31st  August,  2003  Volume 10, Issue 7

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Stop this police terror

I presume a sense of revulsion would have been created in the minds of The Sunday Leader readers after reading the article on the death in police custody of sweep winner, Sunil Hemachandra under mysterious and questionable circumstances. In this country now on the verge of entering the status of a banana republic where the law of the jungle prevails, it is ironical that the very guardians of the law have transformed into perpetrators of atrocities against the public.

These criminal elements in the police force escape effortlessly by manipulating the evidence with the patronage of their unscrupulous superiors and corrupt politicians.

Is civil society going to tolerate this sordid situation anymore? It is incumbent upon right thinking professionals, trade union leaders, clergymen and social service workers to form an effective coalition to combat police terror and safeguard human rights.

In this particular case the government should take immediate steps to exhume the body of this hapless victim and conduct a fresh post mortem independently to determine whether death was due to police assault. Meanwhile the police officers responsible for Sunil's death should be interdicted or sent on compulsory leave forthwith, so that no threats could be held out to witnesses. If the government is sincere in safeguarding the public interest, it should pursue this case vigorously to ascertain whether the police caused the death of Sunil Hemachandra. If so, deterrent punishment should be meted out to those guilty.

I believe never before have human rights been violated as at the present time. In order to eliminate this trend, I suggest that the following measures be implemented with immediate effect.

1 Instant dismissal of police officers found guilty by a court of law for violating human rights, irrespective of rank.

2 Jail terms in addition to fines be imposed on cops guilty of trampling on human rights.

3 Appoint independent tribunals in every province comprising retired judges, public servants, lawyers, doctors, etc, to investigate complaints by the public against police atrocities. It serves no purpose whatsoever in entrusting this job, as at present, to police superiors, as they sweep under the carpet the misdemeanours of their subordinates.

A.J. Fonseka
Aluthgama

Assaulting guardians of the law

The incidence of violence of politicians and their relatives is on the increase. Recently MP with a crowd of about 30 supporters stormed the Seeduwa police station and removed a suspect forcibly from the cell therein. Then another MP was involved in a clash at Nuwara Eliya and two police officers were injured. The clever MP accused the police of having assaulted him and got himself admitted to hospital and the matter ended there.

Then a minister in the up-country walked into the police station armed with a revolver and abused the police officer to his maximum satisfaction. Subsequently the same parliamentarian went to the Borella police station, sat on the chair meant for the OIC and refused to leave the station untill his supporter who was to be charged with a traffic offence was sent out scot free.

Recently a minister's son who was writing obscenities on a convent wall assaulted a police officer who went to stop this.

The latest incident is a minister's son-in-law had kicked a police sergeant following a road accident in the heart of Colombo.

Complaints with regard to these incidents are reported to have been inquired into by the police in detail. I am confident the IGP would have protested against these acts on the part of the public.

The Prime Minister has enough and more work. It is the duty of the disciplinary committee to take action against errant politicians and their henchmen.

The rule of the law must be allowed to prevail at any cost.

Ananda Jayasena
Boralasgamuwa

PM told to pull up his socks before it is too late

It is said that Nero fiddled his violin while Rome was burning. It appears to us that the government headed by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is fiddling with the peace process while our beloved land is heading for ruin.

Newspapers have highlighted the alleged misdeeds of cabinet ministers such as the likes of Wijesekera, J.J., and we are told even Rajitha Senaratne has some dirty linen to wash.

The police either will not, or cannot do their job due to blatant thuggery by government party supporters who have the brass to assault police officers who will not do their bidding. A minister has turned thug by threatening to murder newsmen who are exposing his corrupt activities.

Has the PM no guts to get rid of these undesirables? Is he more interested in remaining as prime minister for fear of any disciplinary action which may make him lose his majority?

We see the police occasionally arresting so-called underworld gangs while murder, robbery, rape and other serious crimes continue to escalate. We also see large numbers of police officers on our roads, checking on speeding vehicles. That appears to be all they know of traffic/motoring offences.

Buses which are a serious hazard due to their condition and which are obvious to any idiot are freely being used on our roads. They often have no brake lights or signals and the drivers ignore all road rules. Vehicles often ignore traffic lights. The list is endless and the police are uninterested in bringing a sense of road discipline to bear on errant motorists. They appear to be interested only in catching speeding vehicles, may be because there is said to be money in it!

