'We cried out that we were civilians, but we were attacked' - Tamil survivors testifiy

Groundviews
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"Although we cried out that we were innocent civilians and asked the troops not to harm us our boats were shelled 8 times as a result of which many were killed" said Ratnasingham Easwary, a Tamil civilian from Vanni, on Monday (20), making a representation at the hearing of the SL Government appointed Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

'At around 3 am on 10 May 2009 we escaped by boat via the lagoon without the knowledge of the LTTE. Along the way our boats were intercepted by the Navy. We called out that we were civilians and asked them not to shoot at us. Yet minutes later 8 shells were directed towards our boats from the Navy ships. Of the 20 who travelled in our boat 8 were killed. The rest who were struggling to keep afloat were rescued by small navy boats. We were then taken to Pullmodai, where my sister’s husband was taken away by the Navy. Today, we do not know of his whereabouts. Although we have made complaints to the ICRC and the Human Rights Commission he has still not been found' he further said, reported Colombo based Tamil Daily "Thinakkural."

A Commissioner who intervened at this point queried whether any LLTE boats were in the vicinity of their boats and if they had any arms on board when they were attacked by the Navy. The woman replied in the negative and said the boat’s inhabitants were all civilians and that they shouted out many times that they were civilians.'

Kanagasabai Selvanayagi of Vattraapalai in her representation stated as follows:

'On 15 May 2009 I, my daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren escaped from Mullaivaaikkal and were en route to the government controlled areas. During a shell attack at the time my daughter died instantly. When we were trying to lift my daughter’s body my son-in-law was killed on the spot in another shell attack while my granddaughter was seriously injured. The army carried my injured granddaughter away. My grandson remained on the spot. I was escorted away from the area by the army. Those who passed by the spot later informed me that the bodies of my daughter and son-in-law were lying on the bridge. To date I have no idea about the whereabouts of my granddaughter and grandson.

Many people made representations about the failure to allow IDPs to return to many areas of the Mullaitivu district. They said that the most number of disappearances had taken place in the Mullaitivu district and requested once again that the government make available information about those who have disappeared.

(The above account was extracted from a more detailed report compiled by the Groundviews website. To read the full report click here.)

© Groundviews

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Relatives tell Sri Lanka war panel scores of surrendered Tamil Tigers still missing

ANI | Sify News
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Anumber of Tamils in Sri Lanka have complained before the government commission investigating the last phase of Tamil Eelam war that their family members who served with the Tamil Tigers disappeared after surrendering by the end of the war in May last year.

According to the BBC, the panel now intends to question security force officials on the subject of missing people.

A woman claimed that her husband and two children, all former Tigers, surrendered to the army after being mediated by two Roman Catholic priests. She further stated that her family and others who surrendered were taken away in 16 buses, but now she reportedly does not have any idea about their whereabouts.

Others, who said their family members were forcibly recruited by the rebels, had shared almost similar stories.

A shocking testimony of N Sundaramoorthy, an agriculture official from within the war zone, revealed that in one incident, shelling and aerial strikes killed some 40 to 45 pregnant women and babies as they queued for food. His own daughter was injured when a bullet went through her throat.

Earlier, the Sri Lankan government said the commission is the definitive way to examine the final years of the conflict and promote reconciliation and rejected international calls for an external inquiry.

© Sify.com

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Norway seeks new role in Sri Lanka, explore ways to promote cooperation

The Island
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Former Chief Norwegian peace facilitator Environment and International Development Minister Erik Solheim is expected to visit Colombo to explore ways and means of promoting cooperation between the two countries.

Government sources told The Island that President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Norwegian Premier Jens Stoltenburg had an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations on the sidelines of the 65th UNGA I New York on Tuesday (Sept 21). Sri Lanka’s Chief negotiator during the then Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe’s UNFgovernment, External Affairs Minister G. L. Peiris and Minister Solheim participated at the discussion.

