The Janaka Perera Fiasco

By P. Vannian

The appointment of Major General Janaka Perera as High Commissioner in Australia for Sri Lanka triggered twisted knickers among a whole spectrum of people. The Tamils & some Singhalese protested the appointment of Perera on the grounds that he was actively involved in torture and killing of human beings in both the Singhalese South and Tamil North/East of Sri Lanka without racial bias.

Sonali Samarasingha of The Sunday Leader [June 24, 2001]defended him valiantly with chronological inaccuracies and terminological inexactitudes; this was despite Amnesty International and the Asian Human Rights Commission producing convincing evidence of his involvement in torture and murder.

At a gathering in Australia “Janaks” in true senior officers mess style said possibly with a peg in his hand that all the noise has elevated him from being a national hero to an international hero. “Well said old chap”

Sober reflection suggests that if Janaka had been returned to Sri Lanka, many would be in a dilemma. President Madame Chandrika Kumaratunga would be certainly embarrassed when the Retired General reveals the goings on in the arms trade. The security forces top brass, particularly Lionel Balagalle will be on the spot because of involvement in corrupt practices. The arms “komiss kakas.” (Commission Agents) as CBK neatly puts it would be in deep distress. If Janaka is silenced by appointment as Army Commander, woe be unto the poor Tamil civilians and possibly Singhalese as well.

Left in Australia he couldn’t do much to the Sri Lankan Australian Citizens. Those who need to fear would be Sri Lankan Citizens resident in Australia, who may have to visit the High Commission. They may have to suffer the minor inconvenience of being hung by their toes from a convenient ceiling fan hook by “Marquis de Sade Perera” and be given the works to check out if they had any subversive interests in Sri Lanka.