Premadasa regime undermined Security Forces

By K.M.H.C.B. Kulatunga

The 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Sri Lanka has been a hot topic among most politicians. A wide range of views has been aired by politicians, from the Government and from the Opposition.

The 13th Amendment to the existing 1978 Constitution was made exactly 20 years ago - in 1983 by the then Government headed by late President J.R. Jayewardene. He succumbed to international pressure and hurriedly brought the 13th Amendment. The controversial Indo-Lanka Agreement and the introduction of the Provincial Council system followed, amidst stiff resistance by the Opposition political parties.

It was said that even most of the then Cabinet Ministers were kept in the dark when Jayewardene inked the Indo-Lanka Agreement with the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

A wide range of opinions have been expressed on the 13th Amendment - 13 plus, 13 minus and even the abolition of the amendment altogether. Whatever it is, anything that could affect the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity should not be tolerated.

Fearless leader

Certain Tamil politicians and Tiger cohorts are still daydreaming of a separate state. They now resort to various tactics to win what Prabhakaran could not achieve by an armed struggle, through democratic means.

Fortunately, we have a fearless leader who will not bow down to international pressure and would go that extra mile when it comes to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. If not for his political sagacity and farsighted vision, Prabhakaran could have well achieved his goal.

Those who preach after the eradication of terrorism never practise what they preach in their countries. Though the Western countries go all out when it comes to their national security, they pontificate a different theory to us. Of course they do have a right to protect their people and their countries' sovereignty. But what they have conveniently forgotten is that Sri Lanka too has an equal right.

British counter-terrorism police recently arrested three people suspected of involvement in the killing of a soldier hacked to death in a London street by two men shouting Islamist slogans.

The killing of the soldier, in what the government said appeared to be a terrorist attack, led to angry protests against radical Islam and fears of a possible anti-Muslim backlash. Michael Adebolajo (28) and Michael Adebowale (22) were held under armed guard in hospital after being shot and arrested by police on suspicion of the murder.

Three arrested

The three men arrested are suspected of conspiracy to murder. London police said two of them were hit by electric Taser guns, but neither needed hospital treatment. Eight people have now been arrested in connection with the murder of 25-year-old Lee Rigby, who served in Afghanistan. No one has been charged.

The British defence authorities had said that those who were arrested have been under surveillance even before the arrest. But if Sri Lanka's defence authorities have done the same, the West would have made a big hue and cry over human rights. Of course, what the British authorities have done was perfectly right as the West has been subjected to Al Qaeda terrorist threats.

But what we try to emphasise is that Sri Lanka, as a sovereign nation, too enjoys similar rights when it comes to national security and the West do not have any right whatsoever to question the Government on the measures it takes in the broader interests of the nation.

The British authorities have acted in such a manner for killing only one soldier in an isolated incident. But hardly anybody in the West uttered a word when LTTE terrorists killed 774 policemen attached to the Batticaloa and Ampara police stations. The 23rd anniversary of that brutal massacre falls on Tuesday.

June 11, 1990 could be considered the saddest day in Sri Lanka Police history as it lost 774 policemen in the East. The policemen from the eastern towns of Batticaloa and Ampara were forcibly taken into the jungles, blindfolded, with hands tied behind their backs and shot to death.

The incident took place after the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) had just left the country and the Jayewardene regime was preparing for peace talks with the LTTE. Though the atmosphere was tense, the Premadasa regime gave strict instructions to the Security Forces not to retaliate regardless of any provocations. Perhaps, the then UNP Government would have been looking for peace at any cost.

Free hand

The Premadasa regime undermined the Security Forces and restricted their control, thereby giving a free hand to the Tiger terrorists to do anything they want in the guise of peace talks. The Security Forces stationed in the East were ordered to confine themselves to their camps.

The ugliest part in humiliating the Security Forces was that they had to even obtain passes from the LTTE, whenever they had to move out of their camps. Perhaps, that would have been the one and only instance in the world where a legitimate army took passes from a terrorist group to go out of their camps.

The LTTE made full use of the peace talks and from April 1 to June 10, 1990 the LTTE cadres were building bunkers and other constructions in the vicinity of Army camps. Once the LTTE strengthened their grip and strengthened their military capability, they went all out, thereby taking the Premadasa regime for a good ride.

