By Jehan Perera –
Jehan Perera
The drama over Prisons Minister Lohan Ratwatte could not have come at a worse time for the government. But it can also be the turning point. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is due to address the UN General Assembly in New York this week. The attention of the international human rights community has been focused on Sri Lanka during the past week due to the recently concluded sessions of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Sri Lanka was a country of interest due to its checkered human rights track record, especially in relation to the war, and subject to a special address by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet. Next week will see an EU delegation visiting Sri Lanka to assess the human rights situation in relation to the GSP Plus tariff privilege that the country obtained again in 2017 having lost it for seven years in 2010.
The immediate challenge to the government’s plans for economic recovery hinge on its ability to keep the GSP Plus and not lose it. This privilege, which permits the country’s exports entry to the EU market without the payment of import duties, has helped to sustain Sri Lankan business enterprises during the Covid-induced economic downturn. With the exception of the tourism related business sector, several export-oriented business sectors have been showing healthy profits due in large measure to the GSP Plus facility. The GSP is given on condition that human rights are being protected in the country concerned, which has become a question mark for Sri Lanka. The questions have grown since the change of government. The attempt to withdraw from the commitments with regard to human rights given by the previous government when it co-sponsored UNHRC Resolution 30/1 in 2015 has not been well received by the international human rights community.
The alleged offences committed by Minister Ratwatte, and the delayed response by the government undermines its presentation of facts and arguments that Foreign Minister Prof G L Peiris made during his presentation in Geneva last week intended to show that the Rule of Law, independence of state institutions and human rights are to be found in the country. Minister Ratwatte is alleged to have entered two prison compounds, visited the gallows in one along with his personal friends and threatened Tamil prisoners in another with his gun and made them kneel down before him. However, he has denied doing anything improper and his version has, according to media reports, been corroborated by prisons authorities who have claimed that no untoward incidents have occurred. This has been amidst claims and counter claims about the availability of CCTV cameras in the high security prisons.
External Intervention
The alleged act of unprovoked disregard for the human dignity of the two prisoners held as LTTE suspects under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which itself violates international standards of human rights, has become a rallying call for unity amongst the Tamil community. This justifies or adds credence to the view that the minorities have security issues in the country and their rights are inadequately protected. Rival Tamil political parties have been issuing statements of condemnation. They have also got onto common platforms in opposition to the minister’s conduct. On the positive side, the protests have not only come from the Tamil community. The mainstream media and opposition political parties have also joined in the condemnation and demanded that the government takes immediate action. In addition, the ruling party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Secretary Sagara Kariyawasam has said that “This type of action cannot be permitted in any civilised society and appropriate action should be taken after investigations.”
There is a need for governmental action that goes beyond the mere resignation of the accused minister from his portfolio of prisons while retaining his other ministries. There is an urgent need for this. In June of this year the European Parliament passed a resolution that the GSP Plus should be withdrawn if Sri Lanka did not show signs of progress in its protection of human rights. The resolution expressed “deep concerns over Sri Lanka’s alarming path towards recurrence of grave human rights violations as described by the most recent UN report on the country, which lists among the early warning signals the accelerating militarization of civilian governmental functions, reversal of important constitutional safeguards, political obstruction of accountability, exclusionary rhetoric, intimidation of civil society, and the use of anti-terrorism laws.”
The government’s position in Geneva was that there is no need for international involvement in either monitoring or investigating human rights violations in Sri Lanka as the country has its own internal mechanisms to do so. Foreign Minister Prof GL Peiris speaking in Geneva said, “We reject the proposal for any external initiatives purportedly established by Resolution 46/1 while domestic processes are vigorously addressing the relevant matters. This will polarize our society, as we experienced with Resolution 30/1. The Council must adhere to its founding principles. External initiatives embarked upon without the cooperation of the country concerned cannot achieve their stated goals, and will be subject to politicization.”
