(War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity)
Wake up call
to the UN Human Rights Council
Appel la prise de conscience du
Conseil des Droits de l'Homme - Nations Unies
Llamado para reaccin urgente del
Consejo de Derechos Humanos-Naciones Unidas
Website : www.tchr.net
4th session / 4me session / 4 perodo de sesiones
12/03/2007 -- 30/03/2007
LOGO
Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR
Centre Tamoul pour les droits de l'Homme - CTDH
Centro Tamil para los Derechos Humanos
(Established in 1990)
In Sri Lanka - 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."
Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Port and Aviation Minister.
Letter written on 23 January 2007
Sri Lanka faces international isolation
"Sri Lanka faces international isolation for failing to pay close heed to human rights issues",
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mangala Samaraweera. AFP, 15 February 2007.
Mangala Samaraweera and two other Ministers were sacked
by the Executive President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 9 February 2007
Human rights violations with President's consent!
Samaraweera further states that when he was Foreign Minister, some countries even charged that the President had to remain silent in the face of human rights violations because he could not control certain sections in government.
"Some others alleged that the human rights violations were taking place with the President's consent", he has said.
(Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mangala Samaraweera of Sri Lanka,
Sunday Leader, 25 February 2007)
Sri Lankan police, troops involved in abductions - Police chief
6 March 2007, COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lanka's police chief said police and security personnel have been involved in ransom kidnappings of civilians, vowing to crack down on mounting abductions and killings.
Police Inspector General Victor Perera said Tuesday that a "large number" of police officers and troops had been arrested on charges of abduction and extortion. In some instances ransoms had been paid abroad.
Tamil Centre for Human Rights - TCHR
Centre Tamoul pour les droits de l'Homme - CTDH
Centro Tamil para los Derechos Humanos
(Established in 1990)
Website : www.tchr.net
TCHR participation in United Nations World conferences
and other meetings
* The Tamil Centre for Human Rights (TCHR) officially accredited to participate in the United Nations Conference on Anti-corruption Measures, Good Governance and Human Rights, in Warsaw, Poland 8–9 November 2006.
* A meeting was held on 7 March 2006, in the European Parliament – titled "EU contribution to the peace process in Sri Lanka". This was jointly organised by TCHR and Mr. Robert Evans, a member of European Parliament of Labour Party in UK.
* Accredited by the United Nations to participate in the World Summit on the Information Society – WSIS in Tunisia, 16 – 18 November 2005.
* Officially participated in the NGO forum of the UN World Conference Against Racism – WCAR in Durban, South Africa, from 28 August to 1 September 2001. TCHR held an information stall including an exhibition at the forum. The TCHR representatives also attended the main WCAR conference held in Durban, 31 August to 7 September 2001.
* A meeting was held on 14 October 1998, in the European Parliament – titled "Press censorship in Sri Lanka". This was jointly organised by the Tamil Centre for Human Rights (TCHR) and Ms. Anita Pollack, a member of European Parliament of Labour Party in UK.
* In 1993, held an information stall and a photo exhibition on human rights violations, in the United Nations 2nd World Conference on Human Rights held in Vienna, Austria, from 14-25 June.
* TCHR participates in meetings of Treaty bodies and submits reports to the same.
Fact finding missions to the North East of the Island of Sri Lanka
* May 2003 (http://www.tchr.net/report_studymission_2003.htm)
* December 2003 – addendum report (http://www.tchr.net/report_studymission_2003add.htm)
* July-August 2004 (http://www.tchr.net/reports_visite_2004.htm)
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Branches
Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom
Appeal 03
Comparison on Right to Self-determination 05
Message of H. E. Jacques Chirac 06
UN intervention - the new bug
UN several thousands reported fleeing
UN calls for the protection of civilians in Sri Lanka 07
IMF Quits Sri Lanka - may return! 08
Donors warn against escalation of Sri Lanka conflict
Defence costs blast economy 09
Hardline Sri Lanka monks mobbed us -- Dutch aid group 10
HR violations galore in 2006 11
Batticaloa attack - Security negligence? Daily Mirror
Diplomats escapes from artillery fire - LTTE apologized for the incident 12
Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Italy 13
An anti-war rally disrupted by a band of assailants
Anti-war organiser attacked - Deputy Minister was leading the gang!
Sri Lanka faces international isolation – Sacked, Minister of Foreign Affairs 15
"A part of the government is involved in abductions"
Sri Lankan police, troops involved in abductions - Police chief 16
"Sri Lanka has the highest levels of disappearances in the world."
Vice Chancellor reported missing in the capital Colombo 17
Global appeal for release of Vice Chancellor Raveendranath
Amnesty Appeal on VC Raveendranath 19
Sri Lanka's abduction industry has top academic in its grip 20
No breakthrough in Ravindranaths abduction 21
Disappearances in human rights law 22
Abductions carried out by the Paramilitary outside North East
Five headless bodies in an estate at Avissawella
4000 dead in past 15 months – SLMM 27
Calls for witness protection - BBC Sinhala Service
Lankan inquiry of no use says former SLMM Chief
Experts return 'empty handed' 29
Calculating risk - Guardian, UK 30
Security Forces Gun Down Evangelical Pastor in Sri Lanka
Christian Pastor shot dead by the Sri Lanka Army in Jaffna 31
Threats and Attacks in Southern Sri Lanka 33
Sri Lankan Government made Jaffna Peninsula as an open prison 34
Method of Torture
2000 Civilians killed and disappeared
Arrest and detention
Tamil detainees were on fast unto death 35
Arrests of Tamils continues!
Sri Lanka's Upcountry Tamils are more prone to arrest 37
'Hundreds of' Indian Tamils detained
List of detainees from Selvanagar army camp transferred to Boossa prison 38
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Reporters without Borders - RSF - Annual report 2007 39
Arrest of Director of publishing house in Sri Lanka! 40
Female journalist Mawnasamy Parameshawaree
Newspaper linked to Sri Lanka`s Foreign Minister raided
Harassment of "Mawbima" Weekly 41
Journalist reported missing in Jaffna
Sri Lankan state crackdown on Independent Media – WPRM 42
Open letter to the donor countries ambassadors – RSF 43
Government told to renounce war against media 44
Journalists flee country due to security fears and death threats
Mystery over arrest of three suspects 45
Akuna newspaper staff abducted 46
Print and Ink Shortage in Jaffna Undermines Press Freedom – IPI
Sri Lankan journalists protest killings, unofficial censorship 47
IFJ demands full investigation into death threats against journalists
Condemnation of attack against journalist 48
Concerns about the dire situation of media in Sri Lanka
"Thinakkural" Journalist M. A. M. Nilam threatened by Minister Fowzie 49
International mission find deteriorating security situation for media
Journalist's house attacked 50
Assault on Journalists
Shocking violations of journalists rights continue in Sri Lanka
Photo journalist assaulted and his camera snatched by police 51
10,000 copies of Tamil Daily Virakesari burned by Paramilitary group 52
IFJ denounces bombing of Voice of Tigers in Sri Lanka
Displaced people in Batticaloa district – ICRC 53
Sri Lanka – ICRC Bulletin, 19/01/2007 54
20,000 displaced face tough time in eastern Sri Lanka (UNHCR) 55
Tens of thousands of IDPs without protection and assistance
Over 209,000 newly displaced in 2006 (October 2006)
The current displacement situation - UNHCR 56
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Situation Report 22 February 2007
Ampara District
Batticaloa District
Trincomalee District 57
Vavuniya and Mannar Districts
Kilinochchi & Mullaitivu Districts 58
MSF Responds to ongoing violence in Sri Lanka
What are the conditions on the whole of Jaffna peninsula? 59
How has the situation evolved since MSF was in Point Pedro?
The Situation in Jaffna – the major problems
Annexes
Karen Parker's letter to the United Nations VIPs 60
President Rajapaksa's 14-month achievements - by Jayantha Gnanakone 63
ACTC calls for UN peace keeping force in Lanka 64
Protest against the deteriorating conditions in Education 65
TCHR summary from August 2006 (names, dates, place of incidents etc)
Arbitrary arrest / detention 66
Extra judicial killings / summary executions 71
Enforced or involuntary disappearances 89
2
1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Distinguished Sirs / Mesdames,
We regularly report on the human rights violations taking place in the Island of Sri Lanka. Our reporting and summary of victims is based on indisputable facts, the authentic details of which are sent to us by our representatives directly from the spot where the incidents occur.
In this submission, we take stock of the last few months of violations perpetrated by State and Paramilitary terrorism in Sri Lanka, with authentic evidence.
Sirs / Mesdames, when we consider the history of the island, evidence proves that three different kingdoms existed in distinctly separate areas, before the arrival of the first colonialists, the Portuguese, in 1505. One of these three was Tamil, and was known as the Jaffna Kingdom, covering the area of the North and East, the Tamils' hereditary regions. From 1833 onwards all three kingdoms were brought under one administration by then colonial power, the British, for their administrative convenience.
Even prior to the Independence of the island in 1948 from the British, there had been many negotiations between Tamil leaders and Sinhala leaders to resolve the ethnic conflict.
It is to be noted that the armed conflict started only in 1983, after the failure of 35 years of peaceful non-violent struggle by the Tamils to protest against the Sinhala oppression. All protests were suppressed by violent means by the Sri Lankan security forces, inflicting loss of many lives and much material damage to the Tamils.
After independence, talks between Tamil leaders and Sinhala leaders (the latter being either Prime Ministers or President) to resolve the ethnic conflict in the island, led to the signing of some agreements which were then unilaterally abrogated by the then Prime Ministers.
Two important agreements of 1957 (Banda – Chelva Pact) and 1965 (Dudley – Chelva Pact) were unilaterally abrogated by the Prime Ministers. The MoUs signed between the LTTE and governments of Sri Lanka were also abrogated in 1994 by then President Chandrika and in 2005 by President Rajapaksa.
As far as the human rights situation in the North East is concerned, it has been deteriorating since independence. Sinhala colonisation in Tamil hereditary regions, anti-Tamil pogroms in 1956, 1958, 1977, 1981, and 1983, systematic cultural genocide, pre-meditated Mafia style killings, arrests, detentions, abductions, disappearances, multiple displacements of people, rapes and gang-rapes of Tamil women, and a systematic economic embargo to the North East are also part of the sad history of the Tamil people.
Enforcement of an economic embargo since 1987 with few intervals, starving the people to death and imposing calculated dire hardships and immense difficulties is part of the ethnic cleansing.
The situation of the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) remains intolerable. In the North East, the security forces have created High Security Zones in the vacated premises of the IDPs, occupying civilian homes and buildings.
The introduction of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in 1979 and more than 37 years of emergency rule (ER) have inflicted terror upon the Tamil people in the island. ER and the PTA permit the Sri Lanka security forces to arrest, torture, rape and kill the Tamils with impunity. The PTA has given a free hand to the security forces to shoot people in cold blood in the name of "fighting terrorism".
Presently over a thousand Tamil political detainees are in detention in various prisons. They were arrested under the PTA, the ERs and the draconian new law, the Prevention and Prohibition of Terrorism and Specified Terrorist Activities Regulations (PPTSTAR). The authorities should either institute legal action against them or release them without any further delay.
Press freedom and freedom of expression are in peril in Sri Lanka. Journalists are arrested, tortured, abducted, disappeared and killed over-night. Misinformation is heavily used by the Sri Lankan government to distort the real picture of what is happening in the conflict areas.
Since the present Executive President, Rajapaksa, who is the Commander in chief of the Sri Lankan security forces, took office in November 2005, the North East has been facing a merciless and bloody war, in which the vast majority of victims are Tamil civilians. The daily occurrence of abductions, disappearances, political killings, aerial bombings and artillery shelling are causing terrible hardship to the people in the North East, in Colombo and in the up-country area where Tamils are also severely affected by disappearances and killings.
3
Impunity is a very serious problem in Sri Lanka. Many notorious human rights violators in the Security forces have got the best promotions. Some are appointed as Defence Secretary, Ambassadors in foreign countries and also given special awards by the head of state! The mercenaries, the Paramilitaries are also given Ministerial posts, VIP security and highly protected Luxury accommodation in Colombo. They are also paid a lump some for their gruesome service to the state.
Sirs / Mesdames, according to article one of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights -ICCPR and International Covenant on Economic and Social and Cultural Rights - ICESCR, the demand for the right to self-determination of the Tamil-speaking people is their birth right. In the free and fair elections held in July 1977, the Tamil people overwhelmingly voted to establish and exercise the Right to Self-determination in the North East. It is a surprise, why this democratic mandate is continuously ignored by Sri Lanka and the international community.
For the last twenty four years, the LTTE has been engaged in an armed struggle with the support of the Tamils in exercise of this right to self-determination in the Tamil hereditary regions.
In the last General elections in Sri Lanka (April 2004), the political party "Tamil National Alliance (TNA)" won overwhelmingly in 22 electorates in the North East. Their election manifesto stated, "Accepting LTTEs 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".
After nearly a quarter century of armed conflict, there is a de-facto government in the Tamils' hereditary region under the LTTE administration. It has been in existence for more than 15 years and it has its own infrastructures.
The Tamil Eelam police and judiciary are functioning well and are maintaining law and order within this de-facto state. The Tamil Eelam Law College has built up its professional expertise and both the police system and the judicial system have the confidence of the people, and comply with international standards. Also the Banking and Educational institutions are in place, as well as welfare centres for children, disabled people, elders and war victims.
Since independence, successive Sinhala governments, rather than finding a genuine political solution to the ethnic conflict in the island, have sought aggressive and military options. Clearly breaching the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) and declaring war, the current government is seeking a military solution to the islands bloody ethnic conflict at this very moment. In the meantime the government is trying to create political turmoil between the Muslim and the Tamil people, who have lived together in harmony for centuries.
Sirs / Mesdames, you all are well aware that since last October Diplomats of the European Union took the initiative and Finland as the holder of the EU presidency tabled a draft decision 2006/..... Sri Lanka (A/HRC/2/L.37) in the Human Rights Council. Unfortunately, as anticipated by many, this was unsuccessful in the past sessions and it is doubtful whether it will be successful even during the current sessions.
International human rights law and international humanitarian law are being severely and massively violated by Sri Lanka. Considering all the ground realities and administrative difficulties, the best mechanism in hand which can be used, is to charge the President of Sri Lanka, the Commander-in-Chief of the Sri Lanka security forces and other military officials with War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity.
Given the current situation, there will not be a durable solution in this island, unless the Sri Lankan security forces, composed of 99% Singhalese personnel, are withdrawn from the Noth East and a mediated political solution to the island's conflict is found.
As an urgent need – the welfare of the IDPs has to be taken care of, by international institutions.
