TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

(UN accredited NGO to the World Summit on Information Society and the Warsaw Conference)

www.tchr.net

Ref : HY021/PR/2008                                                            20 April 2008

 

 

Chairperson of the Human Rights Secretariat, Catholic Priest,

killed by Sri Lankan Army Deep Penetration Unit

 

TCHR, along with many representatives of other solidarity organisations, is shocked and appalled by the assassination of the Chairperson of the North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR), Rev. Father M X Karunaratnam today. According to the information received, the Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army targeted him while going in his vehicle to his Church in Vannivilangkulam, Mallavi.

 

We strongly condemn the killing of this courageous Human rights defender and Catholic Parish Priest, who worked tirelessly to raise concerns about human rights violations and to bring peace in Sri Lanka. TCHR members have worked closely with Father Karunaratnam, and are deeply saddened by the loss of this remarkable and immensely compassionate man.

 

Father Karunaratnam is the 3^rd founder member of the North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR) to have been brutally killed by Sri Lankan government-sponsored killers. Former parliamentarian, Mr Chandra Nehru of Amparai (February 2005) and senior Batticaloa Parliamentarian Mr Joseph Pararajasingam (December 2005) were also assassinated by Sri Lankan government-sponsored killers.

 

In the recent past Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government has killed several Catholic priests, human rights defenders who were very critical of Sri Lanka’s human rights record.

 

We pose the question as to whether the Mahinda Rajapaksa government knows anything other than motivating the killings of civil society members – parliamentarians, human rights and humanitarian workers, lawyers, religious leaders, academics, journalists, members of the business community and others.

 

It came as no surprise, that Sri Lanka rejected UN moves to establish an international human rights monitoring body in Sri Lanka, and also that the international community JUST WATCHES these brutal killings of human rights defenders and civilians in Sri Lanka.

 

Fr Karunaratnam visited the USA and several European countries including Switzerland to explain the human rights situation in Sri Lanka to dignitaries.

 

On a local level, he worked to support victims of human rights violations and the 2004 tsunami, through psychological help and counselling. His loss will be felt deeply by many.

 

TCHR would like to express heartfelt condolences to members of NESOHR, Father Karunaratnam’s family and friends, and his parishioners.

 

“Great people never die, they always live in the hearts and minds of the people”

 

HEAD OFFICE:                                                                                        TCHR-SWITZERLAND

Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR/CTDH                                                             Tamilen Zentrum fur Mensenrechten - TCHR

9, rue des Peupliers - 95140 Garge les Gonesse - FRANCE                                            P. o. Box : 319, 8172 Niederglatt, Switzerland

Contact person : S. V. Kirubaharan – General Secretary                                              Contact person : Thambirajah Genegatharan

Tel/Fax: + 33 1 42 67 54 36 - Email: tchrgs@hotmail.com / tchgs@tchr.net                 Email : tchrswitzerland@hotmail.com

TCHR-UK                                                                                               TCHR-NETHERLANDS

Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR/CTDH                                                             Tamil Centrum voor Mensenrechten- TCHR

PO Box 182, Manchester M16 8ED, UNITED KINGDOM                                       1703 TE Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands

Contact person : Deirdre McConnell – Director International Programme                       Contact person : I. Chinniah

Fax: + 44 161 860 4609 - Email: tchrdip@hotmail.com / tchrdip@tchr.net

TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

 

(UN accredited NGO to the World Summit on Information Society and the Warsaw Conference)

 

www.tchr.net

Ref : EH037/PR/2007                                                                        22 February 2007

 

Massive Human Rights violations but very few complaints!

A person is abducted every five hours!

 

"……It has been reported by local and international human rights organisations that a person is abducted every five hours. Kidnapping, abductions, killings have now become common incidents. No matter who does it, as a government we are responsible for it." – Letter written on 23 January 2007, by Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Port and Aviation Minister.

 

"Sri Lanka faces international isolation for failing to pay close heed to human rights issues", former foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera warned. AFP, 15 February 2007 - Mangala Samaraweera and two other Ministers were sacked by the Executive President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 9 February 2007.

