Out of 42 off-road vehicles, only seven produced in court

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Environmentalist Nayanaka Ranwella yesterday (09) claimed that he had received calls from 11 lawmakers, including a Minister on behalf of those who caused mayhem in the Yala National Park, on 22 Oct.

Ranwella, who is also the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) organiser for Bandaragama told The Island that though none had exerted pressure on him to give up the ongoing campaign against the wrongdoers, their message was clear.

Revealing that one lawmaker even had hinted that Ranwella could quite easily obtain a considerable campaign donation from one of the accused, the civil society activist pointed out that none of the political parties, represented in Parliament, took up this issue. Even the JVP was largely silent on the Yala mayhem, Ranwella said, alleging that in spite of repeated assurances, the vast majority of suspects were yet to be produced in Court.

Responding to another query, Ranwella said that of the 42-45 vehicles that entered Yala Park, on 22 Oct. only seven off-road vehicles had been taken into custody, along with 10 persons. They were produced before Tissamaharama Magistrate Tharindu Sameera, on 26 Oct., and released on personal bail of Rs 500,000 each

The issue was why others hadn’t been produced in Court as there were about 150 persons in those vehicles which entered the National Park and committed a rumpus with their off-road vehicles, Ranwella said. The Department of Wildlife Conservation owed the public an explanation as to how its officers handled the situation when some of those so-called off-road enthusiasts went berserk inside the National Park.

Ranwella emphasised that of the 42-45 off-road vehicles, nine had entered ‘Block B’, which is usually off-limit. None of those who entered that sector had been apprehended while seven vehicles were picked from the other lot, the SJB official said.

Ranwella said that Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera’s nephew was among the 10 persons produced before the Tissamaharama Magistrate. He claimed that some of those produced in Court weren’t among the group that entered the Yala National Park on 20 Oct. According to Ranwella, Minister Amaraweera’s nephew and, perhaps, two or three others produced in Court were among the troublemakers.

Asked whether his group would pursue this matter, Ranwella said that he was determined to expose the culprits. Pointing out that Cabinet Spokesperson Bandula Gunawardena had declared that President Ranil Wickremesinghe instructed the police to conduct an impartial inquiry, Ranwella said that obviously law enforcement authorities were dragging their feet.

Ranwella said that the failure on the part of authorities to disclose the identities of owners of the vehicles couldn’t be justified on any grounds. The Yala authorities should have clear and comprehensive video footage of all vehicles, Ranwella said. Therefore, all drivers and those who sat on the front seat of those off-road vehicles could be easily identified, the former Divaina journalist said, alleging that the officialdom was working overtime to save the lot.

Commenting on the gathering of such expensive vehicles, at a time the vast majority of people were struggling to make ends meet, Ranwella questioned whether any of those four-wheel drive jeeps had been imported duty free. It would be interesting to establish the identities of the original owners, as well as those who drove them, Ranwella said, adding that the government should be ashamed of the law and order situation.

Accusing the police and Wildlife Conservation Department of shoddy handling of the investigation, Ranwella said that they were inquiring into the presence of the son-in-law of a lawmaker, represented in the Cabinet, among the Yala troublemakers. Ranwella said that their inquiries revealed that the vehicle in question, too, had been registered under his name but he was yet to be arrested.

Ranwella speculated whether those who wanted Amaraweera’s nephew produced in Court wanted to save the son-in-law of the cantankerous MP as internal squabbles continued.

Ranwella said that the Yala incident could have been easily suppressed if not for the video footage released by the wrongdoers themselves. The media, including social media platforms, compelled the government at least to initiate an inquiry, Ranwella said. The environmentalist questioned the rationale in suspending seven trackers, pending investigations, when the government was yet to produce all those who participated in the Oct, 20 ‘raid,’ in Court.

Ranwella said that they were making further inquiries and depending on their findings, they would make representations to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and related authorities. Ranwella found fault with political parties, represented in Parliament for not taking up, what he called, the Yala issue, vigorously.