Judicial Action
The problem of impunity for state actors is long standing and precedes the present government. Successive governments have whitewashed the crimes of their members as taking punitive action is politically costly to them. Usually the culprits have political assets that outweigh their crimes in the eyes of the political parties and voters alike. It is this tolerance of conduct with impunity and without accountability by those in government, who set themselves above the law, that has taken the country to the dock of international human rights opinion in Geneva. Unfortunately this type of conduct gained political acceptability during the period of the three decades long war and long periods of emergency rule. However, the war is now over more than 12 years and the last election was fought on promises of a restoration of law and order and the practice of discipline as being national values.
The key area of governance failure highlighted by the UN High Commissioner has been the area of impunity and lack of follow up in emblematic cases where human rights violations are alleged to have occurred. It was on account of this failure of previous governments to ensure accountability, which continues, that the UNHRC Resolution 46/1 of March 2021 mandated the establishment of a special investigation unit at the UN level to monitor the human rights situation in the country and collect information. According to the UN Human Rights Commissioner this “Office’s work to implement the accountability-related aspects of Resolution 46/1 has begun, pending recruitment of a start-up team. We have developed an information and evidence repository with nearly 120,000 individual items already held by the UN, and we will initiate as much information-gathering as possible this year.”
As Minister Ratwatte is a member of parliament it would be appropriate that an independent inquiry be conducted with the investigators being appointed in a bipartisan manner by the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader to instill public and international confidence as this is absent at this time. In the meantime the Minister should be persuaded to resign from all ministerial appointments pending investigation or be removed from such positions as this is an issue that goes to the heart of the issue of impunity. The failure of the Sri Lankan system of justice to act with transparency and integrity in the case regarding Minister Ratwatte will only serve to further justify the stance of the international community regarding the need for external intervention. It will undermine the efforts of the government to argue otherwise. A credible internal investigation and judicial action is necessary if external intervention is to be kept at bay and the GSP Plus is to be retained. This can be the turning point.
AYATHURAY RAJASINGAM / September 21, 2021
First Sri Lanka denied the case of disappearances and finally learned people like Dr.G.L.Peiris came out to show that Sri Lanka has its Commissions to determine the case of disappearances and had evil plans of reducing the number of disappearances to 4,000 after the Mullivaikkal incident, despite the evidences of photos showing that several youths were shot by the Military Forces. Now the Minister of Prisons, Lohan Ratwatte had involved himself in threatening the prisoners by placing revolver on their heads which had been clearly established. Even the Sri Lanka Mrs.World, who had accompanied Lohan Ratwatte, was established, though she had denied at the beginning. Now it is said that the CCTV was malfunctional and the Prison officers could not open their mouth due to unknown pressure. On the whole, Sri Lanka government is in a desperate position to conceal an inconvenient truth from the international community. One ponders whether Sri Lanka ruling politicians are real Buddhists.
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Punchi Point / September 21, 2021
What Ratwatte did was extremely bad and criminal and he should be punished for it. But what the Tamil terrorists did and Tamils like you do is equally bad. What you call “youth” were terrorists responsible for mass murder and unspeakable war crimes. Now you Tamil terror supporters are trying to present these Tamil terrorists as youths and victims. They are not victims. They are terrorists. Srilanka did the mistake of forgiving and pardoning many Tamil terrorists, so now you turn around and try to make all these terrorists into victims. Please note that Srilanka was not fighting youth or civilians, but hardcore vicious brutal Tamil terrorists.
As for Ratwatte, this is not the first time he has done this – just a few days prior he has also gone to another prison and pulled a similar stunt. Nobody bothered about it. Because the victims were Sinhalese. Almost a year ago he had tried to break into Ruwanwaelisaeya in the middle of the night, and threatened and abused the guards there. Nobody bothered.
