Features
Learning the ropes at the Police Training School
(Continued from last week excerpts from the memoirs or Retired Senior DIG Edward Gunawardena)
When training commenced there was never a dull moment. The routine consisted of early morning parade with rifle exercises or PT, lectures on law and police work from breakfast to lunch, motor cycle riding in the afternoons and games at which all ranks joined from 4 p.m. onwards (this was termed “games with the men”). Twice a week a night patrol was also compulsory – one before midnight and one after. I still remember a trainee Sub-Inspector who often accompanied me was Dhanasiri Weerasinghe, more famous as a cricketer.
The rigid programme that had to be followed by the trainees was certainly made pleasant by the trainers who were police veterans. These Inspectors were not lacking in humour. Ekanayake The Chief Lecturer, James Senaratne, Terry Amarasekera, Rosairo, Petersz, Jaleel and Alex Abeysekera were all hellbent on impressing on the young officers that there was no other sector in the government Service superior to the police. Stanley Senanayake and Fred Brohier had separate informal sessions with the three of us. These discussions were to impress on us the standards expected of gazetted officers in discipline, general behaviour and demeanour and professional ethics.
Sergeant Major Nallawansa had a knack to make us laugh at appropriate moments even on the parade ground. When we saw the Police Band on the parade ground, he turned to Mahendran and in his deep baritone voice said, “Sir, that band will play at your funeral!”
The Communal Riots of 1958
Barely had the three of us completed ninety days of training, an event of historical significance was to take place in which the police had to play the decisive role. Since S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike came into power in 1956 with “Sinhala only in twenty four hours” as the main plank of his election platform, friction between the Sinhala and Tamil people had been simmering.
As early as the post election months of 1956 clashes had erupted in the Amparai District which had been quelled early by the Police. But with radical politicians from both sides of the divide fomenting unrest the bubble burst in May 1958. With the murder of an influential Sinhalese in Batticaloa District and rumours spreading of all types of gruesome harassment such as the cutting off the breasts of Sinhalese women, virulent hatred spread like wildfire. Initial hesitancy on the part of Bandaranaike to deal firmly with the Sinhalese aggressors aggravated the situation; and violence soon spread to all parts of the island.
Kalutara District was one of the worst affected. Incited by radical local, criminally inclined politicians, all the Tamils of the district in both the urban and rural areas in mortal fear, began to seek shelter at police stations. Murder, arson and looting was reported mainly from Panadura, Kalutara and Beruwala. The Police Training School was not an operational institution. The task of maintaining law and order was the responsibility of the Kalutara police division that was under Superintendent Sol Goonetillake. The talk among the officers at the Training School was that the Kalutara Police had failed.
In the meantime large numbers of destitute Tamil men, women and children began to seek protection in the school. The Director, on his own initiative was quick to make arrangements to accommodate the hundreds that were streaming in. They had to be provided with food, shelter and security. The three new ASPS took to these tasks like ducks to water. The three of us began to experience in full measure the humanitarian nature of police responsibilities. Violence had reached a peak when the state of emergency declared by the government began to take effect.
Sir Oliver Goonetilleke, the Governor-General, took charge of the situation and the police was given full emergency powers. Sydney de Zoysa, DIG, the man considered ideal for such a situation was in charge of the entire western coastal belt from Colombo southwards to Galle and beyond. One of his earliest tasks was to give Sol Goonetilleke, SP Kalutara, a respite and entrust Stanley Senanayake, Director of Police Training, with the task of restoring law and order in the Kalutara District.
The Police Training School had two distinct tasks. The first was to provide the necessary direction and leadership to the police of the district to prevent mob violence, arson and looting. The second was to provide sustenance and protection to over 2,000 refugees who had been accommodated in the vast premises. In both these tasks I had to play a leadership role. I revelled in leading armed mobile patrol units and making arrests. I also gladly took on tasks that provided succour to the refugees. One was to aggressively assist the Director in the requisitioning of food stocks from dealers in Kalutara to feed the refugees. In this task A.M.S. Perera, the Govt. Agent of Kalutara and Francis Pietersz, the AGA who was a civil service cadet, were extremely co-operative. It was an irony of fate that Indrani Gomesz, the fiancee of Francis Pietersz, and her parents who were respected teachers of Holy Cross College had to be accommodated in the Training School as refugees. They were comfortably lodged at the Magul Maduwa, the assembly hall.
