the country cannot wait to find out about how her leaders think and act. On the contrary, today it is incumbent upon the masses to lead the leaders; setting up of national goals, carving out the parameters within which the leaders have to confine themselves in and even defining the specific characters leaders should display both in public and private demeanor.

The depth to which the country’s economy descended to during the last eight to nine months is no shallow ditch; we may never know its depth, circumference and diameter,. Ranil Wickremesinghe has shown us that he is there not to save the country but to save the Rajapaksas from extinction. In order to facilitate that need, he needed to introduce legislative measures that even the Pohottuwa political pariahs cannot stomach. The other day, Sagara Kariyawasam General Secretary of the Pohottuwa Party said that the new Anti Terrorism Act needs drastic corrections (amendments) before it comes to Parliament for passage. He also said that the Minster Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe who is the Minister in Charge to introduce the Bill in Parliament is not in agreement with the basic premise of the bill. If those who sustain him do not agree with him, how can Ranil even dream about introducing such an egregiously flawed Act ever find easy passage in the House of Representatives?     

Human Rights watch does not have to pontificate to us about the pros and cons of the said Bill. Many watershed moments arrived in the last seventy five years after Independence. But April 2022 proved that none had really mattered in the context of the nation’s journey. In 1948 the UNP-led government did not do other than proving to the country that power has merely transferred from the White Pukka Sahibs to the Brown Pukka Sahibs. Then in 1956, SWRD proved to the country that the ‘Common Man’ is only a slogan, not a living being. Since then the caravan has been journeying, every now and then going over bumps, skirting a winding bend, yet when one looks back, for each step forward we had taken we had fallen two back.

A miserable tale to tell your grandchildren; producing unproductive graduates from our Universities and asking them to compete with those who are much lesser qualified for the same jobs; electing criminals and corrupt merchants of power and greed to positions that require superlative skills and qualifications and driving the country down a drainage that could sustain only muck, excreta and slime would not rise again without the mandatory system change. It is so conspicuous yet evasive to the greedy and powerful. 

There is no war; there is no other civil unrest or natural disaster consuming the resources of the country. Yet President Wickremesinghe is on warpath with the intellectual curiosity of the nation that rises against rampant corruption and unbearable hardships. That is precisely what the introduction of the Anti Terrorism Act implies. Terror is being practiced by the State and Ranil Wickremesinghe with his enormous experience in the handling of the Batalanda torture chambers is driven to a point that he contemplates that Anti Terrorism Act such as the one published on March 22, 2023 would give him ultimate power to show his manhood which has been so elusive to him all his life.

In The Gulag Archipelago, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote thus: “In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep within us that no sign of it appears on the surface, we are implanting it, and it will rise up a thousand fold in the future. When we neither punish nor reproach evildoers, we are not simply protecting their trivial old age, we are thereby ripping the foundations of justice from beneath new generations.”  

Many a time an alarm has sounded but each time nobody responded. That is the tragedy of our nation. Ranil Wickremesinghe’s fake recovery from economic peril and his fake macho will disappear in no time unless this time the change that is needed is given sufficient attention to not only by the leaders, but more so by the masses who would be the eventual beneficiaries of that change.

*The writer can be contacted at vishwamithra1984@gmail.com  

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Latest comments

  • 21
    1

    Vishwa you mean wannabe Lankan dictator aka Hitler 2.0 / 3.0 /4.0 ???

    • 18
      0

      So we have Ranil , Basil and may be new JVP (provided there ia an election before Presidential)., as our president prospects. Must be a difficult task to pick one, isn’t it?? Looks like SJB may disintegrate soon and with that SP’s political ambitions. In short 3 months of Aragalaya has completed just another vicious cycle. Keep going??

      • 18
        1

        Native, today’s news Lanka is exporting one lakh monkeys to China , at their request to keep in their parks. ( are they planning to consume or do some more viral studies) . Is it possible to include big a— chimpanzees from our parliament (which are of rare species) , so to make much needed money.

