Our little country has been very unfortunate that from ancient times there had been people who resorted to acts of treachery against the motherland for personal gain.
The most recent of such acts is the Police raid on the Military Intelligence Safe House at Athurugiriya where the LRRP who was engaged in covert operations against the LTTE was based.
How this raid came to pass in given in detail in the report of the Presidential Commissioner of Inquiry, former Judge of the Court of Appeal D. Jayawickrama.
He declared that the Police raid was a "total betrayal and absolute treachery to the nation". The government, Prime Minister and Ministers are found to deserve blame on the incident. As a result of this highly publicised raid on the safe house the LTTE who was hitherto in the dark about its existence began to search and kill those who had connections with the LRRP.
Up to now 44 individuals have been killed and the hunt for others is going on. The government has to take the responsibility for these killings because it is due to political patronage that Kulasiri Udugampola ASP took the law into his own hands and raided the Army Safe House at Athurugiriya even without due permission from his superiors. In view of this position, government has a responsibility to see to the welfare and sustenance of the families whose bread-winners had given their life for the country.
The Defence Ministry was under the Government when the Safe House raid took place but strangely no investigation was launched on this very irregular incident to find out the true facts.
The LRRP team with its leader Captain Nilam were taken into custody by Kulasiri Udugampola ASP who raided the Safe House and took them to Kandy where they had been treated in a humiliating manner.
When they were released from the Police cell on the orders of the then Minister of Defence, Captain Nilam and his men filed a Fundamental Rights petition against the Police in the Supreme Court to the great embarrassment of the Government.
To persuade them to withdraw the F.R. petition they had been offered foreign employment and comfortable life with family all of which were turned down. They now stand vindicated in view of Supreme Court verdict given this day.
After the President took the Defence Ministry under her, action was taken to give effect to the recommendations of the Presidential Commission. The Army high ranking officers proved to have conspired to raid the Safe House are given their just desserts to the acclamation of the public at large.
This is a glaring instance where the government has badly let down its own Army in order to favour the enemy. It is said to have been reported in Strait Times of Singapore that the Parliament of Sri Lanka comprised crooks and criminals. What a shame!
(http://www.dailynews.lk/2004/02/17/letters.html#4a)
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