Presidential Secretariat quoted the Norwegian Prime Minister as saying that it was very important for President Rajapaksa to engage in both rebuilding the country and reconciliation among communities. The Norwegian leader said that Norway was eager to play a supportive role in Sri Lanka.

When asked what role Norway could play in strengthening the peace and also assist in reconciliation, President Rajapaksa said the best role for Norway today would be to assist in development.

The President, while recalling how Norway had taken the initiative through NORAD to help the people of Hambantota many decades ago, when there was no help for such rural areas, said there was ample scope for Norway to be associated in such development work in all parts of the country.

In discussing the situation regarding the Tamil people and the possibility of being engaged in the developing political process among them, President Rajapaksa was of the view that the problems of the Tamil people should be resolved through their leaders within the country.

President Rajapakasa explained that there was no purpose in those who claimed to support the Tamil people, campaigning for them from abroad; they had to return to Sri Lanka and work with the Tamil people at home, the President said..

Minister Solheim, Norway’s Minister for the Environment and International Development expressed an interest in visiting Sri Lanka to identify areas in which the two countries could cooperate in development activity. He suggested areas such as the protection of the environment, fisheries and the hospitality industry.

President Rajapaksa informed the Norwegian delegates that Tourism in Sri Lanka had risen by 196 per cent during the last year, and there was ample scope for development and investment in that sector.

Solheim said that the leaders of the expatriate Tamil community in the West should take a proper view of the changes now taking place in Sri Lanka and how best those developments could be used to benefit by the Tamil people and the country.

Prime Minster Stoltenburg looked forward to continued co-operation between Sri Lanka and Norway in areas of social and economic development, investment in the new economic environment following the end of the conflict, and the emergence of a fresh and mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries.

Associated with President Rajapaksa in the discussions were External Affairs Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary, External Affairs Romesh Jayasinghe, Namal Rajapaksa MP, Sri Ranga MP and Dr. Palitha Kohona, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka in the UN.

© The Island

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Rights in South Asia

By I.A. Rehman | The Dawn
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Whenever activists get together to take stock of the situation of human rights in South Asia, they find little cheer other than in their own struggle. A two-day conference in the Indian capital last week did not prove to be an exception.

The devastation caused in Pakistan by floods weighed heavily on the minds of delegates coming from all attending Saarc states. This offered a measure of mutual understanding that human rights campaigners in the region have succeeded in developing despite the efforts of slow-moving bureaucrats in nearly all parts of South Asia to reduce the space for civil society organisations as much as possible.

However, expression of sympathy and solidarity with the flood-affected masses was accompanied by serious concerns about the inability of the international community, especially its South Asian component, to extend adequate succour to Pakistanis faced with an unprecedented disaster. A particularly sore point was the failure of Saarc to operationalise, or even to recall, the protocol on regional disaster management. It was not possible to understand why no member state could invoke the regional accord.

Allegations were made, with considerable vigour, that Pakistan had not devised a clear policy for accepting aid in kind from civil society organisations and elements (such as doctors, pharmaceutical dealers and farmers) in the neighbouring countries. This is something the Pakistan establishment must immediately address and remove any obstacles, real or imagined, to the flow of people-to-people aid supplies from across South Asia, including India. For one does not wish to believe any state authority will be guided by confrontationists to the extent of spurning aid offers from neighbours. Cross-border cooperation in humanitarian endeavours will surely strengthen the concept of South Asian identity and a shared destiny, a fact that was amply confirmed when Edhi and some other Pakistanis went to the Indian state of Gujarat a few years ago to provide relief to earthquake victims.

It was impossible for even the most cautious human rights activists from the region to ignore the wave of killings in the Kashmir Valley and Sri Lanka’s march towards authoritarianism, the large number of extra-legal killings there and the unbearable strain on the media. But the conference was perhaps held back by the danger of its intervention causing more harm than good, particularly in view of the highly charged climate in which these issues were being approached by the parties concerned. They therefore contented themselves with regretting the loss of life in Kashmir and extra-democratic trends in Sri Lanka and called for sincere efforts to avoid derogation of human rights in any form and in any situation.

