Fresh probe on aid workers & Trinco killings

By Kelum Bandara | Daily Mirror
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Amid external pressure on accountability issues, the government assured the international community in Geneva last week it would reopen investigations into the 2006 killing of five students in Trincomalee and 17 aid workers at Mutur.

Former Attorney General Mohan Peiris gave this assurance during an interactive session with representatives of countries interested in the Sri Lanka issue.

Amnesty International officials asked what happened to the investigations into the killing of five students on January 2, 2006 and said the government had taken little or no action even five years after the killings had taken place. Mr. Peiris who was one of the panelists said the government had in no way swept everything under the carpet. He said the matter had been investigated and the government would reopen the case to ascertain the truth behind some of the allegations.

AI asked why the government did not publish the report of the commission appointed to look into 16 such incidents including the killings in Trincomalee.
Mr. Peiris said the document was not meant to be published.

“It has been handed over to the President,” he said adding that the report on investigations into the killing of 17 aid workers in August 2006, was handed over to the French Embassy in Colombo.

The 17 employees of the French branch of the international aid agency Action Against Hunger were found dead on August 6, 2006 at the agency office in Mutur.

This matter was also raised by pro-LTTE Diaspora activists.

© Daily Mirror