 

Now it is apparent to the International Community that the Tamils will never get either political rights or justice regarding the systematic human rights violations that they have been undergoing for decades. The Sri Lankan security forces enjoy maximum impunity. The military commanders and Police officers who were responsible for torture and thousands of killings, disappearances, rapes and looted assets and properties have become Political leaders, Ambassadors and Defence Secretary. In Sri Lanka, it is the practice that those who violate human rights have been promoted and court martials have no place.

 

Except one case on High Security Zone in Sri Lanka, all other cases have not received judgement based on law, rather than ethnic identity. The law in Sri Lanka doesn’t meet the minimum international human rights standards. In many cases where security personnel were found guilty in the High court, judgements have been reversed by Sinhala judges in the Supreme Court.

 

There is an obvious problem! Massive human rights violations are taking place in the North East – more than 79,000 killed or “disappeared”; more than 12,500 women raped and killed; more than 2500 buildings of religious places of worship (Churches and Temples) have been destroyed in aerial bombings and artillery shelling and billions of rupees worth of material damage done. But until today only very few individual complaints have been made to the UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies – Human Rights Committee (HRC) and Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Woman (CEDAW), to which Sri Lanka is a signatory. Human Rights Treaty bodies examine individual complaints which have not found fair justice in the member states which are signatory to relevant Human Rights instruments. These complaints could be made either by the victim or by relatives.

 

Therefore we encourage those who have been tortured and raped, and the relatives of those who have been disappeared, killed or faced any other violations, to make use of this available UN mechanism. Victims who never had a fair trial can lodge their individual complaint to these Treaty bodies. The main requirement for this individual complaint to be made is that, "The individual has exhausted all available domestic remedies. This shall not be the rule where the application of the remedies is unreasonably prolonged." In Sri Lanka, there are thousands of cases which have not even had an inquiry for years and the victims have no other judicial organ where they can file an appeal. Therefore any case that is older than a considerable period (a year), has no available domestic remedy. Also the Prevention and Terrorism Act – PTA and the Emergency Regulations – ER do not permit any remedies. Since 12 December last, it has been even worse. The elements of the PTA were incorporated into new provisions known as ” Prevention and Prohibition of Terrorism and Specified Terrorist Activities Regulations (PPTSTAR)

 

In the North East, Colombo and Up- country there are thousands of victims who have never received justice for what they have suffered and continue to suffer. They all should send their complaints to the following address with details (Full name; Address; Date of birth; Nationality; Sex; Description of the incident with dates and place of incident; Include information about the alleged perpetrators their names (if known), and an explanation of the reasons why you believe they are the perpetrators. Include information about the steps taken by the victims or their families to obtain remedies, including complaints filed with the police, other officials or independent national human rights institutions; Date, signature and contact details of the author of the communication. Also enclose copies of all relevant documentation.) If possible, this can be done through a Lawyer.

The Name of the Treaty Body

(either HRC or CEDAW)

OHCHR-UNOG

1211 Geneva 10

Switzerland

 

Fax : + 41 – 22 – 917 9006

5th year of the Ceasefire Agreement - CFA

 

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) mediated by the Royal Norwegian government and signed by the government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), on 22 February 2002, includes the terms for the Ceasefire Agreement – CFA. This CFA came after twenty years of bloody conflict in the North East. Under the MoU, the Sri Lanka government accepts the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as an equal partner. Today this CFA has reached its fifth year.

 

Since the signing of the CFA, the economy took a turn for the better in the South. The concept and hope for peace, entailing a physical peace, was fulfilled. Physical peace still prevails in the South.

 

In the North East where high hopes for peace were held, a very different situation is experienced. It is true that for a while after the signing of the CFA, the aerial bombing stopped and the systematic arbitrary arrests, rapes, torture and disappearances of Tamil people decreased. The economic embargo was lifted and many including diplomats were able to visit the devastated areas in the North East.

 

However, except in the LTTE administrated areas, there was absolutely no amelioration in living conditions. Furthermore the constant threat to the people by the Sri Lankan armed police and soldiers in parts of the North East continued.

