Impetus for City security

The decision by the Government to set up Civil Committees to complement the regular forces to beef up security in the City is a welcome move especially in the context of indiscriminate LTTE attacks on civilian targets.

According to the DIG Colombo, over 25,000 persons have been enlisted to ‘keep an eye’ on terrorist activities and suspicious movements.

The move no doubt while augmenting the strength of the Security Forces and police is bound to attract more public response in supplying information to apprehend suspects.

Such vigilance Committees would also help Police to devote more time towards combatting crime and concentrate on their routine duties which have been somewhat neglected due to their dedication to arrest the terrorist threat.

Some time ago an idea was mooted to deploy the vast number of three wheeler operators in the City to function as a vigilant army on the basis that they more than anybody else come into contact with hundreds of people and are more likely to identify a terrorist suspect.

This was based on the premise that a large number of terrorist suspects (and criminals) had often travelled in three wheelers. It would be prudent if such a plan is put into action to reduce the odds against terror strikes in the city.

The rewards scheme proposed by the IGP for public information regarding terrorist suspects too it is hoped will ensure more information.

The presentation of rewards with due publicity (with the identity of the informer blacked out) would also dispel any doubts among the public as to the genuineness of the offer and would result in more information surfacing on terrorist activities.

The City of the Colombo is not the only target of the terrorists who had recently taken to attacking suburban areas and also far flung outposts in the country. There is an urgent need to expand Vigilance Committees to cover all major cities and towns and also the hinterland.

The public too should be more conscious in stepping up vigilance instead of leaving the task of combatting terrorism solely in the hands of the Forces.

They should play a pro-active role instead of being insulated from the efforts of the Forces who are sacrificing their lives to combat this menace.

Batticaloa polls

Political campaigning is to begin today in respect of the Eastern Province (Batticaloa) Local Government elections which are to be held after a long lapse of 14 years.

The election scheduled for March 14 will be a litmus test on how far the people of the East have kept faith in the institution of democracy after living under dominance of the LTTE for nearly one and half decades before its eviction by the Security Forces from the Province.

True the voters in the East went to the poll at national elections, but these are not the same as the local elections where they will be called upon the elect their own representatives to run their affairs in their own backyard.

The issues that are thrown up will be vastly different to those they may have to confront at a national election.

The last Local Government Election in the East in 1993 was marred by voter intimidation and other forms of irregularities which transpired during subsequent Commission of Inquiry to investigate the matter, which reduced the polls to a farce.

It is hoped that the upcoming election would be held in a conducive climate that would enable the people to exercise their democratic franchise without fear or intimidation. True it may not be possible to dismiss the possibility of violence given the configurations that have sprung up in the Eastern theatre.

Therefor it is the responsibility of the Elections Commissioner to marshal all his forces to ensure that the democratic rights of the people are not affected by untoward incidents which would otherwise negate the commitment by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to empower the people of the East who are just emerging from the oppressive mindset instilled under the LTTE.