Then the medical sector is very corrupt where shady activities have even crept into the channelling system for consultations.

The country has steadily gone down in virtually all aspects of life as far as the common man is concerned although ministers haughtily talk of balance of payments, the country's financial position etc. What the ordinary man is interested in is a life within their means free of fear from politicos who have proved they are no more than common thugs (some ministers included) and where they can transact business with government agencies without having to bribe their way to get their needs attended to.

Amidst all these urgent and important problems, we are told that the Prime Minister is pre-occupied with the peace process! The way things are going we ordinary folk believe that he does not have the foggiest idea of what we consider to be priorities. The average villager gives more importance to the price of onions and potatoes etc. and the freedom to live without fear. He is less interested in the so-called progress the government is making with the peace process.

Anyone who knows the work of the Norwegians will say they have been very partial to the Tigers and more interested in doing them favours than to the government. The Norwegians are there for what they can and will get out of it, no doubt at the expense of the Sinhala south.

We have voted for the UNP from about 1950. But now, we doubt we will continue to support the party. We would suggest that the PM pulls up his socks and gets the country out of the present mess or retire gracefully before he gets thrown out at the next elections.

Sunil Perera
Nugegoda

Legitimising desertion - serious consequences

I almost choked on my breakfast rotti when I saw the headline in a recent daily, 'Army to de-list 50,000 deserters.' Most people are of the opinion that the top brass of the army should show greater dedication and commitment, but this new development only serves to create the impression that they may have taken complete leave of their senses!

One wonders whether this has the blessings of the Minister of Defence and the whole cabinet. If so, one can only form the conclusion that lunacy has pervaded the upper echelons of power.

Has anyone given serious thought to the repercussions of this seemingly asinine and totally irresponsible decision?

Our crime rate is at an all time high because the army has unleashed over 50,000 fugitives from justice, who are trained in the art of warfare and killing, on the rest of our society. The figure is actually closer to 60,000 than 50,000. It is also learned that these deserters have decamped with their weapons. Reliable information also has it that there are over 35,000 T56 rifles in circulation, not counting lesser arms.

How come there are so many deserters? There may be several reasons: lack of morale; lack of leadership; poor example from the top; poor recruitment policy; inadequate training; generally bad administration; difficult living conditions etc. Nevertheless, desertion is a criminal offence and deserters should be apprehended and brought to justice, in this case, court martial. The very fact that the number of deserters has increased to 50,000 can only be reasonably construed as negligence and apathy at the top.

What effect will this have on the morale of the rest of the army; the vast majority of servicemen who have complied with army regulations and served the army and the country faithfully one does not have to elaborate. The repercussions are quite obvious.

Legitimising desertion will result in serious consequences to the whole country. Is there some irresistible political pressure being imposed on the army to whitewash these criminal elements that are terrorising and plundering society with impunity?

Desertion is viewed so leniently in the army that the only antidote proposed is a massive recruitment drive! Can anything be more ridiculous? Military administration is obviously in dire straits and the oft-quoted military axiom would apply admirably in our situation - "There are no bad soldiers; only bad officers."

Disregard for accountability in people in positions of power has now become a national trait, and there is not the slightest indication that this government intends to change that. It does appear that those in high ranks are absolved from accountability by governmental edict.

The attitude of calmly accepting and reporting this preposterous decision of the army only indicates that even the watch dogs of the nation have fallen asleep or perhaps it is easier to look the other way, ignore the unpleasant, toe the party line. To whom then can we appeal to put a stop to this lunacy and restore a semblance of sanity to the proceedings?

Disciplining over 50,000 deserters is a monumental task, no doubt, but taking the easy way out and legalising desertion will only compound the errors already made. Deserters must be relentlessly pursued and brought to book. They must face trial and pay for their transgressions against the army and against the people. However, when passing judgement, administrative shortcomings must be taken into consideration as mitigating factors.

Fresh recruitment must only be undertaken with a view to containing this monster created by the army. To do anything else is to perpetrate an even greater calamity on our peoples.

John W. Hardene
Colombo 3

Phone calls: pinching the poor to pay for the rich

Now Sri LankaTelecom informs customers that they are to get 200 units free but at a higher rental of Rs. 450. Sri Lankans are suckers for sale gimmicks - and this really takes the cake.