On Afghanistan, however, the discussion was considerably frank and candid. There was a fair measure of accord on the urgency of allowing the Afghan people much greater say in shaping their destiny than they have apparently been granted so far. It was strongly argued that some of the external actors strutting across the ravaged Afghan landscape were part of the problem and not its solution. The common view was that instead of competing for an exclusive right to courting Afghanistan, India and Pakistan should respect each other’s interests in the area and jointly lead a South Asian initiative to secure peace, justice and democracy in the war-torn land.

The release and repatriation of about 450 Indian fishermen that had been held in Pakistan was the only matter that brought some comfort to the delegates. The initiative taken by civil society organisations was lauded and the prompt and sympathetic intervention by the apex courts of both Pakistan and India was considered a good augury for the resolution of matters related to the imprisonment of a Saarc country’s nationals in another country in the region. Essentially the issue concerned Pakistani and Indian prisoners in each other’s jails, a stigma the two governments have been extraordinarily tardy in erasing.

The conference therefore made an emphatic demand for a South Asian convention/protocol to address the issue of prisoners, including such matters as their trial in an alien land, consular access, relief for those who suffer heavily for unintended violation of cross-border traffic rules, and repatriation of prisoners to their home countries immediately after the completion of their sentences and even before that.

The central issue the conference tried to tackle was terrorism. There was complete unanimity among the participants that terrorism presented the gravest threat to the stability, integrity and representative rule of all South Asian countries, including any faction or group that expected to benefit from any brand of terrorism. The participants agreed that instead of allowing themselves to be divided by terrorism, the South Asian states should forge a united front against the menace.

At the same time the conference strongly criticised the abuse of due process and basic rights through counter-terrorism measures. The specific matters that came under attack were extra-legal killings, unlawful detention, interference with judicial processes, an increasing premium on impunity and involuntary disappearances. The conference called upon all South Asian states to ratify and implement the UN Convention on Involuntary Disappearances and work out a strategy to jointly deal with both terrorism and counter-terrorism activities in a rational manner and with due respect for all citizens’ basic entitlements.

The strains on democratic norms in the various parts of South Asia generated a lively debate. In the end an agreement was reached on the need to regenerate healthy and transparent politics across South Asia. It was necessary for the people, especially the youth, to end their indifference or apathy to politics and free their political parties and state institutions from the stranglehold of inefficient, corrupt and self-serving cliques.

The human rights activists who tried to examine the afflictions causing distress and worse to their societies had no illusions about their importance or strength. They were, however, fortified by the belief that the voice of those who shared the hard-pressed communities’ aspirations and anxieties had a better claim to public space in the media and elsewhere than the antics and harangues of spurious politicos that no person sound of head and heart could own.

© The Dawn

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Colombo hurriedly readies military colony in Ki'linochchi

Tamil Net
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One hundred houses in the military occupation scheme consisting twelve thousand houses by the Sri Lanka government in Ki’linochchi district to colonize the Tamil land of Vanni with Sinhala families of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) are being hurriedly prepared for occupation. Families of one hundred SLA officers will take possession of them in an event to be held shortly, informed sources in Ki’linochchi said.

Arrangements are under way for the event in which key persons of Sri Lanka Defence Ministry will take part. Meanwhile, the owners of the land, all of them Tamils, their properties encroached by Sri Lanka government for colonisation, are not allowed even to go to their places where the military colony is being constructed. Informed Tamil officials in Vanni also said that Colombo is using foreign funds donated in the name of resettlement of uprooted families of Vanni.

The housing scheme is located near Mu'ruka’ndi area on the eastern side of A9 road and the roads to the housing scheme, though completed, are yet to be connected to the A9 road, persons who visited the area said.

There is a distance of 300 to 400 meters left between the completed road and the A9 road.

Sri Lanka government is building 12,000 houses in this scheme to colonize Vanni with the families of SLA personnel and Sinhala families from South.

