UNP accuses Government on appointing foreign experts to war crime probe

U turn?

UNPThe main opposition United National Party (UNP) today accused the Government of making a U-turn on investigations over the war by expanding the mandate of the missing persons commission and also appointing three foreign experts to oversee the investigation. The UNP noted that a proclamation issued by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Gazetted on July 15, among other matters, calls for an investigation into alleged war crimes.

Sri Lanka: JHU objects to apponiment of internationnal experts

The government’s appointment of a committee as an alternative to Navi Pillai’s committee is an infringement by the government of its own policy of opposing outside mediation, says the government affiliate JHU in a statement. The statement by its media spokesman Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe says his party has neither been informed nor consulted as a UPFA partner regarding the appointment of the committee. Warning the country about this committe, the JHU says it strongly objects to its appointment.

Govt. gets going on domestic inquiry

• President appoints three international war crimes prosecutors to advise Commission
• Disappearances Commission mandate broadened to probe civilian deaths during final stages of war
• Commission to probe if armed forces adhered to laws of armed conflict and humanitarian law
• Mandate expanded based on LLRC report section dealing with civilian deaths in No Fire Zone in 2009

By Dharisha Bastians

Sri Lanka: Media Minister Keheliya plays down appointments of international experts to war death inquary

Sir Desmond de Silva

The Government has played down the appointment of three experts to advice the Presidential Commission on missing persons, with Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella saying it will be upto the Government to decide if to accept or reject any advice. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has expanded the mandate of the Presidential Commission on mission persons and appointed three international experts to advice the commission. Accordingly the President named Sir Desmond de Silva, QC (Chairman), Sir Geoffrey Nice, QC and Prof. David Crane as the three experts to advice the commission.

Sri Lanka Police (TID) runs its own 'Disappearances Inquary' despite the Presidential Commission

TID probing disappearances a coincidence
Police spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana said several people from the North and the Tamil media have claimed that the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) had been holding inquiries into missing persons at the same time as the Presidential Commission to Investigate Disappearances was sitting in Mullaitivu last week. This was a co-incidence as the TID did not know the Presidential Commission was sitting there at that time, he said.  Several Tamil newspapers highlighted the alleged inquiry on missing persons being held by the TID when the Presidential Commission was holding inquiries in close proximity to the TID office and people were asked to visit them too.

Sri Lanka: Over 300 new complaints on missing in Mullaitivu District

The Presidential Commission to Investigate Complaints Regarding Missing Persons has received over 300 new complaints during sittings held in the Mullaitivu District, the Chairman of the Commission told the Colombo Gazette.

Former High Court Judge Maxwell Paranagama, Chairman of the Commission, said that 387 new complaints had been received during a four day period.

SL military blocks people from attending protest in Mullaiththeevu

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Tamil National Peoples Front (TNPF) politicians joined a protest held in front of the Mullaiththeevu District Secretariat on Thursday demanding legal hearings into habeas corpus petitions from the families and relatives of persons, who are reported missing after the families had handed them over to the occupying Sri Lankan military during the final days of the genocidal onslaught on Vanni in May 2009.

Sri Lanka Panel Receives over 18,000 Complaints of Missing People

A Sri Lankan panel probing the disappearance of people during the country's nearly three-decade long civil strife has received nearly 18,600 complaints from the public, a senior official has said.

The presidential panel has so far held three sittings in January, February and March this year in Killinochchi, Jaffna in the north and Batticaloa in the east.The fourth round of public sittings is to be held in the Batticaloa district this week.

Sri Lanka: ‘Executed’ director of Vanni project in Indian custody: SL seeks access to him

The couple

The chance arrest of Kathiravel Thayapararajah (33) by Indian authorities could help Sri Lankan security services to identify a network of human smugglers with possible connections to the overseas LTTE rump, official sources said. Authorities would explore the possibility of having access to Thayapararajah, whose arrest during the first week of May this year could be one of the most important breakthroughs made in investigations into bogus disappearances since the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009.

Women's group; Rebel suspects' families detained by Sri Lanka govt

Tamils protest arrests and disappearances ( photo: SLB source)

Associated Press / KRISHAN FRANCIS

A Sri Lankan women's rights group said Wednesday that the government is arresting innocent female relatives of males it suspects are trying to revive the Tamil Tiger rebel group and the women are suffering from ill treatment. Women's Action Network described the cases of six women it says were arrested from the north and east, the former civil war zone, because authorities suspect their male associates or family members have rebel links. The group's statement said the Criminal Investigation Department has detained the women in inhuman conditions as some are elderly or need medical and psychiatric care but are being denied those facilities.

Sri Lanka: Missing Persons Commission's coverage widened by seven years

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has extended the period of coverage of the Commission of Inquiry appointed to investigate cases of alleged disappearances of persons in the Northern and Eastern Provinces to cover the period from 01st January, 1983 to 19th May, 2009. Earlier this was limited to the period of 1990 - 2009.  This decision was taken as the Commission had received many complaints from the public regarding disappearances and missing persons prior to 1990.

The Extra Ordinary Gazette notification issued last night has also extended the warrant for the submission of the final report of the Commission to August 15, 2014.

