By Shenali Waduge. Sunday, 23rd March 2014.
This is a wakeup call for Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans. Juxtapose the calls for all military to be removed from Sri Lanka’s North and link that to the sudden emergence of guns, former unrehabilitated LTTE rs ‘stealing’ gun detectors in possession of demining NGOs and we have the makings of another trouble brewing. These events are by all means not isolated and cannot be brushed aside as figments of anyone’s imagination. What we need to do is to expose the lies and the liars.
We can recall how NGOs had their heavy earth moving vehicles; trucks & tractors “stolen” by the LTTE and those equipment were very helpful to create the bunds/bunkers. The NPA is accused of supply arms and ammunition to the Sudanese rebels in 1986 as well. There is also evidence of LTTE using INGO vehicles as well. Sri Lankan armed forces who overran LTTE’s Stanley Base found electricity generators, water pumps, tents, water bowsers belonging to INGOs – were these stolen too? We can also remember how a senior manager from the Zoa Refugee Care put his lot with the LTTE and did not join the rest of the foreign staff in Vavuniya. There is also the Bergoff Foundation which is also accused of sending LTTE on a ‘study tour’ to Europe. The National Peace Council is also accused of participating in a protest ‘together’ with LTTE in Geneva. Vijitha Herath who headed the Parliamentary Select Committee investigating NGOs claims that they have enough evidence of direct and indirect links between LTTE and ZOA Refugee Care Netherlands.
What more do we need to say when then UN Secretary General issues a condolence message for a dead LTTEer on 7 February 2005 when UN was well aware LTTE was internationally proscribed!
In the backdrop of the above scenario we come to the present where we seriously wonder what tricks the international community is really up to. During the height of the war NGO/INGO vehicles, equipment and what not suddenly ‘disappeared’ and were found with the LTTE. Now, an organization called Dash reports the theft of 5 demining detectors on January 15. Surprise, surprise; one of these mine detectors was found at the residence of R. Madani of Vishvamadu and no guessing that she was a former LTTEer.
Madani’s garden has unearthed the following items:
Mine Detector 01
60mm mortar bombs 05
81 mm mortar bombs 02
RPG bombs 02
Thamilan Grenades 03
7.62 x 39 ammo 378
No 12 Shot Gun ammo 01
5Kg claymore 01
That was 1 of the 5 mine detectors found. The next mine detector (serial number N 21838) was found in the home of the ‘human rights activist’ the now globally famous Balendran Jeykumari on March 13. Who had kept the detector in her home? N. Navanidan who is a senior non-rehabilitated LTTEer (possibly posing as a civilian throughout) The remaining 3 demining detectors are still at large as is Gobi, who fired at a policemen on search operations, and is now absconding arrest. He could well be in Tamil Nadu by now. The fact remains that these incidents are eye openers. They very much form an evil axis at play.
What we need to be aware of is that there are scores of unrehabilitated
LTTEers in the North and possibly throughout the country. That the NGOs are again reporting items missing brings back nightmares of what these ‘stolen’ scenarios may eventually lead to, that detectors in particular are in possession of seemingly ‘ordinary people’ whilst their gardens are not growing vegetables or fruits shows the need for the Sri Lankan state to assert its authority without cowing down to the treacherous TNA, India, the opportunist Tamil Nadu politicians or the foreign nations that have had direct and indirect links with the LTTE over the years.
As a nation we must without politics stand united to say that we are not prepared to allow our nation to return to the days of terror and civilians in particular must be alert and report all acts of espionage taking place.
It calls for the Government to immediately set up a hotline and a dedicated staff to take calls from the public throughout the country of people who are willing to divulge information about activities of locals and foreigners in Sri Lanka working towards destabilizing the country. This data needs to be reviewed, investigated and publicized weekly, so that the public is aware of the situation. Most of all what needs to be relayed is that the public too are duty bound just as the armed forces and police to protect the nation and to safeguard hard won peace. At no cost are we willing to jeopardize this just because some fanciful words called ‘human rights’ ‘democracy’ are thrown at us. We know how these words totally destroyed nations and their people.
The TNA needs to be reminded at all times of its treacherous past and simply because the Government has the goodwill to not charge them for links with LTTE that does not remove their guilt in the eyes of the majority populace.
