Let justice be done

The brutal killing of Superintendent of Police Charles Wijeywardene by unruly elements in Jaffna comes as an overwhelming shock to all lovers of peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Accordingly, we join the forces of peace and the State in unreservedly condemning this heinous murder and call for the quick arrest of those responsible for it. They must be brought to justice forthwith.

There is no denying that the gruesome killing of SP. Wijewardene carries the chilling stamp of the LTTE. The ruthless efficiency with which the heinous act was carried out bears eloquent testimony to the hidden bloody hand of the LTTE and we once again ask whether such dastardly crimes could help promote a negotiated settlement of our conflict.

Since the killing of the SP followed in the wake of the death of a Jaffna resident at the hands of two members of the Sri Lanka Army, there is no doubt that it was meant to be a revenge killing. However, if the LTTE is keen on perpetuating the CFA and kickstarting the peace process, such acts of lawlessness and brutality cannot be continued. We take this opportunity to tell the LTTE that their clandestine and surreptitious killing spree is only helping in heightening the current atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion among the stakeholders in the peace process. Need we also remind the LTTE that no one would gain by the deepening of this atmosphere of suspicion? If the LTTE is keen on ending the conflict on fair, just terms, it needs to adhere stringently to the terms of the ceasefire in both letter and spirit.

The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission - we believe - should play a more proactive role in impressing on the LTTE its duties and obligations under the CFA. The position can no longer be taken that acts of terror - such as the killing of SP Wijewardene - are criminal acts which cannot be dealt with under the terms of the CFA. Perhaps, as the State now maintains, the CFA needs to be reviewed and provided more teeth to deal with LTTE inspired heinous crimes.

We are also conscience-bound to mention that the unwarranted killing of civilians - wherever they are resident - by members of the Security Forces cannot be condoned. We call for a thorough probe by the State of the incident which sparked off a riot in Jaffna just before the abduction of SP Wijewardene, where two soldiers had reportedly entered a barber saloon armed, and apparently spurred the circumstances which led to the killing of the resident, who was the barber in charge of the shop at that time.

We do not intend to rush to conclusion in this matter but if the soldiers in question had violated the law of the land or Army regulations, they should be brought very speedily to justice. On the other hand, we very emphatically state that mob violence could in no way be justified. Essentially, our position is that the Rule of Law should prevail and that all wrong-doers should be subjected to the due process of the law.

It would be in order to also observe that stepped-up efforts by certain elements - in both Northern and Southern Sri Lanka to undermine efforts at arriving at a negotiated settlement, cannot be ruled out. One of the most effective means of destabilizing the State is to intensify ethnic antagonisms by triggering lawlessness which would lead to civil strife and an eventual collapse of law and order. Extremist political forces in both South and North are likely to be working towards this agenda.

Interestingly, in the current situation there is likely to be a confluence of interests between these extremists of North and South. They would both gain by a breakdown of law and order in the North-East through carefully engineered events which would lead to a confrontation between the law enforcers of the North-East and the civilian populace. For both sets of extremists are antagonistic to a negotiated, just settlement of our conflict.