SAMPANTHAN INCIDENT
National Security Council to take up
The National Security Council (NSC) would discuss a complaint lodged by Army Commander Lt. General Chrishanta De Silva on the alleged entrance to the Kilinochchi Army camp by Opposition TNA leader R. Sampanthan without permission and would take action to prevent similar incidents in future, a Cabinet Minister said yesterday.
Skills Development and Vocational Training Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe told the media yesterday at the Information Department that the Government was extremely unhappy over what had happened.
He said a separate inquiry had been launched by the Police over the allegation in a complaint lodged by the Officer in Charge of the Camp.
“This should not have happened. If and when a VIP wants to visit a camp of the Armed forces, he or she must get prior approval from the Head Quarters of the respective force and the base commander makes necessary arrangements on the advices of the Head Quarters,” he said.
“This is the procedure that is followed even when a Minister pays a visit to a camp of the Armed forces. This has not happened at this occasion and it is very unfortunate,” Minister Samarasinghe said.
He added the Government did not expect an irresponsible behaviour like this from a learned and experienced politician like Mr. Sampanthan.
“The Government had not restricted the access to Armed forces camps by any citizen but he or she must follow the procedures to do that. These kinds of incidents benefit only extremists. Two Presidents, one foreign Prime Minister, dozens of Ministers and other politicians, intellectuals, academics and thousands innocent lives perished in the 26-year separatist war and therefore, the Government has a responsibility and duty to protect each and every citizen of the country and prevent a resurgence of separatist terrorism,” he said.
“That is why the armed forces, like in any other country; follow certain security measures prior to letting individuals into the camps. The terrorists had murdered innocent devotees in hundreds at temples, churches, kovils and mosques. The Government could not tell the armed forces to lower their guard,” Minister Samarasinghe said.
Commenting on the recent resolution passed in the Northern Provincial Council to the effect that a Federal System of Governance was necessary to resolve the North-east issue and re-merge the Northern and the Eastern Provinces as a single unit to be forwarded to the Constitutional Assembly to be incorporated in the proposed new Constitution, Minister Samarasinghe said the SLFP was against Federalism and the re-merger of the North-east.
“The SLFP never accepts the Federal system of Governance as a sustainable political solution to the North-east problem. Legally, North-east cannot be re-merged as there is a clear Supreme Court ruling on that issue. The SLFP cannot violate the Constitution by supporting the re-merger,” Minister Samarasinghe said.
“Even the 13th Amendment to the Constitution that introduced Provincial Council system in 1987, under power devolution was a narrow split decision with five of the judges of the Supreme Court of the day agreeing and four disagreeing. Besides, a referendum, as required by the Supreme Court, never held in the Northeast to decide on the future of the merger of the two provinces, he pointed out. Responding to a journalist on certain remarks allegedly made by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jeyaram Jayalalithaa, that Sri Lankan refugees living in South India would be given dual citizenship, Minister Samarasinghe said Jayalalithaa must not bother about the Sri Lankan citizenship of them, because they were already Sri Lankans. “If she wants Indian citizenship for them she must get it sorted out with New Delhi,” he said.