A reflection on the global experiences of resolving ethnic conflicts, before and after the establishment of the United Nations, shows that Norway-Sweden, Malawi-Central African Federation, Eastern European countries, Eritrea, East Timor and Kosovo, have all found their durable solutions with the support of the International Community.
The International Community needs to realise that it is failing in its duties regarding Sri Lanka and that it is backing an aggressor which is perpetrating crimes against humanity against a people struggling for their Right to Self-determination for many decades.
Thank you,
Yours sincerely
S. V. Kirubaharan
General Secretary
4
Tamil homeland (Tamil Eelam), compared with some countries
which are member states of the United Nation
Country Population (Square Miles)
Antigua & Barbuds 81,500 171
Bahmas 235,000 5,353
Bahrain 416,275 265
Barbados 253,055 166
Belize 171,000 22,963
Bhutan 1,30M 18,000
Botswana 1,13M 222,000
Brunei Darussalam 221,900 2,226
Cape Verde 350,000 1,557
Comoros 422,500 1,557
Cyprus 673,100 3,572
Djibouti 470,000 8,960
Dominica 94,191 290
Ecuador 384,000 10,831
Fiji 714,000 7,078
Gabon 1.22M 104,557
Gambia 698,817 4,180
Grenada 88,000 133
Guinea-Bissau 935,000 13,948
Guyana 812,000 83,000
Iceland 244,009 39,758
Kuwait 1,77M 6,880
Lesotho 1,63M 11,720
Liechtenstein 32,528 62
Luxembourg 369,500 998
Maldives 189,000 115
Malta 343,334 95
Mauritania 2,01M 398,000
Mauritius 1,04M 797
Monaco 29,972 0.7
Mongolia 1,97M 605,022
Montenegro 730,000 13,812 km²
Oman 1,20M 105,000
Qatar 371,863 4,468
Saint Kitts and Nevis 47,000 104
Saint Lucia 143,600 238
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 138,000 150
San Marino 27,336 23.5
Sao Tome and Principe 113,000 387
Samoa 163,000 1,093
Seychelles 67,000 175
Singapore 4,300,419 239
Solomon Islands 270,000 10,640
Suriname 370,000 63,992
Swaziland 676,049 6,705
Trinidad and Tobago 1,22M 1,978
United Arab Emirates 1,77M 32,300
Vanuatu 141,400 5,700
TAMIL EELAM (Island of Sri Lanka) 3,598,000** 19,509 km²
* According to the United Nations statistics, there are 60 million Tamils in India (Tamil Nadu) and the Island of Sri Lanka (Tamil Eelam) alone, and Tamils rank the 17th largest linguistic group in the world.
** Census of 1979
5a
Message of H. E Mr. Jacques Chirac,
President of the French Republic
On the occasion of the National Day of Sri Lanka - 04/02/07
QUOTE:
Mr. President, on the occasion of the National Day of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, I convey to you as well as to the Sri Lankan people, my warmest congratulations.
While fighting has resumed between the Army and the LTTE, and numerous civilians are suffering in a very difficult humanitarian situation, allow me to wish that dialogue will start again and that a political solution to the conflict that is tearing Sri Lanka apart will be found.
Sincerely yours,
Signed: Jacques Chirac
UNQUOTE
For more information: Press and information Service
Embassy of France in Sri Lanka and the Maldives
http://www.ambafrance-lk.org/article.php3?id_article=550
UN intervention - the new bug
Hindustan Times, 5 March 2007
Colombo, March 5, 2007 - With the US, EU and the UN complaining about a "climate of impunity" prevailing in Sri Lanka, there is a growing fear in the country that the UN may send a monitoring mission and make its report a basis for imposing economic sanctions.
In a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa dated December 13, 2006, the sacked Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera had warned of such a possibility and had gone on to plead for an improvement in the government's human rights record to avert such a mission.
On Sunday, the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) leader A Vinayagamoorthy called for a UN peace keeping force to protect the Tamils.
But objecting strongly to any such intervention, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader, Somaswansa Amarasinghe, wrote a letter to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon last week, telling him that the UN had no mandate to intervene in Sri Lanka as the ethnic conflict in the country "posed no threat to any of its neighbours in particular or world peace in general." (Excerpt - refer to page 64)
UN News Centre
Sri Lanka - several thousands reported fleeing
intensified government - rebel fighting – UN
19 January 2007 – Several thousand more people began fleeing an embattled separatist rebel-held pocket of land on Sri Lankas east coast today towards Government positions as Government forces were reported to be advancing amid intensified fighting, the United Nations refugee agency said.
We call on both parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians and their freedom of movement, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman Ron Redmond told a news briefing in Geneva, noting that this is the second large-scale exodus from the area in a month.
In late December 2006, over 20,000 civilians previously trapped by fighting between Sri Lankan forces and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fled across swollen rivers and jungle paths into government-controlled areas of Batticaloa District to the south of Vaharai.
UNHCR estimates that some 70,000 people have been killed and 465,000 displaced by the more than two decade-long conflict, including nearly 205,000 uprooted since fighting erupted anew in April 2006 despite a ceasefire signed in 2002.
6
Before todays exodus, 9,500 people were estimated to still remain in Vaharai, which had seen months of heavy fighting. Humanitarian access has been limited since last October, with only one humanitarian convoy able to deliver aid in late November.
Our staffs are out in the field trying to verify the numbers fleeing and their exact location, and to start arranging assistance, Mr. Redmond said. UNHCR is very concerned about the safety of any civilians remaining in Vaharai, as well as those in other areas across Sri Lankas conflict-riddled north and east.
Since December, UNHCR and its partners have been working with local authorities to set up emergency sites to host the new arrivals so that schools which were initially sheltering the displaced can re-open in a matter of weeks. In late December, the agency distributed basic household items to over 5,000 families from Vaharai.
We have more stocks to help the latest arrivals, Mr. Redmond noted. Over the last four months, we have distributed over 500,000 basic household items (everything from toothbrushes to mosquito nets to sarongs and saris) to displaced people and host families.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=21276&Cr=&Cr1=
UN News Centre
UN calls for the protection of civilians in Sri Lanka
as over 20 killed and dozens maimed
8 January 2007 – Condemning the latest attacks on civilians in strife-torn Sri Lanka, which left more than 20 dead and dozens maimed, the United Nations office on the island today called for their immediate protection and warned of worsening conditions in the east, where thousands of people remain trapped by the fighting between the Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The United Nations condemns the deliberate targeting of civilians and deplores the latest incidents involving two civilian buses which resulted in the deaths of over 20 innocent civilians with dozens maimed and injured, the Office of the Resident and Humanitarian Co-ordinator said.
The United Nations calls for the protection of all civilians throughout the island, the statement added, warning also that the humanitarian situation in the eastern region of Vaharai is grave and demands an urgent response, with the Government estimating that 15,000 people are trapped without food. The last convoy of aid to get through to the area was on 29 November.
We stand ready to assist those still trapped in Vaharai, said Amin Awad, Acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator. These persons are the most vulnerable of the vulnerable.
Pointing out that the elderly, sick and disabled are most likely to remain behind, he said, They are still without access to food, emergency medical services, and shelter, and continue to be caught in the middle of relentless fighting.
The UN has already mounted an extensive operation supporting the Government through local authorities and partner agencies to protect and assist with the basic humanitarian needs of over 70,000 individuals across the district of Batticaloa, but it also underscored that both the authorities and the Tamil Tigers must protect civilians.
The United Nations further reminds both parties of their obligations under International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, as expressed in the Security Council Resolutions on the Protection of Civilians and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, the statement added.
This is the second time in less than a week that the UN has expressed concern at the increasing deaths of civilians in Sri Lanka, following an aerial bombardment on 2 January in which at least 14 people, including children, were killed in the north-west.
Fighting between Government troops and the LTTE has intensified since April last year, despite a ceasefire agreed in 2002 aimed at ending the conflict that has lasted for more than 20 years and claimed almost 70,000 lives.
7
IMF Quits Sri Lanka - may return !
COLOMBO, Feb 14 (IPS) - The International Monetary
Fund (IMF) shut its Colombo office this month saying it no longer had a Sri
Lankan programme, but economists and civil activists say the Fund is still
expected to keep a watch over this war-battered nation.
''I doubt the IMF will stay away for long. Look the
government disbursed just 20 percent of foreign funds each year (from all
donors) but still the IMF chose to remain (despite all the criticism),'' noted
Sarath Fernando, a well-known civil society activist.
Muttukrishna Sarvananthan, an economist and principal
researcher at the Point Pedro Institute of Development, says the IMF will
oversee Sri Lanka from its New Delhi office. "We still owe them
money."
The Fund has been critical of Colombos high budget
deficits that have reached nine percent of gross domestic product (GDP) thanks
to excessive public spending and a bloated public sector. It wants leaner and
meaner administrations, advocates raising tax to collect revenue for state
spending and across-the-board subsidy cuts. This has not found favour with
large sections of the countrys population, many of whom are dependent on
subsidised farming.
In recent months, however, the government has assailed the
IMF saying its stringent conditions for lending were unacceptable.
A few weeks after the IMF in a Christmas eve announcement
said it was closing the Colombo office, Sarath Amunugama, an influential
minister who earlier served as finance
minister, told reporters that Sri Lanka was not running after the World Bank or
the IMF anymore to obtain loans. "There are several countries
willing to help Sri Lanka," he was quoted as saying.
Amunugama, who is minister for enterprise development and
investment promotion, cited the 700 million US
dollars worth of support offered by Iran as aid with no stringent
conditions, soon after the after the Development Forum in January hosted by the
government for Sri Lankas donors.
But economist Sarvananthan argues that the trickle down
effect does not happen overnight. "It takes a long time," he said,
adding that the IMFs presence in Sri Lanka was added comfort to donors and
foreign investors. It provided some security to donors, while investors knew
the IMF provided the important checks and balances in the country.
In its closure announcement, the IMF said the
decision reflected the evolving nature of the IMF's relationship with Sri
Lanka, with the country no longer having a programme with the IMF.
Two days before the surprising announcement, the
Fund, in its last report issued in Colombo, warned Sri Lanka to settle its
long-standing ethnic conflict that has claimed over 65,000 lives since violence
intensified in 1983.
Since 2003, the IMF has lent to Sri Lanka more than 400
million dollars in SDRs (Special Drawing Rights) for poverty reduction
programmes and balance of payment support, but Colombo has drawn less than 60
million, clearly exposing the countrys weak foreign aid disbursement
mechanism.
Nimal Sanderatne, Sri Lankas most eminent economist and a
retired central bank official, believes there was no IMF programme because the
government was unable to meet the conditions. "The
IMF move is a negative signal to investors. A lot of their decisions were based
on IMF-World Bank strategies," he said, adding that the Funds
call for cutting the budget deficit was reasonable as the state was spending
heavily on unproductive segments like defence. (Excerpt)
Donors warn against escalation of Sri Lanka conflict
Mon 29 January 2007 - GALLE, Sri Lanka (AFP) - International donors warned Sri Lanka against escalating its bitter ethnic conflict and demanded a power-sharing deal with Tamil rebels to end ethnic bloodshed and salvage the economy.
Sri Lanka must commit to peace and restore investor confidence if it is to develop its potential, World Bank's vice president for South Asia, Praful Patel, told a meeting of international aid donors here.
"There is no way to politely skirt this issue," Patel said. "As a major development partner to Sri Lanka, the World Bank would be failing if we did not place the conflict front and centre in our deliberations."
8
The United States, a key backer of Norwegian-backed peace efforts, said a military solution to the South Asian island nation's long-running ethnic conflict was not possible.
"We remain unwavering in our conviction that there can be no military solution to this terrible conflict," the US ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert Blake, said.
"We hope Sri Lanka will seize the opportunity to forge a power-sharing proposal that can form the basis for talks with the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) that could finally bring an end to conflict in Sri Lanka."
Japan, Sri Lanka's single largest donor, said a permanent peace deal struck through dialogue was the only way out.
"The nation's future is at stake... (it is) only through dialogue and not violence that the conflict could be resolved," said Reiichiro Takahashi, a deputy director general in Japan's foreign ministry.
International lenders and donors are meeting in this southern Sri Lankan seaside town for two days to examine the island's economy and study if their cash had been well spent.
Sri Lanka plans to convert 1.5 billion dollars in aid pledges received for this year's development work into firm commitments during the two-day meeting, which was opened by President Mahinda Rajapakse.
But the recent surge in violence is undermining the development work undertaken by donors in the embattled northern and eastern parts of the island.
President Rajapakse, who is also the island's finance minister, blamed the LTTE for blocking aid to conflict areas.
"We could have probably organised this forum in Trincomalee (in the island's northeast) if not for the violence and terrorist activities of the LTTE," Rajapakse told the donors before going in for closed-door discussions.
The president said the government was committed to a negotiated peaceful solution to the Tamil separatist conflict, which has claimed more than 60,000 lives since 1972.
However, the government has also said it wants to escalate attacks against the Tamil Tigers by building on recent military gains.
Over the past year, 200,000 new internally displaced people have joined around 300,000 already forced to leave their homes, official figures show.
The tropical island's 25 billion dollar economy is also not performing to its full potential, though the country is forecasting a blistering 8.0 percent growth this year, the biggest in nearly three decades.
There is also a fear that the government's raising of the defence budget by 45 percent to 1.29 billion dollars this year may deter the warring sides from meeting for face-to-face talks in the near future.
And Patel warned that the government must also take measures to stamp out inflation, which hit 19.3 percent in December.
"If inflation continues at the current levels of nearly 20 percent, 2007 will not be a good year for the economy either," Patel said.
Defence costs blast economy
* Each MBRL (Multi-barrel) sortie costs 100 jobs says minister
* Reiterates commitment to political solution to conflict
In an apparent indication that the escalating defence budget is taking a heavy toll on the countrys economy, a senior Minister said yesterday the country was losing almost one hundred jobs with each Multi-barrel rocket fired on the LTTE.
Senior Minister and SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena insisted that though the government was now focussing on military engagements, it was aware that the final solution should be a political one.
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We may be thrilled to see the spectacle of multi-barrel attacks, but what we dont realize is the price we all have to pay for such attacks, Minister Sirisena said addressing an SLFP gathering in Polonnaruwa.
The Minister stressed that the government embarked on the All Party Conference initiative with the sole intention of reaching a negotiated settlement and said the governments commitment to a negotiated settlement remained unchanged. The government Defence estimates for this stand at Rs. 139.56 billion with fears that it might rise further given the frequency of air bombing and heavy weapon attacks on LTTE positions. Since August there has been a steady rise in the operations using heavy military hardware by both the government and the LTTE.
