| by Basil Fernando
( November 10, 2012, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka Guardian) When I talked to a
Sri Lankan friend about the killings of prisoners which happened yesterday and
tried to convince him that people should demand justice, his instance reply
was, “ Dhang justice naah” (now there is no justice) . In the past, this
expression meant that there were serious concerns about justice. However, now
it has come to mean literarily what it says. It is a statement of fact, of
which no one has any doubt.
Regarding the
shooting itself, the very first issue is that it should not have happened and
would have been avoided if the normal rules and procedures were followed. The STF
officers should never have been sent to an inspection in a prison. This should
have been by prison officers themselves who, if necessary, could have sought
the help of civilian police. Experienced officers would have known what to do
and how to do it.
That it was done by
the STF shows that the raid or the inspection was carried out on the direction
of Ministry of Defence. Whenever this ministry is involved, killings are
usually the result. Earlier killings at demonstrations quite clearly show that.
In any case, those
who conducted the inspection should not have carried guns and even, if they
did, no live ammunition should have been issued. Further, no shooting should
have taken place without the express command of a commanding officer. There
should have been an express command not to shoot to kill, but only to use
minimum force.
All this and many
other questions need to be examined through an impartial inquiry.
However, such an
inquiry will not happen and that is one thing about which there can be
certainty, going by all the experiences on such matters in recent times.
Now it has come to
a point that even the Chief Justice cannot get an impartial inquiry.
All that will
happen is that a story will be concocted, blaming the prisoners for bringing
about the shooting on themselves. And then that story will be given the full
blast of publicity though the state media.
So, who could say
that it is wrong to say “Dhang justice naah”
 When I talked to a Sri Lankan friend about the killings of p...){kind=link}