        • 16
          0

          sorry, one lakh, Toque Macaque species (reddish brown colored old world monkey) endemic to Sri Lanka known as Rilewa / Rilawa.

          • 8
            0

            Forget personalities …….. just look straight at the human trait

            Control of the populace without accountability is the main tool sought by all lazy politicians …….. then they don’t have to do anything for the people.

            This is what is sought here. End of story.

            See you in 5 years …….. no relief for the people would have taken place ……. things would have got even worse.

            I joined the forum just before 2015 presidential election …… in spite of all the promises and manifestos ….. look where we are now …….. are thing better now or worse?

            In Lanka it doesn’t take much to tell the future ……… hope I’m not putting Sumanadasa out of business.

    • 18
      2

      Chiv

      Vishwamithra quotes:

      ““In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep within us that no sign of it appears on the surface, we are implanting it, and it will rise up a thousand fold in the future. When we neither punish nor reproach evildoers, we are not simply protecting their trivial old age, we are thereby ripping the foundations of justice from beneath new generations.”

      This morning I was not surprised read a story on several leading news papers:

      Excerpt
      Sri Lanka to export monkeys to China ?
      April 11, 2023

      There is a high demand for Sri Lankan monkeys (Toque macaque) from China which will help resolve the issue of exceeding monkey population in the country, the Ministry of Agriculture stated, According to Ada Derana.

      ….
      https://www.newswire.lk/2023/04/11/sri-lanka-to-export-monkeys-to-chin/

      What does the Chinese government have in mind?
      Did they mean
      At least 200 out of 225
      Minimum of 40,000 sffronistas out of 67,000 including those who wished fascist take over of this island.
      Another 60,000 out of 360,000 Rana-Viruses, including all those who wear funny olive green and khaki dresses, medals, sidearms, ……

      We can export more.
      At least another few hundred thousands from militant religious nutters, functionaries, ………
      In return what are we going to get.

      Since this is a deal involving Chinese will SJ keep an eye on this end of the bargain?

      • 5
        0

        Monkey business!

      • 7
        0

        Native, never thought monkeys will grab the headlines. of our worthless media . Never saw this much attention for 1) hopeless poor who commit suicide daily 2) dead bodies dumped some where daily 3) so called encunter / hired Mafia killings 4) 3 years of further victimization of Easter victims 5 ) families searching for their loved ones in N & E after decades. . . . . . .

        • 4
          0

          A truly Sinhala Buddhist country. Wish you a Happy New year.

          • 3
            0

            Native, yesterday a 29 year old travelling with his two children was shot dead and both children are admitted with severe injuries. On an average 325 people die in USA (population 33 crore), out of which 65 are suicidal, whereas in Lanka
            (population 2.25 crore) we may have 25 to 30 deaths in a month. People who are killed by other means are not included (businessmen). But most Lankans are aware of gun violence in U.S but not in their own country.

  • 7
    3

    To hell with the girlie-man Ranil and all his gutless girlie-men ………. he thinks repressive laws …… enforced by his bribed goon squads ………. makes a real man outta him.

    These are the type of people who should be leaders of our country. Capable and knowledgeable women who take no bull. She can find out, for herself, if a manufacturer’s claimed output-power is true. ……. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54WPA5tWyL8

    A gal right down my ally: who can talk tube amps, all day. ……. Native, come out of under the bed; she doesn’t bite.

    She is keen to visit Lanka; told her Old Codger will show her around – Low country ……… Sinhala_Man, Upcountry; she’ll bring some Koni shocks to fit on his Honda. ……… She’ll make a man outta him! ……. Back to racing ……. burnt rubber and blood on the tracks ….

    • 3
      1

      Nimal,
      Here’s another couple of gals in electronics. Only one of them is really a gal, though…
      https://youtu.be/dXrLSOReMFA
      https://youtu.be/zf7o2_lmav8
      YouTube is such a happening place.

