The Fate of Sri Lanka








<h1>The
Fate
of
Sri
Lanka</h1>
<p>by
Wakeley
Paul,
Esq.</p>
<p>A
few
teasing
and
troublesome
questions
arise
from
the
assassination
of
the
Sri
Lankan
Foreign
Minister.&nbsp;
One
first
wonders
how
a
Tamil
Tiger
could
have
penetrated
the
highly
secured
area
where
the
Foreign
Minister
lived,
which
was
further
secured
because
of
the
presence
of
a
foreign
embassy
in
that
vicinity,
with
the
highly
visible
weapon
that
was
used
to
commit
this
offense.
</p>
<p align="right"><i><img border="0" src="1174.h1.jpg" align="right" hspace="15" vspace="15" width="263" height="344">Policeman
near
Kadirgamar's
residence</i></p>
<p>How
for
that
matter,
could
anyone
have
done
so,
unless
there
was
some
collusion
with
those
in
charge
of
the
security
of
this
area?&nbsp;
The
only
other
explanation
is
that
the
security
was
not
as
great
as
it
was
claimed
to
be.&nbsp;
The
fact
that
the
perpetrator
or
perpetrators
escaped
without
detection
or
apprehension
is
indicative
of
this.&nbsp;
Now
all
the
action
and
reaction
is
well
after
the
event.</p>
<p>The
danger
of
this
inefficient
inaction
is
that
the
police
will
resort
to
desperate
efforts
to
locate
a
suspect
or
suspects
whose
identity
could
disappeared
forever
or
whose
identity
could
be
altered.</p>
<p>The
Inspector
General
of
Police
claims
to
have
questioned
hundreds
and
arrested
16,
including
some
Sinhalese,
all
of
whom
could
be
held
indefinitely
incommunicado
without
any
charges
being
filed
against
them.&nbsp;
Based
on
the
emergency
regulations
that
have
been
hastily
promulgated,
it
is
very
unlikely
that
anyone
would
be
made
aware
of
what
proof
the
police
have
against
any
of
these
detainees.&nbsp;
What
tactics
are
they
going
to
use
against
those
who
have
been
arrested?&nbsp;
One
cannot
easily
forget
that
the
Sri
Lankan
police
have
been
guilty
of
random
arrests
of
Tamils
in
the
past,
and
are
noted
for
the
use
of
police
brutality
when
questioning
detainees.</p>
<p>The
bigger
question
is,
who
would
have
anything
to
gain
from
this
assassination?&nbsp;
The
Tigers
have
been
immediately
blamed
by
those
in
the
South.&nbsp;
There
are
other
interesting
possiblities,
however.&nbsp;
For
instance,
the
Tigers
have
been
struggling
to
have
the
provisions
of
the
peace
agreement
fulfilled,
as
it
carried
with
it
an
obligation
by
the
Sri
Lankan
government
to
restore
the
NorthEast
to
a
state
of
normalcy.&nbsp;
It
was
the
government’s
coalition
partner
that
opposed
the
implementation
of
these
obligations.&nbsp;
They
are
now
ousted
from
the
coalition,
and
continue
to
oppose
not
only
the
terms
of
the
peace
agreement,
but
have
legally
challenged
the
government’s
commitment
to
allow
the
Tigers
to
control
the
money
awarded
for
Tsunami
relief
in
their
region
of
the
country.&nbsp;
</p>
<p>By
pointing
fingers
at
the
Tigers
for
committing
this
offense,
the
JVP
could
incite
their
supporters
in
the
south
to
riot
against
the
peace
effort
to
which
the
government
is
ostensibly
committed.</p>
<p>On
the
other
hand,
does
this
killing
provide
the
government
with
the
opportunity
of
getting
rid
of
their
obligations
under
the
peace
agreement?<br>
<br>
The
President
has
made
it
clear
that
it
would
be
fatal
for
the
government
to
go
to
war.&nbsp;
Both
sides
realize
this
and
both
sides
should
do
everything
in
their
power
to
effectuate
the
terms
of
the
peace
agreement.&nbsp;
Now
that
her
former
coalition
partner
is
no
longer
her
ally,
and
the
extremist
Sinhalese
Buddhist
monks
have
been
neutralized,
the
President
could
go
ahead
with
her
obligations
to
complete
the
peace
effort.</p>



	<p>###</p>
	<p>Posted August 15, 2005</p>