Banality Of Power : Rajapaksa Harassed His Former Leader Too

Image courtesy: Foreign orrespondents! "ssociation of #ri Lanka

$ %arc& '() *+',) olom-o) #ri Lanka .uardian/ Former President and former leader of t&e ruling #ri Lankan Freedom Party) &andrika Bandaranaike 0umaratunga) in a special letter to t&e President %a&inda Rajapaksa says) certain acti1ities undertaken -y t&e go1ernment &a1e 1iolated &er pri1acy) caused &arassment and affected &er personal safety2 #&e adds t&at &er telep&one con1ersations and emails are under constant sur1eillance and &er personal residences in olom-o and Horagolla are -eing watc&ed -y security aut&orities2 T&e Former President states t&at suc& acti1ities conducted -y defence esta-lis&ments amount to a serious 1iolation of my Fundamental Rig&ts to mo1ement and association2 T&is amounts to a calculated strategy of your .o1ernment to &arass me and cause se1ere mental and emotional stress to me) w&ile intimidating my friends and associates2 T&is situation is compounded -y t&e knowledge t&at you &a1e informed a large num-er of senior mem-ers of our Party and our .o1ernment to desist from talking and associating wit& me) during t&e past 3 years of your Presidency)4 s&e said2

I would -e pleased if you could inform me w&at crimes and offences I &a1e committed) in w&ic& way I &a1e -een a pu-lic nuisance or affected pu-lic peace) or -e&a1ed in a disorderly or suspicious manner)4 B0 furt&er added in &er letter dated %arc& +52 T&e full letter sent -y former President &andrika Bandaranaike 0umaratunga is as follows) 5t& %arc&) *+',2 His 67cellency %a&inda Rajapakse) President of #ri Lanka) Presidential #ecretariat) olom-o '2 Harassment of Former President &andrika Bandaranaike 0umaratunga T&roug& Illegal #ur1eillence I write to inform you of certain acti1ities undertaken -y your .o1ernment t&at &a1e 1iolated my pri1acy) caused muc& &arassment to me and concern wit& regard to my personal safety2 T&is situation also 1iolates my Fundamental Rig&ts) impinging on my freedom of mo1ement and freedom of association2 #ince I retired from t&e Presidency in *++5 and you assumed t&e office of President) t&e secret ser1ices of t&e .o1ernment) w&ic& are directly under t&e aut&ority of yourself and your -rot&er .ota-&aya Rajapakse) #ecretary to your %inistry of 8efence) &a1e relentlessly pursued t&e following actions : onstant sur1eillance of all my telep&one and email communications onstant sur1eillance of my residences in olom-o and at Horagolla 9isits4 paid to se1eral friends) conse:uent to t&eir 1isiting my &ome) -y officers introducing t&emsel1es as from t&e ;IB2 T&ey &a1e -een interrogated) in an intimidating manner) a-out w&at t&ey did at my &ome) w&o else was present and w&at was discussed2 I complained in writing a-out t&is to t&e former Inspector .eneral of Police %r2 <ayant&a =ickremeratne -y my letter dated '(t& Octo-er) *++( and also talked to &im on t&e p&one2 I did not &a1e t&e courtesy of e1en an acknowledgement) similarly to se1eral letters written to you) your #ecretary Lalit& =eeratunga as well as #ecretary) %inistry of 8efence .ota-&aya Rajapakse on ot&er matters2 ;IB officers 1isiting and interrogating t&e management of &otels) after I &a1e &appened to 1isit t&ese &otels for entirely personal reasons2 T&ey &a1e -een :uestioned as to w&y I went to t&e &otel) w&at I discussed) w&o I meet t&ere) etc2 T&ey also place officers at t&e &otel) to watc& and report on w&o attends my e1ents2 T&e staff at t&ese &otels &as -een so intimidated and frig&tened -y t&ese actions) t&at I now find it difficult to arrange e1en personal e1ents at &otels2 Recently I went to t&e 0urunegala 8istrict) for a personal 1isit2 " few long>time friends learnt of my

1isit and in1ited me to t&eir &omes ? one for tea and t&e ot&er for dinner2 T&e local ;IB officer su-jected my &osts to constant &arassment for se1eral days -efore and after my 1isit) in:uiring a-out t&e reasons for my 1isit) w&om I met) etc2 In t&e conte7t of a culture of w&ite 1ans) t&ese friends are terrified to associate wit& me anymore2 I also went recently to "nurad&apura wit& foreign friends2 T&e &otel I stayed in was under a *, &our sur1eillance -y ;IB officers) w&o were recogni@ed and spoken to -y my security detail2 T&e net result would -e t&at t&e said &otel management will -e &esitant to accommodate me in t&e future2 It is notewort&y t&at my security officers &a1e recogni@ed some of t&e ;IB personnel engaging in 1arious acts of sur1eillance I am deeply concerned a-out t&e a-o1e for t&e reasons gi1en -elow : '2 T&is is a serious 1iolation of my Fundamental Rig&ts to mo1ement and association2 *2 T&is amounts to a calculated strategy of your .o1ernment to &arass me and cause se1ere mental and emotional stress to me) w&ile intimidating my friends and associates2 T&is situation is compounded -y t&e knowledge t&at you &a1e informed a large num-er of senior mem-ers of our Party and our .o1ernment to desist from talking and associating wit& me) during t&e past 3 years of your Presidency2 A2 Taking into consideration t&e pre1ailing practice of destroying anyone w&o is considered a t&reat to t&e &ig&er aut&orities of your .o1ernment) -y means of murder) Bdisappearances4) p&ysical attacks) I &a1e serious reasons to -e concerned a-out my safety2 T&e practice of constant sur1eillance is an effecti1e means of o-taining information a-out my w&erea-outs) in order to facilitate planned action against my person2 I say t&at t&e sur1eillance t&at &as -een mounted on me) t&e Former President of #ri Lanka) is illegal for t&e following reasons : T&e only legal pro1ision relating to t&is issue is #ection 5C of t&e Police Ordinance2 T&is #ection casts a duty on a Police Officer to use &is -est endea1ours to pre1ent all crimes) offences and pu-lic nuisances) to preser1e t&e peace) to appre&end disorderly and suspicious c&aracters and to collect and communicate intelligence affecting t&e pu-lic peace) etc2 T&is #ection e1idently comes into operation w&en t&e rele1ant Police aut&ority &as reasona-le grounds to suspect t&at t&e person t&ey need to mount sur1eillance on is engaged in t&e a-o1e stated acti1ities2 I would -e pleased if you could inform me w&at crimes and offences I &a1e committed) in w&ic& way I &a1e -een a pu-lic nuisance or affected pu-lic peace) or -e&a1ed in a disorderly or suspicious manner2

 In t&e a-sence of t&e a-o1e unlawful acti1ities) I clearly wis& to inform you t&at t&e sur1eillance mounted on me -y your .o1ernment is illegal and unconstitutional and in 1iolation of my Fundamental Rig&ts2 I wis& to earnestly re:uest Dour 67cellency to take immediate action to instruct all rele1ant aut&orities to stop all illegal sur1eillance done wit& regards to myself2 T&anking you2 Dours fait&fully) &andrika Bandaranaike 0umaratunga Posted -y T&a1am