Something significant that I was able to observe early in my police life was the spontaneous manner in which women could rise to the occasion for the fulfillment of tasks that required understanding, sympathy and care. Overcome by fear of death or physical hurt this mass of refugees were a pathetic sight. They were not political propagandists or terrorists. They were innocent beings that belonged to humankind. I saw how they sincerely worshiped Mrs. Maya Senanayake, who by her looks and behaviour stood out as the leader of the men and women that catered to their needs.
This inner expression of gratitude was seen as many women and children turned hysterical when they had to be taken to a camp at the Colombo race course to be sent to Jaffna. To them Maya Senanayake had provided a safe and comfortable home, Jaffna was only a dream against all the care and safety they were enjoying. They were apprehensive of what was happening outside the Police Training School.
The order to take the majority of these refugees (or Internally Displaced Persons — IDPs) to the Colombo Race Course had to be meticulously planned. Twenty buses of the Ceylon Transport Board arranged by the G.A. Kalutara reported to the Aluvihare Grounds of the PTS (Police Training School). Once all the evacuees had boarded the buses, boxes containing food parcels (bread and seeni sambol) and bottles of water were handed over to the bus crews. Security was of prime importance. Once the motorcade was formed the rear was brought up by a ‘riot truck’ with armed policemen. Inspector James Senaratne was in charge of this riot truck. Several Jeeps with armed policemen led the way. I was in the first Jeep armed with a Sterling sub machine gun. The fear was that the convoy would be attacked by organized Sinhala criminal activists particularly when passing Wadduwa, Waskaduwa and Panadura areas. However the journey to the race course was smooth and uneventful.
Of my stay at the PTS what I remember most is the humanitarian operation referred to above. The image that existed in my mind of the police as a crime busting entity full of risks and adventure changed dramatically when I witnessed the role that the police played in the alleviation of human suffering. The leadership role played by Stanley Senanayake and his wife, Maya, most certainly impacted on me to a great extent. They, by their exemplary conduct convinced me that the police as a profession can do much to make ordinary people comfortable and happy. As I progressed along in the police I realized that the opportunities for such consolation were indeed plentiful in day to day police work.
By the time I left the PTS for field training in the Criminal Investigation Department and the Colombo Police Div. I had learnt criminal law adequate for police work and covered a lot of ground on the theoretical aspects of this work. However, I would like to emphatically maintain that the first hand experience I had of the communal riots equipped me with the confidence so vital in decision making under critical conditions. It certainly exceeded what could have been acquired in years of training. This is what experience is all about. Surprisingly we still come across people in high places who try to equate experience to length of service on the job!
The stint at the PTS, apart from basic policing and police administration taught me many more things including the importance of physical fitness, riding of heavy motorcycles, to aggressively play soccer and rugger and above all the riding of horses. It was with the greatest of ease that I took to horse riding. I was the first out of the three of us to pass the riding test. I remember this test was conducted by Sydney de Zoyza and Cecil Wambeek. The test consisted of trotting, cantering and galloping. The acid test was when the horse had to jump over a bar. With the police stables getting ex racers from the Turf Club I had the opportunity of riding even Christmas Stocking and Devilment two thoroughbreds that had won the Governor’s Cup, the blue riband of the local turf.
An impression strongly etched in my mind of the Police Training School of the fifties was its cleanliness and the orderly manner in which all the activities were conducted. It did not take time for me to realize that the Director and the entire staff were strictly following a tradition that had taken root at PTS when it commenced in the forties under the pioneering leadership of Sydney de Zoyza. The roads, the buildings, the open areas, the parade grounds and the artificial lakes were spotlessly clean. They stood testimony to the discipline of the institution, the hallmark of the PTS. Without being told or reminded I began to discard my cigarette butts and empty packets to the bins. I learnt not even to throw away a used match stick; and I began to pick up little bits of paper if they did appear on my path. The Japanese 5 S concept was not even heard of then!
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There’s an ill more dangerous and pervasive than the Coronavirus that’s currently sweeping Sri Lanka. That is the fear to express one’s convictions. Across the public sector of the country in particular many persons holding high office are stringently regulating and controlling the voices of their consciences and this bodes ill for all and the country.
The corrupting impact of fear was discussed in this column a couple of weeks ago when dealing with the military coup in Myanmar. It stands to the enduring credit of ousted Myanmarese Head of Government Aung San Suu Kyi that she, perhaps for the first time in the history of modern political thought, singled out fear, and not power, as the principal cause of corruption within the individual; powerful or otherwise.