      • 4
        0

        “Only one of them is really a gal, though…”

        OC,

        That’s enough for SM ……… we wont see him for a while. :))

      • 3
        2

        old codger and nimal fernando

        What is wrong with you people?
        I thought both of you are normal persons and fancy only normal woman, not nerdi types.

        • 4
          0

          Native
          There’s nothing more sexy than a woman explaining how a telephone exchange works. Weren’t you ever in love with your female teachers?

  • 10
    3

    Is State Terrorism anything new? May be to you.
    Ask any Tamil. If you don’t know any, ask me!

  • 14
    2

    Ranil never got over the PTSD caused by being bullied in his primary classes at Royal.
    Since then he has been a secret admirer of Hitler.
    And his favourite reading has always been fascist literature hidden in his closet.
    Not the books on parliamentary democracy that he had put on display in his living room.
    Now he’s having nightmares thinking about elections.
    All the Sri Lankan voters are looking like the primary school ruffians who tormented him.

  • 5
    0

    Vishwa,
    “There is no war; there is no other civil unrest or natural disaster consuming the resources of the country. Yet President Wickremesinghe is on warpath with the intellectual curiosity of the nation that rises against rampant corruption and unbearable hardships. That is precisely what the introduction of the Anti-Terrorism Act implies.”
    Have to render, soft heart to a person, who by virtue of the cunningness of Rajapakse’s and others such as Sajith, and Sira haven’t been successful in tasting the pristine job of President until last year, though he had the opportunity to attempt as early as 1994 and in 2004!!?? Sad indeed the unsuccessful trajectory of his attempts!!
    Naturally, he wants all ‘Gates’ secured, so that his attempt in 2024 doesn’t ‘GO PEARSHAPED’!!!??
    Natural human reaction and trait, protect oneself!!!???

  • 9
    2

    State Terrorism started long time ago and strengthened since the power changed from British to Sinhala Buddhism. This was the cheapest way found by British trained Sinhala Buddhists who were rich and land grubbers.

  • 12
    2

    Vishwamithras and Punchi Bandas were very happy when the PTA was introduced and let loose on innocent Tamils for decades.
    They didn’t lift a finger against it when it was used with gay abandon on Tamils.
    Now that the ATA includes Piyadasas in its scope everybody is running around like headless chicken protesting.

    Relax, bear it like Tamils did, or emigrate to places whre rule of law prevails, like Tamils did.
    The land and it fruits belongs to the lords of the ruling Sinhalese elite!

  • 6
    1

    1
    Actually, I have not read this writer’s current article, but I would like to add my thoughts regarding the mlechcha media of the country today.
    .
    All the recent articles of this writer are based on bashing Ranil and his politics. It is okay, we can cirticise RW, CBK or anyone, but even today, not many have balls to highly criticise Rajapakshes why ?
    .
    I wish I could know the basic qualifications of any writer and any YouTuber who brings articles and videos on economics, security, legal issues or others.
    It is a big mistake to allow everyone to criticize subjects they don’t know. For example, I will not go to a doctor if I do not know how to treat him and what qualifications he or she brings. Similarly, we are used to respecting the world norm.

    Sri Lankans who do not respect world standards., I have clearly seen for a long time that Mlechcha MEDIA in Sri Lanka is the real cancer of this nation. They make nothing into news to create “false perceptions” on the nefarious agendas of tyrannical politicians.

    tbc

    • 4
      1

      2
      Unfortunately, Sri Lanka has deliberately encouraged any simple person to publicly express even complex matters in a ridiculous manner. This culture led animals like politicians to become the leaders of this country.

      -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfG-cTuCYxg
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJx6-4SxTc0

      Listen to the questions of Chamudith Samarawickrama and Sudanta Thilakasiri and clear your doubts. Sepala Amarasinghe is no different, but another self-sufficient idiot.

      They are like “blue flies” in stinking garbage dumps. The fly and the pile of garbage mixed together, that is symbiosis. Also, Sri Lanka’s problems are closely related to similar coexistence.