5,000 houses are being built in the first stage. With funds from China great quantities of construction material has been brought to the scheme.

The completed houses have cement flooring and semi-permanent fittings.

The SLA in Ki'linochchi does not allow any outsider to go to the area where the colonisation is being schemed.

© Tamil Net

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Sri Lanka sees opportunity as China costs rise

By Gabriella Stern | The Wall Street Journal
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Sri Lanka's president said Wednesday that rising labor costs in China present an opportunity for his South Asian country to attract foreign companies seeking an alternative low-cost manufacturing base.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, told The Wall Street Journal that the once war-torn country has enjoyed a 15-month period of peace during which his government has focused on rebuilding roadways and railroads in the ravaged North and East, expanding the availability of electricity and clean water, and providing homes, among other things.

He said Sri Lanka--with a literate population, relatively low labor costs, and a sizeable corps of trained accountants--is drawing the interest of outsourcing firms, including major Indian business-process outsourcing companies seeking ways to expand outside India, where wages also have been rising.

In addition, European and U.S. retailers are increasingly turning to Sri Lanka to produce apparel at costs below those in China, Mr. Rajapaksa added. His country faces a labor shortage in the apparel sector as a result of this interest, he added.

Ashroff Omar, chief executive of apparel exporter Brandix Lanka Ltd., said it currently costs about $150 a month to employ a "trained" Sri Lankan apparel worker, compared with $400 in China. In a couple of years, he said, the cost in China will be about $600, compared with around $200 in Sri Lanka.

Mr. Omar and about two dozen business leaders and government ministers accompanied President Rajapaksa to the U.S.

Tourism is growing in his country, as Indian travelers gravitate to a peaceful Sri Lanka, and interest among European tourists--particularly Scandinavians--picks up, Mr. Rajapaksa said. Agriculture and fisheries are also key drivers of economic growth.

President Rajapaksa acknowledged that Sri Lanka still suffers from a lingering perception that it remains a war zone, but said there have been "no incidents" for more than a year and foreign governments have generally removed advisories warning travelers to stay away.

The country's economy grew 8.5% in the second quarter, compared with 7.1% year-on-year growth in the first quarter, according to Fitch Ratings. Inflation, at just under 6%, is under control, Sri Lanka's president said. The International Monetary Fund recently said a Central Bank of Sri Lanka rate cut was appropriate policy and projected a continuation of single-digit inflation for the year.

The president said his biggest worry is "protectionism" by other Asian countries at a time when Sri Lanka hopes to tap into the region's unprecedented economic expansion.

Sri Lanka, with a population of 20 million, emerged from a three-decade civil war in May 2009 with the defeat of the Tamil Tigers.

© The Wall Street Journal

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Sri Lanka's former Army commander might serve jail term

Xinhua | Global Times
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While Sri Lanka's prison authorities waiting to welcome their most "prestigious" prisoner -- former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka, the eyes of others are focussed on President Mahinda Rajapaksa to see whether he will give his final nod to put Fonseka behind bars or a pardon.

The three-member military court has endorsed its final verdict - - a three-year imprisonment -- against Fonseka on four charges of "disgraceful conduct" in military procurement while he was serving as the Army chief from December 2005 to July 2009.

Still denying all accusations, Fonseka in a statement said he would not accept the verdict of the court martial as he was not guilty of any corruption of any defense deal.

"If I am jailed for something that I did not do, I will work with more determination than what I displayed in destroying V. Prabhakaran (the leader of Tamil Tgier rebels). I will work to ensure that injustice is defeated and there will be no mercy for those who worked to tarnish my honor," he stated in the statement.

Fonseka invited all the troubles from the day he hinted he would challenge the incumbent president in the presidential election. The strong link between the duos, which had a common desire -- to vanquish the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) - - got disconnected with Fonseka's decision to run for presidency in November 2009.

His ill-fated challenge threw to the country's executive president has paid him a "high price". The first court martial, which found him guilty of engaging in politics while in uniform, had stripped him of his ranks and all medals he had earned during his 38-year career as a soldier.

