Sri Lanka military rule stepped up in North, wartime restrictions re-introduced

Pass system reintroduced ( File photo)

Clamping down on civilian life in the North, the occupying Sri Lankan military has re-introduced pass system for fishermen in the North to access their seas, putting up check posts on the roads, dawn to dusk search operations and military patrols of armed soldiers in the Northern province, especially targeting coastal areas. In the meantime, the occupying Sri Lankan military has ‘arrested’ at least 44 Eelam Tamils between 07 March and 27 March, news sources in Jaffna said. Most of them have been arrested in abduction style.

Immediately and unconditionally release human rights defender Balendran Jayakumari - Front Line Defenders

Jayakumari and her daughter ( photo: Freddy Gamage)

Re: Siege at the home of human rights defender Ms Balendran Jayakumari
On 13 March 2014, human rights defender Ms Balendran Jayakumari and her 13-year-old daughter were detained in their Killinochchi home in northern Sri Lanka from approximately 4pm until 10pm. There are reports that Balendran Jayakumari and her daughter have now been brought to Vavunia for further investigation.  Balendran Jayakumari has been a leading voice in demanding to know the whereabouts of missing persons who have been arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Sri Lanka. The human rights defender and her daughter have featured in various video documentaries on the disappeared.

Missing Vavuniya teacher's skeletal remains found in Mankulam

Athula Vithanage

A group of local people clearing a garden in Mankulam in the tightly-guarded Wanni on Tuesday (March 12) has found skeletal remains, which was later identified to be that of a science teacher of Vavuniya, Karthikesan Niruban, who went missing on September 19, 2013 in the run-up to the maiden Northern provincial council poll.

Sources in the Wanni told the JDS via phone that the badly decomposed skeletal remains with bits of clothing was found by a group of local people while clearing a garden near 225/226 KM post in Mankulam on Wednesday.

SRI LANKA: The life of a human rights defender is under threat

Sunil Samaradeera speaking to press on his abduction

Sunil Samaradeera of No: 34/2, Baseline Mawatha, Borella, a human rights activist based in Wanathamulla, in Colombo District was abducted in broad daylight by persons believed to be connected to the Secretary of Defense. On 13 of February Sunil had met with the Secretary, Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, regarding issues concerning a housing scheme which threatens to put several households out of their land and according to reports there had been a heated exchange of words. Sunil’s abduction happened shortly after that. Sunil’s neighbours and colleagues staged a protest by blocking a road and as a result two days later he was released. However, he is concerned for his personal security and the authorities have made no effort to investigate the abduction and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Sri Lanka: White van abduction in Wanathamulla after threat by Army

Protest against abduction met with force

A white van abduction has taken place this morning in the Wanathamulla area in Colombo. A resident from the Wanathamulla housing scheme, Sunil Aiya, was abducted this morning in a white van, a day after Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and a senior Army officer had paid visit to him demanding that he vacates his residence.

Mystery surrounds abduction of ex-STF Inspector

Mystery surrounds the July 21 broad daylight abduction of a former Inspector attached to the elite Special Task Force (STF), from a barber’s saloon at Pelawatte, Battaramulla.
Police have so far drawn a blank. According to STF Commandant Chandrasiri Ranawana, they have had no contact with the IP, who left the force about five years ago and all investigations into his disappearance were being handled by the police.

Pettah bus time-keeper abducted in white van

 A time-keeper at the Gunasinghapura private bus stand in Pettah was abducted by a group of three men yesterday morning.
Police spokesman SP Buddhika Siriwardana told The Island that the suspects had bundled the victim into a white van and taken him away around 11.50 a.m.

Commission to probe missing

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga to appoint a commission to look into the incidents of disappearances that have taken place during the 30-year conflict.
The decision with regard to the terms of reference and members of the commission will be taken soon, the Presidential media unit quoted Presidential Spokesman Mohan Samaranayake as saying.

Urgent Action: Child feared abducted - Amesty International

Sivasooriyakumar Sanaraj, 15 years old, has been missing since 13 June, after he failed to arrive at school in Vavuniya, northern Sri Lanka. His family fears that he has been abducted, and he may be at risk of torture or extrajudicial execution. Despite complaints lodged with the local police by his family, the police have failed to investigate.

Trinco 5 students murder suspects remanded

The Trincomalee Magistrate has remanded 12 police Special Task Force (STF) personal over their alleged involvement in the murder of 5 students in Trincomalee in 2006, the police media unit said today.
The incident referred to as the Trincomalee massacre, occurred when the five Tamil high school students playing by the beach were briefly detained and then shot dead.