To be sure, power corrupts but the corrupting impact of fear is graver and more devastating. For instance, the fear in a person holding ministerial office or in a senior public sector official, that he would lose position and power as a result of speaking out his convictions and sincere beliefs on matters of the first importance, would lead to a country’s ills going unaddressed and uncorrected.
Besides, the individual concerned would be devaluing himself in the eyes of all irrevocably and revealing himself to be a person who would be willing to compromise his moral integrity for petty worldly gain or a ‘mess of pottage’. This happens all the while in Lankan public life. Some of those who have wielded and are wielding immense power in Sri Lanka leave very much to be desired from these standards.
It could be said that fear has prevented Sri Lanka from growing in every vital respect over the decades and has earned for itself the notoriety of being a directionless country.
All these ills and more are contained in the current controversy in Sri Lanka over the disposal of the bodies of Covid victims, for example. The Sri Lankan polity has no choice but to abide by scientific advice on this question. Since authorities of the standing of even the WHO have declared that the burial of the bodies of those dying of Covid could not prove to be injurious to the wider public, the Sri Lankan health authorities could go ahead and sanction the burying of the bodies concerned. What’s preventing the local authorities from taking this course since they claim to be on the side of science? Who or what are they fearing? This is the issue that’s crying out to be probed and answered.
Considering the need for absolute truthfulness and honesty on the part of all relevant persons and quarters in matters such as these, the latter have no choice but to resign from their positions if they are prevented from following the dictates of their consciences. If they are firmly convinced that burials could bring no harm, they are obliged to take up the position that burials should be allowed.
If any ‘higher authority’ is preventing them from allowing burials, our ministers and officials are conscience-bound to renounce their positions in protest, rather than behave compromisingly and engage in ‘double think’ and ‘double talk’. By adopting the latter course they are helping none but keeping the country in a state of chronic uncertainty, which is a handy recipe for social instabiliy and division.
In the Sri Lankan context, the failure on the part of the quarters that matter to follow scientific advice on the burials question could result in the aggravation of Islamophobia, or hatred of the practitioners of Islam, in the country. Sri Lanka could do without this latter phobia and hatred on account of its implications for national stability and development. The 30 year war against separatist forces was all about the prevention by military means of ‘nation-breaking’. The disastrous results for Sri Lanka from this war are continuing to weigh it down and are part of the international offensive against Sri Lanka in the UNHCR.
However, Islamophobia is an almost world wide phenomenon. It was greatly strengthened during Donald Trump’s presidential tenure in the US. While in office Trump resorted to the divisive ruling strategy of quite a few populist authoritarian rulers of the South. Essentially, the manoeuvre is to divide and rule by pandering to the racial prejudices of majority communities.
It has happened continually in Sri Lanka. In the initial post-independence years and for several decades after, it was a case of some populist politicians of the South whipping-up anti-Tamil sentiments. Some Tamil politicians did likewise in respect of the majority community. No doubt, both such quarters have done Sri Lanka immeasurable harm. By failing to follow scientific advice on the burial question and by not doing what is right, Sri Lanka’s current authorities are opening themselves to the charge that they are pandering to religious extremists among the majority community.
The murderous, destructive course of action adopted by some extremist sections among Muslim communities world wide, including of course Sri Lanka, has not earned the condemnation it deserves from moderate Muslims who make-up the preponderant majority in the Muslim community. It is up to moderate opinion in the latter collectivity to come out more strongly and persuasively against religious extremists in their midst. It will prove to have a cementing and unifying impact among communities.
It is not sufficiently appreciated by governments in the global South in particular that by voicing for religious and racial unity and by working consistently towards it, they would be strengthening democratic development, which is an essential condition for a country’s growth in all senses.
A ‘divided house’ is doomed to fall; this is the lesson of history. ‘National security’ cannot be had without human security and peaceful living among communities is central to the latter. There cannot be any ‘double talk’ or ‘politically correct’ opinions on this question. Truth and falsehood are the only valid categories of thought and speech.
Those in authority everywhere claiming to be democratic need to adopt a scientific outlook on this issue as well. Studies conducted on plural societies in South Asia, for example, reveal that the promotion of friendly, cordial ties among communities invariably brings about healing among estranged groups and produces social peace. This is the truth that is waiting to be acted upon.
