The Minimum Power..........................

Sinhalese New Year in Sri Lanka is a festival time. In traditional Sri Lankan harvesting we have two periods. The month April is the end of the first season. The Sinhalese New Year begins after the first harvesting and farmers, most cases we are having much relaxing time over the hard working in the paddy fields.

This New Year no longer practicing in Sri Lanka. Most of new generation did not wanted to end up become farmers. But still we do celebrate New Year at some extent. In our school days we had our vacation on April,

The New Year season is the time for most Sri Lankan get drunk. Also in the villages there are some places for gambling. Children play dice. Gambling or playing dice for money is illegal in Sri Lanka without obtaining a permit. Not only play even encouraging is in legal term is breaking a civil law. We have to accept it.When I was about the age of 10 for the New Year time I was at my grandparent’s village. As children we did play dice. Not for money but for fun

Among us there was very talkative village boy actually now I have forgotten his name, but I do remember the incident. We were all less than ten years old. While we were playing dice there was cop walking on the street. It a small lane more like a foot path  unfortunately this cop was going to see his girlfriend or mistress .We had some coins in our hand hardly the total amount will be over 10 SLR.(140 SLR=1 $).

The cop came to us and asked what we were doing .That talkative boy said something very funny I can’t remember words but it was very innocent few words. Still I remember the next moment the cop hit that little boy’s cheek very strongly. The little fellow fallen to the ground. The satisfied police cop proudly said you guys can’t make fool over a cop.I still remember his victorious voice after beating to this little boy. This is my first experience of Sri Lankan police violence. But still I do remember it as yesterday, not because that I have a good memory. It is because of the of traumatic experienced I faced. This actually happen over 20 years. As a child I was scared to tell this at home, but by the time I go home my mother knew the entire story. She was very selfish and did not try to help that poor boy. She scolded me badly because she thought I was at the wrong place at wrong time. And she made me promise that I’ll never go such place in future and never even think of gambling play dice.

But I could not keep the entire promise; I have been to place such as casinos as an adult, but so far never did gambling. But in a way our whole life is gambling, some win some loose. Well it is my own idea. May be I’m wrong.

But again the violence behaviors of Sri Lankan police I have experienced in my higher education period. Even parents’ generation then we and in future our children will be always victims of pathetic violence of police. But it should not be the same way or we should not let it.I was high school student when I faced to tear gas in Nugegoda town. After school I had extra class .When I was coming back I got in to political meeting and police treated with tear gas. Then they started beating with their wooden club. We can hate police, but if we are smart enough we should hate those who gave the orders.

Well we simply blame to the police of their behaviors. The police are the most hatred government department in   Sri Lanka. We blame for traffic police claiming they are asking bribes, we blame to the crime police because they always producing false suspects without proper investigation. Even the environmental police we blame that they are trying to over manipulate our lives .I’ll share my own experience about two years ago I was with my boyfriend in a car at a public place. Obviously we were not making out like ex Chief Justice , we were only talking. Both of us were after evening jogging and sweating we did not wanted to drive like this and we waited.  Suddenly there was a cop appeared and said they have recorded everything what we did and in a really disgusting way he was trying to explain his capacity of punishment. The police do not have power of punishment it s only a court matter, but in Sri Lanka police willing it punish people as well. The have a nice word for it.The use of “minimum power”

The Sri Lankan police enjoy the use of minimum power even to the disabled people.

That day us knew what we did and we argued by staying in a car is not a cause of producing us to the court. Later that cop went away saying he will bring CCTV records and do necessary action but still he did not return. That day we were able to win over a police but I’m pretty sure in if we meet the same cop again he will use his “minimum power”.

The term “minimum power” in legal term not clearly defined, but as per the police media spokesman minimum power is the “required power” to control the situation.situation. According to him they can shoot civilians to control the situation and they did in many times.

But most cases they use their minimum required power to the people who were running backward after receiving tear gas and water cannon. Minimum power

As students we always had hot tempered blood while we were protesting ,but students never had rubber bullets or tear gas. But they were the victims of minimum power of the police.

Well this is not only Sri Lankan problem. I saw in you tube in USA a white police man beating to black girl in their garden. The Black youths were having a party. The only difference in Sri Lanka is our police beating their own people without being raciest. At least we can be happy at some point. Sri Lankan police are not raciest………?