Dilrook Kannangara

If there is one ministry that is working well, that is the defence ministry. Having achieved incredible success over the years that were rumoured by the NGO machinery as unachievable, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has brought peace to the country. Each passing year over 4,000 people get to live. If not for the Ministry of Defence under the incumbent Defence Secretary, more than 12,000 more young lives would have been lost to war. Today most killings result from accidents, domestic disputes and other personal disputes. There is nothing the Ministry of Defence can do about these.

In addition to the noble task of achieving peace, the Defence Secretary as the UDA head turned Colombo which was an eyesore previously into a cleaner city. Various illegal activities that thrived in backstreets of Colombo have now disappeared.

It must be remembered that before the incumbent Defence Secretary took over there was a time when well-known underworld murderers were appointed ministry secretaries (that too for the education ministry under Ranil Wickramasinghe!); a notorious drug baron was appointed the police chief who had to resign when media reported his friendship with a top heroin dealer; scores of policeman and unarmed civilians were killed even inside police stations with the blessings of the then Ministry of Defence that exposed their identities; judges were slain by drug lords and the Constitutional Affairs minister had to call a terrorist leader with the title ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Your ExcellencyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. These things changed not by accident but by the hard work of the Ministry of Defence ably led by the Defence Secretary.

When controversial and colourful UNP MP Mangala Samaraweera demanded the Defence Secretary to resign, he was not alone. He is supported by a large drone of NGO carrion birds that have now lost their feast of corpses they used to enjoy. LTTE Rump has channelled their $300 million to NGOs, video production firms, western politicians, website developers and law firms. Their aim is to get the army presence in the north thinned out and the defence secretary ousted so that they can restart their terrorist campaign. Local NGO carrion birds dance to their tune for a few thousand dollars a month.

Katuwana Shooting

Katuwana shooting that killed two persons has nothing to do with the Defence Secretary. It was carried out by a well-known thug who evaded justice mainly due to the absence of admissible evidence against him. He surrendered and going through the normal process of the law. The legal system in the country is extremely corrupt and there is nothing the Ministry of Defence can do about it! There are hundreds of top lawyers who would do anything to save their client from punishment. Legal ethics have it that if the legal counsel knows the culpability of his client, he should not run a positive defence. But this is often disregarded.

The Bar Association has fallen to even lower levels by appointing a politician as its president! Wijedasa RajapakshaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s day time job is politician. His appointment to the top job of the Bar has made a mockery of the legal profession in all levels. Through this powerful position political parties can interfere with the legal profession, the justice system and everything connected.

There is absolutely no evidence to show the Defence Secretary has either by commission or omission done anything in relation to the Katuwana incident. Falsely accusing him is condemnable and loathsome.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”White-vanningƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢

There is a popular allegation against ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”white vansƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ being used by persons connected with the Ministry of Defence to threaten, hurt and/or kill. This is an absurd allegation. During the war, there were many incidents of various parties abducting and killing people mainly done by LTTE groups.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  However, after the war not a single person died from what is alleged to be ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”white vanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ abductions. It is a popular escape route for many unscrupulous criminals.

Alleging ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”white vanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ abductions gets sympathy, international recognition and it is a magic bath that cleanses any criminal of his criminal record. These are mere made up stories or self-staged dramas. When the victims ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” most often criminals ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” are asked to provide details of their abductors, their surrounds or anything that would help in an investigation, they go blank! So called victims of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”white vansƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ even fail to report the matter to the police. Justice and security is everyoneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s responsibility. So called victims of abduction cases must come forward with their evidence without pointing fingers at innocents. Strangely it is drug dealers, contract killers, terrorist elements, underworld gangsters, prostitution ring leaders and the like get ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”white-vannedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ when law enforcement is nearing them! The few innocents who were abducted by criminal elements have all been accounted for and the culprits taken into custody irrespective of their rank.

Alleged abduction of serial killer, JVP subversive member and the offender of multiple felonies – Gunaratnam aka Mudalige and his accomplice Dimuthu Atigala is another concocted story that grabbed headlines. When Gunaratnam aka Mudalige came to realize he has overstayed his visa and committed other crimes and that he will be caught, he staged a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”white vanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ drama but appeared soon afterwards without any serious health issue. Thanks to the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”white vanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ drama and the publicity it received, this serious felony offender managed to escape justice once again. JVP used the Katuwana incident to erase some of the bad publicity it received from the Gunaratnam aka Mudalige affair.

ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Grease devilsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢

As absurd as the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”white vanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ myth, the grease devil myth caused serious havoc in many parts of the country. People arbitrarily attacked persons calling them grease devils. Often public anger was carefully channelled against the government.

Once again the so called victims failed to report the crime to police and were very protective of ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”grease devilsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢! They ensured so called ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”grease devilsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ are not identified or punished. Instead they attacked police officers and other unconnected parties. There were a few key operatives behind the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”grease devilƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ madness. Once they were brought to justice, the whole saga ended as it started. Had the grease devil saga continued, it would have snowballed into a nationwide witch hunt of arbitrary executions and riots.

War crimes allegations and alleged threatening

LTTE funded NGO carrion birdsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ initial avenue of attack was through war crimes allegations. However, after the UNHRC adopting the LLRC report and shedding the Darusman report, their luck ran out. With the adoption of the LLRC report by the UNHRC it became clear to them that war crimes allegations against innocents including the Defence Secretary are not going anywhere. ThatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s when they started making ludicrous allegations.

Some seems to have a funny definition of threats. Recently the Defence Secretary told Nirmal Devasiri ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” a well-known NGO activist ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢¢”š¬…” to seek the avenues of law enforcement to trace alleged criminals and bring them to justice. NGO media reported it as a threat!

Grease devils, white vans, alleged threats, Fonseka, Katuwana and other antics wonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t be the last in their bag. They will come up with various other fancy allegations. It will be better for those who maliciously blame the Defence Secretary to handover their absconding JVP leaders and Batalanda mass murderers with admissible evidence so that justice can be delivered at least after quarter of a century later. Crimes they committed against civilians are war crimes.

LTTE sponsored NGO money cannot fool the people who donƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t get any NGO benefits. Most Sri Lankans are very grateful to the Defence Secretary for his noble achievements on behalf of the nation. Not all were achieved peacefully without bloodshed, but every achievement was achieved in doing the right thing. To the good fortune of Sri Lankans, they have the incumbent Defence Secretary who cannot be swayed by threats and malicious propaganda.

Sri Lankans who love their motherland and law and order must separate fact from fiction and identify the NGO carrion birds that would do anything for a few thousand dollars. During the war a group of political-journalists who paddled the LTTE cause found that their readers deserting them. Pulling another trick from their hat, they blamed the armed forces for threats to seek asylum in rich western nations. Most of them got their visas. It was a good economic decision to save face at a time people came to know their true nature. To continue their enterprise, they call themselves ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”self-exiledƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ but visit Lanka regularly and have launched a malicious campaign against the nation. By being closer to the LTTE Rump, they now get a share of the $300 million directly bypassing agents.