Monday, March 25, 2013

Odd things in the news

I noticed two unusual stories in the news today, the Ceylon Today report that a special police squad is being trained, amidst great secrecy to deal with mass protests and riots.

The Government must be expecting trouble, but from where? Certainly not from the BBS, which has been rabble rousing quite imperviously. Could a series of tax hikes be on the way? Something so bad that they fear it could trigger a mass uprising? Fuel went up and an electricity hike is on the way, is there a lot more to come? Or is it the formation of the joint opposition that has spooked them? Perhaps something like a referendum to extend the life of the presidency or parliament? Something is definitely up, I wonder what?

I don't know how many people read the Ceylon Today but they carry some interesting titbits, the paper is worth checking more regularly.

The second bit of news was tucked away on page 2 of the Sunday Times; a little story (not available online) that stated that Defence Authorities have identified the man who provided the battlefield photographs to pro-Tiger groups abroad. The man had, who had been attached to one of the "lesser known television stations"  had been at the front lines in 2009. He has since fled abroad with his family and sleuths are apparently busy tracking his past activities. Update: The Colombo Gazette carries a detailed story.

Hmm and more hmm. I will leave it to others to work out the implications but this is the strangest story I have come across. According to rumours that circulated at the time only the state media were given access to the battle front.

Wikileaks is now old news but the story on Sri Lanka's kidnapping saga of 2007/8 is explosive. Why did the spate of kidnappings die down  after the UNP named him in parliament in 2007? Five years on, what has become of him? Have we all forgotten?

-Updated with a link to the journalist story-   

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