Rajapaksa’s security and terrorist detainees

Thursday, 10 December 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

There is a controversy I was reading about the providing security to former President Rajapaksa and terrorist detainees.

As of November 2015 there are still 107 detainees held by the US without trial or without any concrete evidence at Guantanamo because these are believed to be hardcore terrorists. Even some who were released had gone back to join Al Qaeda and other extremist groups. The current SL Government says former President Rajapaksa released 12,000 LTTE cadres. Weren’t they just regular combatants and weren’t they in rehabilitation camps and deemed not a threat?

The current Government wants to release by saying “Rajapaksa released 12,000” rehabilitated; they do not say “the intelligence services have deemed them harmless and pacifist and Gandhian now”; are they more hardcore Tiger leaders and those responsible for terrorist attacks, etc. and unrepentant? There is a difference and that is why the US also is retaining these people at Gitmo. One may argue that they too are political prisoners!

On the allegations of reduction of security; that is sad if it is true and done out of spite or revenge. Just like humiliating FM Sarath Fonseka was wrong and reducing his security was wrong and also just as it was wrong for the then Rajapaksa regime of which FM Fonseka was part of as well, to have purportedly reduced Chandrika Kumaratunga’s security; she had to write to the Secretary to the President to appeal to him. She is the only democratically elected leader of any nation in the world who survived a suicide attack by terrorists.

There are people who would love to assassinate Rajapaksa and his brother and FM Fonseka. FM Fonseka luckily survived the terrorist attack on him and was the architect of the key concept of eight-member long-range deep penetration teams that wreaked havoc behind enemy lines. It was wrong of them to have reduced security for him too.

These people deserve lifelong protection from those still wanting to assassinate them. Investigating and prosecuting cases of corruption, etc. are a different matter.

Something I find frightening is the number of people who were very powerful members of the Rajapaksa Cabinet and more than likely benefited from it who are now the most vociferous attackers which is different from the UNP Opposition leaders who were always critical of him. There seems to always be this spiteful nature to get even by people at different times when they are in power against the defeated; it is not just a recent phenomenon.

Mano Ratwatte