By Easwaran Rutnam Sword gangs virtually hijacked Jaffna, and are engaged in criminal activity despite claims made by the Police stating that they are in control of the situation. Activists and local politicians said that young boys took to the streets and formed gangs, and are attempting to spread fear among the public. A local journalist, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the Police was turning a blind eye to most of the criminal activity in Jaffna, and focusing on traffic violations instead. Northern Provincial Council (NPC) Minister Anandi Saseetharan told The Sunday Morning that some of the sword gangs operating in the North seem to be receiving support from the authorities. She said that the Police and the Army can control the situation, but seem to be taking a very lethargic approach. Leeladevi Anandarajah, an activist in the North, said that if the authorities wished, they could easily ensure law and order is maintained in Jaffna. “For me it looks like some of these groups are operating with some backing,” she said. However she emphasised that the situation was not as grave as it was earlier. Unemployed youth turn to swords Saseetharan said that young boys who are unemployed tend to spend most of their time on the streets and thereby resort to street crime. She said that some of these boys have got together and formed what is known as the ‘Aava group’ who go around with swords, threatening people. Saseetharan said that while most ‘Aava group’ members were arrested, there are more sword gangs on the streets. “Some people are also trying to make these Aava group boys look like heroes. But they are just young boys with nothing else to do,” she said. She also stated that there is a fear that the Army is using the groups to continue to maintain their strong presence in Jaffna. The NPC Minister further noted that some women fear walking down streets alone as they face verbal and, at times, physical abuse. Saseetharan also accused the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission in Jaffna of failing to record serious abuses when approach by some victims. “These officials refuse to take some complaints because they want to show that all is good in Jaffna after the change of Government,” she said. Saseetharan claimed that recently a girl attempted to file a complaint with the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission in Jaffna stating she was facing harassment at the hands of an Army soldier. However, according to Saseetharan, the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission refused to record the complaint. She said that, as a result, the girl continues to face harassment at the hands of the soldier. Recently the Government asserted that the Aava group in the North was influenced by Indian films, and not the LTTE. Deputy Minister of Law and Order Nalin Bandara Jayamaha said that most members of the Aava group are under the age of 18. He stated that most members of the Aava group were arrested, and referred to investigations that revealed they were influenced by South Indian films. Bandara also said that the swords used by the Aava group were homemade, and that a key member of the group also cried while being questioned by the Police. The Deputy Minister also said that the Aava group hadn’t committed any murders as yet, but had only assaulted people and caused injuries to them, through use of these homemade swords. Under constant surveillance However, Aava is not the only issue. Families of the disappeared who protest in the North often complain of being under constant surveillance. The Adayaalam Centre for Policy Research (ACPR) stated that the security situation facing families of the disappeared and associated civil society actors in the Northeast is of grave concern. ACPR said that as Sri Lanka inches closer to General Elections 2020, in which it appears that one of the Joint Opposition’s (JO) priorities will be to bring back a strong National Security State, the overall security situation has significantly deteriorated, raising questions over whether the incumbent Government is attempting to demonstrate its national security credentials in response to the Joint Opposition’s campaign. “The increase in security threats is parallel to the incumbent Government’s publicly articulated desire to give the security apparatus a free hand over matters of national security. This brief sought to provide a short outline of this situation and highlights that pervasive surveillance is increasingly accompanied by physical violence against families of the disappeared and linked civil society activists. “The Sri Lankan State’s intelligence apparatus is a sophisticated machine that is capable of many different forms of intimidation and harassment of disappearances activists. It is clear that despite improvements in the functions of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, there is still no credible domestic mechanism that can hold Sri Lankan intelligence structures accountable and prevent recurrence of violations,” ACPR said. ACPR also noted that it was alarmed by the lack of awareness pertaining to the risks facing disappearance activists in the North and East, and at the continued positive engagement by international diplomats with the Sri Lankan Government despite these blatant human rights violations. “It is imperative that the dismantling of Sri Lankan intelligence structures, as part of a larger security sector reform project, be made a necessary pre-condition for any type of engagement with Sri Lanka. Without holding these shadowy and deep-seeded structures accountable, a culture of impunity will continue to enable human rights violations to occur, including, but not limited to, against disappearances’ activists,” ACPR said. ACPR asserted that no mechanism to address disappearances will succeed without this important step in ensuring victim and witness protection, and protection of the families of the disappeared who still continue to search for their loved ones, in spite of all the risks. Army insists troops disciplined The Army however denies allegations that soldiers are involved in the harassment of civilians. Army Spokesman Brigadier Sumith Athapaththu told The Sunday Morning that the Army is a disciplined unit and that there was no need for it to engage in criminal or, any form of, illegal activity. Athapaththu said that the soldiers maintain a good relationship with the civilians in the North, and that they have no intention of ruining that relationship. He stated that if anyone claims that they are behind the Aava group, “it is a blatant lie.” The Army spokesman also stated that the Army is not involved in the surveillance of families of the disappeared. He said that the North is now at peace and that the public have complete freedom to do what they want. When asked if there was any potential threat of an LTTE resurgence in the North, the Army spokesman said that so far there is no such threat.