Came across this campaign today – don’t know who it is by, but there’s a white van in it ! 🙂

http://www.peaceinsl.org/

The government has a responsibility to look into these abductions

Q: You say you have reports of 100 disappearances in Colombo alone.

A: I received 64 complaints yesterday alone. They are from Colombo and some from Batticaloa as well. These are credible documented cases of disappearance. There is another 20 for which I had information before this.

So I am collecting all the information with this regard and the number is roughly about 100. We already have about 12 deaths in Colombo. All this is within the last 12 months. There have been 16 cases where people have been taken in and released after a ransom has been paid.

Q: And you are pointing the finger directly at the government. What evidence do you have?

A: Yes. Most of these incidents have occurred in the Colombo city. They happen between 11 am and 3 pm in broad day light. People are picked up from public places in the city by armed men who travel in white coloured vans.

These persons walk in to these places call the people by their name, check the identity cards and confirm they are taking the right person and take them in casually. Colombo city is secured by many check points, which is good because you need that to secure the city from terrorism.

But I’ve never come across any incident where any of these vehicles have been stopped at the check points and the abductors arrested and investigations done. None have been checked. Either the security personnel are not doing their job well or there is a tacit operation where there is understanding and approval for the abductees.

So with all the evidence I ask how the government and the security forces that are very vigilant on the security situation in the city have this number of situations?

Q: Then you are basing the allegations on the negligence of the persons manning the check points rather than a direct involvement?

A: By sufficient evidence do you expect me to find the exact names of the abductees and their ID cards? We can’t get those, that’s something that the police can do. We have numbers of vehicles and descriptions of the people.

This is not of one incident but of at least 75 incidents in Colombo alone that I have recorded. One vehicle or two can pass the check points without detection but how can many pass? Therefore there is something.

I am not accusing the government authority, the security forces or the police. I am not going to that extent. I am saying that there is an influential section within the government and the security establishment which is part of these incidents.

Q: Why?

A: For various reasons. One is for political reasons second for money. Whenever the police or security forces suspect anyone of being a supporter, part or sympathizer of the LTTE, they just pick up these people. And then businessmen are also picked up from Sea Street etc for money. They are released after ransom has been paid.

Q: By whom exactly? Do you have any suspicions?

A: Yes of course. In one incident one businessman was abducted when he was traveling with his son and another employee at Flower Rd by armed men who were traveling in another white vehicle that had overtaken their vehicle.

They were taken to Polonnaruwa. The high way connecting Colombo to the North Central province is highly secured. There are a lot of check points. Now, when they pass these points they are naturally stopped, but allowed to go after the abductees produce an ID card.

They are taken to a camp manned by Tamil speaking people. Those who abduct them in Colombo and take them there are Sinhala speaking people. In the camp they negotiate the money with the families of the abducted people.

So when the amount is finalized and the families hand over the monies at a particular place in Polonnaruwa they are released. This happened somewhere in Kadiraveli. But I am not saying point blankly that the government, the army or the police are abducting these people, or that the people in the camp are Karuna, or EPDP or the LTTE.

I don’t know. I’m saying that this is happening in government controlled areas in this country. The government has a responsibility to look in to this. This is only one incident.

There are many others of this nature happening.We have an elected government. But when the elections are over, even if I am in the opposition this is my government. And a legitimate government can’t go as low as a terror group.

Q: So are you saying that this government has gone down to that level?

A: Yes, it has gone down to that level. Because this is not the first time we have seen such a low level of governance. We saw it in 1989 , 1990 era where the Deshapremi subversive group was active in the South. At that time Sinhala youth were spending time in the jungles because government terror agents were operating.

Q: So are you saying the same thing is happening now?

A: It’s happening now. And now it’s happening in broad day light and in the capital city.

Q: Do you have any suspicions about the bodies found in Muthurajawela?

A: I don’t know. The bodies have not been identified yet. But many people who have lost someone in their families came here when they heard about the bodies. These people are scared. There is the possibility that some of those abducted would be among the dead.

Q: The government has promised an impartial inquiry. Do you believe such an inquiry will happen?

A: Well, the government has been giving promises for a very long time. The Government promised at the UN sessions in New York that a complete Commission of Inquiry will be appointed and a local Commission with international observers with solid investigative powers.

It was to comprise of MPs and representatives from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, European Union and Co-Chairs.

But that never happened. Now we have the Mahanama Tilakaratne commission. But none of these have brought any results to the man on the street. The disappearances still continue.

I represent the agony of those abducted. So on the point of view of the people these promises will be another promise. That’s all. We have no reason to trust them.

Q: But the government says that some of these are LTTE informants or those with links with the LTTE that are arrested.

A: This is what the government says.

Q: So you don’t agree that they have links with the LTTE?

