Editorial - A mockery?

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Some interesting images of Army personnel getting trained to face civil protests appeared in the media recently. The pictures showed the personnel armed with transparent shields and batons, as well as assault rifles on their backs. Making the photographs more interesting were the mock protestors—probably another group of army personnel dressed in civvies— who held banners which said “Nidahas adyapanaya apata ona” (we need free education). Maybe the photos were intended to convey a message to some of the university student unions that were preparing to carry out protests against moves by the government to allow private higher education institutions in the country.

Be that as it may, the pertinent questions that arise are:  Is there  a need to deploy soldiers to quell civil protests in Sri Lanka? Why not let the police deal with civil protests as it has been the accepted norm in democratic countries worldwide? Is the government expecting a civilian uprising in the near future?
The photos also appered in the backdrop of news reports that millions of ruppees worth of riot control equipment, including water cannons were recently purchased by the government.

One recent incident showed that the use of the military to crackdown on civil protests could be disastrous and bring the government to disrepute. A 17-year youth got killed while several others were wounded as the army opened fire at a protest in Rathupaswala. May be the rationale behind training army personnel to quell civil protests would have been to avert another incident such as this.

"Be that as it may. But the pertinent questions that arise are:  Is there  a need to deploy soldiers to quell civil protests in Sri Lanka? Why not let the police deal with civil protests as it has been the accepted norm in democratic countries worldwide?"

Secondly, if we somehow are able to digest the fact that the army will be deployed to suppress future protests, can we take no notice of the rifles that were on their backs? If it were a gun that shot rubber bullets or tear gas, we would not have bothered. But why automatic rifles?
Thirdly, doesn’t the mock banners held by the mock protestors at the exercise that was held in Vanni Security Force Headquarters a kind of giveaway as whom the protest control is directed at?

The free education concept, founded by C.W.W. Kannagara has been the springboard for less privileged students to reach great heights to become intellectuals, doctors, engineers etc. However, a careful analysis shows that budget allocations for education have been on the decline.
Whatever the reasons may be, these preparations only show that the government expects increased public protests and demonstrations in the near future and are bent on controlling them without a second thought.