 

The situation of the people who had been Internally Displaced (IDPs) for nearly fifteen years did not change at all. It remained the same during the CFA period as it had been during the war-time. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people still remain in temporary shelters. Sri Lankan armed forces in the High Security Zones (HSZs) continue to oppress and intimidate the Tamil population. Under the pretext of HSZs, which occupy many residential areas, IDPs are prevented from returning to their villages and towns to resettle.

 

Since President Mahinda Rajapaksa came to power in November 2005, the situation has dramatically changed. Rajapaksa openly declared war on 25 April 2006 ordering deliberate military attacks by Air, Sea, and Land on the Tamil population in Trincomalee. He completely ignored the articles – 1.2 & 4.4 of the CFA.

 

Under article 2.12 of the CFA, carrying out search and arrests under the PTA were to cease. But since 6 December 2006, the Rajapaksa government re-instated the PTA.

 

Under article 1.8 of the CFA, the Tamil paramilitary forces (mercenaries) should have been disarmed. But various high profile evidence shows that the paramilitary forces continue to be armed and funded by the Sri Lankan government.

 

These three serious breaches of the CFA made it crystal clear, that the government of Sri Lanka has withdrawn from the CFA – tantamount to an official declaration of Eelam War IV.

 

The massive military onslaught on the Tamil people since Mahinda Rajapaksa came to power; the arrests, torture, rapes, abductions, disappearances, killings and displacements starting all over again, leaves no doubt that the Sri Lankan government is taking the option of a military solution to the ethnic conflict.

 

Presently thousands of Tamils have been arrested, detained and tortured in various detention centres and prisons in Colombo, Trincomalee, Amparai, Batticaloa, Vavuniya, Mannar and Jaffna.

 

Within the last fifteen months, nearly three thousand Tamils including humanitarian workers, journalists, parliamentarians, academics and others have been abducted and killed in the North East and the other parts of the Island.

 

Presently there is an economic embargo to the North East and its impact on the people in those areas, especially in Jaffna and various other places in the East is devastating, causing starvation and death.

 

Hundreds of thousands of people have been made homeless and displaced in the recent months. The killings of innocents, including children and women still continue under the leadership of President Rajapaksa.

 

In Sri Lanka, there is an Ethnic conflict which resulted in twenty years of bloody war. This still continues, even though there is a Cease-fire Agreement – (CFA). Despite the fact that the cease-fire has been in place for the last five years, many of the clauses have not been implemented. Disturbingly, no proper peace negotiations have taken place and the government’s chosen option of a military solution prevails.

 

 

TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

(Established in 1990)

(UN accredited NGO to the World Summit on Information Society)

 

www.tchr.net

Ref : GJ098/PR/2006                                                                                                  25 May 2006

 

Obvious discrimination by the International Community

 

"It would seem to International Educational Development that the Tamil people are not viewed as worthy of attention and this must be viewed as rank and despicable discrimination. What other conclusion is possible when in the face of this long and protracted war, neither the Commission nor the Sub-Commission has issued a resolution since 1987? Have these bodies not paid any attention to the reports of the Commission's Working Groups and Rapporteurs? Are these bodies unaware that  Sri Lanka is just behind Iraq in disappearances and that almost all the disappeared are Tamils? "

 

"Are the Tamil people not as fashionable as the Bosnians? Is the fact that the Tamil people are historically Hindu a problem, seeing that so few other countries are Hindu? Is it because certain foreign powers have such an interest in Trincomalee harbour (in the Tamil areas) for their geo political control of the region? Why is it that the international community imposes sanctions on the Republic of Yugoslavia because of the practically identical situation in Kosovo and says not a word about Sri Lanka?" (In a Statement by Karen Parker – The chief delegate of the International Educational Development/Humanitarian Law Project in the 50th session of the UN Sub Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities - 5 August 1998)

 

This was said by Karen Parker in 1998 in the United Nations Sub-Commission on Human rights, after working for more than a decade with international bodies on raising concerns regarding the human rights of Tamils, including the right to self-determination. These comments came purely from what she has witnessed happening in world bodies including in the United Nations. Karen Parker is an international lawyer, specialised in international humanitarian law. During her many years experience of the workings of international human rights mechanisms, she has raised concerns regarding many situations of armed conflict around the world.