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Punchi Point / September 21, 2021
Here Ratwatta at Ruwanwaelisaeya:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2Hs4eifFVo
2:40 minutes
Ratwatte should be handled not because of the international issue or the Tamil issue, but because what he has done is despicable. Threatening even terrorists who are imprisoned in that manner is totally abhorrent. Until the international finger-pointing and whining choir with the whip came whipping on Srilanka, the masses were openly condemning and calling for justice for the prisoners. Now everybody is silent, because people feel that they are being attacked by foreign powers. This is what happens when third and fourth parties start meddling in other people’s businesses, even without giving a chance to look into the matter. One of the main reasons for the breakdown of the justice system is this outside element with the ethnic bias. It takes the matters out of the people’s hands and make the people of this country into criminals. The politicians and the criminals actually want it, because they can go free and continue to do the same. These are the dynamics of dysfunction. The outside element is not necessary. The people of this country needs impartial and ethnically neutral support not condemnation.
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Sinhala_Man / September 22, 2021
Thanks, Punchi Point for giving us that video which clearly makes the point that what this thug, Lohan Ratwatte, has been accused of doing is in keeping with his known character.
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That point is well made; why then have so many disliked your comment?
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You should have stopped after saying that. Nobody here has spoken up for the LTTE. Most of them have been killed. Our concern should now be with doing what we can for the Tamils who have survived. Most of them had nothing to do with the Tigers. Among the rest there may be some who admired the Tigers, or who were sympathetic towards them. Let them be. They were never the policy makers. They are now miserable, feel beaten and we should treat them gently.
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How have you received my request?
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Panini Edirisinhe
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MyView / September 24, 2021
Dear SM.
…..…That point is well made; why then have so many disliked your comment?…..
Obvious – because the +s and -s are the views of the sample group who review it. It is no reflection of the value or validity of the comment per se, but only a canvas of the thinking of the sample group. For example the voting in all of SL was 6.9M for SLPP but if you take a sample group like the Colombo electorate, SJB scored more as percentage. It was different in the North.
If this comment was in another publication other than CT, would the same ratio of +s and -s result.
Discernment.
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Ajith / September 21, 2021
Punchi Point,
“What Ratwatte did was extremely bad and criminal and he should be punished for it. But what the Tamil terrorists did and Tamils like you do is equally bad. What you call “youth” were terrorists responsible for mass murder and unspeakable war crimes. “
Can you please explain what you are talking? Are you saying that Ratwatta did was bad and punished but it is same as Tamil terrorists did and the author did and so they also should be punished. Can you please give the names of those Tamil Terrorists and what they did? Do you know why the Tamil prisoners who were threatened by Ratwatte are in prison? Do you know who master mind the Easter Bombing? Where is he or she? Don’t you think the master mind is a Terrorist if you call Saharan a terrorist?
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Punchi Point / September 22, 2021
Ajith, My answer was to Aiyadurai. Read his post and then read mine. I am not interested in finding who the mastermind of Easter Bombings was – as ISIS has already taken the responsibility. Anyways what’s the point in finding masterminds of terrorist attacks AFTERWARDS, when the laws and regulations to finding and preventing terrorist attacks, i.e. the PTA is continuously attacked by the Tamils and their lackeys. Turn to the pages of Colombo Telegraph from beginning of March 2019 to 20th April 2019, and read the attacks on the PTA and anti-terror actions by Srilankan security services from all corners. Then the Easter bombings happened on the 21st April and everybody who were criticising the PTA went dead silent, including the UN and UNHRC, and now they are again starting on the same issues, crippling the security of this country and its people. Without the PTA and laws allowing surveillance where some unavoidable erroneous suspicions and arrests will happen, attacks like the Easter bombings cannot be prevented. Terrorist attacks will happen again, if the laws needed by the police, army and the intelligence services of Srilanka to do their duties are made useless or cancelled.
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Punchi Point / September 22, 2021
What is being said now is that everybody arrested under the PTA are innocent Tamils (and Muslims). Tamil politicians continuously refer to hardcore LTTE terrorists who are responsible for murders as political prisoners. So the question is where did all the Tamil terrorists go? The talk is as if the LTTE has never existed and our army has been fighting against unarmed innocent civilians for 3 decades. No Tamil is supposed to have supported the LTTE, even. Its a joke.
“Do you know why the Tamil prisoners who were threatened by Ratwatte are in prison?”