This years defence budget is a 28% increase over last years and the projection for 2008 is around Rs. 143.46 billion. The government however maintains that such expenses are critical to protect the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the country. (Daily Mirror – 09/01/2007)
Hardline Sri Lanka monks mobbed us -- Dutch aid group
COLOMBO, Jan 12 (Reuters) - A Dutch Christian aid group that Sri Lanka suspects of helping the Tamil Tigers said on Friday hardline Buddhist monks allied to President Mahinda Rajapakse had mobbed their office and warned them to leave the island.
Monks in saffron robes identifying themselves as members of Jathika Hela Urumaya, the Sinhalese nationalist all-Buddhist monk party (JHU), stormed ZOA Refugee Care's office in a residential quarter of Colombo with dozens of supporters on Thursday, the group said.
"Around 8-10 Buddhist monks from JHU with 70-80 supporters walked into our premises," said ZOA's general affairs manager, Anslem Mudiatta. "They pushed their way through. They took our attendance registers and some keys and photographed everybody."
"They were saying: You are helping the Tigers, you are Christian, you have come to spread Christianity. This is a Buddhist country, you must get out within 24 hours," he added, but said staffs were not manhandled.
Buddhist monk and JHU central committee member Missaka Kamalasiri, who took part in the protest, said aid groups suspected of helping the rebels should be expelled.
"These organisations are not suitable to work in the north and east because their activities are suspicious," he said during another protest on Friday outside the Colombo office of Save the Children, two of whose donated fishing boats were found in a captured Tiger camp.
"They say they don't know how their materials end up with the Tigers, and that is not good enough," he added. "Here is proof they are helping them."
Sri Lankan defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said on Thursday the government was investigating a number of foreign and local aid groups it suspected might be helping the Tigers.
He said the government might banish ZOA from the island after the military said this week it had found equipment belonging to the Netherlands-based group at a rebel base it had overrun in the eastern district of Ampara.
ZOA, whose projects focus on helping refugees in the restive east, deny helping the rebels. The group said that any recovered equipment with their logo must have been stolen from an office abandoned due to renewed fighting.
"It is outrageous to accuse them without providing at the same moment substantial evidence," said a European diplomat on condition of anonymity. "Rambukwella's comments are only fuelling extremist elements and makes the government responsible for hampering the much-needed work of humanitarian organisations."
"By accusing ZOA, they are directly involving the government of the Netherlands and the European Union, because they fund it -- and that is very serious."
Some aid workers fear the government is mounting a witch-hunt against aid groups to appease hardline nationalists -- namely the JHU and the Marxist party JVP -- who blame the international community for the ravages of the island's ethnic conflict.
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HR violations galore in 2006
The Morning Leader – 10 January 2007
The Human Rights Commission (HRC) has recorded a large number of complaints during the year 2006.
A spokesperson for the HRC speaking to The Morning Leader said that the complaints recorded for last year alone amounted to 7,617 and that these cases related to prevailing human rights violations in Sri Lanka.
She further added that all these cases have been registered with the HRC which hopes to take up the issues with the relevant authorities soon. She added that investigations are underway in some cases and that they would be scrutinised and categorised accordingly.
These cases are categorised into complaints relating to illegal arrests, torture and disappearances. She said that it would take some time for all recorded cases to be taken up.
In a statement it was said that the HRC had received 105 complaints on disappearances and 311 on harassment and these complaints were recorded on December 19, 2006.
Further, complaints of illegal arrests stood at over 400 and issues against imposition of law were over 350.
Batticaloa attack - Security negligence?
Daily Mirror – 2 March 2007 - The LTTE mortar attack which injured diplomats and a group of security personnel as helicopters carrying them landed at the Webber stadium in Batticaloa on Tuesday, could have been avoided, if not for security negligence, as there had been shelling in the vicinity earlier that morning, a defence source told the Daily Mirror.
Despite the military publicly stating that the only attack to take place in the vicinity was on the previous night, the Daily Mirror has learnt that the LTTE had launched a mortar attack on the Air Force camp located two kilometres away from the Webber stadium, minutes prior to the helicopter landings.
When contacted by the Daily Mirror STF Commandant Nimal Lewke confirmed there was an attack on the Air Force camp minutes before the helicopters with the diplomats landed at the Webber stadium which is under the control of the STF.
Defence sources said as a result of the morning LTTE attack and the subsequent retaliation from an area within the Webber stadium, the relevant authorities should have redirected the helicopters as there was an imminent security threat to the area.
The shelling took place between 7.30 and 8.15 that morning and the helicopters were scheduled to land at around 8.40 a.m. So there was definitely a security threat and the helicopters should have been re-directed to a safer location without going ahead with the scheduled landing, the source said.
When asked by the Daily Mirror if he was aware of any security threat just prior to the landing, Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe responded in the negative adding that he was not informed of any attack even after his helicopter touched down.
Mr. Samarasinghe was among the delegates who had a narrow shave as a result of the attack which the Government believed was a deliberate attack on the dignitaries who were on a humanitarian mission to Batticaloa. However Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) Director Lakshman Hullugalle told the Daily Mirror there were no reports of any clash between the LTTE and the security forces in the vicinity that morning and as such there was no security threat until the moment the delegates came under attack. (Daily Mirror – 2 March 2007)
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Diplomats escapes from artillery fire
The LTTE apologized for the incident
India eNews 27 February 2007 - US ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake Tuesday narrowly escaped a Tamil Tiger attack when the military tried to show Western diplomats a part of the island's east captured from the rebels. Indian diplomats were invited to the tour but they politely declined.
Italian ambassador Pio Mariani suffered head injuries when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) slammed artillery shells into the Batticaloa military airstrip after one of the two helicopters landed and some of the diplomats along with Sri Lankan officials started to walk.
Ambassadors Blake and Juergen Weerth of Germany also reportedly suffered injuries, the former on the shoulder, but there was no official confirmation of this. The Italian envoy was warded in the main hospital at Batticaloa, some 300 km east of Colombo, for around two hours and discharged.
India's envoy to Colombo, Alok Prasad, was also reportedly invited to join the group of diplomats that was to be shown the area of Vaharai, which the military captured from the Tigers in January. But Indian diplomats, who normally do not join group tours of this sort, preferred to opt out.
The LTTE later apologized for the incident, blaming Sri Lankan authorities for having ferried the diplomats to a war zone without informing it in advance.
Only on Friday, Blake, who moved into Sri Lanka in September 2006 after serving as the number two in the US embassy in New Delhi, told IANS in a telephonic interview that his country 'respectfully disagreed' with those in Sri Lanka who thought a military approach would end the separatist conflict.
'We had only the Italian ambassador coming here,' a Batticaloa hospital spokesman told IANS on telephone. 'We have no idea if other ambassadors too were injured. They may have been but they did come to the hospital.'
A spokesman for the US embassy in Colombo told IANS: '(Blake) called the embassy and said he was all right.' Military officials said four shells hit the area where the first helicopter landed and a second helicopter did not touch down there. A fixed-wing aircraft parked at the nearby military airfield was damaged.
The LTTE admitted firing the artillery but said it had no advance information about the aircraft that it added landed in the Batticaloa military airstrip and inside the military head office premises around 9.30 a.m.
LTTE military spokesman S. Ilanthirayan expressed 'shock and sadness that the government exposed senior diplomats to danger by allowing aircraft carrying them into an area where they have declared military operations without informing LTTE in advance'.
According to a statement by LTTE, he called it 'criminal negligence on the part of the Sri Lankan government. Simple diplomacy could have avoided the unfortunate incident'.
The statement quoted UN official Marian Din Kajdomcaj as saying that the LTTE stopped the shelling immediately after it was alerted about the occupants of the helicopters, which could then take off safely. 'Kajdomcaj thanked LTTE for the prompt action and acknowledged their failure to warn LTTE about the flight.'
Other countries whose diplomats were in the Tuesday tour included those of Canada and France, besides the European Union.
Earlier, Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, who was accompanying the diplomats, told AFP that the attack took place shortly after one of two helicopters landed at a public playground.
'The ambassadors are slightly hurt,' Samarasinghe said earlier. 'I was not injured. A shell fell a short distance away from where we were.'
The Italian ambassador was put under intensive care. 'The diplomat has a foreign object embedded inside his head,' hospital director Muruganathan Moorthy said. 'We had a total of 11 people admitted after the attack.'
Four policemen, three Special Task Force commandos, two air force men and a child were among the wounded.
The diplomats were to join discussions with Batticaloa officials about the situation in the area in the wake of the recent military successes against the LTTE, which has suffered a string of reverses since last year.
(http://www.indiaenews.com/srilanka/20070227/41242.htm)
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Italy
Communications - 27 February 2007
Deputy Premier and Minister for Foreign Affairs Massimo D'Alema has expressed his relief at the news that Italian Ambassador in Colombo Pio Mariani, involved along with other colleagues in an armed assault while visiting Batticaloa in Sri Lanka, was wounded only slightly, and will be able to make a quick return to Colombo.
In expressing his complete solidarity and hopes in the timely return to Sri Lanka of our diplomatic representative, to whom he has addressed a personal letter, Minister D'Alema also expressed the hope that light will soon be shed on all the circumstances surrounding this worrying incident.
Minister D'Alema took this opportunity to reiterate his appreciation for the Italian diplomats serving their country in difficult areas characterised by situations of tension, conveying Italy's special gratitude to those among them working courageously and dutifully in particularly high risk contexts.
(http://www.esteri.it/eng/6_38_90_01.asp?id=2911&mod=1&min=0)
Dominant problems highlighted
An anti-war rally disrupted by a band of assailants
The role played by a Deputy minister is most disgusting
Daily Mirror – 11/01/2007 - Two ugly and violent incidents at two places in Colombo on Tuesday drew special attention to the two dominant issues of the day, the ethnic problem and the economic problem. The incident at Nugegoda brought to the fore the continuing conflict between those advocating war as a method of eliminating terrorism and those insisting on a political framework as a solution to problems. The other incident drew attention to the economic problems, which is causing much concern to all sections of people in this country.
The Nugegoda incident where an anti-war rally organized by the United Peoples Movement was disrupted by a band of assailants, demonstrated the extent to which the tolerant and democratic nature of our society has deteriorated. Practice of democracy which, we believe, the government still remains committed, demands that the right to freedom of expression and association should be guaranteed and protected. Whether a person or a group agrees with a particular idea or campaign, or not, they have no right to interfere with those promoting or sponsoring such ideas or campaigns.
There is scarcely anything more repugnant than the use of force and coercion by anyone to disrupt any campaign that one opposes. The democratic way to show dissent and convince others of the unacceptability of an idea or a proposition is persuasion. If those anti-war campaigners have ulterior motives or any intention to disrupt the national agenda lending support for the LTTE, then they have every right to expose them through democratic means.
What is most disgusting in this incident is the role played by a deputy minister. It is all the more contemptible in view of the alleged approval or connivance of the government in this attack. It is indeed President Mahinda Rajapaksas duty to order an investigation into this sordid attack on democracy, to clear his government of complicity and to reaffirm his commitment to the ideals of democracy and human rights.
Deputy Minister Mervyn Silva has very innocently stated that he had only visited the place. And he says that there had been some persons at the place intent on disrupting the meeting - arranged by the organizers themselves, he presumes - to disrupt the meeting and create trouble. But his castigation of the organisers and eyewitness accounts of those present and victims of the attack, among whom were some journalists, prove that his role has been far from being one of passive and innocent observer as he had attempted to portray. (Excerpt - Daily Mirror – 11/01/2007)
Deputy minister was leading the gang !
SIRITUNGA JAYSURIYA from Colombo, Sri Lanka, is convenor of the newly formed United People's Movement and secretary of the United Socialist Party (CWI, Sri Lanka). He is also the chair of the Civil Monitoring Committee, set up to investigate and campaign against the abductions and killings of Tamil-speaking people in Sri Lanka.
Angelika Teweleit interviewed him during the recent World Congress of the Committee
for a Workers' International (CWI).
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AT - Siri, the press has carried reports of a violent attack by armed thugs against you and other organisers at a public rally in Colombo. You narrowly escaped with your life. What happened?
Siri - This was going to be the first public meeting organised by the United People's Movement, which is an alliance of all political forces and parties who are against the war, against the government's repressive laws and against hunger. This was our first mass mobilisation since the present government came to power.
We had got a big response to our posters and expected up to 10,000 people at the rally. The day before we were told by the area police administration not to hold the meeting because they could not provide security. I said we would take all necessary measures and that this was a perfectly legal meeting.
90 minutes before the meeting started, when most of the helpers and organisers were having lunch nearby, I was with a few others near the stage. Then there was a noise and we saw more than 100 people storming onto the stage. They started to smash the speaker system and all the equipment. I went to see what was happening.
There was Mervyn de Silva, a deputy minister, and he was leading the gang. I was starting to ask him what they were doing there and a group of his crowd started to shout "That's him!" and chase me. I managed to escape by running through the car park and into a nearby supermarket. I entered it and the gangsters started to smash windows and follow me.
I got into another shop and that way I was able to escape and save my life. Then I saw through the windows that they were burning all the equipment put out for the rally.
After a while, with the help of a local three-wheeler (rickshaw) driver, I managed to get out of the area.
AT - You said a deputy minister was leading the gang - why do you think someone close to the government was leading this charge?
Siri - The deputy minister at a press conference on the day of the attack denied he was even there, while the government is saying the raid he led was aimed at helping the organisers because we did not want the meeting to take place!
The government has been worried about us ever since the new president was inaugurated at the end of 2005. At that time, when I had been the candidate of the USP and had come in third, we warned president Rajapakse that if he continued along the road of chauvinism and war, we would organise mass resistance.
I do not think this attack is an isolated matter. I think the government planned to attack this meeting because of our efforts in organising the movement against repression and hunger.
AT - What is the situation for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka?
Siri - The situation in the North, where they are a majority, is terrible. There is huge poverty, prices are five times higher than normal prices and there is hunger. Especially for the children and elderly the situation is dire. There is no medicine.
The government has closed the main A9 road to the North. This means that the main route to the Jaffna Peninsula, along which all goods and supplies were transported, is cut off. We are campaigning for the re-opening of the road and also for emergency supplies to meet the basic human needs. Even schools and hospitals are not functioning.
AT - What can people in Europe concretely do to support your struggle?
Siri - I think the European working class can play an important role to stop this genocidal war and the repressive measures of the Sri Lankan government.
My name is on a death list issued by communal forces together with 21 other names. It is a very serious situation. Support is needed by people sending protest letters to the government to stop this and to conduct a campaign to make public the attacks on democratic rights and the death threats being made.
In the end, there is no other way of dealing with all these problems except by mobilising working class struggle to fight for socialism worldwide. (Excerpt)
(http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/2007/471/index.html?id=pp76.htm)
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Abductions and Disappearances
Sri Lanka faces international isolation
Ex-minister (sacked) of Foreign Affairs
COLOMBO 15 February 2007 (AFP) - Sri Lanka faces international isolation for failing to pay close heed to human rights issues, former foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera warned.