 

Are there any further reasons for the international community to take a biased position on the conflict in Sri Lanka? Obviously, since 1983 the Sri Lanka government has been running a multi-million dollar propaganda project. But how long can lies and deceptions be acceptable to a group, society or institute of sensible people?

 

Consider a few recent conflicts (eg. Bosnia, Kosovo and others) in which the numbers of lives lost and of people displaced were comparatively lower than those of the Tamils in Sri Lanka. International bodies placed the conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo squarely on their agenda. During that time, Tamils were told that the Bosnia and Kosovo conflicts were in their backyard and Tamils are geographically very far away from western countries. In addition, it has been said that there are no economic interests in the Tamil area. These are not genuine reasons for ignoring the plight of the Tamils. The conflict may be taking place far away from them but the killing and destroying of the Tamils is done with arms and ammunition given by western countries to Sri Lanka. Furthermore 500,000 Tamils sought asylum in western countries.

 

We frequently talk about the actions of the international community. First of all let us see who this international community is? There is no actual definition for "International Community". It cannot be presumed that all nations or countries other than the country in conflict under discussion could be considered as the "international community". At the moment Tamils can presume that "anyone who is ignoring the Sri Lankan atrocities and blindly blaming the Tamils" is the international community, mostly western countries.

 

As Karen Parker said in the UN in 1998, Tamil people do not appear to be viewed as worthy of attention by this international community, which completely ignores many important reports by independent experts of the UN, produced only after visiting Sri Lanka. As also stated, is the fact that Tamil people are historically Hindu a problem? Or could it be presumed that the international community is caught up with Singhalese myths and misconceptions which claim that their roots are of "Aryan race". Is this the reason why the International community is so totally biased?

 

Otherwise, how is this so-called "international community" unable to see what has been happening to the Tamils since 1948 and so willing to support an aggressor which oppresses another ethnic group mercilessly like the regime of Saddam Hussain or Milosevic. Did this International community ever think of supporting the Hutus’ who carried out genocide against Tutsis in Rwanda? Why only in Sri Lanka are they supporting the merciless Sri Lankan regime?

 

At the moment, whatever is said by the Sri Lanka government are golden words for the international community and whatever happens to the Tamils is not even considered a violation. Within the last two months the Tamils have seen the true colours of the international community.

 

On 19 November 2005, Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in as Sri Lanka's fifth executive President. Within the five months since then, he has been responsible for the killing of more than 300 innocent Tamils - Academics, educationalists, parliamentarians, journalists, businessmen and others. This was no different to what Saddam Hussain has done to the Kurdish people in Iraq

 

Mahinda Rajapaksa has breached the four years old Cease-fire agreement signed in February 2002, between the Sri Lankan government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam – LTTE, especially articles – 1.2, 1.8 & 4.4. He openly declared war on 25 April 2006, ordering deliberate military attacks by Air, Sea, and Land on the Tamil population. In this operation - innocent people including children were killed and many seriously wounded. More than 40,000 people were made homeless and displaced. The killings of innocent civilians including children still continue under his leadership.

 

WHERE IS THE CONDEMNATION OR EVEN A STATEMENT BY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ON SRI LANKA’S VIOLATIONS OF THE CEASE-FIRE BY ORDERING AERIAL BOMBING, ARTILLERY SHELLING, FIRING FROM GUN BOATS ON TAMIL RESIDENTIAL AREAS? In the eyes of the International community, are these not cease-fire violations?

 

In order to justify Sri Lankan atrocities against the Tamils in the island, the so called international community is looking at only a few issues, purely based on the Sri Lankan propaganda led by paid lobbyists in the western countries.

