Abductions a blessing in disguise

By Anura Maitipe

The abduction of persons by unknown groups are politically motivated, Minister of Posts and Telecommunication D. M. Jayaratne told the 'Sunday Observer'. The Minister said most of the rich persons who were alleged to have been abducted during the past few days have returned to their homes safely.

There was no evidence of paying ransom or acceding to any other demand for their release, the Minister said. The motives behind the abduction drama staged by the UNP is to justify the claim made by the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe at the international forum about human rights' abuses in Sri Lanka. The other side of this drama is to tarnish the image of the government and security forces which fought a hard battle against LTTE terrorism.

The UNP leadership is now playing the Goebbels role earlier played by the LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham at international fora, he said.

Certain people have made use of the situation to free themselves from their wives to enjoy with their pretty ones in unknown locations. With the latest information technology it is not easy to distance oneself from their loved ones. Abduction has now become a blessing in disguise for these people. When some one becomes a victim of abduction no one can contact him. This is a good excuse for them, the Minister quipped.

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