Sri Lanka, June 17 -- Ignorance is strength.

However, when the theatre of the absurd becomes a legal argument and is pursued ever more judiciously, solely based on a statement by a dubious asylum seeker, it leaves more questions than answers about the integrity and competence of everyone involved.

The detention of former head of military intelligence Major General Suresh Sallay, now past 100 days under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), stems from this perverted logic.

The PTA, as a legal instrument, lost its utility when the war ended, and should have been replaced long ago with a new act compatible with modern anti-terrorism legislation, with sufficient checks and balances and judicial oversight.

That being apart, a lopsided l...