 

International institutions which are very vocal about Child soldiers and children in armed conflict, have kept silent on the killings of Tamil children within the last two months. Does the international community permit the killing of Tamil children and civilians by the Sri Lankan government?

 

The international community paid no attention to the General election which took place in July 1977, in which the Tamil people in the North East overwhelmingly voted to establish and exercise their “Right to Self-determination” in the North East. This democratic mandate was deliberately ignored by the international community.

 

Again the international community purposely ignored another democratic mandate, that of the last General election in Sri Lanka (April 2004). In this election, the political party "Tamil National Alliance (TNA)" won overwhelmingly in 22 electorates in the North East. The TNA election manifesto stated, "Accepting LTTE’s leadership as the national leadership of the Tamil Eelam Tamils and the Liberation Tigers as the sole and authentic representatives of the Tamil people, let us devote our full cooperation for the ideals of the Liberation Tigers’ struggle with honesty and steadfastness".

 

WHAT WAS THE REACTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO THESE DEMOCRATIC MANDATES OF THE TAMIL PEOPLE? A biased response. The international community which completely ignored those democratic mandates given by the Tamils, should understand why Tamil people have lost confidence in voting and did not vote in the last Presidential election. It was the international community which made the Tamils lose confidence in voting and is now pushing them to an even worse situation!

 

Very recently we have seen how the international community has taken action on the situation in Sudan. We do not think any sensible person will find many differences between the happenings in Sudan and in Sri Lanka. Yet what has been the reaction of the international community to Sri Lanka? Nothing.

 

Even while Sri Lanka ranks the second highest number of disappearances in 1998, just behind Iraq – the United Nations never took any appropriate action on Sri Lanka. We see countries which do not have half as many atrocities as Sri Lanka, assigned country rapporteurs, special representatives of the Secretary General etc. Why is this discrimination practiced by these world bodies?

 

In 1997, between 24 August to 5 September, Mr. Bacre Waly Ndiaye, United Nations Special Rapporteur, on Extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions visited Sri Lanka and submitted a comprehensive report (E/CN.4/1998/68/Add.2 - 12 March 1998) on extrajudicial killings in Sri Lanka to the 54th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights. This report was deliberately ignored by the then High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson who did excellent work on certain other country situations. It should be noted that it was Mr. Bacre Waly Ndiaye who visited Rwanda before the genocide took place in that country, and raised an early warning predicting the impending genocide.

 

Tamils have been continuously massacred since 1983 by the security forces. Detail of nearly a hundred massacres have been well published with evidence. None of the culprits have been brought to justice. This impunity is also well supported by the international community. If the international community had scrutinised Sri Lanka's human rights record then Sri Lanka may have been forced to stop these killings long ago.

 

What has been the reaction of the international community to Sri Lanka’s human rights violations? Sri Lanka has been rewarded with membership in the UN Human Rights Council, is waiting for membership in the UN Human Rights Committee and is also waiting for its candidate to be voted for the post of the UN Secretary General. This is one way, the international community has found a method of encouraging state terrorism in Sri Lanka.

 

Now we are able to witness an apparent conspiracy against the Tamils in the international arena. Otherwise why does the international community punish only one party to the conflict and let the other party enjoy impunity.

 

During the 55th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights (7 April 1999) Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations stated: "….No government has the right to hide behind national sovereignty in order to violate the human rights or fundamental freedoms of its peoples. Whether a person belongs to the minority or the majority, that person's human rights and fundamental freedoms are sacred". We hope that all the Western governments will seriously consider this statement when they make their decisions regarding the situation in Sri Lanka.

 

The Singhalese leaders, whether of the JVP, JHU, SLFP or UNP never wanted the international community to help them find a peaceful solution to the island's long and bloody conflict of many years. They need the International community only for arms and ammunition and for making statements condemning the activities of their opponents. The international community goes along with this agenda and fully supports Sri Lanka.

 

Our experience with Western countries is that reports with many pages, produced by Tamils on the violations by the Sri Lanka government, go unnoticed by western governments. In the meantime, a few lines of statement containing lies and fictions against Tamils, produced by the Sri Lankan government and its propagandists are accepted without any reservation. Then the documents with lies and fiction are the ones taken for discussion by Ministry personnel in Western countries.