Abductions of Ramasamay Prabhakaran and Poddala Jayantha - Was DIG Vass G. Involved?

 Disgraced DIG Vass is only the tip of the iceberg
The downfall of DIG Vass Gunawardena, once a star crime buster, known for his special relationship with the powers that be in the defence establishment is interesting, not so much for the extent of his alleged involvement in a myriad of killings and extortions, but for the strange reason that his political bosses and quasi-political bosses, especially, in the defence establishment, have let him down.
But those within the defence circles should know that investigating DIG Gunawardana would tantamount to opening a can of worms.

A DIG’s undoing : Large number of other crimes had been committed by the same group

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), while conducting investigations into the abduction and murder of businessman, Mohamed Shiyam, has found two pieces of synthetic coir rope, two pieces of hair and a piece of cotton cloth in the pick-up truck belonging to the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD), which have been used for the abduction and killing.

SRI LANKA: The arrest of Vaas Gunawardena and the descent into rulelessness

A Statement from the Asian Human Rights Commission

The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Vass Gunawardena is now in remand custody while an inquiry into the conspiracy to murder a businessman for pay is ongoing. Even as he is being interrogated he was reported in the television network, Suwarnawa Hini, in its programme on Mulpituwe (Front Page, which is a commentary on leading newspaper stories), as telling the investigating police officers that he is a murderer and that he "will take his revenge when he returns".

Top Sri Lanka police officer held over 'contract killing'

Vaas Gunawardena is already a controversial figure in Sri Lanka

One of Sri Lanka's most senior police officers has been arrested under terrorism laws over the murder of a businessman in Colombo.

Deputy Inspector-General Vaas Gunawardena has been given a 90-day detention order.

He is suspected of involvement in the alleged contract killing of Mohamed Shiyam in Colombo three weeks ago.

Failed attempt to kidnap ‘Janarala’ news editor

The attempt made to kidnap the news editor of ‘Janarala’ newspaper G.D.L Priyadarshana on May 30th night has failed.

Speaking to ‘Sri Lanka Mirror’ regarding the incident he stated, “I was standing on the road at around 10 pm at Ekala waiting for a bus. Then a man on motor bike arrived and offered to take me to Kotugoda. On our way we were engaged in a conversation where he stated that he is a police officer on duty. He showed me a pistol on his person and stated that he needs to see my National Identity Card. I refused. Asked me for my mobile number. I refused again.

TNA activist in Ampaa'rai abducted, tortured after meeting against land grab

An armed squad that came in a white van on Tuesday abducted a 68-year-old activist, Thangathurai Veluppillai, a supporter of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in Ampaa'rai district. The victim was blindfolded while he was at Kalmunai public market and was taken away by the squad that tortured him to obtain the names of the TNA activists in Ampaa'rai district.

Matale Mass Grave: President Rajapaksa now has an opportunity to prove his commitment to his once professed values of human rights

Mahinda Rajapaksha in early 1990s campaigning for justice of the disappeared

Make a decisive move on mass grave - Editorial, Ceylon Today

This newspaper covered in disturbing detail, the discovery of a mass grave in the backyard of the Matale Hospital, and the gory revelations that emerged subsequently, which were made in two specialist reports which said the site was a mass burial pit that dates back to the time of the JVP insurgency in 1989-90, and that the skeletal remains bore marks of extensive torture.

Women in Families of “Disappeared” Take on New Role as Sole Breadwinners

Text and Pix Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapatipillai
Women in the North and East were pushed to bear a double burden, after the men in the families were killed by the war, disappeared, surrendered or were detained during and after the end of the war.

“My son is a fisherman and has been missing since 2008 from Mannar” says Sinthaththurai Perera Sebamalai

It remains a big challenge for many of these women who have no means of support, except to make a living out of anything that is available to them, now that the burden of providing for their families is weighing on their shoulders.

Five relatives filed habeas corpus petition concerning missing persons at the final war. Court Summons to Military Commander

Unending wait for relatives of the disappeared

After the final war occurred between the Liberation tigers and government troops in Sri Lanka, those surrendered to the military and after getting lost, five persons concerning this have filed habeas corpus petition at the Vavuniya high court.

Sri Lanka: Observations of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances

Observations
389. The Working Group regrets that no response was received from the Government to its general allegation on 4 May 2011, concerning serious obstacles encountered in the implementation of the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances in Sri Lanka