He said he was troubled by the renewed violence and a rising number of deaths, as well as a big increase in unsolved kidnappings across the island.
"There is growing concern among (the) international community over allegations of abductions, disappearances and extra-judicial killings," Samaraweera told reporters on Thursday.
"We have to allow international investigators to come here, otherwise we risk international isolation."
By ignoring outside pressure, Samaraweera said the government was strengthening the hand of the Tamil Tiger rebels, who have been fighting for an independent homeland since 1972.
"The LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) are trying to project Sri Lanka as a violator of human rights. They want to bring a UN fact-finding mission to Sri Lanka to investigate," he said.
The ex-minister was a key ally of President Mahinda Rajapakse during the 2005 November presidential election campaign.
But the pair fell out over ideological differences and Samaraweera has criticised the president for giving his unelected brothers a big voice in policy-making.
Rajapakse stripped Samaraweera and two others of their ministerial posts last week (9 February 2007). The former foreign minister said his life was now under threat as the president had withdrawn his security detail.
Former junior ports minister Sripathi Sooriyarachchi, who was also kicked out, said he and Samaraweera would not accept future cabinet posts under Rajapakse's administration.
They have written a 19-page letter to the president setting out 10 demands, including cutting the cabinet from an unprecedented 51 members to 35 and pushing for a political settlement to end the ethnic conflict.
They opposed Rajapakse's move to accommodate 18 opposition legislators within government ranks late last month and reward 10 of the defectors with plum cabinet posts.
The defections gave Rajapakse a majority in the 225-member parliament and secured the survival of his government.
"A part of the govt. is involved in abductions"
Morning Leader - October 4, 2006
Western Province People's Front Leader Mano Ganesan said that the government was yet to prove its sincerity on the abductions of Tamil businessmen in Colombo. In an interview with The Morning Leader he said the Civil Monitoring Committee would not work with the government or with the Tamil parties who are with them. "We believe that a part of the government is involved in these abductions. There is no question about it. We are not accusing the government in total," he said.
Q: The UPF says that it would work with the government to look into the abductions. Why are you not working with the government?
A: The government is yet to prove its sincerity on this issue. The abductions have been going on for three to four months and some of the abducted persons are taken to places as far as 100 to 200 kilometres away from Colombo and then released. How on earth are they passing all the checkpoints without being caught? We believe that a part of the government is involved in these abductions. There is no question about it. We are not accusing the government totally. So therefore, we are not willing to work with the government. (Excerpt)
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Sri Lankan police, troops involved in abductions - Police chief
March 6, 2007, COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lanka's police chief said police and security personnel have been involved in ransom kidnappings of civilians, vowing to crack down on mounting abductions and killings.
Police Inspector General Victor Perera said Tuesday that a "large number" of police officers and troops had been arrested on charges of abduction and extortion. In some instances ransoms had been paid abroad.
His remarks came as five bullet-riddled bodies of unidentified men turned up in the north central district of Anuradhapura following a similar discovery of five bodies near the capital last Saturday.
Perera offered "unlimited money" as a reward for information leading to the arrest of those involved in kidnappings.
He said among 433 people arrested since September over the abductions, a large number were either policemen, soldiers or deserters from the police and armed forces, but he gave no breakdown.
"There is a lot of attention by foreign organisations on the human rights situation here and these killings and abductions cause big problems for the government internationally," Perera said.
International human rights organisations have said rights abuses have increased amid the escalating conflict between troops and separatist Tamil Tiger guerrillas.
More than 4,000 people have been killed since December 2005 despite a truce struck five years ago.
"Sri Lanka has the highest levels of unresolved
disappearances in the world."
August 31, 2006 - UNITED NATIONS - Marking the International Day of the Disappeared, United Nations officials joined international human rights groups Wednesday to draw attention to the plight of the thousands of people around the world who have been seized and imprisoned without recourse to their families or lawyers.
"Sri Lanka has one of the highest levels of unresolved forced disappearances in the world."
(Excerpt - http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0831-03.htm)
by Simon Gardner
COLOMBO (Reuters) 5 March 2007 - Like the relatives of hundreds of Sri Lankans who have 'disappeared' or been abducted amid renewed civil war, 27-year-old Dushyanthi Malaravan dreams of the day her missing father will come home.
Professor S. Raveendranath was serving as Vice Chancellor of the island's Eastern University in the restive eastern district of Batticaloa when he disappeared from a science fair in a heavily guarded district of the capital Colombo in mid-December.
"Every day he came home for lunch. That day he didn't arrive. By late afternoon, I knew something had happened because he had been getting threats (demanding he resign)," Malaravan said, her mother weeping beside her.
"We don't want to point at anyone, because we are afraid for his safety as well as for ours," the housewife said in the apartment where her father lived before his disappearance.
Colleagues and rights officials say 56-year-old Raveendranath, a Tamil from the northern Jaffna peninsula, had been receiving threats from a breakaway rebel faction called the Karuna group, which split from the Tigers in 2004.
A United Nations envoy says elements of the military have been helping Karuna members to abduct children as fighters. Nordic truce monitors see troop involvement in Karuna attacks, and analysts say the government is fostering the former rebels.
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Sri Lanka's Human Rights Commission says nearly 100 abductions and disappearances have been reported to them so far this year in Colombo, Batticaloa and the besieged Jaffna peninsula, which is guarded by more than 40,000 troops.
That in turn comes on top of 1,000 cases reported during 2006 as the island's two-decade civil war resumed, 56 abductions of which were blamed on the Tigers, 71 on their former comrades the Karuna group and 184 of which were listed as unknown.
Other groups say the numbers are really far higher and do not include those taken inside rebel territory.
SAFER IN JAIL?
In the northern Jaffna peninsula, cut off from the rest of the island by a 'border' that separates rebel and state territory, rights lawyers and officials say dozens of people have asked to be held in jail for fear of abduction or murder.
Foreign aid workers say child recruitment and abductions in the east is rife by both the Tigers and Karuna faction, which is being touted as a viable force to run the island's east.
UN envoy Allan Rock says he has credible evidence that elements within the security forces have helped to abduct children as soldiers for the Karuna faction -- which now has political offices in Batticaloa on streets patrolled by troops.
The government dismisses his allegation out of hand.
Experts say history shows very few of Sri Lanka's disappeared have resurfaced, while killings continue to mushroom. The conflict has killed around 68,000 people since 1983 -- around 4,000 of whom in the past 15 months.
Professor Raveendranath is still missing, despite the fact he has now been replaced as Vice Chancellor. But his family is clinging to hopes of a safe return.
"We are confident he will come back," Malaravan said, her toddler propped on her knee. "We must stay positive."
"We ask the people -- do not harm him," she implored. "Please release him as soon as they can, because he's not a trouble-maker. He is very soft and gentle." (Excerpt)
Vice-Chancellor of Eastern University
abducted in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Vice Chancellor reported missing in the capital Colombo
15 December 2007
– The Vice Chancellor of the Eastern University of
Sri Lanka -EUSL, Professor Sivasubramanium Raveendranath (55), was reported
missing in the afternoon.
Prof Raveendranath was forced to resign his post following threats from paramilitary Karuna Group, which works closely with the Sri Lankan military intelligence. The Dean of the Arts faculty at the EUSL, Dr. Bala Sugumar, had been abducted earlier. His abductors had demanded the resignation of Vice Chancellor Raveendranath.
Mr. Raveendranath, was on his way to attend a meeting of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS) at Vidya Mawatta near Bauddhaloka mawatta where he was last seen by his driver at 12:30 pm. This area is within the High Security Zone. He is believed to have been abducted by a paramilitary group known as Karuna group.
Global appeal for release of Vice
Chancellor Raveendranath
Sixty seven academics, colleagues, and partners of Eastern University, across country borders, Tuesday jointly urged for the safe release of Professor S. Raveendranath, the Vice Chancellor of the Eastern University, who was reported missing Friday in Colombo's High Security area. In September, an unidentified armed group kidnapped the Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Eastern University, demanding Professor Ravindranath's resignation in return for the Dean's release.
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The joint appeal said: "Professor Ravindranath has played a central part in the work of the University from its foundation in 1981, and his tenure as Vice-Chancellor has coincided with major developments like the opening of the first medical school in the East of Sri Lanka."
Full text of the appeal follows :
Statement of Concern regarding missing
Vice-Chancellor of Eastern University, Sri Lanka
We wish to express our deep concern about the apparent abduction of Professor S. Ravindranath, Vice-Chancellor of Eastern University in Sri Lanka. On Friday 15th December, he left a meeting of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science in central Colombo, and has not been seen since. His family has reported his disappearance to the police.
In September an unidentified armed group kidnapped the Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Eastern University, demanding Professor Ravindranath's resignation in return for the Dean's release. The Vice-Chancellor has not been able to return to the University since that incident and had been carrying out his duties from Colombo.
Our colleagues in Universities across Sri Lanka have struggled heroically in the face of war and natural disaster in recent years. Eastern University is located in one of the areas most devastated by the civil war and by the Tsunami of 2004.
That it is still capable of producing World-class researchers is testimony to the quality and dedication of its academic staff. Professor Ravindranath has played a central part in the work of the University from its foundation in 1981, and his tenure as Vice-Chancellor has coincided with major developments like the opening of the first Medical school in the East of Sri Lanka.
As colleagues, friends, and, in some cases, academic partners of Eastern University we urgently appeal for the swift and safe release of Professor Ravindranath, and for the protection and safety of all our colleagues in Sri Lanka.
1. Dr. Michael Woost, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Hartwick College,USA
2. Prof. Thongchai Winichakul, Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
3. Dr. David Washbrook, St Antony's College, University of Oxford, UK
4. Dr. Nicholas Van Hear, Senior Researcher, The Centre on Migration, Policy and Society, University of Oxford, UK
5. Dr. Terrance J. Taylor, Research Associate, Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis, USA
6. Prof. Donald K. Swearer, Director, Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard University, USA
7. Dr. Alison Strang, Institute for International Health and Development, Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh, UK
8. Prof. Kristian Stokke, University of Oslo, Norway
9. Associate Prof. Birgitte Refslund Srensen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
10. Prof. Jonathan Spencer, Professor of the Anthropology of South Asia, School of Social and Political Studies, University of Edinburgh
11. Associate Prof. Hans Skotte, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
12. Dr. Bob Simpson, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Social Science and Health, University of Durham, UK
13. Professor John Sidel, Sir Patrick Gillam Professor of Inter. and Comparative Politics, LSE and Political Science, UK
14. Prof. N. Shanmugaratnam, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), Norway
15. Prof. Saskia Sassen, University of Chicago, USA and Centennial Visiting Professor, LSE and Political Science, UK
16. Prof. S W R de A Samarasinghe, Tulane University, USA & Executive Director, ICES, Sri Lanka
17. Dr. John D. Rogers, Bibliography of Asian Studies, USA
18. Dr. Susan A. Reed, Director, Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender and Assistant Professor, Women's and Gender Studies and Anthropology, Bucknell University, USA
19. Prof. Velcheru Narayana Rao, Krishnadevaraya Prof. of Languages and Cultures of Asia, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
20. Dr Caroline Paskell, London, UK
21. Prof. Jonathan P. Parry, Professor of Anthropology, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
22. Dr. Camilla Orjuela, Gteborg University, Sweden
23. Dr. Ranjini Obeyesekere, Lecturer Emerita, Department of Anthropology, Princeton University, USA
24. Prof. Gananath Obeyesekere, Professor Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, Princeton University, USA
25. Prof. Hisashi Nakamura, Department of Economy, Ryukoku University, Japan
26. Dr. Martha Mundy, Reader in Anthropology, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
27. Elizabeth Monson, Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia, University of Wisconsin- Madison, USA
28. Dr. Jody Miller, Associate Professor, Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis, USA
29. Prof. Eric Meyer, Vice-President, National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilisations, University of Paris, France
30. Prof. Barbara McPake, Director, Institute for Intern. Health and Development, Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh, UK
31. Prof. Susan McGrath, Director, Centre for Refugee Studies, York University, Canada
32. Dr. Caitrin Lynch, Assistant Professor of Humanities and Social Sciences, Olin College of Engineering, USA
33. Prof. Ragnhild Lund, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
34. Dr. Wasantha A. Liyanage, Lecturer in Sinhala Language, Department of Asian Studies, Cornell University, USA
18
35. Prof. Jonathan Lewis, Institute for the Study of Global Issues, Hitotsubashi University, Japan
36. Assistant Prof. Benedikt Korf, Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Switzerland
37. Dr. Steven Kemper, Asian Studies, Bates College, USA
38. Dr. Alf Morten Jerve, Assistant Director, Chr. Michelsen Institute, Norway
39. Dr. Tariq Jazeel, Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, UK
40. Associate Prof. Jennifer Hyndman, Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, Canada
41. Dr. Kristine Hoglund, Uppsala University, Sweden
42. Prof. Ruth Haug, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), Norway
43. Prof. John Harriss, Professor of International Studies, Simon Fraser University, Canada
44. Prof. Olivia Harris, Professor of Social Anthropology, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
45. Associate Prof. Charles Hallisey, Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia, University of Wisconsin Madison, USA
46. Prof. Janet Gyatso, Hershey Professor of Buddhist Studies, Harvard University, USA
47. Dr. Arjun Guneratne, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Macalester College, U.S.A
48. Prof. Anthony Good, Head of School, School of Social & Political Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK
49. Prof. Wenona Giles, Atkinson College, York University, Canada.
50. Prof. James W. Gair, Emeritus Professor of Linguistics, Cornell University
51. Prof. ivind Fuglerud, University of Oslo, Norway
52. Amani El-Jack, School of Women's Studies, York University, Canada
53. Shukria Dini, School of Women's Studies, York University, Canada.
54. Prof. C. R. De Silva, Dean, College of Arts and Letters, Old Dominion University, USA
55. Assistant Prof. Donald Davis, Department of Languages & Cultures of Asia, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
56. Christina P. Davis, Anthropology Department, University of Michigan, USA
57. Dr. Michael Cullinane, Associate Director, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
58. Prof. A.P. Cohen, FRSE, Principal & Vice-Patron, Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh, UK
59. Assistant Prof. Bambi L. Chapin, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of Maryland, USA
60. Prof. Ian Bryceson, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), Norway
61. Associate Prof. Cathrine Brun, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
62. Dr. Robert Boyce, Department of International History, London School of Economics & Political Science, UK
63. Dr. Anne M. Blackburn, Associate Professor of South Asia & Buddhist Studies, Cornell University, USA
64. Dr. Zoltn Biedermann, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
65. Assistant Prof. Bernard Bate, Department of Anthropology, Yale University, USA
66. Dr. Daniel Bass, Adjunct Professor, Religious Studies & Fellow of The Honors College, Florida International, University, USA
67. Prof. Yoshiko Ashiwa, Institute for the Study of Global Issues, Hitotsubashi University, Japan.
Amnesty Appeal on VC Raveendranath
20 December 2006 - UA 336/06
''Disappearance''/fear of torture or ill-treatment/health concern
Professor
Sivasubramanium Raveendranath (m), aged 55,
Vice-Chancellor, Eastern University, Batticaloa
Professor
Sivasubramanium Raveendranath, the Vice-Chancellor of Eastern University, was
reportedly abducted while at a conference in the capital, Colombo, on 15
December. Since he was in an area tightly controlled by the military, it seems
likely that his captors are an armed group operating with the tacit support of
the security forces. He is at risk of torture. He suffers from heart disease,
putting his life in greater danger.