I was not referring to any particular Tamil terrorist. But, they are in prison for a reason. That reason is that they are guilty of terrorism, which includes, mass murder, aiding terrorist acts like suicide attacks, which are war-crimes, forcible recruitment of children which is also a war-crime etc. If they are innocent, then that should have been proven in court. Most, if not all of the LTTEs who are in prison now, are all responsible directly or indirectly with heinous crimes.
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Punchi Point / September 22, 2021
When it comes to Ratwatte he couldn’t care less who he was threatening, as long as he gets to threaten and do his drunken stunts. My personal view/wish is that Ratwatte should be immediately arrested and made to kneel down and get the same treatment from the very same two prisoners daily for a good many days. That will never happen as it will be unlawful, but if justice is to be served, he should get the same treatment. I have no sympathy for Tamil terrorists, but their human dignity should be respected. What this sub-human creature did was despicable. Correctly speaking its also an act of terrorism, threatening and scaring unarmed prisoners like that. Maybe he could also be legally arrested under the PTA (I don’t know…)? Anyways, this sub-human act by Ratwatte must not go unpunished. If the two prisoners have served many years in prison, and there is no danger for repetition, they should be pardoned and set free as soon as possible, as a compensation for what happened when they were in government custody. That’s the least the government can do. As expected Ratwatte is still free – its pathetic and so very unjust.
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Ajith / September 23, 2021
Punchi Point,
Thank you for responding to me. I understand your point of view. That is your right to tell whatever you like based on your level of capacity and knowledge. Nobody expects you should be different to many others but you are not consistent in your mind . You speak to equal treatment of law but you wanted a separate law or treatment for Tamils. You even don’t know many Tamil prisoners have not charged in Sri Lankan courts and you cannot tell what crime those prisoners did. Anyway I am with you should keep the PTA, particularly now because Sinhalese may become Terrorists when they are suffering from poverty and the government may need to kill them under PTA. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka couldn’t keep its sovereignty and dignity and now begging around the world inviting them to interfere in internal matters.
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Eagle Eye / September 21, 2021
AYATHURAY RAJASINGAM,
“One ponders whether Sri Lanka ruling politicians are real Buddhists.”
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By the same token it is possible to ask whether separatist Tamil politicians who gave their support to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who massacred Sinhala Buddhist men, women, children and even the fetus of pregnant Sinhala women for three decades just to grab their land to create a separate State, tortured and executed members of the Armed Forces and Police and allowed LTTE to recruit children even seven years old by force as child soldiers, use about 300,000 Tamil civilians by force as a human shield are real Hindus, Christians or Catholics.
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AYATHURAY RAJASINGAM / September 21, 2021
Eagle Eye,
I never said that the LTTE are Freedom fighters, but have maintained that they are terrorists. Apparently I also like to mention that Hindu youths were misled by Catholic Fathers like Fr.Singarayer. They instigated the youths to rob the banks and gave the money to these people who had fled the country with the loot while the poor youths languished in prisons. I maintain my contention because when I visited these youths in the prisons they told these truths. Likewise majority of the Tamil politicians supported the LTTE through fear and today some of the Tamil politicians are immatured and do not know what to talk as they lack knowledge in International Affairs.
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Eagle Eye / September 21, 2021
AYATHURAY RAJASINGAM,
You are beating around the bush without giving a direct answer to my question. Separatist Tamil politicians created LTTE after declaring war against Native Sinhalayo by asking Tamils to take up arms to fight to achieve their objective to create Eelam . So, why should they support LTTE through fear. Were they afraid of their own creation?
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AYATHURAY RAJASINGAM / September 21, 2021
It was the 1983 communal disturbances and the blind statement made by J.R.Jayawardene that was instrumental for the creation of the LTTE. Even now I maintain that separation will destroy their Eelam concept. But in my view now a creation of an Independent Territory within the Indian Union comprising the North-East Provinces is inevitable because of the blunders of Rajapaksas’ rule where he leaning towards China.
