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| Saturday, 04 September 2004 |
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A call for justice by those betrayed While Sri Lankans to whom cricket is their second religion had all cause for enjoyment last week for the whitewash of South Africa in the ODI series, after winning the Test series with them, up North in the Vanni, Prabhakaran and his tigers were no doubt celebrating their own special victory. There were neither black flags of mourning nor banners of sorrow or protest at the news that Prabhakaran had successfully killed all 38 informants of the Long Range Reconnaissance Unit (LRRU) of the Sri Lanka Army, one of the strongest military threats to the Tigers. The conspiracy to finish off these informants of this elite unit that carried out some of the most daring and successful operations against the LTTE, was exposed within days of the UNF government being formed in December 2001. It was done in the notorious raid on the Millennium City safe house of this unit, carried out by one ASP Udugampola from the Police Kennel Unit in Kandy. That the Udugampola bloodhound was acting on instructions from those above him was clear when, within minutes of the raid on the Millennium City safe house, one saw the arrival of the then Minister of Interior Security John Amaratunga, together with an entourage from the print and electronic media. With this raid carried out on a cooked up allegation that this premises was being used to plot the assassination of then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the names of the informants were exposed. With their cover gone these informants spent desperate days seeking to hide from the LTTE. All the LTTE had to do was carry out the well-planned killings over more than two years. The speed with which this shameless betrayal of this special military unit was done, was clear proof to anyone that it was part of a pre-election deal between the UNP and the LTTE, just as much as the subsequent and still controversial MoU between the UNF Government and the LTTE. The then Minister of Defence, a former Attorney General to boot, did later say the entire episode was a mistake and offered his apologies, that gave little solace to the persons whose covers were off. The consequence of it all is the manner in which these informants, who were giving of their best to the country, were betrayed by the leaders of the Government itself. Thirty eight men are dead, all at the hands of the LTTE, in what must by any standards rank among the worst examples of treachery in recent history. A Special Presidential Commission that investigated the raid of the Millennium City safe house was clear in describing it as an act of treachery, and even naming some of those traitors. The Supreme Court too, in awarding damages to the soldiers who petitioned that their fundamental rights had been violated by the actions of Udugampola and those who instructed him were not too far from such an opinion. The irony of it all is that Udugampola may have paid his fine, and is possibly still in the police service, awaiting promotion at better kennels, if not already granted. The former Minister of Defence, Tilak Marapana is even on record stating that the killing off of the informants to the military was not bad after all, because had they been arrested and not killed, they would have given out secrets. It is a surprise the CIA never hired such wisdom. The issue today, after all 38 informants of the LRRU have been wiped out in this manner, is why no action is even contemplated against those responsible for this unimaginable betrayal, as an act of treachery, under the laws against treason in the country? Can such treasonable persons be ever allowed to keep on posturing that they are peace makers? Is it not a gross insult to the collective intelligence of our people that such traitors are allowed to strut on the political stage, mouthing concern for the success of the peace process, and warning of a return to war? The least that those in authority can do to honour those brave men of the military intelligence units so badly betrayed by some leaders of this country, is to immediately probe the possibility of bringing to book those guilty of this act of high treason. This must begin with those who first gave information about an alleged plot to assassinate Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and the others who made a public circus of the raid on the Millennium City safe house. Whatever rank or political position anyone involved in this act of betrayal held at the time, or holds even today, should not stand in the way of them being dealt with under the law. Anything less would only amount to further betrayal of those men who gave it all for the defence of the country and civilized society, as against the separatism and fascist terror of Prabhakaran and the Vanni Tigers. |
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