Sivasubramanium Raveendranath had been attending a conference of the Sri Lankan Association for the Advancement of Science and was reportedly last seen by colleagues during the tea break between sessions.
On 20 September, gunmen abducted his colleague, the Dean of the Arts Faculty of the Eastern University, Dr Bala Sugamar.
It is widely reported that the kidnappers had demanded the immediate resignation of Sivasubramanium Raveendranath in return for Dr Bala Sugamar's release.
Sivasubramanium Raveendranath handed in his resignation and Dr Bala Sugamar was released soon after. The University did not accept his resignation, on the grounds that it was a presidential appointment, but he had not yet felt it was safe enough for him to return to the university, and had been carrying out his duties from Colombo. His family have said that Sivasubramanium Raveendranath had received several threats, though it is not clear from whom.
19
According to the head of a local NGO, Eastern University has a reputation for
violent internal politics, mostly about control of the university. Many faculty
members have resigned, gone missing or have been killed in the past. Some
people within the university have claimed that Professor Raveendranath is a
supporter of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), but his family
maintain that he is entirely apolitical.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The human rights situation in Sri Lanka has deteriorated dramatically in recent
months. Fighting between the security forces and the LTTE has increased since
April, and this has led to scores of civilians being killed or injured, and
forced more than 200,000 people to flee their homes. Neither the security
forces nor the LTTE appear to be taking adequate precautions to ensure that
civilian are not killed or injured by military actions. Despite the escalating
violence, both sides maintain that they are committed to a 2002 ceasefire
agreement. Over two decades of conflict in Sri Lanka have claimed the lives of
more than 65,000 people, the majority of them civilians.
In recent months in areas in the northeast of Sri Lanka, there have been reports of a number of people ''disappearing'' or being abducted by the security forces or armed groups. Such people are often called or taken in ''for questioning'' and held incommunicado. No receipts or records of their detention are made available, and the official mechanisms for reporting such events, such as through the National Human Rights Commission, are often unable to find where the missing people are. Anyone held this way is in clear danger of torture or ill treatment. (Excerpt)
Sri Lanka's abduction industry has top academic in its grip
By M.R. Narayan Swamy
New Delhi, 18 January 2007 - The distraught family of Sri Lanka's most high profile kidnap victim is begging the authorities to accept his resignation as vice-chancellor of a university, the key demand of abductors who seized him from under the very nose of the government over a month ago.
In a case that has raised international stink, S. Raveendranath, 55, who has
headed the Eastern University of Sri Lanka for around three years,
sensationally disappeared Dec 15 from near a conference hall in a supposedly
high security area of Colombo.
Since then, the Tamil man's wife has almost stopped eating and spends her days
and nights in agony on bed, their son-in-law and trainee eye surgeon Muthusamy
Malaravan, 36, told IANS over telephone from their Colombo home. "She is
crying all the time. The family members are in severe mental trauma."
Adding to the worry is Raveendranath's feeble health. He is a diabetic and
suffers from hypertension, both of which necessitate regulate doses of
medicines. Any slip up can lead to a stroke that can prove fatal.
Malaravan, who has stopped doing surgeries because of the tension he is in, has
one humble request to the University Grants Commission (UGC): Please accept my
father-in-law's resignation as vice-chancellor so that the kidnappers let him
go.
The abductors, widely believed to be the breakaway Tamil Tigers faction
headed by Karuna, apparently want Raveendranath, who is from the north of the
island, out of the university near the eastern town of Batticaloa, in a zone
they consider as their own.
The UGC has different ideas. It thinks that if it were to give into the demand
of the abductors, its "prestige" will be hit. That
"prestige" is prolonging the agony of an already distressed family -
the missing man's wife, two daughters and son-in-law.
In a violence-torn country where kidnappings of Tamils, the rich as well as the not so rich, have become routine, Raveendranath has still attracted a lot of attention in Sri Lanka and abroad as one who joined the Eastern University in 1981 as an assistant lecturer and rose to become the acting vice-chancellor in 2004 before assuming full charge in 2005.
And it was in 2004 that Karuna, the once famed regional commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tami Eelam (LTTE), broke away with his supporters. He has since been locked in a bloody turf war with the dominant LTTE for control of Sri Lanka's multi-ethnic east, apparently with Colombo's backing.
20
"It is more than one month and nobody is telling us where my father-in-law
is," said Malaravan. "We have no single clue, nothing. They (police)
are blank. Police do meet us, but that is all. And worse, there is no eyewitness
to what really happened that day.
"UGC has my father-in-law's resignation. They only need to make it public.
We are requesting them to do it. We are ready to give 100 percent firm
assurance that my father-in-law will have nothing to do with the university
once he is freed. We will not file any case. We pray to god every day."
The family has knocked on every single door in Colombo: President Mahinda
Rajapakse, military officials, foreign embassies, Sri Lankan and global NGOs,
the media and also the Colombo-based office of the Karuna group, which is
laying the blame for the kidnapping on LTTE.
Raveendranath's problems came in the open when armed men abducted the dean of
the arts faculty in September 2005 demanding the vice-chancellor's resignation.
On Oct 2, he sent his resignation to UGC, and soon the dean was released.
According to the family, the UGC asked him to work in Colombo. He complied. So
he remained the vice-chancellor.
On two later occasions, Raveendranath received telephonic threats: "You are
still working. You are not obeying us. You will be in danger." He reported
the calls to UGC but his resignation was still not accepted. On Dec 15 he
disappeared, becoming the most high profile of Tamils who have gone missing in
Sri Lanka in recent times.
Malaravan details all that his father-in-law has done for the Eastern University and the linkages he has forged with universities around the world including India. The efforts are visible from the support generated for him in Western academic circles, including the US, Britain, France, Denmark, France, Sweden, Canada and Japan. But he remains missing.
Does the family have hope? "We are still positive but worried," says
Malaravan. "UGC must accept his resignation. If everyone works together, I
think he can be released. He is a neutral man. Even if there is one phone call
saying he is well, we shall be happy. Even that is not there."
http://www.newkerala.com/news4.php?action=fullnews&id=81446
No breakthrough in Ravindranaths abduction
The Morning Leader – 10 January 2007
Investigations into the abduction of Vice Chancellor, Eastern University Prof. S. Ravindranath are still continuing, DIG Rohan Abeywardena said. He said the CID was carrying out the investigations and that no clues had been found so far as to his whereabouts.
"The investigations are now being carried out by the CID. We have not received any clues or leads as to his whereabouts," DIG Abeywardena told The Morning Leader. He said the Vice Chancellor was living in Colombo for two and a half months when he was abducted last month. Prof. Ravindranath was abducted by unidentified persons on December 15 after attending a function at the BMICH.
Several intellectuals around the world have called for the immediate release of the Vice Chancellor.
In a statement issued by them last month, they said the Eastern University was affected by both the ethnic conflict and the tsunami and yet managed to produce world-class researchers.
The Civil Monitoring Committee (CMC), which looks into the abductions of civilians, expressed its dissatisfaction over the investigations conducted so far. Leader, Western Peoples Front, Mano Ganesan said the committee was in touch with the Vice Chancellors family from the time he was abducted.
"The police have still not come out with anything on this case. It has been nearly one month since he was abducted. We are keeping in touch with the family members of the abducted Vice Chancellor," he said. The Dean, Arts Faculty of the Eastern University, Dr. Balasingham Sugumar was also abducted on September 30 last year by unidentified persons and was later released. The abductors demanded Prof. Ravindranaths resignation.
21
Disappearances in human rights law
In international human rights law, disappearances at the hand of the state have been codified as enforced or forced disappearances. For example, the Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court defines enforced disappearance as a crime against humanity, and the practice is specifically addressed by the OAS's Inter-American Convention on Forced Disappearance of Persons.
The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 20, 2006, also states that the widespread or systematic practice of enforced disappearances constitutes a crime against humanity. Crucially, it gives victims' families the right to seek reparations and to demand the truth about the disappearance of their loved ones.
Disappearances work on two levels: not only do they effectively silence those opposition members who have disappeared, they also sow uncertainty and terror in the wider community in general, thus silencing other opposition voices, current and potential alike. Disappearances entail the violation of a series of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms. For the disappeared person, these include the right to liberty, the right to personal security and humane treatment (including freedom from torture), the right to a fair trial, to legal counsel, and to equal protection under the law, the right of presumption of innocence, et cetera. The families, who often spend the rest of their lives in searches for remains of the disappeared, also become victims of the disappearance's effects. (http://en.wikipedia.org)
* * * * *
Abductions carried out by the Paramilitary with the help of
Sri Lankan military intelligence, outside North East
Abductions, Disappearances and Killings – (Recent available information)
49 Abducted / disappeared
11 Killed after abduction – bodies found
13 Released after ransom was paid to the paramilitary.
Full Name Age Date
of Suspects Place
of incident
incident involved
Satsothi Soruban 44 1/2/2007 Paramilitary Abducted at Manning Place,
7.00pm Wellawatta
Parents have lodged a complaint at the Wellawatte police.
Palanisamy Suresh 28 1/2/2007 Paramilitary Abducted
from his home
8.00pm in
a white van 43/35
Bonjan Street Kotahena
Colombo 13
Suresh is
the son of Palanisamy owner of Annapoorna Hotel in Colombo.
Yogaraj Madanraj 26 30/1/2007 Paramilitary 100 yards from the Kotahena
7.00pm in a white van Police station, Colombo
Yogaraj Madanraj was arrested by Kotahena police on 28/1/2007 and released on 30th January, 2007. While he was walking from the police station to his home, he was abducted up by men who came in a white colour van.
Nadaraja Vijayakumar 55 31/1/2007 Paramilitary near Perera Lane, Wellawatte
8.00pm in a white van Colombo-6
He is a Money changer residing at Perera lane Wellawatta. A complaint has been lodged at the Wellawatte police.
22
Full Name Age Date of Suspects Place of incident
incident involved
Rashan Savarimuthu 15 11/1/2007 Paramilitary 23/1 Jubilee Mawatha
Colombo 15
He is a school student went missing after a week of abduction.
S.N. Ketheeswaran 31 10/1/2007 Paramilitary 328/9 Aluthmawatha Road
S.N.Kanapathy Nadar 27 Colombo 15
Both brothers jointly run a transportation business in Colombo.
Selladorai Devendran 53 9/1/2007 Paramilitary Abducted
from his home
Aluthmawatha
Road, Co - 15
He was released on the following day. Blind folded and kept under custody for one full day.
S Sridhran 25 9/1/2007 Paramilitary Abducted from their homes
M Suvendran 24 6.00pm Garment watte, Karande, Puttalam
K Soundrakumar 27 8/1/2007 Paramilitary Wellawatte Colombo 06
Selavarasa Madhi 8/1/2007 Paramilitary Abducted near his home
12, St Marys Road
Mattakuliya Colombo-15
T Jesudason 37 7/1/2007 Paramilitary Abducted
near Galpotha St
in a white van junction, Colombo 13
V Varadarasan 40 7/1/2007 Paramilitary Stadium Gama Colombo 14
A complaint
has been lodged by his family at Grandpass police, Colombo
Thangavelu Mayooran 23 22/12/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his work place
11.30pm in a white van Galle rd, Wellawatta, Co-6
A complaint has been lodged by Mayooran's family at Wellawatte police.
Prof S Raveendranath 55 15/12/2006 Paramilitary Abducted
in High Secu/Zone at
1.00 pm near
BMICH in Colombo 07 A
complaint has been lodged at Dehiwela police.
T Puvaneshwaran 55 14/12/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his shop
147 Kumarathunga Mawatha,
Matara
Puvaneshwaran was released on 28th December, 2007 after paying a ransom of Rs.15 million. A complaint has been lodged at Matara police.
Maxie Bolton 43 9/12/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his shop
8.00pm in a white van Paramananda Vihara
Mawatha, Colombo 13
A complaint
has been lodged at Kotahena police, Colombo
S Pradeepan 26 16/11/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his work place
Wellawatte, Colombo-6
Complaints have be been lodged by his family to Human Rights Commission and at Wellawatte police
Nadarajah Raviraj 43 10/11/2006 Paramilitary Shot dead near his home
8.45am Elvitigala Mawatha,
Narahenpita, Colombo
Nadarajah Raviraj was a Tamil National Alliance(TNA) Member of Parliament for Jaffna District and member of Civil Monitoring Committee against abductions and extra judicial killings.
23
Full Name Age Date of Suspects Place of incident
incident involved
Arokyarani 48 1/11/2006 Paramilitary Shot dead at her Tailor shop
at Manning place, Wellawatte
Marimuthu Sivamani 55 30/10/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his shop Slave Island, Colombo
On the following day, he was released after heavy torturing demanding ransom. A complaint has been lodged at the Kotahena police station.
Sathivel Thyagaraja 25 28/10/2006 Paramilitary Last seen at Peliyagoda
afternoon in a white van Peliyagoda
His vehicle
was found abandoned at a sideway in Peliyagoda, suburb of Colombo. A complaint
has been made at the Grandpass Police station.
Maheshwara Deepan 25 20/10/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his work place
Modera Street, Colombo 15
A complaint has been lodged at the Modera Police station.
David Vigneshwaran 35 19/10/2006 Paramilitary Abducted and shot dead
Mrs V Thirukeshwary 30 1.00am Abducted from their home
Housing Scheme, Mattegoda
On the same day, their bodies were found near a roadside culvert in Piliyandala.
R B Bonaventhoor 30 19/10/2006 Paramilitary Abducted near his home
Aluthmawatha Road, Co-15
On the same days, his body with gun shots was found near a road side culvert, Walpola, Ragama.
Jayawardenage 46 19/10/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his shop
Jeyarajah 12.00pm Borupana Rd, Rathmalana
His motorcycle was found near Soyzapura housing scheme in Moratuwa. A Complaint has been lodged at Moratuwa Police.