 

Sri Lanka government representatives and propagandists can very easily meet with all the Western officials and brief them periodically. On the other hand any Tamil or Tamil organisations are not entertained by most of the Western governments. Whenever any Tamil other than the Sri Lankan government propagandists want to meet the Western government officials, they refuse to meet them and keep them at a distance. This is pure discrimination practiced by the western governments and they are not ready to listen to anything against the Sri Lankan government. This is one of the reasons the Western governments do not understand the opinion and ground realities of the Tamils.

 

Already there are 500,000 Tamil asylum seekers in western countries. The biased attitude of the western countries is going to bring another 500,000 or more asylum seekers to the west in the near future. We hope, those countries who are supporting a military solution in Sri Lanka, will be prepared to welcome the refugees as well.

 

TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR/CTDH

CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L'HOMME

 (Established in 1990)

(UN accredited NGO to the World Summit on Information Society)

www.tchr.net

            Ref : EH074/PR/2006                                                            10 May 2006

Ethnic cleansing and mass murder in the name of Buddhism and tolerance

“….. I do not want to hide the fact that I am a Buddhist and remind them the Buddha taught us tolerance of persons of other religious views”

said Sri Lanka's former Prime Minister and present President Mahinda Rajapaksa. (www.mahindarajapaksa.com - 1 October 2005)

Is it necessary for any President or even the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka to identify themselves in public or to the media as being a Buddhist? From historical evidence the world knows that only a Buddhist can be President or Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. The Late Minister of Foreign Affairs Lakshman Kathirgamar, a Tamil who dedicated his life to strengthening the Sinhala nation was shocked and disappointed in April 2004, when his candidacy for the Premiership was opposed by the present President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Today in the absence of Lakshman Kathirgamar, to gain political mileage, the Sinhala nation praises him as a National Hero and has created a Kathirgamar Charity. All this is political hypocrisy.

On 19 November 2005, Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in as Sri Lanka's fifth executive President. Now, after almost five months in office, what has been achieved by Rajapaksa in the name of Peace and Peace negotiations to end the island’s twenty years of bloody conflict? It is well known that Mahinda Rajapaksa frequently impresses the international community with the importance of Buddhism and tolerance.

"……I am a Buddhist. I believe in the importance of tolerance……" (President        Mahinda Rajapaksa in an interview with 'TIME'– 12 February 2006)

"President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said no other leader in the world in the recent past would have displayed the degree of patience that he was exercising in the face of the highest level of provocations". (http://www.peaceinsrilanka.org - 25 April 2006).

Are the international community and countries practising Buddhism duped by these sweet words of President Rajapaksa? The events which have taken place within the last five months have proved that Rajapaksa “does not practice what he preaches”. Being an Executive President, claiming to have a high degree of patience and tolerance, he has been responsible for the killing of more than 300 innocent Tamils. Academics, educationalists, parliamentarians, journalists, businessmen and others have been killed by security forces and the paramilitary forces for which President Rajapaksa is the Commander in Chief? Do Buddhism and tolerance permit these killings? (Detailed list of killings of innocent people from 19 November 2006 is given below)

If Rajapaksa were genuinely committed to patience and tolerance, then this would have to be taken seriously by members of the international community and civil society. The sweet words of a person who is responsible for more than 300 killings and various other serious violations within five months of being in office, cannot be trusted in future.

A man who claims to have a high degree of patience and tolerance has breached the four years old Cease-fire agreement signed in February 2002, between the Sri Lankan government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam - LTTE. He completely ignored the articles – 1.2 & 4.4 of the Cease-fire agreement and openly declared war on 25 April 2006, ordering deliberate military attacks by Air, Sea, and Land on the Tamil population in Trincomalee. In this operation - several innocent people including children were killed and many seriously wounded. More than 40,000 people were made homeless and displaced. The killings of innocents still continue under his leadership.

