by Bandu de Silva
Prabhakaran should have no worries when there are enough people to help him get away after committing the worst of crimes. The whole nation is mourning Maj. Gen. Janaka Perera (retd), his wife, the genial Dr. Rajah Johnpulle, UNP Manager of the Anuradhapura District, his wife and others who were killed in a recent LTTE suicide blast in Anuradhapura. However, it is not only the Diaspora which is ready to defend LTTE’s atrocity; there are many others.
The most recent manifestation by the Diaspora comes from Australia where the LTTE front, the All Australia Federation of Tamil Associations held a vigil on the lawn of the Australian Capital Territory and in front of the Indian High Commission there where the High Commissioner posed for a photograph with them –– poor Rajiv Gandhi must be turning in his grave!
That some of the Tamils in Sri Lanka also want the Tigers to continue has been documented by none other than the Internal Crisis Group chaired by Gareth Evans, former Australian Foreign Minister, who not so long ago delivered a controversial memorial lecture.
The Diaspora in Australia and Canada, especially may be toasting with champagne the death of Janaka Perera if one were to judge from the accusations they levelled at him on his appointment as Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Australia. (One may visit
http://www.tamilcanadiian .com/page.php 2 cat = 63 for a sample of opposition to Janaka’s appointment as High Commissioner.)
Now according to certain media reports, the Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and SLMM leader Hakeem have also joined the chorus in indirectly white-washing the LTTE over the gruesome human-bomb attack on UNP’s own Opposition Leader in the NCP Provincial Council.
Both Ranil and Hakeemhave pointed the finger in another direction, namely, the TVMP which has joined the mainstream politics. John Amaratunge, a former Minister of the Ranil Wickremesinghe government, has put it adroitly by suggesting that there were other possibilities though he has stopped short of naming the TMVP.
If the reported account attributed to Ranil Wickremesinghe is correct, this is very irresponsible politics. There is still time to clear up any doubt or misinterpretations if the reports are not correct. There is not only the prospect of the alleged statement boomeranging, as there is a contrary view gaining ground that Ranil Wickremesinghe beleaguered in his own party circles, may not have been happy about the popularity Janaka Perera, who not only enjoyed countrywide popularity as military leader but also demonstrated prospects of becoming a national leader acceptable to both leading southern political parties and considered capable of uniting the divided opinion into a bipartisan one. In other words, he was a challenge to the present UNP leadership.
Why was Janaka killed
Janaka Perera was considered capable of welding together the divided southern opinion and making common cause against the enemy of LTTE terrorism that was of concern to the LTTE leader even more than his military past. That was precisely the reason why Prabhakaran decided to eliminate him from the political scene, as he did with other potential first-line Sinhalese leaders like Ranjan Wijeratne, Lalith Athulathmudali, Gamini Dissanayake, Maj.Gen. Denzil Kobbekaduwa, President R.Premadasa, and President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who escaped death.
Even though the Diaspora went for Janaka mercilessly, when he was to be appointed as High Commissioner to Australia, (see for example, articles it published like "Tamil Canadian analysis"
http://www.tamil Canadian.com. with such articles like "The mistake of humanising a murderer" in CTC, Toronto; "Maj. Gen.Janaka Perera: A Hero to Traitor", TCNR: "An alleged war criminal as diplomat;", and "Arraign Janka Perera before Brussels Court"), as a retired Army Officer he was not likely to have attracted much attention from the LTTE despite their latent anger over his thwarting LTTE attacks in Weli Oya and turning the fire against the assailants. It was his potential future political leadership from reaching fruition that the LTTE wanted to stop.
With Prabhakaran’s long record of political assassinations and the sophisticated art of the use of the suicide-bomber strategy to get rid of rivals, it is sheer naivete for anyone to suggest that Anuradhapura killing would have been planned by anyone other than the LTTE.
The Timing
The Island Editorial of September 08 has gone into this adequately. It especially answers why the LTTE made no attempt on the life of Janaka Perera earlier during the election campaign. Yes, there are reasons like Babu who with the help of the President’s valet, Mohideeen was in and out of President Premadsa’s Keselwatta residence waited for the opportune moment to blow up the President.
The elimination of Janaka, the Leader of the Opposition in the NCP and a rising star in the political firmament, carried greater potential of boosting the morale of the flagging LTTE. Still the LTTE would not claim responsibility. Prabhakaran, applying the real Kautilyan strategy called ‘bheda’ (division of enemy), would allow the Sinhalese parties to stew in their own juice fighting over the murder accusing each other. But he would have his video clips ready for his cadres and the Diaspora.
The LTTE was offered an opportunity on a platter by the government which haggled over the former military leader’s security. So, as in the case of the assassination of Lalith Athulatmudali, who had fallen out with President R. Premadasa and was without security at the time of his death, rivals of the government were in a position to level allegations against the powers that be.
Ranil and Hakeem capitalised on this situation.
The security issue
I am in full agreement with the Editor of The Island that the government cannot absolve itself of blame for not providing adequate security to Janaka knowing very well that he was under security threat, especially after he became the leader of the opposition in the Provincial Council of NCP. The boosting up of the flagging morale of the LTTE and of the Diaspora and others which has resulted from this commission or omission is worse than losing an important battle.
The IGP himself cannot getaway saying that the organisers of the opening ceremony did not ask for security but four security personnel had been sent there. The virtual refusal of the government to provide security to Janaka during the election campaign and that he had to go to courts over the matter, pointed to petty politics and did not earn credit for the government.
It is also now seen as if that blunder had helped the LTTE to commit the dastardly crime. The prestige loss to the government all round even among its sympathizers, not to speak internationally, is devastating.
The only way that the nation’s solidarity could be demonstrated to Prabhakaran and his cohorts and the great military leader honoured is to accord him an honourable funeral with the participation of the government and the Opposition.