Shan George 15 17/10/2006 Paramilitary Abducted near his home
Church Street, Colombo 15
Abductors demanded ransom from his father. On 1st November, he was released after heavy torturing. A Complaint has been lodged at Mattakuliya police.
Warnakulasooriya 29 7/10/2006 Paramilitary Abducted at Thusara ave
Nimal 11pm in a white van Kudapaduwa, Negombo
On the following day, his body was found at Kantana.
Bala Jegadeeshwara 27 14/10/2006 Paramilitary Abducted at Pettah Bus
Gurukkal 2.00pm Station, Colombo
Hindu priest Janarthanan Bala Jegadeeshwara Gurukkal was released on 16th October. Priest had been interrogated at a secret location. The Abductors had burnt his hands with cigarette buts and assaulted him. A complaint has been lodged by his family at the Kotahena Police.
Edward Reginold 30 1/9/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his work place
Jesudasan Union Assurance, Colombo 3
On the following day his body was found near Kelaninadhi Temple (Buddhist temple) Ferguson Rd Colombo 14. The body was identified by his parents.
24
Full Name Age Date of Suspects Place of incident
incident involved
Mrs Thavarajah 1/9/2006 Paramilitary Abducted at Vivekananda Rd
Thavamani Wellawatte, Colombo 06
She was released on the same day after severe torture
Nadarajah Manivannan 28 2/9/2006 Paramilitary Shot dead near his shop
Chitra Lane Colombo 05
W.M. Suriyakumar 26 9/9/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his shop
10pm in a white van Subadhidharama Rd
Dehiwela
On the following days his body was found in a paddy field at Kelaniya.
E Palaniraja(Father) 60 12/9/2006 Paramilitary Abducted at Inner Flower rd
P Balasaravanan (Son) 23 in a white van Colombo
Ganesan Muhundan 21
Owner of a jewellery shop, his son and his employee were released on 23 Sept, after paying a big ransom. The vehicle involved in the abduction is Nissan Sunny vehicle, No. WPJE 9995.
Rathnasingham Jegan 27 13/9/2006 Paramilitary Abducted outside University
Thanabal 12pm Campus, Katubedda
T Prabakaran 30 15/9/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his home 9am 49/1 Kotahena St, Col-13
Murugesu Gunalan 63 17/9/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his Pharmacy
Gindupitiya, Colombo
He was released after paying a ransom.
T Mahendran 43 26/9/2006 Paramilitary Abducted opposite Udappu
S Paramasivam 40 in a white van Tamil Vidyalayam, Udappu
Puttalam
A complaint has been lodged at the Udappu Police station.
Ramiah Subramaniyam 30 26/9/2006 Paramilitary Abducted near his work place Delkanda, Colombo
S Kumarasamy 28/9/2006 Paramilitary Abducted near his home
in a white van Hini Appuhamy Mawatha
Colombo 13
He was released on the following day. One of the abductors was identified as Poobapillai Skandarajah of Batticaloa, belongs to a Paramilitary group
Manickam Easwaran 30 17/8/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his restaurant
in a white van 283 Negombo rd, Wattala
The abductors demanded Easwaran's family to pay a ransom to A/c No. 10013719 at Commercial Bank, Vavuniya and A/c No. 8120023413 Commercial Bank, Kotahena, Colombo. Even after the ransom was deposited in those accounts, Easwaran is still missing. A complaint has been lodged at Wattala Police Station.
Mahalingam Suppiah 44 20/8/2006 Paramilitary He was last seen in Pettah
His family has lodged complaint with the Police.
S Manivannan 28 21/8/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his shop
44 Kotahena St, Colombo 13
Mrs L Komathy 36 22/8/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from her home
10pm at Ratmalana, Colombo
25
Full Name Age Date of Suspects Place of incident
incident involved
Lal Premaratne 28 Paramilitary Last seen leaving office after Mrs. Premaratne 25 work
All three were working for Aero Lanka Ltd.
G Mahindan 24 23/8/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from a Lodge
Kandasamy Sridharan 24 in a white van 9, Grandpass Rd, Col - 14
R Rajkumar 21
A complaint has been lodged with the Human Rights Commission
Kunjupillai Sivakandan 34 23/8/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his work place
2pm in a white van Messenger St Colombo
Complaints have been lodged with the Police and Human Rights Commi.
Sellathamby Sellakumar 38 28/8/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his work place
9.30pm in a white van Thillaiyadi, Puttalam
Nadarajah Guruparan 39 29/8/2006 Paramilitary Abducted near his home
Mt. Lavinia, Colombo
He was released on the following day, after a pressure from the diplomatic community in Colombo.
Selliah Premasiri 5/7/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from the Lodge
S Satkunarasa 270 Sea St, Colombo 11
Ariyadasa Pushpadas 7/7/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his home
12pm 84, Vivekananda Hill, Col-13
The abductors demanded 10 million rupees for the release of Pushpadas and got 4 million as an advancement payment but still Pushpadas was not released.
Complaints have been lodged to the Director of the CID in Colombo and also to the Human Rights Commission by his mother, Mrs Mariya Regina.
Muttiah Sathyaseelan 31 11/7/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from their residence
M Sureshkumar 22 3.00am Wataravum Mill Road,
Balakrishnan Ramar 24 Thillaiyadi, Puttalam
A complaint has been lodged at Puttlalam Police station.
S. Sriskandarajah 20/7/2006 Paramilitary Abducted near his home
Ramiah Jeyaraj (Driver) 23 Gregory's Road Colombo -7
Sriskandarajah is leading merchant in Colombo. The abductors demanded 30 million rupees as ransom and it was paid by the family for their release. Even after paying the ransom, they were not released.
V Chelvanayagam 2/5/2006 Paramilitary Last
seen in his work place
Colombo
Complaints have been lodged by Mrs Parameshwary Chelvanayagam with Kosgama Police and the Human Rights Commission.
Sivasamy Sukumar 40 May 2006 Paramilitary Last seen at Armour St,
M Narendrakumar 31 May 2006 Paramilitary Colombo
Their bodies were found in an estate are at Avissawella, in June 2006
Irudhayasamy Francis 34 26/5/2006 Paramilitary Abducted at Vivekananda
12.00pm in a white van College Vivekananda Hill
Colombo 13.
Sivarajah Sivagethran 16/4/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from the work place
Sivalingam Barathan in a white van Bathia Mawatha, Kalubowila,
26
Full Name Age Date of Suspects Place of incident
incident involved
Sivarajah Haran 22 26/4/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from his home
in a white van 8, Station Rd, Colombo 06
S Shganthikumar 26 13/3/2006 Paramilitary Abducted from a public bus
in a white van at Peradeniya, Kandy
A complaint has been lodged at Peradeniya Police.
Vadivelu Anandasiva 8/2/2006 Paramilitary Abducted on way back home
at Alexandra Road,
Wellawatte, Colombo 06
He was released after two days, after paying a ransom to the abductors.
Five headless bodies in an estate at Avissawella
In June 2006 five headless bodies were found in an estate area at Avissawella
Two bodies were found to be of two men who were missing since May, 2006. They were
last seen at Amour Street, Colombo.
Both bodies were identified as :
(1) Sivasamy Sukumar (40), a three wheeler driver of Paradise place, Amour St, Colombo 12
(2) Mahalingam Narendrakumar (31), a businessman of Telangapatha Rd, Wattala.
The identities of the other three bodies were not confirmed.
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-abductions-in-sri-lankan-capital.html
(Refer to page 89)
* * * * * *
Extra-Judicial Killings
4000 dead in past 15 months -- SLMM
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) said yesterday nearly 4000 people have lost their lives in incidents connected to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka during the past 15 months in contrast to the three previous years where less than 130 deaths relating to the conflict were recorded.
In a statement on the fifth anniversary of the CFA, the SLMM said a large number of persons have been seriously injured while thousands of families have been fleeing from areas of fighting.
In pursuit of a negotiated solution to the conflict, the Government of Sri Lanka and LTTE signed a Ceasefire Agreement on February 22, 2002. The Parties committed themselves to refrain from conduct that would undermine the spirit of the agreement. At the same time, the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) was set up. Following the Agreement, a considerable reduction of violence was reached, particularly welcomed by the families in the North and the East who had lived for two decades in areas ravaged by war, the SLMM said.
The ceasefire monitors were of the view the spate of abductions, harassments, killings, shelling and air strikes taking place at the moment were at a war-like level. In spite of the ongoing conflict, the SLMM said it remained committed to the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE - as a neutral party - to seek continuously to develop a deep understanding of the conflict situation, with the sincere aim of finding ways to continue its contribution according to the mandate. (Daily Mirror, 23 February 2007)
27
10 November 2007 - A prominent Parliamentarian of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Mr Nadarajah Raviraj, was shot dead, outside his home in Narahenpitiya, Colombo. The assassins who arrived in a three-wheeler fired the fatal shots at the MP and left on a motorbike. His bodyguard was killed in the same incident.
Since Raviraj was elected to parliament in 2001, he had spoken openly and strongly against the atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan security forces. He never hesitated to speak out against the paramilitary forces which work closely with the Sri Lankan military intelligence.
A week before his killing, during the parliament session, Raviraj had an argument with Douglas Devananda, leader of a paramilitary group known as the EPDP and Minister in the present cabinet. Many in parliament, including the speaker, witnessed this.
Soon after Raviraj's killing, the leader of the TNA, R. Sampanthan, told the press that, "Raviraj's assassination is a clear attempt by the paramilitary operating with the Sri Lanka Army to stifle the Tamil parliamentarians' voice in and out of the Parliament to inform the International Community of the Sri Lanka government's genocide against the Tamils."
Nadarajah Raviraj was a well-known human rights lawyer, and had been Mayor of Jaffna city. He was involved in the Civil Monitoring Committee (CMC) which has been investigating the recent brutal kidnappings and killings of Tamils.
In an interview given to the London-based Tamil journal, Thesam, in October Nadarajah Raviraj was highly critical of the government for waging war on the Tamil minority and cultivating paramilitary groups which have worked in collusion with the Sri Lankan Army.
Calls for witness protection
(BBC Sinhala Service – 5 February 2007)
A Paris based charity has called on Sri Lanka government to establish a witness protection programme to increase the efficiency of investigations of human rights abuses.
Action Against Hunger (AAH), (Action Contre la Faim – ACF) whose workers were killed in Muttur in August last year, says the lack of protection for witnesses is an impediment for the murder investigation.
The killing of 17 aid workers on 06 August sparked international outrage. Calling the murder as a "war crime" the United Nations called for an independent investigation.
In a statement issued to mark six months since the murder, the AAH says it considers "the establishment of a witness protection programme is imperative if we are to find out exactly what happened".
The charity has expressed serious concern that no suspect has been identified and brought to justice after several months of investigation.
Absence of witness protection programme in Sri Lanka is one of the main reasons for witnesses not to have spoken out, the charity says.
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2007/02/070205_aid_workers.shtml)
Lankan inquiry of no use says former SLMM Chief
Henricsson sees burial of truth in aid workers massacre
(The Morning Leader - October 11, 2006)
Former SLMM Head Ulf Henricsson last week said that a local investigation into the murders of the 17 Action Contre le Faim aid workers in Muttur would not reveal the truth while reiterating claims that government forces were implicated in the massacre.
"It is clear that government forces have been implicated, several sources have confirmed their implication. At the moment of the massacre the zone was totally controlled by government forces. The SLMM will only reveal its sources to an international commission," Henricsson said while addressing the press in Paris last week.
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He added, "I don't believe in an inquiry conducted by the Sri Lankan judicial system. We are at a war situation in Sri Lanka. No party to the conflict can carry out an objective inquiry. The only solution is an independent international commission."
Henricsson was attending a press conference held by ACF to mark the second month anniversary of the massacre.
However Defence Spokesperson Minister Keheliya Rambukwella told The Morning Leader that the former SLMM head did not have a right to make such comments and it was only obvious that he wanted to sling mud at the government.
"No one can take him seriously, especially the international community. Investigations into the Muttur massacre are continuing and till such time inquiries conclude, no party can be held responsible. He is a man who is living in an imaginary world," Minister Rambukwella said.
Meanwhile, ACF officials said that they were not accusing any one of the murders but that it was up to the government to bring the culprits to justice.
"We don't want to point fingers at anyone, we want the Sri Lankan government to take its responsibilities. We want the truth behind the massacre," ACF President, Denise Metzger said. ACF has not been informed of any new developments in the investigation two months after the massacre. "We don't have any information why the massacre took place, there has been no new light shed by the government on the investigation. The investigation is still in its preliminary stage," ACF Director General Beniot Miribel said.
ACF has been informed that the autopsies of the two exhumed corps and the exhumation of the remaining 15 would take place if official authorization was delivered. Himalee Arunatilake from the Sri Lankan Mission in Paris said that following an order by President Mahinda Rajapakse international experts would be included in the commission as observers. But she could not elaborate on their mandate or the numbers.
Miribel said that the truth would only come out if the witnesses were protected. He also doubted any new findings through the two post mortems.
Experts return 'empty handed'
BBC Sinhala service
An expert panel of investigators from Australia has returned empty handed after Sri Lanka and Australia failed to agree on terms and conditions on their investigation.
S Ratnavel, counsel representing the families of the 17 aid workers killed in Muttur, said the experts returned after spending 20 days in the island. The expert team on explosives has been invited by the Sri Lanka government to help investigate the murder of the local workers of France based aid organisation, Action Against Hunger (ACF).
Witness protection
The counsellor told the magistrate court in Kanthale that the authorities have failed to guarantee the safety of the eye witnesses.
Head of the CID team investigating the murder, SI Sanjaya Perera, told the court of the importance to issue death certificates based on post mortem reports of the killed workers.
He said so far no eyewitness accounts were produced before courts. Rejecting the claim counsel Ratnavel said the families were not merely looking for death certificates.
Finding the culprits
They would like to know the truth about the incident and find the perpetrators, the counsel added. 17 aid workers of Action Against Hunger (ACF) were found murdered on 04 August in Muttur.
The killing sparked international calls for justice. Describing it as a "war crime" the international community called on the authorities to conduct full independent investigation into the killing. But the ACF expressed concern of the lack of progress in the investigation.
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2007/01/070117_aid_workers.shtml)
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"As a display of contempt towards the sanctity of humanitarian assistance, a massacre blamed on Sri Lankan soldiers, of 17 locally hired aid workers last summer takes some beating", says the latest edition of the Economist, commenting on the release of a new report on the dangers facing aid workers.
The Sri Lankan aid workers were shot at close range, inside their compound, while wearing the T-shirts of their humanitarian agency. I remember the killings well because I had helped to establish a programme for another humanitarian agency in Sri Lanka, just after the tsunami, and one of our own drivers had been murdered in similar circumstances a few months previously. He had refused to give a lift to some soldiers and was shot dead just yards from a checkpoint, where his killers must have either been the military or operating with their assistance.
