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by B. Sivarajan
(May 12, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Chilling stories of broad daylight kidnaps and kappang (ransom) demands are one again on the increase in the government controlled areas in Sri Lanka. The government is still unable to take effective measures to deal with the terrible situation.
Kidnaps, blackmails, threats, intimidations, disappearances, murders etc have become endemic culture in Sri Lanka. The situation has become dire since the present government came to power two and a half years ago.
Impunity enjoyed by those committing these terrible crimes confirms the political influence the criminals are enjoying to carryout such crimes without being incriminated. The law enforcement agencies tend to overlook these crimes due to high level contacts these groups enjoy with the government.
Most of the victims of these dastardly crimes are said to be Tamils who have moved away from the LTTE controlled areas. Reported incidences are few and unreported cases are very many.
It is now clear that Tamil groups associated with the government are involved in a big way to run a regime of their own to extract large sums in dastardly way from the Tamil civilian population. Though the accusatory finger is always pointed at Karuna group, it is evident there are also other groups thriving with the protection of the state.
The kidnaps and kappang sagas are a cocktail of collective efforts of undesirables closely connected to the government and the security establishment.
Independent inquiries reveal that in addition to Karuna group, the government coalition partner EPDP of Douglas Devananda and other anti-LTTE groups are engaged in raising funds by nefarious means. With the state in a war situation against the LTTE, the ground situation permits these groups to secretly undertake these clandestine operations knowing that the government will be on their side.
Recently a campaign of blackmail was carried out against the medical doctors serving in Vavuniya and Jaffna by the EPDP. They demanded five million rupees from each of the doctors failing which, threatening serious consequences.
The government cannot continue to exhibit that the situation is beyond its control. Unless substantive efforts are made carryout thorough investigations into the financial profile of all these questionable groups, the government will not succeed in arresting the situation. The activities of these groups go beyond kidnaps and kappangs. Some hand picked groups are thriving on the war itself by taking exclusive control off food and essential supplies to the north. Internecine murders of prominent politicians are part to exert exclusive control over the supply market to the north which runs into millions of US dollars.
These very same questionable forces have become predators like the arm supply commission industry of the government preventing a resolution to the conflict. The government must be brought under substantive pressure to implement effective measures to deal with the life threatening industry of the handful of Tamil goons purport enjoy all the privileges without impunity.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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