The arrest of a contractor who tailored uniforms for the LTTE was the closest incident to the abduction of policemen in the East. The arrest incensed the Tigers and some LTTE cadres had even threatened Police officers saying, that they would kidnap all policemen on the following day.

The then UNP Government blindly believed that they could achieve peace at any cost and was willing to give anything that Prabhakaran demanded in the guise of peace. Calls for reinforcements, and permission to use weapons against the Tigers were turned down by the then President R. Premadasa, thereby forcing the Security Forces to risk their lives. The Police was instructed to solve the problem through negotiation.

Policemen massacred

On June 11, 1990, police stations in Batticaloa, Kalmunai, Vellaveli, Valachenai, Kalavanchikudi, Eravur, Samanthurai and Akkaraipattu were attacked and hundreds of policemen were arrested by the LTTE. They also ransacked the armouries of the police stations and took away hundreds of T-56 rifles, shotguns, machine guns and many other weapons.

The terrorists then herded the policemen into buses and took them to the Thirukkovil jungle. The LTTE made them lie face down on the ground, with their hands tied behind their backs.

"They flashed a torch on our faces and shot us one by one. I was shot on my arm and managed to run and hide in a small village," SI Shantha Ranaweera, a resident of Galgamuwa and one of the few survivors, was quoted as saying. Of the 899 policemen arrested by the LTTE on that day, only 125 managed to survive.

This week marks the anniversaries of several other LTTE atrocities, including the brutal killing of 13 Sinhalese settlers by armed Tiger terrorists at Dehiwatta, in the Polonnaruwa district on June 11, 1985.

On June 11, 1986, two bombs exploded in two CTB buses in front of the Bank of Ceylon and the other in close proximity to the SP's office, along Inner Harbour Road, Trincomalee almost simultaneously. The two buses were plying to Kantalai and Colombo. 22 persons were killed due to the explosion and 75 others were injured.

Prabhakaran always thought that the LTTE was the sole representative of the Tamils. Hence, he did not leave room for any of his rival terror groups or moderate Tamil political leaders to win the hearts of people in the North and the East. On June 14, 2003, the leader of the EPRLF, Thambirajah Subathiran was murdered in Jaffna by an LTTE sniper. Subathiran had been critical of the way LTTE had been harrasing the Tamils in Jaffna. He ultimately paid with his life.

Bus blown up

LTTE terrorists attacked a packed passenger transport bus on June 15, 2006, by triggering a couple of hidden bombs that killed at least 64 people. It was the worst LTTE attack since the 2002 ceasefire.

Among the unfortunate victims were at least 15 children, their blue school uniforms coated with blood and gore as authorities laid out the corpses at Anuradhapura Base Hospital. Seventy eight people were wounded in the attack.

The bus was blown up with land mines hung from a tree detonated by remote control. Rigging bombs to trees or bicycles had been a common LTTE tactic, so the ground does not absorb much of the blast.

Most of the passengers in the ill-fated bus were heading to the funeral of a policeman killed in another LTTE attack. The roof of the bus was stained with blood with shoes, mobile phones and other belongings scattered around.

The LTTE terrorists unleashed its profound killing spree since August, 2005 with the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadiragamar. Four months later, the Tigers killed 12 sailors, the first major attack in four years.

After a 28-year bitter and internecine struggle with LTTE terrorists, Sri Lanka finally achieved peace in May, 2009. Since then, the country has achieved a praiseworthy milestones in resettlement, development and national reconciliation.

There has been a billion dollar program for the North and East, building the lives and infrastructure of the people in the two provinces. More importantly, over 11,600 ex-LTTE cadres have been rehabilitated and absorbed into society after life skill development programs.

The Northern and the Eastern provinces have been developed on par with other provinces and the people in the two provinces have begun a new life.

Why can't the West, especially those who level allegations against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC, see these positive developments? They can't expect us to perform something which no other country had achieved so far after a conflict situation.

Hence, Sri Lanka needs time to fully implement its reconciliation mechanism. No country could force anything on us. The democratically elected Government is only answerable to the people of this country and not to the peace agents of the West.