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Anpu / September 22, 2021
Modaya Blind Eye
“Without the Sinhala Only, the Tiger may have remained unborn. Without the Black July, the Tiger may not have grown exponentially. If the B-C Pact and the D-C Pact did not miscarry (thanks to the midwifery of Sinhala extremism), the LTTE, even if it was born, would have remained a fringe group.”
Can you tell me who said this? A good Sinhalese.
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RBH59 / September 21, 2021
External intervention
Once good friend and intervened later on Afghanistan and Iraq in catchphrase ( are you with us or against us ) that got the Support by the collective will of the world
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Nathan / September 21, 2021
I’ll never get tired of telling that Democracy is not for us! The politically connected will always enjoy a heyday.
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Thiru / September 21, 2021
Rule of law has become pliable in Sri Lanka: If rule of law is strictly implemented the minister must have been arrested and charged for threatening to kill the Tamil prisoners.
Shame on lawless Sri Lankan State, it rulers and all the people who put up with these blatant violation of the law. Why have laws?
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hanchopancha / September 21, 2021
It is really amazing how Srilankans can survive solely on empty rhetoric and world class at that.
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MyView / September 21, 2021
…………..The key area of governance failure highlighted by the UN High Commissioner has been the area of IMPUNITY and lack of FOLLOW UP………….
The UN itself is hypocrisy personified with some ‘mighty’ countries with veto powers to protect their interests or of those like-minded. For example US will protect Isreal while we SL has an ally in China. This is “IMPUNITY”.
Further as per DM today : https://www.dailymirror.lk/breaking_news/UN-Chief-assures-fullest-positive-cooperation-to-SL/108-220731
Is this the FOLLOW UP ?
It is just a drama to allow everyone to say something, pat each other on the back, and the UN staff enjoy monetary and other benefits.
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GATAM / September 21, 2021
The fact is he can win the next election from any party. He has already won!
This is how islanders vote.
Anything else is just imagination.
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Thiha / September 21, 2021
It is quite possible that the Lohan Ratwatte incident was a deliberately created drama to draw the public attention away from something else that Mahinda desperately wanted hidden. That something that he wished to be hidden is the real motive he went to Italy. Hercertainly did not go there to sit on a metal chair similar to one in a school assembly hall and attend a two bit conference completely unconnected to the G20. The G20 summit statement was a lie easily discoverable. Also, he had a snow balls chance in hell of meeting the pope given that the pope a well educated Jesuit knows by now all that there is to know about the ESB and who the real culprits are. So what is the something he wished to hide by going to these extraordinary lengths? A visit to San Morino to introduce his son to the bank where he keeps a stash of loot. These banks cater to third world despots similar to the banks in London. contd..
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Thiha / September 21, 2021
In this world discretion is the name of the game. Wills and other legal instruments do not work. If you want to have someone else take over an account you need to make a trip in person and introduce your heir to the bank in person before you die. If not then the bank keeps your money that will be the last you ever heard of it. That is the something the elaborate web of lies was used to deflect attention from
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Thiha / September 21, 2021
Another curious aspect to this tale is that night flying is banned by the air force for its helicopters and this was confirmed by the civil aviation authority aka. That on that particular night no domestic flights were authorized. Since we know the flight had to have happened it was in violation of Air force rules and unauthorized. Not a stunt a drunk minister could pull off without some help from higher up. There were two other dramas also being staged in quick succession. One is the Gandassara stunt and the third is the opening of bars and liguor shops while claiming innocense as to who authorized it knowing it would stir up a Hornets nest of howls and protests. Very ingenious and getting more and more sophisticated at pulling the wool over the public eye.
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Plato / September 21, 2021
The opening sentence of this essay is revealing;
…….The drama over Prisons Minister Lohan Ratwatte could not have come at a worse time for the Government. But it can also be the turning point………….
Dramas have always been staged………
In this instance look at the timing……
a] To coincide with the UNHRC [Geneva]
b] The visit of the EU Delegation to review GSP Plus tariff.
c] The address by President Gota at the UN General Assembly.
The fall guy [By prearrangement] is Young Lohan.