SRI LANKA: Release Balendran Jeyakumari - stop harassments of human rights defenders!

Jayakumari

A Statement from The Asian Federation against Involuntary Disappearances

Today, as the United Nations commemorates the International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) reiterates its strong condemnation against the arbitrary arrest and detention of Balendran Jeyakumari and her 13-year old daughter and the intensifying intimidation and harassment against Rukj Fernando and Father Praveen after their release from detention.

Sri Lanka: Arrest of HRD Jayakumari may strenthen the call for International Investigation

A son holding his disappered fathers photo at the protes
against Arrest of Jauakumari Vavunia on 15th. (Photo SLB source )

THE TRAGEDY OF VULNERABLE FAMILIES OF DISAPPEARED PERSONS - NPC release

The arrest and detention of Balendran Jayakumari under controversial circumstances raises the question whether those who persevere to openly advocate on behalf of the victims of the war are being targeted for punitive action.  The government’s police spokesperson stated that a shooting incident took place in the north and they have identified a house where the suspect has been hiding and that two women are being investigated.    Human rights defenders in the area report lots of checkpoints, raids, questioning, fear and surveillance.  

Jayakumari is reported to have been detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act for 16 days by a court order and  sent to the Boosa detention centre which is at the other southern corner of the country. 

Sri Lanka arrest for missing son's campaigning mother

Jayakumari and her daughter ( C 4 )

 Callum Macrae

Last November, when Jon Snow accompanied Prime Minister David Cameron to the former war zones in the north of Sri Lanka, he was mobbed by crowds of desperate mothers pleading for his help - for any help - in the desperate search for their missing loved ones, writes Callum Macrae.
Among them was a woman called Balenderan Jayakumari. Then, just four weeks ago, Mrs Jayakumari warned that she was being followed and harassed as a result of her campaign to find out what happened to her last remaining son - one of Sri Lanka's thousands of disappeared. Yesterday she was arrested along with her 13-year-old daughter and charged under Sri Lanka's terrorism laws.

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: Arrest of female HRD Jayakumari and her 13 year old daughter

Jayakumari and her daughter (photo:uktamilnews)

Yesterday (13^th March 2014) one of the leading Killinochchi activist and her daughter who have been in the frontline protesting and demanding for the whereabouts of missing have been arrested by the CID.Balendran Jayakumari (resident of Tharmapurum) and her daughter Vithushaini (13 years) have been detained in their home ( No. 5 Musalumpitty, Pullium Pokkanai, Tharmapurum , Killinochchi- Indian housing scheme) from around 4 pm till around 10 pm. Jayakumari called a politician around 4 pm and complaint that her house has been surrounded by the army.Around 4.30 one of Jayakumari’s friend K (who is also an activist and looking for her missing child called), Jayakumari answered the phone said she is at home but there are problems then her phone was answered by a man who asked her friend (K) who she is, why she is calling her.

HRC25:Ananthi Sasitharan calls for political solution to address causes of conflict and HR violations in Sri Lanka

Ananthi Sasitharan reading her statment

Making a statement from the floor  at the side event  on 11 March 2013  at the UNHRC Ms. Ananthi Sasitharan a TNA member of the Northen provincial council callled for a Internationa Investigation and comprehensive political solution. The side event was chaired by David Whaley and the side event was organised by the International Movement Against all forms of Discrimination and Racism. Her statement follows:

 “My name is Ananthi Sasitharan, I am an elected Member of Northern Provincial Council in Sri Lanka. I am here today in front of you as a voice of the oppressed Tamil people in Sri Lanka, and I speak on behalf of thousands of Tamil people that surrendered as individuals and as families to the Sri Lankan government.

The ‘Census on human and property damages due to conflict - 2013’ will not reveal the true extent of death, disappearance and damage caused by the war - CPA

Commentary on the Census on human and property damages due to conflict 2013 by CPA

Executive Summary

The results of the ‘Census on human and property damages due to conflict - 2013’ are due to be published in March 20141, in time for the 25th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva from 3 - 28 March 2014. However, despite the Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics claiming that this census will “help arrive at an exact decision on the persons missing and died during the period of conflict in the country”, it is evident from the methodology juxtaposed against the fear and intimidation people feel in the Northern Province alone, that the ‘Census on human and property damages due to conflict - 2013’ will not reveal the true extent of death, disappearance and damage caused by the war.

New law to help families of missing people :Certificate of Absence, instead of Death, to restore their rights

Painting by C. Thenuwara,
photo Vikalpa

Namini Wijedasa

The Government is drafting legislation to grant a ‘certificate of absence’ to relatives of the missing who do not want to accept certificates of death for their loved ones, a senior official said yesterday.  The certificate of absence—which has never before been issued in Sri Lanka but is used in several other countries with large numbers of missing people—will entitle the holder to the same rights enjoyed by the holder of a certificate of death. The committee overseeing implementation of the LLRC recommendations has given a proposal to the Ministry of Public Administration which will seek Cabinet approval, committee member and Technology Ministry Secretary, Dhara Wijayatilake said. It will go through the draft stage and will be presented as a bill to Parliament.