A: I don’t say that. I don’t know. Maybe, or maybe not. That is for the police or the CID to investigate.

Q: And you maintain that there are no investigations at all?

A: Not at all. My point is that when the police or the security forces suspect a person to be a sympathizer of the LTTE, it has to be proved in a Court of Law after a thorough investigation. But before that you can’t say someone is a member of a terrorist organization or a sympathizer or has gone against the law. Until that he is innocent.

This is why I say that it should be the behavior of a civilized, elected government. A terrorist group can do otherwise, pick up someone and kill him. But a government can’t go to that level. There is a fundamental difference between an abduction and an arrest.

In an abduction, people go in civil clothing and take them to unknown places, but in an arrest authorized people go to a place, inform them the people of the purpose of arrest and where they will be taken and family members are given the opportunity to visit them. But this government doesn’t seem to understand the difference for some peculiar reason.

Q: You have the support of Ministers like Dr. Rajitha Senaratne and Dilan Perera. Are they not able to exert any pressure within?

A: They stood with us on certain platforms like the Anti War Front, but not exactly on the human rights issue. I expect the Ministers who are concerned on these issues and with an anti war mentality will carry out an internal struggle.

Q: Do you have the support of Members within the government for this?

A: Of course. I didn’t accuse the government in totality. Mangala Samaraweera who was until recently the Foreign Minister said that there was an abduction every five hours.

This is not something that I am saying alone, but from those within the government as well. The internal conflict within the government has shed light to some wrong doing within.

Q: What are the safeguards you are looking for the Tamil people in Colombo in this scenario?

A: We have the SLMM with a mandate to monitor the Ceasefire agreement. It doesn’t cover the human rights violations.

We need to have a monitoring mission with international participation so that we can monitor the incidents. They can then liaise with the police.

Q: The ACTA has also yesterday demanded UN intervention. Is what you are also asking along the same lines and has the situation gone so bad that there has to be foreign intervention?

A: I don’t know if the TNA is in agreement with that ACTC proposal. It hasn’t been discussed with other fellow MPs or political party leaders. We have come to a level where we need more international participation. I won’t call that UN intervention or anything. I don’t subscribe to the theory that we can solve all problems ourselves. International assistance has to come in a more meaningful way.

I am prepared to any discussion on war, peace or power sharing but there can’t be any discussion on human rights. These are fundamental civic rights and its violation can’t be tolerated.

Q: As someone who’s concerned for Tamil rights, what is your position with regard to the way Tamil civilians were held under the LTTE in Vakarai or Sampur?

A: What do you want to know about it?

Q:Well, you are concerned with the plight of the Tamil people and according to the government they had to go and liberate the Tamil people from the LTTE in those areas. How would you weigh that plight as opposed to that of that of Colombo?

A: We can’t take it as an issue for the East or North but as the overall ethnic issue in the country. We can only find a solution by sharing power through a political solution.

But there is no proposal by the government. They are on a war path. They have distanced themselves from the Expert Committee proposal itself.

Q: That wasn’t my question. I asked how you’d weigh the plight of the Tamil people under the LTTE as opposed to that in Colombo?

A: I don’t know. We don’t have any information about what happens under LTTE territory. All we get is government information.

Q: Karuna who has defected from LTTE speaks about the plight under the LTTE.

A: Who is Karuna? He lacks legitimacy. He was with the LTTE but 22 MPs say in one voice that they represent LTTE. So we have to go with them.

Even elected MPs from the East don’t represent Karuna. Once that happens we can talk about it.

This follows a similar discovery of five bodies near the capital Colombo Saturday and a sixth body found at the same site Monday.”

Read this in a news report today. I’m sure one of these bodies was called Peace.

According to our experience in the field we can find lot of reasons behind this. NGO’s and INGO’s have been involved in humanitarian work in Sri Lanka for over 50 years. In 1950’s there was strong support for Communist Camp in the south. Specially after the “Seguwera Insurgency” when the government quelled a communist revolution, foreign NGOs arrived in Sri Lanka to try and prevent communist ideas from arising again.

Regarding this past experience the JVP is against all foreign aid agencies and does not want their presence in the country. They have a strong policy of trying to avoid their assistance. Economically most of the people on the south coast are under the poverty line. Therefore somewhere they fail to build up themselves among the people, who were in need at disaster time.

On the other hand the LTTE used NGO’s, INGO’s as they wish. Few numbers of carders recruited as officers, drivers and volunteer’s etc. They worked as informers some time armed carders. Sometimes the LTTE created new NGO for their purpose like TRO.

These things are well known by Karuna and people who were affected in the past. For example a driver from ICRC, who was actually an LTTE cadre, charged at people in Mutur and showed his support for the LTTE during the Mutur ethnic cleaning which was instigated by LTTE in 2006.

