UNP shamelessly invents evidence, to inculpate the Government, and exculpate the terrorists.

by Charles.S.Perera

(October 10, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Is this a government or a ghoul ? asks the UNP's vociferous Mr.Dissanayake. A ghoul is perhaps an inappropriate word, as the government did not go digging corpses. The government has apparently not committed any sacrilege either in not air lifting the coffins containing the corpses of Late General Janaka Perera and Late Ms.Perera. The government is at the moment getting blamed for many things, in the present case about which Mr.Dissanayake has raised his voice, the government is apparently not to be blamed. Because, a person non other than the Prime Minister of the Government has in no uncertain terms accepted the responsibility for the un ortunate circumstances of the coffins having not been airlifted.

A dead body of a person is the most sacred remains for those who loved him, friends, and all well wishers. It cannot therefore be treated with disrespect. But Mr. Dissanayake, should know better that in Sri Lanka, we are going throw most difficult of times. There is the most brutal terrorists, who are no respecters of living or dead persons. Even a dead body could be used by them to create more havoc. That is why there is very strict security measures that are observed, even when it concerns the dead bodies of VIPs.

The Air Force had requested adherence to strict security measures in transporting the bodies of the Late General Janaka Perera, and the Late Ms.Perera to the Air Port. It should have therefore, been left to the Airport Authorities to transport the bodies. But the General Secretary of the UNP, Mr. Tissa Attanayake precipitated for "whatever reason" overlooking the instruction given by the Airport Authorities, took it on himself the responsibility to take the bodies.

Therefore, the unfortunate situation of the coffins being kept outside the Airport, and the refusal to airlift the bodies which could not be checked for security reasons by the Airport Authorities, cannot be attributed to the Government. But the fault is attributable to Mr. Tissa Attanayake, for his wrong initiative. The Prime Minister had taken the responsibility for the unfortunate incident, and it is now left to Tissa Attanayake to take his part of the responsibility, for not allowing the Air Port Authorities to carryout their duties, and stop making irrelevant accusations against the government.

The unfortunate situation would not have arisen if the UNP had not precipitated into action, leaving aside the concerns of the member of the family of the Late General. If the matter had been left to be decided by the family, they would have acted differently with more respect to the dead.

The dead should not be made a pawn in the political checkerboard, to sling accusations of irresponsibility or disrespect . The Late General Janaka Perera, before he became the victim of the terrorist suicide bomb, he had two personalities. One was a respected and acclaimed war hero, which will live beyond death, esteemed, and honoured by the people to-day, and generations to come in the future. That cannot be denied to him by a filthy terrorist, a government, or any of his adversaries.

His other personality, is that of a politician-a politician of the right wing UNP. In that capacity there are his adversaries, opponents , and objectors. There will always be people who will dislike his political personality, which selected a political party that sympathised with the terrorist, who he as the General of the Army fought through out his professional life.

The UNP which casts uncalled for aspersions on the government, are the politicians who dragged The late retired General Janaka Perera, to an area which, if he were left to decide on his own may not have chosen. But the UNP leaders cajoled, and tempted him by offer of the Post of the Defence Minister if the UNP come into power, or even secret groups of the UNP politicians promising to offer him the leadership of the party.

None of these UNP leaders beginning from the "big boss" himself has stood aside from the maddening political crowd , to say one word of goodness about the dead man and his dead wife, without throwing words of hatred and , petty accusation for political gain. One really begins to ask whether these UNP men, Ranil Wickramsinghe, Tissa Attanayaka, Jayalath Jayawardhana, S.B.Dissanayake, Lakshman Kiriella, Abeywardhana, Ranga Bandara, and the non UNP sour faced Mangala Samaraweera, and scheming Hakeem, are really lamenting for the man that was the General Janaka Perera, or do they lament because they have lost some one who could have given them a political "clout".

Or else are they making such a noise, to go unheard some "sleazy" sordid , affair which they band together to cover up.

The government , would have of cause, liked it if the Late General Janaka Perera had joined the government, but there is no motive for the government to have killed him. He was not a potential danger to the government. It was the UNP that was trying to make capital out of the late Generals adherence to the party.

The UNP's repeated allegation that they have ample evidence that there had been another "source" behind the killing of the General, makes the UNP suspect, and one begins to question what is the necessity for the UNP to exculpate the terrorists who every intelligent person, who had lived through the period of continuous horrendous crimes, would not hesitate for an instant to doubt that the terrorists were behind the assassination. Unless of course the UNP knows of some one, who had sent a special emissary to the LTTE terrorists asking them carry out the massacre at Anuradhapura.

If as the UNP points its finger towards the government , the government may also point its finger at the UNP, and give several valuable "motives" for the crime. Many writers have already given some valid reasons for which the General may have been "eliminated".

Mr. S.B.Dissanayake in his defence of the terrorists argues that the "limping man ", who was supposed to have been the "suicide bomb suspect", could not have done it alone as some one should have been there to carry him. That itself is a very strange defence, as it had been said that the terrorists train handicapped persons to be carry out suicide missions.

But this "limping " man, as the eye witnesses had said rushed in when the request was made to "eat kiribath", and bent to salute the Late General Janaka Perera before he opened his shirt to detonate the bomb.

So what other proof is necessary to prove the case against the "limping" man.

Of course S.B.Dissanayake, Tiss Attanayake, Ranga Bandara, Lakshman Kiriella, were not witnesses to the incident, as they were safely away from the opening ceremony of the UNP Office in Anuradhapura. That is another mystery surrounding this unfortunate massacre. Why was it that none of these party stalwarts were present for the opening ceremony. That would be " damning " circumstantial evidence of UNP involvement. That would fuel the government's argument to point its finger at UNP, as UNP points a finger at the government on legally inadmissible hearsay evidence.

No one until now had spoken about a White Van. Mr. S.B.Dissanayake speaks about people who had seen a White Van dropping "the assassin". This piece of evidence proffered by S.B.Dissanayaken who had been safely away from the scene of the crime, is again hear say evidence.

However, this White Van may have either come from the highly imaginative mind of Mr.Dissanayake , or it may have been the White Van that was used by the security men of Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe- of which there was much talk some time back.

All these evidence the UNP hierarchy is trying their best to invent to exculpate terrorists, is putrid and smell to the high heavens.

It is better that the UNP stop committing further sacrilege towards the memory of an honourable man whose life had been snatched along with that of his dear wife, by a most dastardly act committed once again by the hateful terrorists. - Sri Lanka Guardian