1/A few concerning developments that call into question #NPP govt’s ‘system change’ rhetoric.

First is gazette issued on 28 March 2025 which seems to (de facto) appropriate 5940 acres land in Mullaitivu, Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Mannar districts via Land Settlement Ordinance.
2/If Land Appropriation Act is used to acquire private land for “public purposes” govt would have to justify whether it is for public purpose etc. This, on the other hand, is an easier, surreptitious and insidious way to state appropriate private land.

1/.@HarshadeSilvaMP quotes Mr Sampanthan who reportedly said solution to ethnic conflict must be acceptable to Sinhala majority, with which Mr De Silva agrees. I will first deal with Mr De Silva’s position and then explain why Mr Sampanthan may have made such a remark. 2/Successive govts failed to provide solution claiming Sinhalese maj didn’t want power to be shared with Tamils. Maj Sinhalese voting for Gotabaya R whose selling point is keeping minorities in their place as 2nd class citizens, shows racism is deeply ingrained. Case in point 👇🏽

1/ #Militarisation

Audit reports (issued by Auditor-Gen) of tri-forces provide a snapshot of financial waste, mismanagement and possible misappropriation. Despite this, military isn’t held accountable as these issues/reports aren’t even debated in parliament. @IMFNews

https://twitter.com/sulorammohan/status/1731624943727816733

2/The procurement section in the Army’s 2022 audit report makes interesting reading. The SLA didn’t have a main procurement plan for 3 yrs. The plan for year under review (47.45 billion) did not mention the number of units of goods or services to be procured.

1/#PoliceBrutality #Torture

On 26 Dec 2022 around 10 men in civvies entered house in Periyaneavanai, Amparai, allegedly severely beat & dragged out 3 men. When wife of 1 inquired why they were beating them,they verbally abused her, pulled her trouser down & kicked her in stomach 2/The sister of woman who was kicked asked same Q & was also kicked in stomach.Women followed them out & saw a white van parked & behind it a blue jeep with Akkaraipattu police written on it.The abductors thrust 1 man’s head under seat, all the while verbally abusing man’s wife

1/Outrage being expressed about male police officer using force against woman police officer. This incident can’t be viewed in isolation of nature of institution and broader political culture- patriarchal, violent, abusive, politicized and never held to account. 2/It isn’t one govt that’s responsible but successive govts. Police began acting like counter -insurgency force at times during war. Accountability for war time violations are ignored even now & many who are outraged by current actions would likely defend war time violations.

1/ #RepealPTA

Rathinam Kamalaharan who was working for the Civil Security Division (CSD) was arrested in July 2020 under #PTA and released in April 2022 on bail. He has to go to court twice a month and sign on last Sunday of month. He obtained a loan of Rs 650,000 in Jan 2020. 2/He has 3 children under the age of 10. His family struggled to meet basic needs while he was in prison. Even though out on bail he can’t return to CSD & has difficulty finding other work. Crt has ordered them to pay back loan with interest, which they don’t have ability to.

1/ My thoughts on support for the (role played by) LTTE.

PS: I have been attacked on social media, news websites as well as certain Tamil diaspora media & called traitor, anti-Tamil & pro-military. At the same time govt affiliated ppl have labeled me traitor, anti-natl & LTTE.

https://twitter.com/sarithairugal/status/1520241866049933314

2/The fact I have to first show my bona fides, as it were, by saying I was attacked by “both sides” to show I am being objective illustrates the challenge Tamils face when calling for a nuanced understanding of & means to deal with the violent past, which spills into our present.