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Underworld Thrives On Political Patronage
Ranmali Wijesuriya in Colombo,
SLT 6.30 A.M Monday 19 January.
A report says that as long as politicians in Sri Lanka depend on the
underworld the crime and the brutal killings in Sri Lanka would continue.
The report warns that with the elections round the corner, political
patronage is to be revived. The report points out that underworld gangs in
Sri Lanka boasts of right connections and governments reward them with
lucrative contracts and the leader of the underworld gangs are always
assured of political patronage which also makes it a major obstacle for the
police to nab them.
The Sunday Times report laments that with the degeneration of standards in
politics in the country, power hungry politicians are known to be openly
courting underworld figures with some providing hideouts to gangsters when
they were being hunted by police, while others had sent wanted criminals
abroad or pressurized the police to abandon their investigations. There was
a classic case during the Peoples Alliance government when the then justice
minister Prof. G.L. Pieris opened a court complex in Kesbawa with a member
of parliament who had a criminal case pending in that same court.
According to the report, the emergence of the underworld in Sri Lanka is a
dangerous by product of the 20-year ethnic war. Army desertion, easy access
t and availability of deadly weapons, police preoccupation with LTTE
terrorism, the lucrative heroin trade had contributed largely to this
situation.
Way back in 2001 former United Nations Under-Secretary- General for
Disarmament Affairs, Jayantha Dhanapala warned about the situation in Sri
Lanka on the eve of the United Nations conference on “Illicit trade in small
and light weapons” He said “ The situation in Sri Lanka is very typical of a
developing country beset by an internal conflict where it has been
mistakenly assumed that by importing more arms and by giving arms to more
civilians for their protection you could have a solution to the problems.
Dhanapala warned that so clearly having security forces that are not
legitimately members of the law enforcement agencies also being armed would
only lead to a cult violence being encouraged.
Published: Sun Jan 18 19:18:49 EST 2004
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US Says, Cong Rep did not meet with the LTTE
Bandula Jayasekara in Colombo,
SLT 1.30 P.M Sunday 18 January.
The United States Embassy in Colombo denied todays news reports that the US
Congressional Representatives had a meeting with the representatives of the
LTTE at the German embassy in Colombo. US Embassy spokeswoman Cody Taylor
said, "The story is a fabrication, members of the delegation of the
congressional staff members did not meet LTTE representation at the German
embassy or elsewhere. The LTTE is a United States designated foreign
terrorist organization and for that reason the congressional staff
delegation would not have met with them.''
The news report said that the US Congressional team met with, Pulithevan,
the Director General of the LTTE's peace secretariat last week at the German
embassy in view of the ban on the LTTE by the US, resulting inhibitions
against meeting a LTTE representative at the American Embassy.
Published: Sun Jan 18 02:27:56 EST 2004
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India and Sri Lanka to sign defence agreement
Alladin Hussein in Colombo,
January 19, 2004, 12.43 am.
India and Sri Lanka are scheduled to sign a ‘defence corporation agreement’ within the next two months. Defence authorities from both countries are currently holding discussions on the matter.
The agreement is expected to be finalised before end of this month, according to sources, but the final decision on the matter would be arrived by the countries two leaders.
Accordingly the agreement will include matters pertaining to the security situation in Indian and Sri Lanka as well as the Asian region, and ways to fight terrorism.
Accordingly if the agreement is signed between the two countries the Indian government will also assist Sri Lanka to repair the Palali Air Force run way in Jaffna, situated in the North of Sri Lanka which has undergone a two decade long war between the Tamil tiger rebels and the Sri Lankan security forces.
Published: Sun Jan 18 13:49:07 EST 2004
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