By next week or so after the arrival of President Gota ,the Govt: will show the World that they are bloody well serious on Human Rights.
MaRa has read Shakespeare……..All the worlds a Stage……………..From As you like it.
The Rajapakses can only be fooled by the Rajapakses……………..
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Lasantha Pethiyagoda / September 21, 2021
As usual, the writer treads too softly on issues where the govt could be faulted. For example, instead of suggesting that the police make preliminary investigations, arrest and lay charges against the minister, he asks that an impartial bipartisan investigation commence. Is that how other crimes are treated? There is a penal code and offences are clearly established in it. What prevents the police from its primary duty of protecting citizens and law enforcement? What is stopping them doing to Ratwatte, what they would have done with gusto, if an ordinary fellow without state patronage had committed the same crime? Does the writer also feel that “internal problems in the country should be solved by the country, and not by external forces” as some stooge monks and other talking heads crap on about?
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Vladimir / September 21, 2021
Spot on Mr. LP. Police need not even wait for anyone to complain. They have to do their duty. Rule of law has not been a strong point for Srilanka. This country is the playing field and pocket borough of the Rajapaksas.
The author of this article will always be on the side of the ruling government party. he recently undercut all other civil soceity organizations and met the President , ministers and the ruling party bigwigs and gave a certificate to the GOSL on the eve of Geneva sessions. The SL government made best use of it.
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Ashan / September 21, 2021
It is ironic that the Sri Lankan government is so defensive and outraged when it comes to the international community asking for accountability for the thousands of missing civilians, yet expect those very communities and wealthy nations to bail us out from our economic woes, or to send us those life saving vaccines. Where is our “national” pride and independence then? We are sending a strong signal to the world when we keep appointing suspected war criminals to top jobs in this country, and then refusing to cooperate with investigations. What does the Rajapaksa government and their cronies have to hide? Actions speak louder than words.
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Eagle Eye / September 21, 2021
Ashan,
“It is ironic that the Sri Lankan government is so defensive and outraged when it comes to the international community asking for accountability for the thousands of missing civilians,…”
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The Government does not want to waste tax payers’ money to look for Tamils killed by LTTE.
‘Missing Persons’ have become a ‘Beggar’s Wound’ for Tamils to create problems for the Government. Tamils who declared war against Native Sinhalayo should take the responsibility for Tamils and Sinhalayo who are missing. About 5000 members of the Armed Forces are reported as missing. Instead of giving priority to them, OMP is wasting money looking for Tamils who were killed by Tamils.
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Punchi Point / September 21, 2021
Has anyone bothered to make a cost estimate of what this criminal drunken politician has done? He has used state helicopters for private errands. Now saying that it was a private helicopter service he used or his own or God knows what. How is it that they have such a lot of money to waste when the country is suffering and people don’t even have enough food. Soon our whole population is going to be malnourished, and the effects of that will show in a couple decades. Some drastic changes must happen, NOW.
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Ajith / September 21, 2021
I don’t know how long this country is going to survive by cheating each other with excuses and explanations. I saw a news item appeared in the Daily mirror top page about the violence by minister Logan Ratwatte and his friends entering the prison and they were drunk abused officers and it was mentioned that the officials confirmed it but commissioner or some one denied. Later that news was disappeared. This was reported before the news of Tamil parliamentarians about the incident that happened in Anuradhapura to Tamil prisoners. So, it is no point of impartial investigation of this matter because we know what will be the outcome.
There is another drama going on in USA. President promising death certificate for all missing people and release of Tamil political prisoners after court procedures and inviting diaspora for talks. What is the purpose of death certificate for those who were handed over or surrendered persons to the military. What is the cause of the death? We all know who ordered to murder all. But will he accept that and will he allow court to decide the outcome of the case?
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Eagle Eye / September 21, 2021
Ajith,
“What is the purpose of death certificate for those who were handed over or surrendered persons to the military. What is the cause of the death? We all know who ordered to murder all.”
