Before I come to the subject may I be permitted to state briefly my past record for the information of the readers of your esteemed journal who have not heard of me.

I joined the Police Department as a probationary Sub-Inspector on 15.9.62 and rose to the rank of a gazetted officer (A.S.P.) on 01. 01. 85 and to the rank of S.P. on 01.01. 96. As a Sub-Inspector/Inspector I had been in charge of several Police stations, which included headquarter stations at Tangalla, Panadura, Bandarawela, Ratnapura and Bribery Commissioner's Department (unit of the C.I.D).

As a gazetted officer I had been incharge of the Bribery Commissioner's Department from 01. 01. 91 to 19. 01. 92, Personnel (Discipline & Conduct) Unit of the Police Headquarters from 24. 06. 94 to 05. 01. 96, Negombo Division from 95. 01. 91 to 29. 2. 96 and Special Investigations Unit of Police Headquarters from 01. 03. 86 to 14.01.98. I count an unblemished and uninterrupted service over 35 years.

Apart from my career record I had also excelled in sports Ð Athletics. I had brought honour to the department and the country at large by representing Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) in athletics. It was I who bettered the 20 year old record of Duncan White for 100 metres hurdles (56.0 sec) with a timing of 54.08 seconds, which was held by me for well over 15 years.

Incidentally, this is also the present Police record for the event unbroken for the past 35 years. I was also the Secretary, Police Athletics, since 1997 until I retired from the service. In the face of all these outstanding performances on my part I.G. Police and the organisers to the Police Sports meet which concluded this year (1938) were not considerate or courteous enough to extend to me an invitation for the event for reasons apparently best known to them. This was the only Police Sports I have missed during by career in the Department.

At the time of my retirement I held the post of Director, Special Investigation Unit, Police Headquarters, namely the Unit which investigates allegations of misconduct against Police officers, irrespective of their ranks. This Unit functions directly under the Senior D.I.G., administration, and investigations were conducted only on being referred to it by the Senior D.I.G. Administration or the I. G. P. I held this post from 01. 03. 96 to 14. 01. 98 until transfer order posting me to Vavuniya Division.

I am proud to assert that almost all my reports on the investigations have been approved by the said two officers and I had no problem whatsoever in respect of my work under them. Before I held the post of Director, Special Investigations, I was S.S.P. in charge of the Negombo Division for a very short spell. I was specially handpicked by the I.G. Police, Mr. W. B. Rajaguru, and posted to Negombo on 05. 01. 96 to curb escalating violence and politicial thuggery in the Bandaranaike International Airport taxi park and the illicit liquor industry. I was successful in achieving the objective of I.G., Police, in double quick time. My actions on the Kasippu menace also augmented revenue to the government coffers.

However, to my dismay I was transferred out of the Division in less than two months, several other police officers numbering about 15, who formed the special squad under me to curb violence and kasippu trade, were also transferred subsequent to my transfer. No reasons were adduced for these transfers. However I.G. Police was kind enough to accommodate me in the Police Hqrs as Director, Special Investigations Unit.

On these transfers made without reasons being made known I wanted to file action in the Supreme Court for violation of fundamental rights. However I did not pursue the matter on the advice of the I.G. Police. "The Island" newspaper in its issue of 26.2.96 editorially commented under the caption, "Surrender".

To come back to the subject: on 06. 01. 98 I received transfer orders from I.G. Police to Vavuniya Division effective from 15. 01. 98 as O.I.C., Population Control. This was a pecular and unusual order as it was contrary to Police Circular no. 1303/96 dated 28. 09. 96 on Transfers to Operational Areas wherein it was stated: "Senior Gazetted officers of the rank of and below the ranks of S.S.P. to Operational Areas will be strictly in order of seniority' and as then there were more than 30. S. S. Ps who were senior to me to serve in the operational areas.

On the day following the transfer order to me I met the I. G. Police in his office and requested the cancellation of his order giving the reasons which were best known to the I.G. Police. The reasons were (1) my turn to serve in the operational area was not due at that time; (2) the fact that the senior officers of the Division & the Operational Command had been by then investigated and reported on by me: (3) my son who is in armed service is also on operational duties at Palaly: and (4) the receipt of telephone calls threatening my life if I move on to Vavuniya Division.

