Ratwatte sons, Lohan and Chanuka, surrender
By Tania Fernando
Four days after the dramatic arrest of former PA strongman Anuruddha Ratwatte,
the case took another sensational turn yesterday when his fugitive sons,
Lohan and Chanuka, surrendered after evading arrest for more than two months.
The two Ratwatte sons came with their lawyer Thirantha Walaliadda to
surrender to CID Director Lionel Gunatillake in connection with the Pallethalawinna
massacre of ten SLMC supporters on election day.
After the high noon surrender, the Ratwatte sons were being interrogated
and the process was continuing when this edition went to press.
They are due to be driven to Kandy today produced before a Magistrate
and likely to be remanded, just as their father was last Wednesday.
General Ratwatte was arrested after he had been questioned for about
nine hours two weeks ago. During the questioning, he claimed that both
he and his sons were being framed by political opponents. Gen. Ratwatte
also claimed he was not aware of the whereabouts of his sons.
After he was remanded, Gen. Ratwatte complained of severe stress and
weakness, making a case for him to be admitted to the National Hospital.
He is being provided with MSD security. Meanwhile, a Tamil youth who
was seen loitering in the hospital area has been arrested on suspicion.
The Sunday Times learns that the CID was yesterday interrogating the
Ratwatte sons not only with regard to the Udathalawinna massacre, but also
other incidents that took place during polls time and the killing of the
ruggerite Joel Pera.
It is also learnt that the mother of the Ratwatte sons and the wife
of one of them had interviewed Interior Minister John Amaratunga a week
ago.
Cohabitation snapping
Though constitutionally there is a cohabitation government, ties between
the UNP and the PA have plunged to breaking point with the opposition leader
charging that whenever the UNP came to office, the prisons overflowed with
SLFP supporters.
Parliament was thrown into chaos last Thursday with opposition MPs wearing
black bands and shouting slogans against the arrest of former strongman
Anuruddha Ratwatte.
The protest in parliament came after the PA group decided to vote against
all bills presented by the government on the charge the UNP was going all
out to trample the PA in the runup to local polls.
Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapakse warned that if the arbitrary arrests
of PA supporters were not stopped he would take the case to an international
tribunal and human rights organizations.
Mr. Rajapakse said the SLFPers, including Mr. Ratwatte, had been taken
in on trumped up charges and there was information that senior party figures
from Uva and the South were also to be arrested.
Referring to the headline-hitting arrest of Mr. Ratwatte, the opposition
leader said the PA was stripped of its national organiser, largely to please
the constituent party of the UNF government.
PM rejects President's charges on Accord
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe rejected a claim by President Chandrika
Kumaratunga that neither she nor the Cabinet was properly consulted before
signing the open-ended ceasefire with the Tamil Tiger (LTTE) rebels as
it appeared that the opposition parties were preparing to stage a protest
at the accord rushed through this week.
Premier Wickremesinghe, The Sunday Times learns, had asked President
Kumaratunga to sign the accord along with himself on behalf of the Sri
Lanka government, which rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had signed
a day earlier on behalf of the LTTE, but the President had point blankly
refused.
She had said that the Prime Minister should not have got himself into
a position where he was being rushed into signing an accord with the rebels,
and asked for time to study its ramifications.
As the two leaders spoke last Thursday evening at President's House,
Norwegian ambassador Jon Westborg had taken a special Air Force helicopter
to Kilinochchi and returned with the truce accord signed by Prabhakaran.
This is the second time Prabhakaran has signed a ceasefire accord with
the Colombo government, the last time being in early 1995.
The LTTE unilaterally abrogated that accord a few months later.
On Friday, President Kumaratunga expressed "surprise and concern" that
she was being informed of the contents of the agreement only after it had
been signed by the LTTE leader. Pointing out that Constitutional provisions
to obtain Presidential approval had not been obtained, she said, neither
the Cabinet nor Parliament had been informed. She called the move "improper
and undemocratic" and declared it is "violative of practices by the consensual
politics of cohabitation.
Besides signalling that the People's Alliance would not back the ceasefire
agreement, an essential prelude to the peace process under Norwegian facilitation,
President Kumaratunga's response also posed serious legal and constitutional
ramifications. As constitutional head, she has already made it clear that
it was she, as President, who was empowered to declare peace or war.
President Kumaratunga has already summoned a meeting of Opposition parties
including the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Eelam People's Democratic
Party (EPDP) to discuss a common response.
PA sources however said that the Alliance would charter its own course
and not be a party to a more hard line stance being taken by the JVP.
The EPDP yesterday said it was still studying the agreement and would
be making a formal statement after studying further comments made by the
Prime Minister.
The JVP in a hard-hitting statement called the people to carry out a
protest against the signing of the agreement and claimed that the people
of the country had not been consulted on the matter.
The People's Alliance is taking exception to a number of provisions
in the ceasefire agreement. Main among them is their opposition to a provision
which debars any "offensive action" against the LTTE in the seas.
This provision states "The Sri Lanka Armed Forces shall continue to
perform their legitimate task of safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Sri Lanka without engaging in offensive operations against
the LTTE."
The PA is also strongly opposed to a provision in the ceasefire agreement
which required troops to pull out of schools and other institutions where
they have pitched camp. The PA sees this as an effort to drive Government
troops out of areas where the LTTE wants to hold sway.
Yesterday, Lakshman Kadirgamar, former Foreign Minister and PA's nominee
to interact with Norwegians in the peace process, had a two hour long meeting
with Oslo's Ambassador in Colombo, Jon Westborg. The latter is learnt to
have explained to Mr. Kadirgamar the reasons why he was not able to show
the contents of the ceasefire agreement until it was signed by Mr. Prabhakaran..
PA sources say a detailed statement commenting on provisions of the
ceasefire agreement would be made public in the coming week.
The matter is now being studied in detail, they added.
Premier Wickremesinghe, who is expected to address a news conference
today, is to explain details of the ceasefire agreement including issues
raised by the PA.
Govt. clarify issues in 'statement of intent'
The government released a statement of intent delivered by Prime Minister
Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday to somewhat off-set drawbacks on two major
issues in the ceasefire accord it had signed with the LTTE. The two issues
were the right of the government's armed forces to intercept the illegal
movement of arms into Sri Lanka, and the assurances to the Sinhalese and
Muslims in the Eastern province that their rights will be protected by
the government.
The statement said that the armed forces "will have full power and authority
and be equipped in every way to repulse any act of aggression of civil
disorder", as the Prime Minister earlier conceded that the LTTE had steadfastly
refused to have such provision included in the truce accord.
The government will have this message conveyed to the LTTE through the
Norwegians who are acting as facilitators in bringing the two sides to
the negotiating table.
The issue of the government protecting the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of the country came into focus when the LTTE is reported to have
unloaded arms on the eastern beaches and confronted the Navy in the high
seas for the fifth time in two months.
The LTTE insists that their sea cadres be allowed freedom of movement
in the seas as their ground forces are allowed during the ceasefire period.
The government assured the country that the agreement "does not compromise
national security in the slightest degree".
It also assured the Sinhalese and Muslims living in the east, which
the LTTE has been long claiming as part of the separate state they are
fighting for, that their rights and safety would be ensured.
"Effective measures will be taken to ensure that there will be no interference
with the functioning of government departments, other state agencies and
local authorities and that civil liberties and human rights will be respected
in full measure", the statement says.
The leader of the Muslim Congress Rauff Hakeem, whose power-base is
in the east has complained of acute instances of extortion and harassment
of Muslims there at the hands of the LTTE.
The Eastern province has an almost equal one-third population of Sinhalese,
Tamils and Muslims. |
