5th columns

"Thaaththa," Bindu Udagedera asked, "what is all this fuss about human rights?"
"Why, Bindu," Bindu's father Percy asked, "who is talking about human rights?"
"Why, thaaththa," Bindu said, "everyone is making such a fuss about human rights these days..."
"And why is that?" Percy wanted to know.
"They say that the government is violating their human rights..."

"Now, why would they say that?" Percy asked.
"Why, thaaththa, people are being abducted in broad daylight and then their bodies are being found in some far away place..." Bindu pointed out.
"That does sound so terrible," Percy agreed, "but what is Mahinda maama saying about all this?"
"Apparently he thinks it is all a conspiracy against him..." Bindu said.

"Why, have they tried to abduct him also?" Percy was alarmed.
"No, of course not," Bindu said, "but he says these are being staged to discredit him..."
"Why is that?" Percy queried.
"Why, Mahinda maama says that whenever he has to attend an international conference, some bodies are found somewhere and he has to face an embarrassing situation..."
"Then," Percy said, "it is very easy to stop all these abductions and killings..."

"How is that, thaaththa?" Bindu wanted to know.
"Why, all Mahinda maama has to do is to stop attending all these international conferences and all the killings will stop automatically..." Percy proposed.
"But thaaththa," Bindu said, "Mahinda maama also says that most of these people who are said to have been abducted have in fact left the country and others have been found in Kilinochchci or Vavuniya..."
"But," Percy pointed out, "there are those who were found in Kiriella and Wennappuwa as well..."
"So, thaaththa," Bindu asked, "what must be done to put an end to this?"
"They must apprehend whoever is responsible, of course..." Percy observed.

"Is that why they are arresting newspaper publishers who were supposed to have had dealings with the Tigers?" Bindu asked.
"That may be one way of dealing with it..." Percy agreed.
"But thaaththa," Bindu argued, "those who have been arrested are saying that those dealings with the Tigers were done at somebody's request..."

"That does complicate the issue..." Percy conceded, "so, they should look at other ways of tackling this problem..."
"Is that why they raided all those lodges in Colombo and sent the people there back to the North..." Bindu asked.
"That has led to an even worse crisis now..." Percy observed.
"So," Bindu inquired, "will Mahinda maama now say that this was also done to discredit him?"
"I'm not so sure about that," Percy said, "because there were those who were defending what was done..."
"Who was that, thaaththa?" Bindu asked.

"Why, Bindu," Percy said, "that Keheliya chap was claiming that no one was forcibly sent to the North and that all that the government did was to help anyone who wanted to go there by arranging transport for them..."
"That is a very funny way of doing it, then" Bindu said, "because this transport was arranged at three o'clock in the morning without any prior warning at all..."

"And that it probably why the Supreme Court wanted them to arrange transport for the return journey as well..." Percy said.
"But thaaththa," Bindu said, "even if the Supreme Court was unhappy with what was done, I'm sure at least one person would have been terribly happy about all this..."
"And who is that?" Percy asked.

"Why, thaaththa," Bindu said, "it is Prabhakaran, of course..."
"Why do you say that?" Percy was puzzled.
"Why, thaaththa, if this is what the leaders in the South are doing, there is no need for him to convince the people in the North that an Eelam is needed..."
Percy didn't quite know what to say to that.

Deals and dislodging done at crack of doom