Fonseka, who was promoted as the country's first four-star General in recognition of his contribution to end the war by the Rajapaksa government, lost the rank accordingly. Though he became just "Sarath Fonseka", he is still "General Fonseka" to majority Sri Lankans who credit the war victory for the veteran soldier.

Fonseka, who was appointed as the Chief of Defense Staff, was credited for commanding the Army to end the 30-year-old war against the LTTE, who fought for a homeland for the minority Tamils. They were defeated on May 19, 2009.

In several occasions, Fonseka said like his arrest was illegal, questioning him before a military court was illegal. He strongly objected the three-member bench of military judges claiming they held prejudices to him.

He claimed since he was a four-star General, the judges who were in the rank of Major Generals could not be in the bench. Fonseka said he had taken disciplinary action against two of them and the other was a close associate of the president's brother Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa who hated Fonseka for challenging Rajapaksa.

Major General Milinda Peiris was the head of the military bench and the other two members were Lalith Daulagala and Mahinda Hathurusinghe.

Fonseka said taking him before the military court was to put him behind bars and end his political career.

The three-member Court Martial on Friday made Fonseka guilty on four charges of "disgraceful conduct" in military procurement.

According to the second court martial probe, in the first charge, he was accused for purchasing 50 power generators from an Australian company violating the tender procedure while Fonseka was in the Tender Board. Fonseka's son-in-law Danuna Tilakeratne which was the local agent of the Australian firm is missing and warrant had been issued to arrest him.

In the second charge, Fonseka was accused for purchasing high frequency direction finders and the third was purchasing binoculars while the fourth procuring fifty 12 volt batteries from the same Australian firm.

According to Lakshman Hulugalla, director general of the Media Center for National Security there are no plans to pardon Fonseka and also no formal request was made by the chief Buddhist prelates.

"A pardon is most unlikely. The court recommendations were sent to the president and the punishment will be decided after the president approves it," Hulugalla said.

Fonseka's own party the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) is to go to Appeal Courts as a matter of routine. Its spokesman Anura Kumara Dissanayake said there was no justice in the country and could not have any faith in the judiciary.

The two main opposition parties -- the United National Party ( UNP) and the People's Liberation Front or JVP, which became allies during their run-up to the presidency with their common candidate Fonseka but parted soon after the defeat at the election, have now come to a common stage to save Fonseka from jail term.

UNP leader Ranil Wickremeighe denouncing the charges against Fonseka and urging Rajapaksa to give Fonseka a pardon said if the president goes ahead with the ruling it would affect the parliamentary privileges of Fonseka.

At a ceremony in Colombo Wickremesinghe tore off a copy of the charge sheet and said while Fonseka was behind bars, the murderers were granted amnesty.

The UNP said it will go before the UN Human Rights Council against the ill-treating of Fonseka by the government.

"The courts martial against the former Army commander are unjust and he is a political victim. This is not the only incident of political victimization and the UNP will go before the Human Rights Council next month to seek redress," UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said.

Meanwhile, UNP Parliamentarian Jayalath Jayawardene, who was invited for the Human Rights Committee for Parliamentarians of the Inter Parliamenatry Union in Geneva on Oct. 2, said he would discuss the ill-treatment meted out to Fonseka.

For common people he is the war hero and is still the country's best Army chief.

Sugath Ellawala, a manager of a tea exporting company, said the punishment was politically motivated and Fonseka should not be jailed.

"Some criminals including LTTE terrorists, are being treated well. They are not criminals any more as they are in the government fold but the man who fought and had a narrow escape from a suicide blast is to be imprisoned. This is very unfair," Ellawala said.

Jayamail Weeraratne, a third-year university student, wondered the crime committed by the ex-Army chief to suffer this fate.

"Whether he is in jail or not he is the country's hero. He is the one who saved us from terrorism. Justice will bring him to the proper place soon," Weeraratne said.

© Global Times

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