Crime, an associate of social instability - JICA Director

by Sarath Malalasekera

The Government of Japan through JICA remains firmly committed to responding with the appropriate initiatives for Sri Lanka to recover from the dual-effects of tsunami and the conflicts.

Its effectiveness requires the restoration and permanent peace without which economic prosperity and social order will become elusive, said the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) resident representative director in Sri Lanka T. Ueshima addressing the Asia Crime Prevention Foundation (ACPF) annual conference held in Colombo recently.

"I have had the opportunity of becoming familiar with the ground realities.

It has however not been a year of gaining the knowledge in an incremental or conventional way. I have actually witnessed the crisis of a country driven by a two decade old armed conflict in the North and East which has been partially subdued by a Ceasefire Agreement. The subsequent pledge rehabilitation in the North and East kindled much hope," Director Ueshima said.

'In this scenario, "my impressions on the social and economic changes of Sri Lanka have now matured to understanding its causative factors and the processes which have unleashed its outcome. To me it is crystal clear that the country's foundation of the economic and social order has disintegrated - security as its centre. it is not one of military or physical security, but one of social and economic instability and imbalance," JICA Director added.

Crime is an associate of this malaise. Last year, I informed you that crime reflected the impact and fall out of the divide between the "haves" and "have-nots," it remains a value argument even today. There is an urgent need to uplift the social and economic order in the country by providing greater opportunity for the people to uplift themselves. It implies that most national problems in the country, whether it is in the North and East is cantered on lack of opportunity for sustenance, fulfilment and upliftment of the living conditions, he said.

The general crime rate has been on the rise according to available statistics.

Its figures got worse with the criminality that arose in the wake of the tsunami disaster. it brought into focus crimes which were traditionally not prevalent in Sri Lanka. Thus, the study commissioned in February 2005 by ACPF (Sri Lanka branch) on "Criminality in the wake of the Tsunami Disaster" reported of "Disputes over the allocation of resources and even simple inter-personal problems arising from the relief programmes."

It further reported "that economic and social deprivation were visited on the poorer sections of society."

Its impact on crime may be reflected in the longer term unless corrective measures are taken to overcome a traumatized section of your community, the JICA Director said.

He wished the ACPF continues its unique contribution to deliberate on Crime prevention as a means of enabling economic prosperity and social order.

Office Bearers and Executive Committee of the Asia Crime Prevention Foundation (ACPF) Sri Lanka elected for the year 2006

President, Parinda Ranasinghe (Rtd. Chief Justice), Vice Presidents - D.B. Jayalath - (Rtd. Judge of the Court of Appeal), D.P. Kumarasinghe P.C. - (Rtd. Addl. Solicitor General), D.S.D.P.R. Senanayake P.C. - (Rtd. District Judge), Chandra Fernando - (Inspector General of Police), Rumy Marzook - (Commissioner General of Prisons), Secretary - P.H.M. Ratnayake - (Rtd. Commissioner of Prisons), Treasurer - I.T. Canagaretnam (Rtd. Deputy Inspector General of Police), Asst. Secretary - E.P. Amarasinghe - (Rtd. Commissioner of Prisons), Asst. Treasurer - Lakshman de Silva - (Rtd. Senior Superintendent of Police)

Executive Committee - H.G. Dharmadasa - (A.A.L, Rtd. Commissioner General of Prisons), T.P.F. de Silva - (Rtd. Inspector General of Police), S.K. Ekaratne - (Judge of the High Court), Mithra Ariyasinghe - (Rtd. Deputy Inspector General of Police), Lionel Gunatilleke -(Deputy Inspector General of Police C.I.D), Kolitha Dharmawardena - (Rtd. Deputy Solicitor General), P. Baskerasingam - (Rtd. Commissioner of Prisons), Ananda Hettiarachchi - (Sr. Superintendent of Police), Jayantha Jayasooriya - (Deputy Solicitor General), K.B. Basnayake - (Rtd. Supdt. of Prisons), S.K. Jinasena (AAL, Rt. Senior Asst. Secretary Ministry of Defence), Guneratne Kuruppu - (Commissioner of Prisons), M.S.M. Nizam - (Rtd. Deputy Inspector General of Police), S.B.W. de Silva - (Rtd. Sr. Supdt. of Police), Auditors - H.K. Piyasena - (Rtd. Supdt. of Prisons), J.W. Jayasooriya - (Rtd. Deputy Inspector General of Police).