A controversial arrest reignites old war-time questions, raising fears of political revenge, selective justice, and unresolved crimes long buried since Sri Lanka’s darkest years.
Former Provincial Councilor Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe has raised serious questions over the recent arrest of former Minister Douglas Devananda, asking whether the move was politically motivated and intended to appease interests linked to the LTTE.
“For decades, amidst the fireworks of firearms, he sacrificed his life against LTTE terrorism and fascism,” Warnasinghe said, recalling Devananda’s role in fighting alongside Sri Lankan security forces. He pointed out that Devananda survived multiple assassination attempts and stood firmly against LTTE violence while advocating democratic space for Tamil society.
The former minister, who fought for the freedom of Tamil civilians and narrowly escaped death nine times, has now been arrested 15 years after the end of the war over the alleged disappearance of a weapon. Warnasinghe questioned the timing and intent behind the arrest, asking who stood to benefit from reopening such cases long after the conflict ended.
“Who is this to please? Who has the intention of taking revenge on militant democratic Tamil armed groups that stood with the Sri Lankan security forces to defeat LTTE terrorism?” he asked.
Drawing parallels, Warnasinghe highlighted that after the defeat of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna uprising in 1988 and 1989, thousands of weapons seized from security forces and civilians were never returned. Nearly 2,233 such weapons remain unaccounted for even after 35 years.
“What happened to those weapons? Where did they go? Were they absorbed into the underworld?” he asked, urging the government’s investigative authorities to address long-ignored cases instead of selectively targeting individuals.
Before Tigers were occupying and controlling only in Klinochi and Mullaitivu districts almost 2 decades.
Now they are controlling from Colombo. They are hoding the regin.