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Sri Lankan troops with the army and police conducted a raid at the Jaffna Central Bus Station, as part of the much criticised “Operation Yukthiya” (meaning “justice” in Sinhala). The raid caused inconveniences to hundreds of daily commuters as passengers in buses were extensively checked, impacting the normal flow of public transportation.
The operation, conceptualized by Public Security Minister Tiran Alles and overseen by Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon, involved the police, Special Action Force, and sniffer dogs conducting search operations. Despite its purported anti-narcotic aims, the move has come under scrutiny and criticism for various reasons, with thousands having been arrested since it was launched last month.
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Speaking at a press conference announcing the commencement of the island-wide drug operations, Alles said organised criminals "will end up being killed by the police or the enemy". He further added that state forces would "locate them" and that "there will be a shootout and they will end up being killed". Tiran Alles has instructed police to use "maximum force" against suspected criminals, stating the police will locate alleged drug dealers and "shoot them".
Notably, both Acting IGP Tennakoon and Minister Alles have recently found themselves embroiled in controversies. The acting IGP was named by the Supreme Court this month for violating the fundamental rights of a citizen who had been tortured following their arrest among other ongoing allegations.
Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles, on the other hand, has made headlines for becoming the first sitting Sri Lankan minister named in the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ Pandora Papers data trove. The revelation exposed offshore company, Brompton Properties Ltd., owned by the Minister held properties in central London. Additionally, Banham Ventures Ltd., also owned by the Minister, owns a separate property near London's posh Chelsea neighborhood.
Criticism against Operation Yukthiya has intensified, citing allegations of heavy-handed police tactics and disregard for people’s privacy and dignity. In a recent incident, a 17-year-old boy was reportedly forced to strip completely naked on the Galle road, merely for carrying a pair of scissors.
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— AruniW (@aruwij) January 4, 2024
this pig of a cop took him behind their security hut along with about 4 of his colleagues and ordered him to remove his pants, which invitation my son correctly declined. He then grabbed my son by his belt and manhandled him while ordering him again to strip.
Human rights lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah said the police raids were illegal as they were conducted without search warrants and urged victims to get the details of officers to initiate legal action later.
Human Rights activist Ambika Satkunanathan also posted on social media that the searches were not based on evidence but were "targeting only poor areas". "The police were arresting drug users and small-time dealers but "not focusing on large-scale traffickers", she added.
According to Harm Reduction International, approximately a thousand people are being arrested daily under this operation. Additionally, 33 international human rights organisations have called on the government to immediately stop the ongoing operation and release all those who have been arrested without prior evidence or reasonable suspicion.
Image courtesy of Daily Mirror
The North-East remains one of the most densely militarized areas in the world, contributing to heightened tensions and concerns about civil liberties.