      YouTubers today are turning everything upside down. If blessed with dollars, they will sell their mother to YouTube.
      Time has come for the youth to show their “educational qualifications”: today many of them are spreading “black lies or baseless criticism against anyone”.
      This was not the case in Sri Lanka during my childhood (I mean mid 70s and late 80s). Only respected scholars were allowed to clear people’s minds about the most dangerous issues affecting people’s lives today.
      :
      There is no doubt that he is the number one crook of Ranil’s and today’s interim government.

      Sri Lanka is hell when you criticize anything. I have always believed that we need stricter rules in world standards.

  • 3
    1

    Anti-Terrorism Act Is ‘State Terrorism’ In Sheep’s Clothing

    What is the s operational model recognizes that are dealted from the governments and first respondes for church Bombing

  • 4
    0

    One thing that can be admired in JVP guys is that their Picturing in right
    words of These Rotten Characters . Early Planter based Class in the country is
    no more . Majority of what we have today is , a false ‘nouveau riche’ that was
    created by Racists with Govt backing at the cost to the public ! And it is this
    class that needs protection from whatever other classes . Recently , a popular
    retailer from Nugegoda was fined for selling Fake Ralf Lauren polo . Just one
    simple daily example as to how unprincipled our guys for money . This is the
    class we have today not the early coconut , tea , rubber or paddy ! Ranil is a
    man never updated about changes . The old colonial time class is now
    surviving on sales of inherited lands for generations . So , there’s no real class
    struggle in the country for the Rulers to panic ! It is all about Fraud and Corruption
    leaders themselves are blended with like never before ! Nouveau Riche are all
    big time thieves and they are part of the economy , forming a new class .

  • 7
    1

    Visvamithira Munivar, where were you and the rest of the so-called Chinkalla intellectuals, when state terrorism, started against the island’s Thamizh, since independence and is still continuig? In deep slumber or meditating? I do not see you all protesting about the current illegal land grabbing by the Sri Lankan state, occupying racist Chingkalla armed forces in the NE, rabid fanatical Buddhist monk and their goons and the so called fake Archeological department and other government departments. Using concocted history to grab ancient Thamizh Hindu and Buddhist temple sites in the north and east, and falsely claim them as Chingkalla Buddhist, many built during an age when there were no Chingkalla language or people. This is a deliberate attempt to destroy the ancient history and symbols of the island’s Thamizh and their historical claim to their homeland and using the power of the state to either destroy them or convert them to Chingkalla Buddhist. Hindu or Buddhist these ancient historical monuments belongs to the island’s Thamizh and is part of their history, as they built them and they have been living in these areas from ancient times.

    • 7
      1

      Trying to use ancient Prakrit, Thamizh Prakrit, and Pali, that was widely used throughout the ancient Buddhist world and deliberately calling it Chingkalla Prakrit, when Chingkallam never existed, as proof that these are ancient Chingkalla sites is the biggest joke. No Chinkgalla language or Chingkalla people, during this era but an imagined Chingkalla Prakrit existed! This is like some clown stating that Arabic. Latin/ancient Greek or Sanskrit that is/was widely used in Islam, Christianity and Hinduism found in ancient Islamic, Christian and Hindu monuments, in various parts of the world are proof that certain people existed and it was their land. What a stupid and idiotic argument but you and the other Chingkalla intellectuals are very happy with these developments and arguments and keep mum and quiet, as this affects the Thamizh and benefits the Chingkallams but now run like headless chooks, as this has come to affect the Chingkallams, just like the Chingkalla Catholic Cardinal, who kept mum, never protested and even stated nothing happened, when state-sponsored terrorism was affecting Thamizh, many of them Catholic but started to jump up and down and call for justice, when it started to affect Chingkalla Catholics.

