When crime speaks louder than politics
Narcotics, firearms, capital flight and a daylight massacre, and the duty of the security state By Mahil Dole Senior Superintendent of Police (Retired) | Former Head of Counter-Terrorism, State Intelligence Service The past fortnight has not been a collection of isolated crime stories. It has been a pattern: a large maritime narcotics seizure in the […]
During a fortnight, the country has witnessed a series of criminal activities that have raised concerns about the security situation. These incidents include a major maritime narcotics seizure, inland heroin and ice hauls, a cache of military-pattern firearms, a multi-billion rupee foreign exchange fraud, and a daylight shooting in Halpethota, Baddegama. These events indicate a lack of security and an insecure environment.
The President's focus on politics as business, rather than addressing these security concerns, could lead to a dangerous distraction. The recent Easter Sunday judgments and the president's claim that politics has been turned into public service may make the public overlook the security threats. Treating security as background noise would be a serious error.
The incidents highlight a pattern of criminals operating together, using firearms, and treating public roads as execution grounds. This suggests that there is an insecure environment in the country. The two-week record of events shows drug trafficking, firearms, and money laundering through shell companies, all of which are interconnected and pose a significant threat to the nation.
National security in Sri Lanka is not just about preventing Easter Sunday or armed insurgency. The Colombo High Court Trial-at-Bar has convicted 15 out of 24 accused in the Easter Sunday case, but it does not address the broader intelligence failure and institutional negligence. The same week saw another publication, a book titled Navayay Paha Vikurthiya, raising concerns about the misuse of religious texts to fuel communal fear and personal gain.
Sri Lanka has previously paid the price for isolating lines of extremism and inflaming crowds. The nation cannot afford to treat non-traditional threats, such as narcotics, underworld firearms, capital flight, and contract-style public shootings, as ordinary crime. These issues feed corruption and create the cash and firepower needed for larger threats to emerge.
A state that dismisses these threats as a blotter problem, while its political class argues for progress, has misread its risk register. It is time for the government to address these security concerns and focus on public service, rather than treating politics as a business.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
