The Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, at the conclusion of this debate on the extension of emergency regulations, we will call for a Division and vote against the extension. This extension cannot be justified. There is no current necessity to treat matters as an emergency. While the regulations may have been needed in the immediate aftermath of certain incidents, and we then asked the Government to declare them, the continued extension for months on the basis of the cyclone is unacceptable.

¶ 02 The primary reason you seek to extend today is to obstruct democratic functioning by the public and officials. You are using a months-old cyclone as the pretext. From our perspective, the National People’s Power Government was elected by southern Sinhala base voters who believed a change might come, disillusioned by abuse of power. Instead, many of your actions amount to a blow to those very people; this extension is one such act.

¶ 03 Another reason we oppose: it was under emergency that genocide against Tamils occurred in this country. Throughout the war, emergency prevailed; civilians were unlawfully massacred under a culture of impunity by the armed forces and police. Those same armed forces remain in the North and East. No soldier faces action; instead, the Sri Lankan State keeps promising to protect them even against accountability. The same emergency framework used to perpetrate injustice is now being prolonged. With no security sector reforms, innocent people in the North and East live under threat.

¶ 04 Consider the recent incident in Allaipiddy. On the allegation of cattle theft, they are trying to justify killing. Even if what they allege were true, can a person be killed like that in peacetime? Would this happen in the South? It happens because a culture took root under emergency where the forces and police could do as they wished, believing they would be protected. You may seek to curtail southern protests and control democracy; in the North and East this is about life and death. We strongly oppose it.

¶ 05 Finally, while the Minister of Fisheries is here: last Wednesday I raised that two fishermen from Jaffna, whose boat malfunctioned near Kachchativu, went missing. Today we have confirmation that the Indian Navy rescued them and took them to Mandapam camp. However, they have not been repatriated and the boat has not been released. They committed no illegal act; the malfunction forced them into Indian waters. I request the Hon. Minister to intervene so that no cases are filed in India and to have their boat and all property safely returned. Please intervene.