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By Sanjeewa Jayaweera
It was on 3rd January 1972 that our family arrived in Karachi from Moscow. Our departure from Moscow had been delayed for a few weeks due to the military confrontation between Pakistan and India. It ended on 16th December 1971. After that, international flights were not permitted for some time.
The contrast between Moscow and Karachi was unbelievable. First and foremost, Moscow’s temperature was near minus 40 degrees centigrade, while in Karachi, it was sunny and a warm 28 degrees centigrade. However, what struck us most was the extreme warmth with which the airport authorities greeted our family. As my father was a diplomat, we were quickly ushered to the airport’s VIP Lounge. We were in transit on our way to Rawalpindi, the airport serving the capital of Islamabad.
We quickly realized that the word “we are from Sri Lanka” opened all doors just as saying “open sesame” gained entry to Aladdin’s cave! The broad smile, extreme courtesy, and genuine warmth we received from the Pakistani people were unbelievable.
This was all to do with Mrs Sirima Bandaranaike’s decision to allow Pakistani aircraft to land in Colombo to refuel on the way to Dhaka in East Pakistan during the military confrontation between Pakistan and India. It was a brave decision by Mrs Bandaranaike (Mrs B), and the successive governments and Sri Lanka people are still enjoying the fruits of it. Pakistan has been a steadfast and loyal supporter of our country. They have come to our assistance time and again in times of great need when many have turned their back on us. They have indeed been an “all-weather” friend of our country.
Getting back to 1972, I was an early beneficiary of Pakistani people’s love for Sri Lankans. I failed the entrance exam to gain entry to the only English medium school in Islamabad! However, when I met the Principal, along with my father, he said, “Sanjeewa, although you failed the entrance exam, I will this time make an exception as Sri Lankans are our dear friends.” After that, the joke around the family dinner table was that I owed my education in Pakistan to Mrs B!
At school, my brother and I were extended a warm welcome and always greeted “our good friends from Sri Lanka.” I felt when playing cricket for our college; our runs were cheered more loudly than of others.
One particular incident that I remember well was when the Embassy received a telex from the Foreign inistry. It requested that our High Commissioner seek an immediate meeting with the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr Zulifikar Ali Bhutto (ZB), and convey a message from Mrs B. The message requested that an urgent shipment of rice be dispatched to Sri Lanka as there would be an imminent rice shortage. As the Ambassador was not in the station, the responsibility devolved on my father.
It usually takes about a week or more to get an audience with the Prime Minister (PM) of a foreign country due to their busy schedule. However, given the urgency, my father spoke to the Foreign Ministry’s Permanent Sectary, who fortunately was our neighbour and sought an urgent appointment. My father received a call from the PM’s secretary around 10 P.M asking him to come over to the PM’s residence. My father met ZB around midnight. ZB was about to retire to bed and, as such, was in his pyjamas and gown enjoying a cigar! He had greeted my father and had asked, “Mr Jayaweera, what can we do for great friend Madam Bandaranaike?. My father conveyed the message from Colombo and quietly mentioned that there would be riots in the country if there is no rice!
ZB had immediately got the Food Commissioner of Pakistan on the line and said, “I want a shipload of rice to be in Colombo within the next 72 hours!” The Food Commissioner reverted within a few minutes, saying that nothing was available and the last export shipment had left the port only a few hours ago to another country. ZB had instructed to turn the ship around and send it to Colombo. This despite protests from the Food Commissioner about terms and conditions of the Letter of Credit prohibiting non-delivery. Sri Lanka got its delivery of rice!
The next was the visit of Mrs B to Pakistan. On arrival in Rawalpindi airport, she was given a hero’s welcome, which Pakistan had previously only offered to President Gaddafi of Libya, who financially backed Pakistan with his oil money. That day, I missed school and accompanied my parents to the airport. On our way, we witnessed thousands of people had gathered by the roadside to welcome Mrs B.
When we walked to the airport’s tarmac, thousands of people were standing in temporary stands waving Sri Lanka and Pakistan flags and chanting “Sri Lanka Pakistan Zindabad.” The noise emanating from the crowd was as loud and passionate as the cheering that the Pakistani cricket team received during a test match. It was electric!
I believe she was only the second head of state given the privilege of addressing both assemblies of Parliament. The other being Gaddafi. There was genuine affection from Mrs B amongst the people of Pakistan.
