By Walter Jayawardhana

Inspector General of Police Jayantha Wickramaratne said several journalists , mostly Sinhalese, were in the payroll of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) thickly involved in the insurgency , according to some latest investigations of the police.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The Sri Lanka Police Chief revealed the startling information when interviewed by Sudarman Radaliyagoda for the state owned Independent Television Network (ITN), Thursday May 28.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He said, ” Although the Police know more details of this treason I do not like to reveal all of them since it might obstruct further investigations. They betrayed the noble profession and not only distorted and misreported against Sri Lanka but also worked for cash and other fringe benefits like fully funded foreign trips.”

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Answering questions of interviewer Radaliyagoda whether by the examinations of senior LTTE hand Daya Master , a media coordinator of the LTTE who surrendered to the army earlier, whether they were able to extract information about Colombo journalists who were in the payroll of the terrorist group, LTTE, the police chief said it was true some implicating evidence have been found , and most of the evidence made him ashamed since they were mostly Sinhalese “journalists”.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He said many of them were connected with international organizations and had been always clamouring for media freedom and democratic and human rights of the people.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He said as the curtain was raised, they fled Sri Lanka, alleging threat against their life but actually they had fled the country as they were involved in a crime. “They simply could not face the law,” the Inspector General of Police (IGP) said explaining the reason for their departure from the country as the LTTE was losing the war.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The IGP said some of them were misreporting, at the behest of the LTTE, that the Sri Lanka Army was shelling civilians while the LTTE was shooting at the fleeing civilians. They were simply trying to concoct evidence to help friends of the LTTE to prosecute Sri Lanka leaders on war crimes the IGP alleged. But the police chief did not name names during the interview.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Jayantha Wickramaratne said the police did a great service to the defeat of the LTTE by roadblocks on highways connecting the Northern Province and Eastern Province with the rest of the provinces in the country. These roadblocks prevented the whole country getting into a chaotic and anarchic situation with bombs exploding everywhere. He said not only at roadblocks but even in trains searches were constantly conducted and by these searches 4500 high explosives were caught while they were being transported by LTTE cadres. Speaking very highly of the Special Task Force of the Police they were constantly chasing after LTTE cadres hiding in jungles and murdering unarmed civilians in adjacent villages. He said even after the defeat of the LTTE the STF killed 13 LTTE cadres involved in civilian massacres only few days ago.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He said these terrorists are cowards. They always wanted do the harm and flee. Once they were hiding small bombs of 250 grams at places like watch repairing kiosks. These were caught in time. These things were done to give the impression that they were also present in the South.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The IGP said once a LTTE cadre left a bomb by the side of the railway track and fled. With help also from the media the IGP said the culprit could be arrested at Irattaperiyakulam within 10 hours.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He said once when the UNP politician Janaka Perera ( in retaliation for his earlier army service ) was killed the police was blamed for not finding the culprits. With the help of the State intelligence service the IGP said all LTTE culprits have been now prosecuted.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Although the LTTE is crushed , due to sleeper cells of the terrorists, the IG\P said the police is going to be on alert and appealed to the citizens to feed them with information regarding suspicious incidents and people constantly. He said all people of the LTTE have not surrendered and some people are believed to have gone to other areas . He said even as recently as May 24 culprits were found and more information of others have been revealed.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ He said new police stations are being opened in the North. Already seven police stations have been established in Mannar District. When police stations are built the government allocates 50 acres for each police station so that all policemen could be provided with housing, the IGP said. He said 200 acres each will be allocated each at Mankulam, Kilinochchi, and Mulaitivu to open up police training schools which train Tamil speaking police officers.