Following day he came to refugees camp in Kantale where affected people identified him and tried to quarrel with him.
2 Oxfam workers in custody of government security forces after the claymore attack at eastern university. 2 others GTZ field officers were questioned last week at Valaichenai police due to unauthorized money handling said Human rights commission.

Few months ago JHU blame on ZOA regarding misclassifying of fishing board recovered by STF at Kanchikudichcharu LTTE base. Recently few evidences provided by the government forces misusing of assistance by the LTTE. At the same time few months ago investigation launched against on TRO head office regarding money misusing. these misusing created bad names on NGO’s.

Some aid agencies hesitate facilitate in the north-east part. Religion wise VHP ( vishva hindu pariksath: it’s Hindu fundamental group in India) try to stop convention of Hindu people in to Christianity. There for they create anti NGO campaign in eastern part after the Tsunami.

These things are main root case for the NGO people abduction by anti-LTTE groups such as paramilitaries, Karuna faction and military intelligence which I believe uses methods outside of the law to fight LTTE terrorism, like you mentioned in the article.

Not sure what you are referring to, but it’s most like the Peace Confidence Index (PCI), the latest report of which is available here – http://www.cpalanka.org/research_papers/PCI_November_2006.pdf

Key findings include:

• A majority of those polled state that peace can be achieved through peace talks. However, the support for a military solution is rising amongst the Sinhala community. At the polls conducted, a quarter of the Sinhala community extend their support for a military solution.
• Opinions very significantly between the communities polled on the commitment of the Government and the LTTE to find peace through talks. Many Sinhalese agree that the Government is fully capable of finding peace through talks, whereas a majority of the Up-Country Tamil community agree that the LTTE is committed to find peace through talks.
• Many of those polled feel Sri Lanka is no closer to a permanent solution to the ethnic conflict today when compared to last year. Accordingly, the majority of those polled believe that it is likely a war will resume.
• The majority of Sinhalese amongst those polled agree that the Government should expand its military action including even to all out war in order to weaken the LTTE. Many Sinhalese also believe that the CFA has not benefited ordinary citizens and that it does not stand anymore.
• Norway remains unpopular as a facilitator amongst the Sinhalese, the majority of whom are dissatisfied with its role and disapprove of it continuing to facilitate the peace process.
• Many of those polled believe that India’s involvement in the Sri Lankan peace process will have a positive impact
• There is strong support amongst all communities for a separate Muslim representation at the peace talks.
• A majority of the Sri Lankan community believe that it is the government that is responsible for protecting human rights. While 55% of the Sinhala community believe that the government has done enough to protect human rights, there is a sharp difference of opinion amongst the Sinhalese and Up-Country Tamils on this issue.

You are right, cost-of-living has been the number one issue for sinhala-speaking voters for a while from what I saw on the CPA social indicator polls but I gather there is more support now for the war, not just for the apparent successes in east but also the many attacks such as bus bombings in Kabathigollewa, Colombo, Meetiyagoda that killed civilians, the killing of an army general etc.

Taking a look at the latest polls might shed more light on this, so if Groundviews can post that info, it will be much appreciated.

Abductions and disappearances are making it to the news and I noticed good coverage on the Maharajah channels in the last couple of days, and some coverage on Daily Mirror recently.

I hopes this continues with more description of who might be behind these disappearances. Today IGP Victor Perera has talked about abductions to reporters, but some contradictory reports are coming out from AFP and AP. The AFP report says the IGP admits many soldiers, policemen and deserters have been involved in abductions over the last several months, while the AP report does not carry that bit.

What I meant was whether Sirasa’s news was well received & watched. I agree that some of their programmes have a huge following, but that’s beside the point. Entertainment is one thing, news is another.

And has anybody else noticed the bodies turning up – one in the Kelani river I heard today.

“Moreover, had the Tamil population in the North and East been allowed to vote by the LTTE, Ranil Wickramasinghe would today be president.”

I wonder what to make of the current rumours about the secret pact between Mahinda and the LTTE that has everyone chattering with conspiracy theories…. I think that it is simplistic to say that the LTTE would have allowed Ranil to become Prez – I mean, this IS an organisation that has no bloody regard for democracy right? So Mahinda, with his interests flatly on war and not in any peace process or peace talks, they may have calculated then, would be a better bet who they could use to gather sympathy with the international community for a resumption of war unilaterally. Of course, things didn’t happen according to their plan.

And yes, people in the South do seem to support the military option – fact of the matter is that they keep reading about how we are winning against the LTTE, and less about human rights abuses, abductions and disappearances.

Ravana’s right about the cost of living as a major election issue. It was in 2005. Could it become one again in the near future?