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There is no need to give death certificates to those who were handed over or surrendered to the Army because they were accounted for and all of them are alive.
Government might face problems if they give death certificates to those who are hiding in foreign countries under new identities but reported as missing,
Tamils who have mastered the art of fabricating lies keep on repeating these bloody lies to tarnish the image of Sinhala ‘Ranaviruwo’ who defeated the guys who were bragging that they cannot be defeated militarily.
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Ashan / September 22, 2021
This nation could have turned things around, and progressed like other successful nations, but we have one gang after another, of dishonest politicians, and now on top of that we have war criminals, crooks, and pardoned felons given prominency.
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Mallaiyuran / September 21, 2021
Two days ago, a man was arrested in Jaffna for a murder case. This man was holding his i-legitimate girlfriend’s husband’s neck down on the floor under his foot. The wife of that smashed his head with a heavy kitchen instrument. One who reads Tamil News media will see at least two-three murders like this reported daily. But no criminal is caught though the Army and police is such a heavy presence there. Because these are done with Rapist Police & Rapist Army support, police do not arrest anybody. That may not be very surprising for those who know how the 3:1, Rapist army has destroyed the culture and the basic life of the NorthEast. The astonishing part is that particular criminal has committed, 40 high crimes like murder, rape & armed robbery. With all that bags & baggage, that criminal walked into another man’s house, had sex with his wife, took the woman’s help and crushed house holder head. It is as simple as that. This Jehan PhD repeatedly saying above that the clown GLP was telling facts in UN & UNHRC, but the Tamil LTTEyers are creating a story that the Buddha II, aka rowdy Ratwatte, entered into two prisons and pulled the gun on them. Can Jehan PhD tell us how the framed-up Tamil terrorists selected the rowdy Ratwatte to blame? Do they know him? How?
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Eagle Eye / September 22, 2021
Mallaiyuran
“Rapist army has destroyed the culture and the basic life of the NorthEast.”
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You admit IPKF that raped Tamil women destroyed the culture and the basic life of the NE.
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Mallaiyuran / September 21, 2021
Long ago the Welikada prison’s hanging poles should have been renovated and should have hanged this rowdy beast. He is accused as the reason for 10 Muslims’ shot to death in the past. He is an unbelievable racist. Jehan PhD wants to save him. So, Jehan PhD framed that the Tamils are lying but the Zero Causality terrorist Aanduwa and ministers are telling the truth. It is not just that, Jhan PhD says that there were no CCTV cameras so the court should let him go. Jehan PhD can’t remember that the CCTV can do nothing to Sinhala Buddhist; in Child Balachandran case the army took the pictures and shot him point blank, but the case is not taken up by Aanduwa. Jehan PhD, by mistake, thinks Ratwatte is the only case that UN & UNHRC has come to know about Jehan PhD’s masters. Cardinal, who is more related to Aanduwa and more influential than Jehan PhD has changed his mind and decided to tell the ” Fact”, because UN & UNHRC had come to know the truth about the Aanduwa bombing of Tamil Churches and tourist hotels.
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Mallaiyuran / September 21, 2021
Jehan PhD is playing his double role again in the Rowdy Lohan case. This is what he played on Tilak’s withdrawal from UNHRC, taking help from Lord Nesaby, playing Nathasuram at Jaffna university and many other cases.
Time for Jehan to start to tell truths, instead of his & GLP’s facts, otherwise soon he too will be facing the same situation for his donation that what now Appe Aanduwa is facing for the GSP.
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Mahila / September 21, 2021
“Until the international finger-pointing and whining choir with the whip came whipping on Sri Lanka, the masses were openly condemning and calling for justice for the prisoners.”
So what was the outcome of the clamour by the ‘masses’ for condemning and calling for ‘Justice’?
Nothing happened even before the international attention, except the drama of the state minister’s resignation.
No police arrest under the penal code. No enforcement of the ‘Rule of Law’
SL police force as it is now does not know what they are supposed to do. They do not know what is rule of law or the penal code, unless the minister in charge, PM or president give such direction. Why?