What in effect is happening, considering the increase of Rs. 250 in the rental, is that all are paying for 80 units at the rate of Rs. 3 per call. There are many lower middle class people who are very careful of their calls, who may not be using the phone even this much usually. But now what will happen is that they will take calls because it's free up to 200 units. On the other hand, those who won't be using that much also will be paying unnecessarily.

The poor should be able to have at least the telephone facilities at a lower rate. The new system is helping to pinch the poor to pay for the rich - rather it should be the other way about. Let the rental be Rs. 200 as it is, but if SLT needs money, let them charge an increasing rate for the users of more units, as it happens in water. Let the first 200 units be at Rs. 3 and second block at higher rate - this way those who use the phone more will pay more, the less privileged will be able to manage within their income. This way, all will be careful.

Dr. Mareena Reffai
Dehiwala

Where is the transparency?

It is unbelievable that the Finance Ministry was not aware of a shortfall in VAT collections to the tune of Rs. 20 billion until the end of the fiscal year. VAT is collected from the taxpayer either on a quarterly or monthly basis. Either there is no accountability at the Inland Revenue or the Finance Ministry officials are too lazy to look at reports sent by Inland Revenue.

It should be made mandatory for all revenue collection institutions of the government to display to the public at their premises, a comparison of their budgeted collection targets with actual collections on a quarterly basis. The public cannot then be hoodwinked to believe every Finance Ministry statement and besides, the public would be in a position to advise the government on corrective action.

The government should have realised the latter from the numerous letters to the newspapers regarding the shortfall in VAT collections. It is unfortunate that the Finance Ministry or for that matter any government department ever responds to criticism levelled against them through these letters. Retired consultants who can only find employment in government ministries can only give useful advice, seems to be the belief of many ministers.

Furthermore, if there is a genuine desire to be transparent and accountable the annual financial statements of all statutory bodies/government institutions should be published in newspapers, thereby giving the public the opportunity to comment on them. Invariably this would help the Auditor General with his audits of these institutions in subsequent years. May be the Auditor General's Department would care to comment.

N. Jayadeva
Colombo

Two months have passed since the tragic event that claimed five innocent lives.

Inna Lillahi Wainna Ilaihi Rajioon

(We came from Him and unto Him we return)

The grieving hearts of the parents of these five young men that constantly bled were incessantly stanched not by balm but by the tears streaming down their cheeks. Thus the anguish and trauma suffered by them is immense and infinite.

All five young lives were smothered out of existence in a tragic moment. Reflecting on the events of the last 60 days we are consoled by the fact that many things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.

Shafraz performed Umrah with his parents in 1994. Being widely travelled from a young age, his knowledge of the world was immense.

All those whom he came into contact widely acclaimed his intellect, foresight and vision. His willingness to respect elders, his initiative and enterprise, his gentle and affable manners, his courage of conviction, his friendly disposition and willingness to help the needy, endeared him to one and all.

The letters from Middlesex University conveying their condolences had also mentioned therein that he had done exceptionally well in the first part of his final BIT course. Mention was also made that "he achieved very high marks in all his assessments."

Before he left for the UK, he was a student at APITT where he made numerous friends. Its monthly magazine sings his praises and showers him with laurels.

Tributes were also paid to him at several important fora where he frequently mixed with other members freely - Sri Lanka - Indonesia Friendship Association, Prisoners Welfare Association, Welikada, All Ceylon Moors Association, Sri Lanka-Pakistan Friendship Association and Friends of the Accident Service are some of the several organisations that observed two minutes silence in his memory.

His kindness and friendly feeling for others won the hearts of many as witnessed by the massive crowds at his funeral. The three institutions of learning, Royal College, Wycherly International School and APIIT where he studied were well represented by a cross section of teachers, students and parents.

Had Providence given him the chance as was expected, he would have gone back to the UK in August and bagged the BIT degree, thus completing his final in December 2003 coming out with flying colours. But fate decreed otherwise. In the midst of life we are in death.

His parents who fulfilled his every wish had a great sense of satisfaction in that he stood up to more than their expectations.

His altruistic spirit was his noble quality that was in-built and embedded in him. He epitomised all that was good kind, sincere, friendly, honest, just and gentlemanly.

May Allah grant to him and to his four other friends Jennothul Firdows as they were together in life and so were they in death.

All praise to Allah, the Lord who knows best.

Requiescat in pace
Zafaraullah Hathy
Colombo 3