I always remember the indefatigable efforts of Mr Abdul Haffez Kardar, a cabinet minister and the President of the Pakistan Cricket Board. From around 1973 onwards, he passionately championed Sri Lanka’s cause to be admitted as a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and granted test status. Every year, he would propose at the ICC’s annual meeting, but England and Australia’s veto kept us out until 1981.
I always felt that our Cricket Board made a mistake by not inviting Pakistan to play our inaugural test match. We should have appreciated Mr Kardar and Pakistan’s efforts. In 1974 the Pakistan board invited our team for a tour involving three test matches and a few first-class games. Most of those who played in our first test match was part of that tour, and no doubt gained significant exposure playing against a highly talented Pakistani team.
Several Pakistani greats were part of the Pakistan and India team that played a match soon after the Central Bank bomb in Colombo to prove that it was safe to play cricket in Colombo. It was a magnificent gesture by both Pakistan and India. Our greatest cricket triumph was in Pakistan when we won the World Cup in 1996. I am sure the players and those who watched the match on TV will remember the passionate support our team received that night from the Pakistani crowd. It was like playing at home!
I also recall reading about how the Pakistani government air freighted several Multi Barrell artillery guns and ammunition to Sri Lanka when the A rmy camp in Jaffna was under severe threat from the LTTE. This was even more important than the shipload of rice that ZB sent. This was crucial as most other countries refused to sell arms to our country during the war.
Time and again, Pakistan has steadfastly supported our country’s cause at the UNHCR. No doubt this year, too, their diplomats will work tirelessly to assist our country.
We extend a warm welcome to Mr Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan. He is a truly inspirational individual who was undoubtedly an excellent cricketer. Since retirement from cricket, he has decided to get involved in politics, and after several years of patiently building up his support base, he won the last parliamentary elections. I hope that just as much as he galvanized Sri Lankan cricketers, his political journey would act as a catalyst for people like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene to get involved in politics. Cricket has been called a “gentleman’s game.” Whilst politics is far from it!.
Author
Believe me, seeing certain videos, on social media, depicting action, on the dance floor, at some of these entertainment venues, got me wondering whether this Coronavirus pandemic is REAL!
To those having a good time, at these particular venues, and, I guess, the management, as well, what the world is experiencing now doesn’t seem to be their concerned.
Obviously, such irresponsible behaviour could create more problems for those who are battling to halt the spread of Covid-19, and the new viriant of Covid, in our part of the world.
The videos, on display, on social media, show certain venues, packed to capacity – with hardly anyone wearing a mask, and social distancing…only a dream..
How can one think of social distancing while gyrating, on a dance floor, that is over crowded!
If this trend continues, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Coronavirus makes its presence felt…at such venues.
And, then, what happens to the entertainment scene, and those involved in this field, especially the musicians? No work, whatsoever!
Lots of countries have closed nightclubs, and venues, where people gather, in order to curtail the spread of this deadly virus that has already claimed the lives of thousands.
Thailand did it and the country is still having lots of restrictions, where entertainment is concerned, and that is probably the reason why Thailand has been able to control the spread of the Coronavirus.
With a population of over 69 million, they have had (so far), a little over 25,000 cases, and 83 deaths, while we, with a population of around 21 million, have over 80,000 cases, and more than 450 deaths.
I’m not saying we should do away with entertainment – totally – but we need to follow a format, connected with the ‘new normal,’ where masks and social distancing are mandatory requirements at these venues. And, dancing, I believe, should be banned, at least temporarily, as one can’t maintain the required social distance, while on the dance floor, especially after drinks.
Police spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana keeps emphasising, on TV, radio, and in the newspapers, the need to adhere to the health regulations, now in force, and that those who fail to do so would be penalised.
He has also stated that plainclothes officers would move around to apprehend such offenders.
Perhaps, he should instruct his officers to pay surprise visits to some of these entertainment venues.
He would certainly have more than a bus load of offenders to be whisked off for PCR/Rapid Antigen tests!
I need to quote what Dr. H.T. Wickremasinghe said in his article, published in The Island of Tuesday, February 16th, 2021:
“…let me conclude, while emphasising the need to continue our general public health measures, such as wearing masks, social distancing, and avoiding crowded gatherings, to reduce the risk of contact with an infected person.
“There is no science to beat common sense.”
But…do some of our folks have this thing called COMMON SENSE!
