Courting trouble

Tuesday 9th February, 2021

It was reported yesterday that TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran had been stripped of STF security. The reason for the withdrawal of his special security contingent, according to some media reports, was that he had taken part in a four-day protest march from Pottuvil in the East to Polikandy in the North. However, the police told this newspaper yesterday evening that the STF personnel detailed to protect Sumanthiran had been asked not to accompany him during the aforesaid march, which was illegal, and they had been redeployed for his protection after the event.

The government may have thought MP Sumanthiran would not participate in the protest march if his STF security was withdrawn because of threats to his life. But he was not deterred.

The TNA should not have held the protest march, given the rapid spread of COVID-19 in all parts of the country. The protesters blatantly violated the health regulations. It is obvious that their goal was to give a turbo boost to their campaign, in Geneva, for an international war crimes probe here. But the fact remains that many others have violated quarantine laws with impunity elsewhere. There have been quite a few protests in Colombo during the last several months; a few weeks ago, thousands of people converged on a village in Kegalle, where a concoction, touted as a cure for COVID-19, was distributed. Those mass gatherings, too, must have caused several clusters of infections in different parts of the country. So, those who violate the quarantine laws must not be castigated or brought to justice selectively.

One may ask how Sumanthiran, while taking part in protests such as marches, could justify his claim that threats to his life are so severe as to warrant special security measures to protect him. But politicians usually take such security risks to go among the people and muster popular support. Many politicians have done so in the past, even during the war, and some of them perished at the hands of terrorists.

The government and the police had better not meddle with special security provided to anyone under threat. Fortunately, nothing untoward happened during the recent protest march. Did the police care to explain to Sumanthiran, before his long walk, why they were withdrawing the STF personnel? If not, why? The MP has said he had not received any prior notice.

The state is duty bound to ensure the safety of all democratic political leaders facing risks. The war ended more than a decade ago, but the danger of terrorism raising its head again persists. More than 10,000 LTTE combatants have been released after ‘rehabilitation’. There is no guarantee that some of them will not revert to their old ways if an opportunity presents itself. The former warzone is awash with hidden arms and explosive devices. Some ex-Tigers must be having information about the underground LTTE arms caches. Hence the need for all those who cherish democracy to refrain from resorting to anything fraught with the danger of creating a situation conducive to the revival of terror.

It may be recalled that STF security was provided to Sumanthiran after a plot to kill him had come to light. A group of former LTTE cadres had conspired to carry out a claymore mine attack, targeting him, in Jaffna. The Terrorist Investigation Department arrested four suspects in January 2017. Investigators said the former Tigers had been handled by LTTE activists in countries like France, Australia and Malaysia. The conspiracy at issue is proof that the LTTE is very active overseas, and there are ex-Tigers ready to unleash terror here; Sri Lanka must not lower its guard. This is something that needs to be brought to the notice of the UNHRC, and other international bodies that urge this country to do away with its anti-terror laws, etc. The country had to pay a huge price, on Easter Sunday in 2019, for neglecting its national security.

Meanwhile, if the identities of the handlers of the suspects who allegedly conspired to kill Sumanthiran are not known, they must be established, and the countries where they are operating and promoting terrorism requested to take legal action against them.