Here, the LTTE must be given credit for respecting the Cease-fire Agreement, and not retaliating after the deliberate military attacks on 25 April 2006. Otherwise, the result would have been an all out war – the beginning of Eelam War IV.

Why did Rajapaksa order Air, Sea, and Land attacks especially in the Trincomalee district? What is the strategic importance of Trincomalee? Has the illegally erected Buddha statue in Trincomalee in May last year, any connection with these attacks?

The simple answer to all these questions is, under the guidance of President Rajapaksa, well-planned ETHNIC CLEANSING OF TAMILS is in progress in the East, especially in Trincomalee.

Since the independence (1948) of this island, the Prime Ministers and the Presidents have had a secret unit for the Singhalisation of the Eastern province. This is not even known to all cabinet Ministers. Sinhala colonisation was the main agenda and in order to achieve this task - Special Task Force (STF), Home Guards, and special units with Island Reconvicted Criminals (IRCs) were created within the Sri Lanka Army. Sri Lanka's Land Development Department, Irrigation Department and Agricultural Department also play a crucial role in this process. Presently the Ethnic cleansing in the East, especially in Trincomalee is in full swing with various programmes - deliberate military attacks, mass murder and the destruction of properties. (http://www.tchr.net/reports_visite_2004.htm)

 

Below we give the official statistics until 1981 to show, how the Singhalese have conquered parts of the Tamil homeland, the Eastern province – Batticaloa and Trincomalee. Since the armed conflict started, there have been no official statistics available for the North East. However it is certain that the Sinhala population has increased massively in the Eastern province.

The statistics are for the kind consideration of UN institutions, Experts in the field of human rights, members of civil society and others. Tables are shown on language basis.

Tamil and Sinhala populations in Trincomalee District, Batticaloa District* (Until 1963 it includes Amparai within Batticaloa district) & Amparai District (created in 1963)

YEAR	Trincomalee District		Batticaloa District		Amparai District
	Tamil	Sinhala	Tamil	Sinhala	Tamil	Sinhala
1827	98.45%	1.53%	99.62%	0.00%	---	---
1881	90.72%	4.21%	93.27%	4.75%	---	---
1891	91.44%	4.3%	93.2%	5.21%	---	---
1901	89.04%	4.22%	92.34%	5.21%	---	---
1911	90.54%	3.82%	92.95%	3.74%	---	---
1921	92.13%	4.38%	93.12%	4.56%	---	---
1946	75.09%	20.68%	92.55%	5.83%	---	---
1953	78.8%	18.22%	87.64%	11.52%	---	---
1963	79.25%	19.9%	95.6%*	3.35%	70.22%	29.34%
1971	70.2%	28.8%	94.49%	4.49%	69.47%	30.18%
1981	65.38%	33.62%	95.95%	3.21%	62.03%	37.64

In UN terms, ethnic cleansing is defined as, "a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas". (UN Doc S/1994/674, para. 130)

According to the think tank of the United Nations, ethnic cleansing constitutes to crime against humanity which could be compared to certain war crimes. These acts also fall within the ambit of the Genocide Convention. Ethnic cleansing has similar features to Apartheid and Nazism. The ethnic cleansing of Tamils from the Eastern part of Sri Lanka is well documented and in the recent past has been witnessed extensively by the International community.

(http://www.tchr.net/colanization.htm)

Therefore the United Nations, which has the mandate and authority to investigate, prosecute and punish those who are criminally responsible for the ethnic cleansing, should start the process of investigating the ethnic cleansing of Tamils, in the East and especially in Trincomalee. This should be done at the earliest to bring to justice the higher authorities who ordered the ethnic cleansing and in the meantime to compensate the victims.

We hope this appeal will be considered at the earliest by those responsible for this mandate in the United Nations.

Tamil Centre for Human Rights (TCHR) - France

www.tchr.net

Killing of Tamils since Mahinda Rajapaksa became the President of Sri Lanka

(Paramilitary forces are working closely with the security forces. They are part of Sri Lankan military structure)

(The list is in date sequence – from 20 Nov 06 to 30 Apr 06)