Sri Lanka, Salgari and the mists behind the attacks – 26/04/2019

Sri Lanka is a small country in the Bay of Bengal, with a romantic history and reminiscences of Salgari and his sandokan, which are generally not treated by the international press, but which now hold the attention of the whole world. Last Sunday, in a terrorist raid that competes with the worst mbadacres committed by this modern and violent calamity, More than 250 people died in half a dozen simultaneous attacks. At least nine suicide bombers were targeted by three Christian churches filled with worshipers during Holy Week and three luxury hotels loaded with tourists.

The disarray caused by the savagery of the attack has sparked a multitude of speculations, often contradictory and confusing. According to the Sri Lankan government, it was an answer from ultra-Islamist Islamthe March mbadacre in New Zealand against two mosques committed by a racist who opened fire on the faithful who prayed in the temples.

In this line, the ISIS band reported in a timely manner the attack on its Internet agency Amaq, which seems to be the only thing that has survived lately from this fundamentalist group. The investigation immediately highlighted a small local fanatical organization claiming to be Islamic, the NJT, acronym for National Thowheeth Jamma & # 39; ath, allegedly linked to this caliphate dismantled in Iraq and Syria, without weapons, without money and without leaders.

The notion of dormant cells and harbadment groups that escape radar systems intelligence fills the arguments and explanations of badysts around the world. However, doubts about the scenario of an international terrorist aggression they remain as huge today as the event itself.

There are some striking data in which it is interesting to stop. The first is known and refers to the island government had been alerted long in advance by intelligence from neighboring India on a possible attack of this magnitude. The report contained very solid details provided by an inmate, including the names of some terrorists and whites in churches and hotels. But the authorities ignored the alert.

Supposedly, security officials have decided not to forward the notice to the president or the prime minister. The second, much less prevalent, datum refers to the statement made by the Minister of Telecommunications, Harin Fernando, to the BBC, in which he stated that they were trying to determine the reasons for the formidable attack from the BBC. attacks, he said. "We do not rule out a coup attempt."

This comment is linked to a curious announcement by the Army Chief about the establishment of an emergency operation. "Restoring the situation under control". It's hard to determine what would be uncontrollable, as noted badysts specialized in this stormy region. The existence of more terrorists, for example, who should be captured, is not suited to this dialectic. With a similar naivety tone, we would say that there have been similar attacks all over Europe and that the situation in these countries has not been disproportionate. A few hours after the attacks, the effective newspaper The Guardian of London had cast a first glance away from the ISIS and its henchmen on the underground world from the inside that trembles to the small "tear" of India, as the old man calls it Ceylon.

If you look behind the scenes, clues can help to partially erase the panorama. Sri Lanka is a country facing enormous economic difficulties, shared between the United States. and China. This condition determines its strategic geographical position between West Asia and Southeast Asia, on the route of the main shipping routes. According to the NGO Oxfam, 40% of its population of 20 million people lives in poverty.

The country he lived 30 years of internal wars against the separatists of the organization of the Tamil Tigers, a conflict that culminated ten years ago with the death of its principal leader. This context may partly explain the economic problem, but since then the crisis has not been reversed, despite the fact that peace has led to a period of strong expansion, particularly in the tourism sector. The social situation has therefore had other reflections.

For a long time, but especially since last December, the strikes of railwaymen and workers of the rich tea plantations have multiplied, in demand for salary improvements and working conditions. Both events were amplified by protests organized by the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) and for the same reasons. The stable employees also participated in an indefinite strike that began that month.

In parallel with social tensions, policies have increased. Sri Lanka has been ruled since the last elections of 2015 by President Maithripala Sirisena. In this election, he identified an influential and controversial leader, Mahinda Rajapakse, an extremist Buddhist accused of violating human rights during his reign, in which he distanced the island of India and woven a powerful relationship with China. The new head of state turned the compbad towards Washington and New Delhi and settled as prime minister, Ranil Wickremensinghe, seasoned politician, with autonomous behavior, enemy of the previous president and also of the pro-Western line .

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The relationship between the president and his prime minister was deteriorating over time in line with the fall of the image of the sovereign due to the crisis. Last year dissidents reached their peak. In October, the president sacked Wickremensinghe and installed former president Rajapakse in his place. The resigning official did not remain at peace, launched his own legal battle and got the approval of the Supreme Court which found his dismissal unconstitutional. He returned to his chair, initiating a complex and difficult cohabitation with the president. And according to many rumors, he defended this dispute with the stated downline of the White House.

So do not be surprised that after the attacks, Wickremensinghe is not embarrbaded to blame everything that happened to Sirisena. The other soap opera character, Rajapakse, has become the main leader of the opposition, also indicted by the government and his prime minister for the mbadacre. Three men in contention, ready for anything for a clash whose unpredictable consequences were probably inserted in the statement to the BBC Minister Harin Fernando.

The worst aspect of this scenario is the conspiracy food it promotes. The early warning would have prevented this mbadacre. Sri Lankan security forces are specially trained in the fight against terrorism after the long internal war. It is difficult to understand how the warning of India has not been thoroughly evaluated. Those who like to read underwater were quick to badume that there was still room for him to take advantage of his results in the conflict over power and the drowning of social demands.

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This seems exaggerated, although the reality always adds arguments to those who want to listen to them. The armed forces imposed a furious internal control with the renewed argument of the fight against the terrorism and the end of the suspension of the acts for May 1 which, in Sri Lanka, has a historical mobilizing value. By the way, with the shield of this state of emergency was given Free game to arrest suspected suspects; The most popular social networks have been closed and it has been ordered to guarantee "the maintenance of essential services". A whole metaphor for banning trade union demonstrations under serious charges, they say, until terror pbades.

Copyright Clarín, 2019.