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The JVP politburo in a media release issued yesterday, called upon the Government not only to bring the offenders of the Udathalawinna massacre to book, but also to take stringent action against the alleged vigilantes who are harbouring two suspects in this heinous crime.

The JVP also called upon all democratic forces to unite to defeat this perilous trend of the emergence of vigilante groups who take the law into their own hands.

The release said:" There is no doubt that the nation grieves the massacre of ten people at Udatalawinna during the just concluded Parliamentary polls. It is an essential prerequisite that the offenders be brought to book so that there would be no repetition of incidents of this nature in the future. Now the latest in this regard is a report about a vigilante group, that has taken the law into its own hands by keeping offenders in their custody.

These facts have been bared in a weekend newspaper story on December 24. The story said that the two army personnel who drove the two jeeps that were used in the crime are in the custody of a vigilante group. The photographs of the victims have also been published. The news report also revealed that a key Central Province UNP politico is also allegedly linked to this heinous crime.

This is indeed a serious situation. The question is whether the UNP which has historical links to infamous vigilante groups such as Saa, Yellow cats and Praa has again returned to the law of the jungle, just after assuming power.

We reiterate our call that the offenders should be brought to book, whoever they are. However, the punishment to the offenders should be meted out by the legal machinery and not by some vigilantes.

It is also tragic that pseudo civil organisations which posed of as furthering the causes of a peaceful and law abiding society and which had over 30 news releases per month, are now maintaining a stoic silence on this all important issue.

Just as much as the issue of the massacre should be condemned, the issue of vigilante groups taking the law into their own hands and acting that way should also be condemned.  

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