Although I was only in Sri Lanka for a couple of months the year beforehand, I still feel some collective guilt about the killing. I have hired local staff in many countries where I have helped to establish programmes and participated in their training where we emphasise their responsibility to remain absolutely neutral during conflicts. By refusing to allow soldiers to commandeer his vehicle, our Sri Lankan driver gave his life to uphold this ethic.
According to the report, by the Center on International Cooperation, between 1997 and 2006, nearly 500 aid workers lost their lives in the course of their duty while slightly more were wounded or kidnapped. This is almost as high as the number of soldiers who have died in UN peacekeeping operations and I have personally lost count of the number of colleagues whose lives have been damaged by violent incidents. (Excerpt)
Security Forces Gun Down Evangelical Pastor in Sri Lanka
By Daniel Blake - Christian Post Correspondent
Fri, Jan. 19 2007 - A Christian pastor was shot dead by security forces in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, this past weekend, according to a report from the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL).
The Rev Nallathamby Gnanaseelan, 38, was the Pastor of the Tamil Mission Church
in Jaffna. He was a member of the NCEASL and, according to their report, was
not engaged in any political activity.
Gnanaseelan was killed Saturday on Chapel Street after he had taken his wife
and daughter to hospital, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) told U.K.-based
Christian Today.
According to reports, Gnanaseelan was shot in the stomach and then in the head.
His Bible, bag, identity card and motorcycle were taken away and he was left in
the road.
Sri Lankan security forces initially claimed he had been carrying explosives
and then said he was shot because he failed to stop when challenged.
In recent months there has been a dramatic upsurge in violence in Sri Lanka,
particularly in Jaffna, as the conflict between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) and the government has escalated.
According to the NCEASL, extrajudicial killings, abductions and disappearances
have been widespread and the civilian population has been facing a severe
shortage of food and medicine, enduring immense hardship and suffering."
In a statement, the NCEASL said: Thousands of people are arbitrarily arrested,
tortured or ill-treated We call upon the international community to raise
their voices and prevent the massacre of the innocents in this country.
The establishing of a United Nations human rights monitoring mission in Sri Lanka is an urgent need. The world cannot stand by and watch as this situation deteriorates, while every day, people pay with their lives. In addition to the deteriorating political situation in Sri Lanka, violence against Christians continues and the Sri Lankan parliament is considering a proposed anti-conversion law.
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Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said: We
offer our deepest condolences and sympathy to the pastors family as they mourn.
While the Rev Gnanaseelans murder may not have been primarily motivated by
religion, it will only increase the tension for Sri Lankas religious
minorities.
We urge all sides to the conflict, including the Sri Lankan government, the LTTE and paramilitary forces, to cease the violations of human rights, and we urge the international community to take action to bring the escalating conflict in Sri Lanka to an end.
Christian Pastor shot dead by the Sri Lanka Army in Jaffna
19 January 2007 - Pastor and head of Christian Evangelical Alliance in Jaffna
– Rev. Nallathamby Gnanaseelan (38), was shot dead by the Sri Lankan
army. The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) said on
Wednesday, 17 January 2007, that the Sri Lanka Army shot dead Pastor
Gnanaseelan on 13 January, and removed the identification documents and the
Bible. The soldier charged that the victim was an unidentified attacker
carrying explosives.
The motorcycle of the Pastor was taken away by the Sri Lanka Army soldiers.
In a statement released by the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) on 17 January 2007, said Rev. Nallathamby Gnanaseelan was shot in the stomach and then in the head. His Bible, bag, identity card and motorcycle were apparently taken away and he was left alone on the road.
Sri Lankan security forces reportedly claimed he had been carrying explosives, and then said he was shot because "he failed to stop" when challenged.
Advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said the attack came amid "a dramatic upsurge in violence in Sri Lanka, particularly in Jaffna, as the conflict between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Government has escalated.
EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS
The NCEASL has reportedly said that extrajudicial killings, abductions and disappearances have been widespread, and "the civilian population has been facing a severe shortage of food and medicine, enduring immense hardship and suffering."
The group claimed that, "Thousands of people are arbitrarily arrested, tortured or ill-treated We call upon the international community to raise their voices and prevent the massacre of the innocents in this country."
Sri Lankan Christians and human rights groups have also urged the authorities to establish a United Nations human rights monitoring mission in Sri Lanka. CSW said it was also concerned that violence against Christians will be encouraged as the Sri Lankan Parliament is considering a controversial anti-conversion law.
"While Rev. Gnanaseelans murder may not have been primarily motivated by religion, it will only increase the tension for Sri Lankas religious minorities, said CSW Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas in a statement to BosNewsLife. "We urge all sides to the conflict, including the Sri Lankan Government, the LTTE and paramilitary forces, to cease the violations of human rights, and we urge the international community to take action to bring the escalating conflict in Sri Lanka to an end."
DUBLIN, February 20 (Compass Direct News) – Following a renewed outbreak of civil war between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), churches in the northeast are fast becoming another war casualty.
The LTTE has fought for an independent Tamil homeland in the northeast since the 1980s. While both parties to the conflict say they are committed to a 2002 ceasefire agreement, analysts say the current situation is more like an undeclared war.
Since hostilities resumed in earnest last year, churches on the Jaffna Peninsula have provided shelter to hundreds of internally displaced people (IDPs), prompting retaliatory raids by the Sri Lankan army.
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One wonders if the attacks on churches are just a coincidence, or an attempt by the government to warn the clergy not to give protection to these defenceless people, one source, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Compass.
The same source said those speaking out for IDPs were often silenced by intimidation or elimination, often in the form of unexplained disappearances.
The church, unable to remain a silent witness, has raised its concerns with the outside world, the source added. The government of Sri Lanka has taken note and appears to have sought, directly and indirectly, to silence these voices by abducting and sometimes eliminating church officials.
Deaths and Disappearances
Just over a month ago, on January 13, members of the Sri Lankan security forces gunned down the Rev. Nallathamby Gnanaseelan.
Gnanaseelan, 38 years old and father to four young children, led the Tamil Mission Church in Jaffna.
On the morning he was killed, Gnanaseelan had dropped his wife and daughter at a local hospital and headed towards his church, where members had gathered for prayer. Before he could reach the church, however, he was shot in the stomach and head. His Bible, bag, identity card and motorbike were taken, and he was left lying in the street.
Security forces initially said Gnanaseelan was shot for carrying explosives but later said he was shot for not stopping when ordered to do so. Local Christians say the initial accusation was a deliberate attempt to frame the minister, who was a respected member of the National Christian Evangelical Alliance Clergy Fellowship in Jaffna and was not involved in any political activity.
The Rev. Father Thiruchchelvan Nihal Jim Brown (commonly known as Fr. Jim Brown) and his assistant, Wenceslaus Vinces Vimalathas, may have met a similar fate. Both men disappeared on August 20, 2006, according to local media reports.
Witnesses said they saw the two men in the village of Allaipiddy, on Kayts Island off the Jaffna Peninsula, at about 2:15 p.m. on August 20, being followed from the Allaipiddy navy checkpoint by six armed men on motorbikes. Neither man has been seen since.
Navy commanders denied arresting the two men.
Brown and Vimalathas had gone to visit Browns church in the parish of St. Philip Neri. The church and predominantly Catholic neighbourhood were abandoned a week earlier, after the church was shelled on August 13.
A fire fight had broken out on August 13 between navy officers and the LTTE in Allaipiddy, leaving 15 civilians dead and at least 54 injured in the crossfire. Many villagers sought shelter at the church of St. Philip Neri. When the fighting died down, Brown helped about 800 people move to St. Marys church in the nearby town of Kayts. Some witnesses said he got down on his knees at the checkpoint to request a safe transfer.
Shortly afterwards, according to an Amnesty International report, the commanding officer of the navy in Allaipiddy scolded Brown and accused him of helping the Tigers to build bunkers. Brown, however, said the church members had dug bunkers to protect themselves from the shelling and bombing of church premises.
Brown had replaced another priest, Father Amal Raj, who sought transfer from St. Philip Neris after the May 13 murder of a Catholic family in the village. Naval officers threatened Raj with death after he protested the shootings.
Security forces had previously attacked Alaipiddy and two other Catholic-majority villages, Vankalai and Pesalai, on June 17, 2006. During the attack, a grenade was thrown into Our Lady of Victory Church in Pesalai, where 200 people had taken shelter – killing one person and injuring 47.
We were all inside the church when the navy and army broke in and opened fire. A grenade was thrown in through a window, Mariyadas Loggu told the Associated Press.
Civilians often take shelter in churches, viewing them as safe havens; in some villages, residents who are fearful of air raids sleep every night at the local Catholic church.
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Catholic priests elsewhere on the Jaffna Peninsula have confirmed the deaths of many civilians through aerial bombing, shelling, shooting and crossfire – much of it carried out by Sri Lankan security forces.
Civilians are targeted by both army and Tiger rebels – with soldiers arresting and interrogating hundreds, while Tiger rebels have tortured and killed whole families suspected of siding with government forces.
By September 2006, more than 200,000 people had been displaced in the northeast, with homes, schools and places of worship destroyed indiscriminately.
Blurred Lines
Church officials have also complained about government blockades on the Jaffna Peninsula, cutting off vital food and medical supplies to civilians who are affected by, but not involved in the conflict.
In a civil war, the lines are blurred indeed, Godfrey Yogarajah, president of the National Christian Evangelical Fellowship of Sri Lanka (NCEASL), told Compass. He pointed out that religious liberty issues are intrinsically linked to the general climate of human rights abuse.
The NCEASL has called for urgent United Nations intervention.
Thousands of people are being arbitrarily arrested, tortured or ill-treated, NCEASL declared in a recent statement. We call upon the international community to raise their voices and prevent the massacre of the innocents in this country. The establishing of a United Nations human rights monitoring mission in Sri Lanka is an urgent need. The world cannot stand by and watch as this situation deteriorates, while every day, people pay with their lives.
Attacks on churches are not new to Sri Lanka. Since 2002, large mobs – often led by Buddhist monks – have led a string of attacks on churches in the south. Buddhist clergy have also campaigned for a national anti-conversion law, modeled on similar laws in India, to restrict the growth of Christian churches.
Two separate anti-conversion bills are still making their way through Parliament, although the renewal of civil war has brought a temporary halt to the campaign. (See Compass Direct News, Anti-Conversion Bill Revived in Parliament, April 26, 2006.)
Threats and Attacks in Southern Sri Lanka
Bangaragama: At about 11:15 a.m. on February 11, a mob began throwing stones into a hall owned by the Christian Center in Bangaragama, Colombo district, as people were praying inside.
Roofing was damaged but no injuries were recorded. A complaint was registered with local police.
This was not the first attack on the Christian Center. On December 24, 2006, anti-Christian posters were displayed in the town, and on December 10 a mob smashed the hall windows.
Polonnaruwa: On the morning of February 9, people travelling in a van with a loudspeaker began calling residents of Polonnaruwa district to a public meeting at the New Town Buddhist Vihara. The meeting was called to chase away Christians and those who help Christians.
The van was spotted in several areas of Polonnaruwa district. Although permission to use a loudspeaker is required by law, police said no such permission had been granted.
When the event took place at 3 p.m., about 150 people attended. The police were present and took action to prevent any outbreak of violence. During the meeting, however, the crowd decided they would strongly advise Christian clergy in the area to stop Christian activity in the district or face harsh consequences.
This threat, if carried out, would violate the freedom of religion and freedom of worship guaranteed to all citizens under Sri Lankan law.
Source - National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka
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Sri Lankan Government made Jaffna Peninsula as an open prison
Reported by Fr Paramavalan Peter CMF from Jaffna Sri Lanka, B.A. (India), B.Th. (Rome), M.A.(Philippines) S.T.L.(Frankfurt), S.T.D (Philippines).
The military machinery and the Sinhalese collectivism of the Buddhist State has abridged the dignity of the people of Jaffna to the subhuman condition. Imposing economic embargo and closing the A9 highway it has blocked the supply of food, medicine, fuel and other essential commodities for the normal life of the people. Even the pregnant mothers, newborn babies, bedridden sick are being deprived of their food. The Sri Lankan Government has made the Jaffna Peninsula as an open prison and deliberately and systematically torturing them and making their lives bitter day by day.
The State deliberately tortures its own subjects in order to get information for its military victory and for the protection of its military machinery. The "State Terrorism" of the Sri Lankan government terrors the innocent people and creates a feeling of "terror" in the person of the Jaffna personally and collectively, which distorts the whole personality, it curtails the human relationships and human activities in the family, community and society of the person in a collective way.
The purpose of torturing the people of Jaffna by the Sri Lankan Armed forces is to get information, to get the consent, to punish, to rob, to abuse physically and to destroy the whole personality individually as well as collectively. The methods of tortures to cause severe pain in the body, amputation, deform the body and making permanently disable. They are being psychologically tortured by the military machinery in order to segregate, to threat, to punish, to sexually abuse, to create a fear of being arrested and cruelly tortured and to make them to see how others and being tortured cruelly.
Amnesty International has evidence of cases particularly Tamil women from the Northeast, in custody were blindfolded, beaten, had their clothes forcibly removed and were brutally raped by the Sri Lankan security forces. Such allegations of rape in custody by army, police and navy officials in Sri Lanka have increased markedly in the past years. There are cases where the Tamil women in custody were made to parade naked in front of the security forces. They were then made to sit in a crouched position; their hands and legs were tied and attached to a pole which was then placed between two tables so they were left hanging. They were in this position for about more than one hour and were pinched and beaten with a thick wire during that time.
Method of Torture
Tamil men in custody have allegedly been repeatedly beaten with batons, and security men throw chilli powder into the eyes and on the genital organ of the detainees and cruelly torture them in a such way that they can not walk for some days. The security men had a plastic bag filled with petrol tied over their heads until they nearly suffocate. There are many instances the severe cruelty of torture being seen by vomiting blood, bodily injuries, open wounds and in the extreme cases it ends in murder of the Tamil youths by the security officers. Torture continued to be reported on an almost daily basis. There were several reports of rape by the Sri Lankan security forces from the districts of Mannar, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Jaffna and Colombo.
These methods of tortures cause guilt feeling, create traumas, degrade the human personality, create biological and emotional disorder and create malfunction of intellect and will of the person individually and collectively.
Massive explosive sound like Artillery shelling and multi barrel shelling of the Sinhalese armed forces create a feeling in the people to be submissive and slave to the demoniac military machinery and this shelling even at unearthly hours of the nights in which the people are in deep slumber destroy their sleep and creates the sickness of insomnia.