That is what you mean by Impunity of power over righteousness.
Jokers.
Blame all your shortcomings on others, 3rd and 4th parties intervention!
If your police force was effective, they would not await Sarath W to instruct them to investigate, because they would know, what to do and what brought them the last months pay check. Jokers.
Blame all others but yourselves for all your follies!
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Sinhala_Man / September 22, 2021
Mahila, you have said all that had to be said. Thanks.
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When we know that we are at fault, there may not be a need to go around breast-beating in atonement.
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Our silence will be eloquent testimony of our regret.
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But we must demonstrate our contrition by investigating our probable lapses.
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Mahila / September 24, 2021
SM, (A. K. A. Panini E)
Thanks for the response and kind words of encouragement
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Eagle Eye / September 22, 2021
Mahila,
“Blame all others but yourselves for all your follies!”
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Tamils and Muslims also do exactly the same. Native Sinhalayo who accommodated these people in their country are the scapegoat for all the blunders they have committed.
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Mahila / September 24, 2021
EE,
Please forget the attitude of “who accommodated whom?” Irrelevant
First and foremost, finding a person, who exhibits that quality acts a Statesman and Leader unify the country, for progress in this world.
That is most important focus and objective to salvage SL
That is the need of the hour.
Not
1. “Who accommodated whom?” And
2. “Who did what and who didn’t do what?”
Probably, if didn’t contribute anything of a good outcome or productively, which is the need of the hour for salvation. Leave them aside!
That requires unity of purpose and cohesion, definitely not divisiveness and Blame game, which Sri Lankans excel by ‘leaps and bounds’ than those elsewhere in this world!
Hopefully, you will agree that all should unite to remove the attitude of this “Scape goatish” attitude and address all the issues dispassionately and resolve to reach the desired outcome, for future betterment of SL and its people!
That is the sole purpose and ultimate too and not interregnum until the “HR resolution of UNHRC ‘blows over or GSP storm’ abates.”
All those mattered would be remembered for eternity as the founders of ‘New’ SL. Post 2021.
Unity in Diversity = Strength Par excellence.
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Mahila / September 21, 2021
LTTE (Tamil community) and JVP (Sinhalese community) revolts are 2 sides of the same coin.
Disenchantment of Governance!
They were the outcome of the state sponsored discrimination, anti-social programmes of the government to vilify and victimise parts of the Sinhalese and Tamil community of Sri Lanka by the state/government sponsored progroms of Sri Lankan state over a period of time.
There were times during the insurrection of the JVP (both instances – people kept away from work, attending funerals, carried the casket below knee level of those killed by JVP, attending schools etc and observed hartal).
Nobody asked the question, “Why should the people follow/support JVP through fear. Were they afraid of their own creation?”
I can’t remember, even the then editors of the Daily News or Observer, who were in well protected environs ever raising this question.
Were those astute editors chosen by the ‘powers that be of that time’ acted with fear? Or change of heart for some other devious reason?
Or did they question the JVP or the misadventure of Richard de Zoysa (who is he, what is he doing? drama) out of fear for their lives from above!
Perhaps lapdogs of rulers!
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Good Sense / September 26, 2021
Concentrating on the main aspect of this article, Lohan, has lot of dirty linen in his cupboard. According to the knowledgeable, he has a reputation of behaving badly say in “Old-boy” clubs. However, he held his “prisons” portfolio for about a year and there were no issues reported. There goes his bravado and hey presto! He resigns only one of his portfolios and that too is not a straightforward letter of resignation. To me, it smells something. The whole thing is piece of acting the goat to achieve some ulterior motive. Possibly to create a lead story to distract and divert attention out of another issue that must be swept under the carpet. Another could be a poor show to establish that there is a thing called the “rule of law” and the respect for “prisoner’s rights”. “You know! In Mother Lanka, No one is above the law. Even with Lohan, our bosom pal the law is the law”. In this country we have been electing a quite a lot of Lous XIV for some time who would say “Le Loi! Le Loi! Le Loi ce Moi” (The law! The law! I am the law!).
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