Killing spree in the north

IN times of peace, or at least since the heroic crushing of terrorism in the north and east, the phrase “killing spree” can be disturbing. But this is the reality in the north.

This was confirmed by the main Opposition United National Party (UNP) as well as the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Parliament on Thursday. It was TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran who moved an adjournment motion to debate the deteriorating security situation in Jaffna.

UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe claimed 10 people were killed in Jaffna in just eight days, whilst the overall number is said to be 16 within several weeks. He warned of a serious lapse of law and order, thereby endangering the lives of ordinary civilians in the north.

He, as well as the TNA’s Sumanthiran, alleged that the Government has done little to address the breakdown of law and order in Jaffna. The latter stressed that apart from killings, a higher number of kidnappings, extortions and other crimes were reigning in Jaffna.

The Government’s response to these allegations came from Premier D.M. Jayaratne, who opined that the Opposition was exaggerating the situation.  He implied that crime in Jaffna was as equal as the level in the rest of the country, hence there wasn’t anything extraordinary. Unlikely to be believed by the Opposition, the Premier also said that the Government was taking action to improve the law and order situation and that several arrests had been made in recent months.

Even if the Government was right in its assertion that the Opposition was making a mountain out of a molehill, the fact remains that a relatively higher number of killings have taken place in Jaffna in recent weeks. Irrespective of politics, it is the duty of the Government, which received commendation for liberating people in the north from the clutches of the LTTE, to ensure precious lives are saved.

The TNA MP linked the killings to a party that is close to the Government. Whilst this is yet to be proved and may not be verified at all, the allegation casts a shadow on the Government’s credibility and sincerity.

The rising crime wave is unfortunate and the battle of words in Parliament came few days after President Mahinda Rajapaksa toured the north and met ordinary civilians after participating in the national Thai Pongal celebrations.

The spontaneous reception the President received from the people was heart-warming. Ever since the defeat of the LTTE in May 2009, there are growing signs of the northern people looking upon President Rajapaksa to uplift their lives. But two years since the end of war, the progress has been slow and the crime wave will certainly make the situation worse.

Former US Envoy in Sri Lanka and now the Assistant Secretary of State for Bureau of South and Central Asia Affairs Robert O. Blake Jr., on Wednesday addressing an audience at the Rice University in Houston, Texas, had opined that while post-war Sri Lanka had made significant progress in the economic front, its reconciliation process had not proceeded sufficiently.

“I hope that the Government will act on the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission it set up, as part of wider efforts that will be needed to help establish a lasting peace,” Blake said, referring to the Reconciliation Commission appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

For a community which had suffered most from the 30-year war, expectations are certainly higher for northerners. Whilst politicians continue to remain petty, the youth are getting restless as well. It is also perhaps a curse that the north and south have failed to fully trust each other though many wounds have healed and new bridges of unity have been built.

This regret must have been in President’s mind when he urged the people in the north to trust him and that he would provide a prosperous future. “We will provide all assistance that you need. You can lay trust in me. Let us all unite to build this beautiful country under one flag,” the President said in his address at the Thai Pongal festival at the Duraiappah Stadium in Jaffna.

In an apparent reference to the crime wave, the President assured the people of Jaffna that no room would be given for Mafia elements to raise their heads, whether it was in Colombo, the south or the north.

While the President must be commended for frequenting the north and meeting people as part of giving leadership, he needs to deliver fast in terms of restoring normalcy to the extent that people could live without fear. That is the true freedom, seeds of which the President sowed by crushing the LTTE and which he must continue to nurture.