Security imperatives

There is no limit to LTTE terror. Sri Lankans know it all too well and the international community is well aware of the LTTE's track record of carnage. The LTTE simply considers civilian casualties as collateral damage.

And civilians become victims of the LTTE's terror plans whenever the organisation suffers military defeats in the North-East. Civilians also become vulnerable when the LTTE finds it difficult to target military installations and VIPs due to increased security measures.

Thus the bomb explosion at Nugegoda's No Limit store came as no surprise to those who know the LTTE's mindset. The lives of 20 people do not matter to Prabhakaran and his cadres. They do not care whether the victims are Sinhalese, Muslims or even Tamils, whom they claim to liberate. After all, killing Tamil political leaders and civilians who have refused to toe his line is nothing new to Prabhakaran.

It is obvious that many Tiger operatives have infiltrated Colombo and the suburbs under the cover of the Ceasefire. These 'sleepers' lead seemingly normal lives until they are given orders by leaders in the Wanni. Among them are suicide cadres who blow themselves up to take VIP and military targets.

This is an extremely challenging situation for the Police and Security Forces entrusted with providing security to the City and its environs. These hardcore Tigers mingle with ordinary civilians and use a variety of identities. The suicide bomber who failed in his deadly mission to assassinate Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa posed as a Muslim.

On the other hand, the Tigers have succeeded in recruiting unpatriotic Sinhalese to their ranks, as proved by the arrests of 'Sinhala Tigers' some time back. Thus ethnicity is no longer the only factor that Security Forces have to contend with.

In this light, the checking of persons and property and constant surveillance have become essential. After more than 20 years of the conflict, Sri Lankans are used to checkpoints on all major roads.

They are aware that certain civil liberties have to be sacrificed for the greater good of the greatest number. One may get 10 minutes late to arrive in office if the car is searched at a checkpoint, but it is reassuring to know that the Security Forces engage in this thankless job to ensure our safety, not theirs.

They are brave sons and daughters who have signed on the dotted line to serve the Motherland with dedication, wherever and whenever their services are required. Many of them have indeed paid the supreme sacrifice while defending their Motherland.

The State and the Security Forces have the onerous task of ensuring security to the people and vital installations. We live in extraordinary times and extraordinary measures are sometimes called for. Sunday's mass checking of vehicles and people in and around Colombo, in which more than 18,000 Police and Forces personnel participated, was one such exercise.

Even though it was a Sunday, there were long lines of vehicles on roads leading to Colombo as Police and Forces personnel checked all vehicles and persons entering the City.

The authorities succeeded in their attempt to minimise the inconvenience caused to ordinary people by conducting this massive operation on a Sunday, but even then, traffic moved at a snail's pace. The Police and the Forces have extended their gratitude to the people belonging to all communities who cooperated fully with this measure, despite the delays caused to their travel plans.

Newspapers reported that hundreds of people have been detained following this search operation. Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle stressed that all innocent individuals would be released as and when the inquiries are completed without delay. Many have already been released.

Unfortunately, some have called this 'ethnic cleansing'. Nothing could be further from the truth as the number of people arrested is only a fraction of the Tamil community in Colombo. There is also no doubt that the vast majority of the arrested individuals would be released soon.

This has again raised the issue of human rights vis-a-vis national security. As one of our op-ed articles pointed out yesterday, they need not be mutually exclusive. They are now recognised as complementary concepts in the context of the battle against terrorism.

The objective of the terrorists is trampling on our human rights, as evidenced by their barbaric bomb attack in Nugegoda. They violated our freedom to lead a normal life by exploding a bomb - what about the human rights of the 20 victims?

On the other hand, the State has a duty to protect human rights. Ensuring national security is the best way to do so. Terrorists and their bombs kill indiscriminately. The people will have to undergo certain difficulties as the State tries to halt the terrorists' killings. It is in our interest to cooperate with the Security Forces in their fight against terrorism.