      • 0
        0

        PK,
        That individual was 100% preoccupied with attaining the esteemed position and was dependent on the ‘Messiah’ and spouse to make sure he attains that noble position!!!???
        It is beyond belief and senseless to even think about his ability to speak the truth at that juncture, because he would have compromised the ‘GRAND PLAN’ to implement the ‘deceit’ of the ultimate decision – Sri Lankan to reach up, close to the ‘Pinnacle of the Catholic Church’!!!??
        ALWAYS RESULT MATTERS IRRESPECTIVE OF MEANS – Undying, Eternal, Sri Lankans’, MOTTO!!??

  • 1
    0

    Looks like it has been difficult to fathom how RW’s brain works?
    No wonder he is number ONE in making use of crooks to achieve his aims. He would like his Nephew to be the next leader of the country

    • 0
      0

      Naman,
      You mean “Uncle”, instead of ‘Nephew’ – because RW is the “Prodigal Nephew”

  • 2
    0

    Rip Van Winkle. This what Tamils have been telling for the past 40 years and only now rest of the people are now telling.

    • 1
      0

      Blabla,
      Please pardon those who are innocent virtuous selves, because they were all very busy, making Kiri bath and feeding the politicised Police, subservient vigilantes and Home guards, Not forgetting the patriotic Security forces and ensuring ‘Fire Crackers’, were set alight regularly to celebrate the viciousness of those events!!!???
      ALL NOBLE ACTS ENVISIONED BY THE “Messiah”!!!??? Great Missionary and Redeemer!?
      They haven’t faltered or committed any folly, but chorusing, inevitably “HIS MASTERS VOICE”!!!??

  • 4
    0

    We saw the “STATE TERRORISM” in full force on the day of celebrating “IFTAR” by the Muslims in Galle Face green.

    A Police Officer (I believe of SI level) asked a female to say a few words on “IFTAR” before being granted entry to the venue. Then another incident at the venue itself, another Police Officer ( of a higher level than SI) asking the organizers to send away a “Muslim” ( I recognized him as Muslim because of the clothes he was wearing) because he was “Identified” as one who participated and supported the “Aragalaya”.

    All of the above “SHOW” before even passing the new “ATA” under which Police Officers are “Empowered to “Arrest” and “Detain” a person whom they “THINK” is a “Terrorist”.

  • 3
    0

    continued….. I remember the 1983, “Black July” riots, the “Gangs” who ROAMED the country burning houses and destroying property and unleashing a “Killing Spree” of Tamils adopted a similar tactic to identify the Tamils. Whenever these “MOBS” suspected a person to be a Tamil, they stopped and asked them to RECITE a “GATHA”(Hymn) from the Buddhist texts. Failure to do so meant instant “Assault” and most certainly “Death”. I say this with experience because I had to go through this at the Borella junction. I remember it very well because that was the day (July 28, 1989) my daughter was born and I was returning from the General Hospital. That “Black July” was Government “Sponsored” and spear-headed by a powerful Minister Cyril Mathew of UNP under JRJ. So it is the “LEGACY” of UNP.

    Mr “Kadamandiya” gang who talked about the “Galle Face” IFTAR incident told me, a similar incident has taken place in 1915 during the “Muslim/Sinhala” riots. In that, a group of Muslims wearing Buddhist Robes were met by the Sinhalese. They were stopped and asked where are they going or coming from. They (Muslims in Buddhist yellow robes) replied and said: “We are returning after a “VIRITH” (for Pirith) in the village. All were caught and killed.

    Now this “NEW” ATA will give “BIRTH” once again to this kind of “State Terrorism” because the “Monkeys” (in unforms) are going to be handed over the “Razor Blade”.

  • 2
    0

    Simple theatrics where Namal will be the most vociferous opponent of the said act and subsequent to its withdrawal will be accepted as the most patriotic leader who was instrumental in saving this country from a Dictatorship. The herd will swallow this hook, line and sinker.

    • 1
      0

      Harischandra,
      The Great new “Messiah”, presently on the sidelines, mouthing, ‘entreaties’ to the masses, due to the current ‘badmouthing’ the “CLAN” is being subject to and enable to back candidacy, 2029/30!!??
      Grand Plan of the inimitable “Messiah”!!!??

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