2000 Civilians killed and disappeared
During the last 11 Months more than 2000 Tamil civilian have been killed in the form of forced disappearance and extra judicial killings by the Sri Lankan security forces and its paramilitary forces in the Traditional Home Land of the Tamils in the Northeast. All the important human rights organisations, even the United Nations have condemned Sri Lankan Government for indiscriminate bombing and shelling of civilians in the Northeast, starving the people of Jaffna, condoning the acts of murder, arbitrary arrest, cruel torture, abduction and forced disappearances that reveal the hands of paramilitary personnel, the security forces and police. On the 8th of November Solheim who is the chief peace-broker for Sri Lanka, said "This is very serious. Government forces fired at unarmed people in Vakarai with the aim of killing them."
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The Sinhalese Buddhist Government of Sri Lanka by a systematic militarization of the Traditional Home Land of the Tamils, has permanently created fighters, military machinery, Paramilitary forces, corrupt politicians and their members and a new elite of dealers who can even in the international black market discover needed weapons in order to permanently maintain the Traditional Home Land of the Tamil as a war zone and inflict terror in the civilian Tamil people. The continuation of these 23 years of civil war confirms that the militarization and inflict terror in the Tamils by the Sri Lankan Government.
The human rights crisis in Jaffna, especially the killings, is the result of the government's deliberate move to suppress voice of the civil society, and civilian individuals from emerging. This counterinsurgency tactic to suppress such voices by making civilians too terrified to speak out. It is absurd on the part of India and sections of the international community while rejecting the LTTE and the MPs who were elected by the people of the Northeast and supporting non-LTTE Tamil groups as the 'democratic alternative', by suppressing the Tamil society by terror tactics of the military. It makes the oppressed people to justify intrinsically and implicitly that violence against the oppressor by the oppressed is non-violence or lesser-violence.
For the ethnically oppressed minority Tamil people, liberation is about restoring the "invisible institution of morality" which is the true foundation of justice, equity, accountability and all the other cherished values of democratic society.
Reported by Fr Paramavalan Peter CMF from Jaffna Sri Lanka, B.A. (India), B.Th. (Rome), M.A. (Philippines) S.T.L.(Frankfurt), S.T.D (Philippines).
(Refer to page 71)
* * * * * *
Arrest and detention
Tamil detainees were on fast unto death
From 20 February 2007, Tamil detainees in the Magazine prison in Colombo, had a
fast-unto-death campaign for six days, urging the Sri Lankan authorities to
expedite the investigations against them or release them if there were no
charges. They were arrested by Sri Lankan security forces and detained without
any charges for many years.
Those who were on the fast are as follows :
(1) Anthony Sathiyanathan, Mulankavil (6-12-2005); (2) Arumugam Sashikumar, Poonery (6-12-2005); (3) Arumugam Senthilkumar, Kopay-Jaffna (5-2-2005); (4) Isidor Arokyanathan, Kotahena-Colombo (21-8-2005); (5) Iyampillai Rajkumar, Eediyanthoddai (22-7-2005); (6) Kanthasamy Paheerathan, Poonery (6-12-2005); (7) Mahendran Puvitharan, Periyanelavanai-Batticaloa (6-2-2003); (8) Mahenthirarasa Paranthaman, Batticaloa (10-2-2004); (9) Manickam Thamilinian, Pasarai (30-7-2005); (10) Murugathas Sivaroopan, Kaythaddy-Jaffna 22-12-2005); (11) Muthaiah Sahathevan, Kirilapone (20-8-2005); (12) Perinpanathan Kangatharan, Periya Porathivu-Batticaloa 10-7-2004); (13) Rathinam Ananantharajah, Mallakam (13-1-2006); (14) Rangan Janakan, Baddula (3-7-2005); (15) Rasiah Ananntharajah, Mallavi (20-4-2006); (16) Rohithan Thineshkumar, Vavuniya (1-4-2006); (17) Sebestian Shakespiear, Batticaloa (5-1-2006); (18) Solaimalai Jegatheeswaran, Nanaddan-Mannar (29-12-2005); (19) Thankarasa Surenthiran, Urugodawatta, Wellampity (1-4-2006), (20) Thevarajah Kirupakaran, Adampan – Mannar (29-12-2005)
Following the assurance given by the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarians to assist the fasting detainees, they called off their fast temporarily on 26 February 2007.
Arrests of Tamils continue
15 in Poonagala and Bandarawella
26 February 2007 - During a search operation in Poonagala, Bandarawella fifteen Tamil youths were arrested by the Sri Lankan Police.
24 in Hatton
19 February 2007 - Sri Lanka Army and Police have arrested twenty five Tamil youths in a cordon and searched operation in Hatton.
35
30 in Kandy
19 February 2007 - Sri Lanka Army and Police have arrested thirty Tamil youths in a cordon and searched operation in Teldeniya and Kandy.
22 in Moratuwa
15 February 2007 - In a cordon and search operation in Moratuwa area, the Police has arrested twenty two Tamils.
50 in Vavuniya
10 February 2007 – According to Vavuniya Human Rights Commission (HRC), fifty Tamils have been arrested within the last few days.
15 in Chilaw
09 February 2007 - In a cordon and search operation in Munthal, Uddapu and Munneswaram in Chilaw, the Army and the Police have arrested fifteen Tamils.
20 in Dankotuwa
5 February 2007 - In a cordon and search operation in Dankotuwa by the Sri Lankan security forces, 20 Tamils have been arrested.
55 in Kohuwela, Dehiwela
4 February 2007- In a cordon and search operation in Kohuwela, Dehiwela area in Colombo, the Security forces have arrested fifty five Tamil youth including students.
20 in Wennapuwa, Negombo
3 February 2007 - In a cordon and search operation in Wennapuwa, Negombo, the Security forces have arrested twenty Tamil youths.
700 in Colombo
4 February 2007 - In two days cordon and search operation by the Sri Lanka Army and Police, in Fort and Pettah area in Colombo, nearly seven hundred Tamils have been arrested and detained in Fort Police station.
65 in Uppuveli
1 February 2007 - In a combined cordon and search operation by Sri Lanka forces in Uppuveli in Trincomalee, sixty five Tamils have been arrested by the Police.
35 in Colombo
30 January 2007 – The Sri Lanka police has arrested thirty five Tamils in Colombo north, during a search operation on vehicles operating between Colombo and Kandy.
35 in Moratuwa
27 January 2007- During a cordon and search operation in houses and lodges in Moratuwa area, the Police has interrogated more than six hundred Tamils and arrested thirty five.
45 in Hambantota
26 January 2007 - In a combined cordon and search operation in Hambantota, forty five Tamils were arrested by the Sri Lankan security forces.
45 missing in three weeks in Vavuniya
23 January 2007 – According to the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Vavuniya, forty five Tamils have been reported missing in three weeks.
250 in Puttalam Anamaduwa and Vannathivillu
18 January 2007 – In cordon and search operation by the Sri Lanka Army and Police in Puttalam, Anamaduwa and Vannathivillu areas, two hundred and fifty Tamils were arrested.
50 in Wattala, Colombo
18 January 2007 - In a cordon and search operation by the Police in Wattala, Colombo, fifty Tamils were arrested by the Police.
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300 in Minuwangoda, Nittambuwa and Gampaha
13 January 2007 – In a cordon and search operations by the Security forces in Borelesgamuwa, Minuwangoda, Nittambuwa and Gampaha, three hundred Tamils have been arrested.
44 in Colombo
9 January 2007 - Forty four Tamils were arrested In a cordon and search operation in Mount Lavenia by the Sri Lanka Army and the Police personnel, sixty Tamils have been arrested.
80 in Kalutara, Chilaw
10 January 2007 - In two days cordon and search operations in Kalutara, Bandaragama and Uddappu, eight Tamils have been arrested by the Security forces.
40 in Colombo suburbs
9 January 2007 - More than 40 Tamils were arrested Tuesday In a cordon and search operation by the Sri Lanka Army and Police from in Minuwangoda, Negombo, Wattala and Gampaha sixty Tamils have been arrested.
Sri Lanka's Upcountry Tamils are more prone to arrest
25 January 2007, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka -- The Sri Lankan
government's ally Upcountry People's Front (UPF) says that 10-15 Upcountry
Tamil youths are arrested daily at checkpoints while travelling from Nuwara
Eliya to Colombo. Nearly 400 Tamils of Indian origin were arrested by the
security forces during the last few weeks, said Deputy Minister for Vocational
Training Radhakrishnan.
Some 116 of those arrested - 108 boys and 8 girls - are being detained in the Boossa detention camp in the Galle district of the Southern Province, said a UPF spokesperson. The around one million Indian origin Upcountry Tamils, who are concentrated in the hill country plantations, have become vulnerable to disappearance, abduction, arrest and detention due to their resemblance to members of the LTTE, who hail from the Sri Lankan Tamil community and are fighting for a separate Tamil state in the countrys North and East.
Upcountry Tamils migrate to Colombo and other major cities in search of work in minor jobs. They are more vulnerable due to their low level of education, lack of proper identity documents and language barriers.
'Hundreds of' Indian Tamils detained
24 January, 2007, - The President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has ordered the police to take immediate steps to release detained Tamil youths of Indian origin. In a meeting held with union leaders of plantation workers, Mr. Rajapaksa has ordered the police to produce those accused of any wrongdoings before the courts.
Leaders of the Up Country Peoples Front (UPF), Minister P Chandrasekaran and Deputy Minister P Radhakrishnan met the Head of State to discuss the issue on Saturday. Nearly 400 Tamils of Indian origin were arrested by the security forces during the last few weeks, Deputy Minister for Vocational Training Radhakrishnan told BBC Sandeshaya.
116 of those arrested - 108 boys and eight girls - have been sent to the "infamous" military detention camp in Boossa, the minister said.
Looking for a better life
Over one million Tamils of Indian origin have made their home in picturesque plantations in the Up Country in Central Sri Lanka. The increasing cost of living, poverty and the desire to find a reasonable life has forced some of the younger generation into the capital and suburbs.
Many have been working in the catering industry while many others are still employed as domestic workers. However, they have become a vulnerable groups under the new tough security measures as many do not posses National Identity cards.
They have to pass many check points on the way to Colombo. 10-15 Tamils youths are daily arrested in one journey, for example, from Nuwara Eliya to Colombo, says UPF vice president, A Lawrence. The UPF, a major union representing Tamils of Indian origin, last year joined President Mahinda Rajapaksas government.
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'Rehabilitating' Tamil youths
The UPF leaders accused the authorities of not living up to an earlier pledge to discuss the arrests with the UPF officials. The Defence Affairs spokesman, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, who did not deny detaining Tamils of Indian origin in cordon operations, said it is the duty of the government to guide the misguided youth.
The Boossa camp is used to rehabilitate the youths who have either voluntarily left or captured from the Tamil Tigers, Mr. Rambukwella said. Reacting to Minister Rambukwella, Mr. Radhakrishnan categorically denies those currently detained in the camp are members of the Tamil Tigers.
They have no connection whatsoever with the LTTE. These are poor young people looking for a better future in the capital, he told BBC Sinhala. We urge the authorities to charge those accused or release them otherwise.
Human Rights Commission
Sri Lankas National Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) has also accused the authorities of failing to comply with their legal obligations. SLHRC Additional Secretary, Nimal Punchihewa, said the authorities are obliged to inform the Commission of any such arrest within 48 hours.
The Emergency Regulations do not empower the security authorities to arrest anybody without a justifiable reason, according to the SLHRC. In many occasions the Supreme Court has ruled that no arrest can be made under the Emergency Regulations without a proper reason Mr. Punchihewa said. it is the duty of the SLHRC to visit the camps and investigate provided we are duly informed," he added. The UPF have warned that the government might soon find these measures counter-productive. It is the opinion of the union leaders that the LTTE do not currently enjoy a strong support among the Up Country Tamils. There is strong possibility that Tamils youths of Indian origin soon turn to Tamil Tigers if the current trend continues, human rights activists warned. (Excerpt)
List of detainees from Selvanagar army camp in
Trincomalee, transferred to Boossa prison
(February 2007)
No. Full name Age Name of Village
1. Ganeshan Krishnadasan 16 Bharatipuram, Kiliveddy
2. Sivarasa Ruban 20 Pallikudiyirippu
3. Pakiarasa Ilangeswaran 23 Pallikudiyirippu
4. Thurainayagam Satyanandan 26 Srinivasapuram, Thopur
5. Kanagasuriyam Ponalingam 28 Srinivasapuram, Thopur
6. Kaliappan Mahendran 30 Thopur
7. Krsihnapillai Sivanandan 30 Pallikudiyirippu
8. Chandrasekeran Mathavarasa 33 Sivapuram, Kiliveddy
9. Velipillai Sivapalan 33 Srinivasapuram, Thopur
10. Thangarasa Mathialahan 34 Srinivasapuram, Thopur
11. Velayutham Sivanandan 35 Srinivasapuram, Thopur
12. Kathirgamathambi Singarasa 35 Thopur
13. Velayutham Navaratnam 37 Srinivasapuram, Thopur
14. Gunaselvam Somasunderam 38 Srinivasapuram, Thopur
15. K Kalikutti Kaththamuttu 40 Srinivasapuram, Thopur
(There are about 300 Tamil detainees are in Boosa prison - (Refer to page 66)
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Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression
Reporters without Borders - Reporters Sans Frontires - RSF
(Sri Lanka - Annual report 2007)
The resumption of the civil war had dramatic consequences for Sri Lankan journalists and in particular the Tamils. Seven media workers were killed in 2006. Pro-government militia (predators of press freedom) and occasionally the army have attacked the press which they accuse of supporting Tamil nationalism. On the other side, the Tiger Tamils threatened those who oppose their political position.
The escalation of the conflict pitting the army against the Tiger Tamils (LTTE) forced scores of Tamil journalists into silence or hiding. Most correspondents for Tamil media in the east of the country no longer have their by-line on their reports for fear of reprisals. Investigative journalism is dead in the Tamil media and everyone is self-censoring, said the editor of one media, himself a target of intimidation. The war against the Tamil press has reached the most respected and influential journalists. In August, the news editor of privately-owned radio Sooriyan, Nadarajah Guruparan, was kidnapped and held for a day by unknown hostage-takes who threatened him with reprisals. Then, in November, the editor of the Shakthi television was threatened with death after giving extensive coverage to the assassination of a Tamil parliamentarian.
Three journalists and four media assistants were killed in 2006. No suspects have so far been arrested. In January, Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan, correspondent for the Tamil daily Sudar Oli in Trincomalee, eastern Nepal, was murdered the day after writing an article about excesses committed by pro-government paramilitary groups in his region. In July, the independent Sinhala journalist Sampath Lakmal was found dead in Colombo. The following month, Sinnathamby Sivamaharajah, politician and editor of a Tamil nationalist newspaper was shot dead at his home in Jaffna.