However the I.G. Police did not heed my request and insisted that I should serve the operational area as per transfer order issued by him. I then made a written appeal to the I.G. Police through Snr. D.I.G. Administration, on 09.01.98. I understood that my written appeal for cancellation of the transfer was very strongly supported by my immediate superior officer especially on the basis of my painstakingly earned special merit in the course of my investigations in respect of certain highly placed offices, who are hostile to me, the appeal was disallowed by the I.G. Police.

The English and Sinhala print media highlighted the injustice done to me, namely, "The Island" on 01. 08. 98 under the caption "S. I. U. chief transferred to Vavuniya". "The Island" on 14. 01. 98 in its rambling notes by Nihal Corea under "Mysterious Transfer"; "The Divaina" on 01. 8. 98; "Janatha' on 13. 02. 98 and "The Sunday Times" on 15. 02. 98 under the caption "Top Cop retires after transfer order".

If the information revealed in those newspapers was false, it was quite open to the authorities concerned to refute the facts as disclosed or take other action against the media, to say the least, the silence of the authorities is most surprising.

I was advised by my family members and my trusted brother officers not to proceed on this particular transfer order as I would have unduly risked my life by becoming a victim of a conspiracy of officers, who, as a result of my intensive investigations against then without any fear or favour, were found to be grievously at fault.

I am at a loss to understand as to why the I.G. Police, Mr. W. B. Rajaguru, for whom I had devotedly worked during his second spell of service in the department, in my capacity as the Director, Personnel Discipline and Conduct and Director, Special Investigations Unit, without taking even a single day's leave during the last three years of my career and with having worked on all Saturdays and Public Holidays (on which gazetted officers are not expected to atend office to work), got rid of me when I had the option to serve the department for about two more years.

I sincerely pray and hope that this type of injustice should never befall on any Police officer who has a good future in the department.

I also sincerely hope that this writing will receive the kind attention of H. E. the President, who will no doubt cause justice and fair play to be meted out in the circumstances indicated above.

Nimal Fernando
Moratuwa.

New book on the psychological impact of war

"Scarred Minds" a study on the psychological impact of war on Sri Lankan Tamils by Professor Daya Somasundaram of the University of Jaffna has been published by the Vijitha Yapa Bookshop at Rs. 699/=.

This book focuses on the little discussed aspect of the psychological trauma inflicted upon civilians caught in the midst of the on-going ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.

Beginning with a brief account of the background of the civil strife in Sri Lanka, Professor Somasun-daram presents a practical and clinical study of the psycho-logical causes and effects of continuous violence and the widespread use of terror.

Vivid case histories of psychiatric and mental disorder treated at the Psychiatric Unit of Jaffna University are at the heart of the book.

An important chapter by Clinical Psychologist Dr. Anna Doney highlighting the sociological and psychological after effects of torture is also included in this book.

The book concludes with treatment and management methods based on a holistic and humanitarian approach which go beyond the mere medical model of disease.

Veena Das, in the introduction says: "Somasundaram's book is written from the inside of the violence, as it were that is to say, not only was he present as a witness throughout this period but his family had to flee as they became refugees. But even in these conditions of severe hardships, his colleagues from the University Psychiatry Unit of Telipallai District Hospital and the Jaffna Medical College played a crucial role in responding to the massive social suffering... Somasundaram reminds us that it is often not the victims, but those who speak on behalf of victims, who develop a greater stake in the violence. There needs to be a lowering of the stakes on all sides especially on the side of those who are living in other countries and sending money for women and be recruited to the Tamil cause in Jaffna while their own children are happy children to going to school: Thus alone can the local speak up to the global."

Daya Somasundram is Professor of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna and concurrently Consultant Psychiatrist, General (Teaching) Hospital Jaffna. He has served as a Consultant Psychiatrist in Cambodia for the Transcultural Psychosocial Organisation and has also been the President of the Mental Health Society since 1992. He is the co-author of Broken Palmyrah and Community Mental Health in Cambodia and author of Manavadu ('Psychological Trauma') in Tamil.