The JVP has been linked to this campaign although there is no evidence to justify such a linkage if indeed there is one.
by Raj Gonsalkorale
Following are some posts that are being circulated depicting what are labelled as Fake Posts and Original Posts. Looking at these, it does appear there is a deliberate campaign to discredit the government by interested parties who are resorting to unprofessional, unethical anti-national tactics. This needs to be investigated as a matter of priority by the government.
The JVP has been linked to this campaign although there is no evidence to justify such a linkage if indeed there is one. A link to the JVP is indicated on the Fake posters.
Highlighting any attempts made by political supporters of the government, and generally any politician or any other person in authority or business men and women, to destroy Sri Lanka’s valuable forests for short term gain has to be exposed. However, it needs to be done truthfully, ethically and based on fact. If any person or an entity, political or otherwise, is engaging in campaigns that are unlawful as well, then such persons and/or entities have to be taken to courts and charged under the relevant laws of the country.
It is also well for the government, and the country at large, for current laws to be studied, and if the punishment for anti-national acts of this nature needs to be revamped, then, that too needs to be done.
The truth about destruction has to be known and wanton carnage that some suspect is going on under the guise of development has to be exposed. These sources say that a recent gazette notification permitting Provincial Secretaries to permit the use of what is called unproductive land which are is not protected land, such as forests and wild life protected sanctuaries and which, villagers say could be used by them for minor crop agriculture or cattle grazing, is being misused and provincial Secretaries are being pressured by politicians to allow these lands to be used for larger scale agriculture and other projects. In the process, even protected land and valuable forest cover is being affected as encroachment is occurring into protected land.
The government has to investigate whether some of these alleged activities in fact are occurring, and take those responsible to task if indeed they happening. The government perhaps should hire an independent entity to investigate, video record any instances where this has happened so that action could be taken against persons responsible for them.
On the one hand, it is a crime to destroy the country’s forests, but it is also a crime to spread fake news and mislead the public. Those who are doing this are then on an equal footing to the ones who are allegedly destroying the forests. Both are criminals.
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