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Sri Lanka "runs out of time" for investigation
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by sivakaran | June 16, 2009 at 02:50 pm
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Sri Lankan government ended the investigation into human right abuses during the war with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). This decision came despite call from various human rights groups request to allow probe into war crimes.
A Sri Lankan government investigation into human rights abuses during its war with Tamil Tiger rebels has been disbanded with more than half of its cases unresolved, an official said Tuesday.
The decision came as the government brushed off demands for an international investigation into the final ferocious battles of the war, which ended last month after the military routed the rebels in an offensive the United Nations says killed more than 7,000 civilians.
This commission was formed two years back under the international pressure. The chair of the commission stated that the commission had ran out of time and one more year would have helped. Even the usual government spokesperson on these matter had no idea as to why the inquiry ended.
A presidential commission of inquiry was established two years ago under intense international pressure to investigate earlier claims of abuses in the war. It was assigned 16 cases of alleged abuses by both sides, including the 2006 execution-style slaying of 17 aid workers for the French organization Action Against Hunger.
Nissanka Udalagama, a former Supreme Court justice who chaired the commission, said it had only completed work on seven of the assigned cases by the time its mandate expired Sunday. Extensions had been routinely granted in the past, but not this time. Instead, the commission was dissolved, he said.
"We ran out of time," he said. "If we had gotten another year, probably we could have done it."
It was not clear why the inquiry was ended.
"I have no idea what the reasoning is," said Rajiva Wijesinha, the secretary in the country's Human Rights Ministry who usually serves as a government spokesman in such matters.
Call for investigation by the international commission was rejected by the government stating it would violate its sovereignty. The commission was unable to identify the perpetrators, but the commission think that security forces might were responsible in some cases.
The London-based rights group called for the establishment of an international commission to investigate allegations of recent human rights violations. The government has repeatedly rejected such calls as a violation of its sovereignty.
Udalagama said even in the cases the commission completed, it was often unable to identify the perpetrators.
In the killing of the 17 aid workers, "we are unable to pinpoint and tell exactly who it is, but there are certain possibilities," he said.
In the slaying of five young people in the eastern city of Trincomalee, he said, "What we think is that someone in uniform did it," implicating the security forces.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (9)
at 17:11 on June 16th, 2009
This really is too bad.
at 20:02 on June 16th, 2009
This is a serious blow to human rights and hope for a lasting peace.
at 20:07 on June 16th, 2009
ya, hoping is all we're able to do.
at 16:33 on June 17th, 2009
thanks for allowing me to give an opinion on your story Sivakan
There is a time coming that Colombo will be realizing it's human rights violations and ethnic cleansing, I know that in 2006 there were huge anti-war demonstrations throughout Sri lanka,showing that many people, politicians, priests buddhists didn't want that "war" at all!
Rajapaksa had his plan already worked out at that time by snatching all important politicians from opposition parties making them part of a total of 109 ministers in his government and rejecting all possible peaceful solutions and ideas to start his genocide and ethnic cleansing of tamils in east and north of the island.
In this he was heavily supported by a Tamil Tiger who was guilty of murdering 700 sinhalese policemen, named Karuna! This terrorist was commander of the LTTE before he was kicked out by it's leader Prabakaran in 2004. Karuna's TMVP are responsible for abductions, killings and child recruitment still, even after he became a minister in rajapaksa's Government!
at 17:29 on June 17th, 2009
I am glad to have your opinion posted. (even if I don't, I have no way of rejecting it :p)
Thank you for commenting.
at 18:06 on June 17th, 2009
The same Rajapaksa government cried over the crimes of LTTE has an excellent chance to bring them to justice in the ICC.
The sad reality in Sri Lanka is every attack by the LTTE preceded by million times worse dreadful crimes and human rights violations by Sri Lankan Army and the Sinhalese thugs, supported by the successive Sri Lankan governments.
The Sri Lankan government can not handle a war crime probe. The defense secretary of Sri Lanka told the Sri Lankan Army "Tamil men are for the sea and the Tamil women are for you." - a defense secretary openly encouraging slaughter and rape of an ethnic group for his troops (and that who the majority Sinhalese found to be the "greatest warrior" of their Sinhalese history to defend "their Sinhalese only Island".)
I know, I know, I will get a lecture on not to spread "hatred" towards Sri Lankan government & their officials from NP moderators, but think for a second before you write that comment; If what I am writing is true (and the Sri Lankan government behavior and ban does attest that), then what about the Tamils that have endured all this hatred and still doing so in the internment camps? Who is going write for them? How would you write for the oppressed without saying they are oppressed and by so and so. Would that constitute spreading hatred against the "so and so"? I do feel like freedom of expression is quite hampered in NowPublic.com these days, at least in the Sri Lankan news & comments section.
at 18:12 on June 17th, 2009
Tamiya,
I believe nowpublic.com moderators are trying their best to allow freedom of expression. We have to understand its hard when only a limited information is coming out and on topic they are not expert at.
I agree with you that you should be able to say that wrong is wrong. There is no neutrality in the face of atrocities.
at 19:02 on June 17th, 2009
What can I say?!!
When the mass murders of 30,000 Tamils were happening in Sri Lanka, I was right here at this forum writing the events as they were happening via the sources that were available to me.
I am doing the same now regarding the plight of 300,000 Tamils, and the Tamils enduring oppression in the Sri Lankan Army controlled North & East and in all parts of Sri Lanka.
at 19:57 on June 17th, 2009
You are absolutely right.
However, I see lot of NP editors and contributors are trying to understand the situation and are sympathetic.
I also understand the position of NP editors, as Amy Judd said:
"I don't profess to be an expert on what is happening in Sri Lanka in any way, I often don't comment on Sri Lanka stories because I don't know enough about the subject matter, but unless someone makes a comment that is against our code of conduct, then I don't understand why that comment can't be added to the discussion and be an opportunity to talk more about Sri Lanka and to eductae those of us that don't know much about it."