Lokuge's take on Kandy riots

Strange and bizarre theories have been floated these days by members of the Joint Opposition in the immediate aftermath of the Kandy racial riots. Some like MP Udaya Gammanpila has placed the blame for the anti-Muslim attacks squarely at the doorstep of the government. His reasoning. The UNP leader wants a diversionary ploy in order to suppress the No Confidence Motion to be moved against him, in parliament. He is also of the view that the mayhem was also intended to take the gloss away from the pohottuwa's victory at the recent local government elections. Mahinda Rajapaksa is of the view that the Kandy mayhem is going to be used by the government to pass the proposed new constitution with a view to divide the country, at the behest of the western powers and the Tamil diaspora.

Not to be outdone, Gamini Lokuge is of the firm belief that incarcerating Intelligence officers of the police and military paved the way for the lack of feedback in order to give the government a forewarning as to what was in store. Speaking in parliament during the Adjournment debate on the Kandy riots, the onetime UNP heavyweight and now an obedient disciple of the Rajapaksas, said the government's ill advised move to lockup all the top notch Intelligence operatives was the chief reason for the conflagration, since this resulted in the breakdown of the entire Intelligence network in the country.

To the best of our knowledge there are no more than a couple of such operatives who are now being held for interrogation in connection with the murders of Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickramatunga, Wasim Thajudeen et al. To suggest that the entire Intelligence apparatus had collapsed by the absence of a couple of officers, who, anyway are being arrested in terms of the law, is ridiculous, to say the least. Besides, these officers, no doubt, may have been replaced by others. In any event, the operative or two, who had been arrested, had long ceased to be in service and would have been out of the reckoning in any case. Lokuge, who is weeping buckets for the jailed Intelligence officers have overlooked the fact that one of these operatives was in charge of a military safe house, operated in the city, employing hit men tasked with carrying out killings and abductions of journalists.

It is also moot as to how efficient these officers would have been in disseminating vital information to the government given their past loyalties.

In any event, the efficiency of the of Chief of the Director of military Intelligence, handpicked by Mahinda Rajapaksa, was called into question by no less a personage than the former President himself when he (Intelligence Chief) had no clue about the impending defection of Maithripala Sirisena from the Rajapaksa Government, to be the Common Candidate. So much for Lokuge's faith in the penetrating power of the Intelligence sleuths currently being grilled for their complicity in crime.

True, Intelligence was found wanting in this instance and even minister Laskhman Kiriella has attributed this to be the main cause. But it is not due to the reasons adduced by MP Lokuge. There was no Intelligence forthcoming ahead of the Aluthgama incidents as well. Hence, the government ought to pay special attention to this extremely vital aspect of policing. Unlike in the past, when there were no complications in intelligence gathering, with today's communication expansion and tools such as social media, information can travel at lightning speed from one corner of the country to the other, making the job of intelligence officers that much difficult. Hence, like the government, is currently engaged in providing specialized training to officers in the detection of white collar crime, with all it labyrinthine aspects, the Intelligence services too should be updated and modernized to meet with the present day demands and challenges.

The right move

The decision taken by Buddhasasana Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera to put a halt to haphazard setting up places of religious worship throughout the country, is a move in the right direction. The Minister said new laws were being drafted outlining the legal procedure governing the setting up places of worship, particularly taking into account the number of families belonging to that particular faith in the specific area concerned.

Speaking at a media conference, the Minister said; “Hereafter no politicians or religious dignitaries would be allowed to set up places of worship in any place within country as per their personal choice or intentions. Regulations would be tightened to ensure peace and harmony among communities”.

Events in recent times show that disputes arose mainly between the Buddhists and Muslims over the construction of mosques in temple property, and vice versa, as claimed by both sides, particularly in Ampara and Dambulla. These disputes have flared up into fully blown communal clashes. What is worse is to see Mosques been set on fire during such clashes with the images carried all over the world, including Arab countries. The Kandy riots saw a number of Mosques similarly destroyed that brought a blot on the country. The Minister's move could be one way of tackling this situation.