Whither Sri Lanka: Calculated witch-hunt against Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces
Some
events cannot be taken as coincidental especially when it comes from
party’s and individuals that previously sneered at the military. Coming
into power are people who laughed at the military advances (going to
Pamankade and not Alimankade), diminished victories (Thoppigala is just a
jungle) and ridiculed the army commander as being not even good enough
for the Salvation Army. Be that as it may, Sri Lanka’s Army holds the
record for being the only military to defeat an internationally
proscribed terrorist movement and the manner that the pride and prestige
of the military is being diluted while the sovereignty of the country
appears to be also at stake can be seen in rounding up events following
January 2015 ‘revolution’.
February 2015
§ Mankulam police division removed
§ 148kg of explosives found in Chavakachcheri area
§ SSP
B.R.S.R. Nagahamulla (formerly Direct of Building Division) appointed
CID head – former CID Director SSP D L R Ranaweera appointed Director of
Research and Planning
March 2015
§ FCID questions ex-chief defence chief staff (Roshan Goonetilleke)
April 2015
§ Ex-senior Sea Tiger cadre Jeyaganesh Murugesu Pakeerathy (41), has French connection
§ President
Maithripala Sirisena and the government are seeking British support for
the post-war national reconciliation process to woo influential Tamil
groups based in the UK.
§ 23 senior police officers transferred
May 2015
§ False
flag - arrest of a member of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s
security contingent near the stage where President Maithripala Sirisena
was to address a gathering at Angunakolapelessa
§ Govt announces war crimes probe in conformity with both international as well as domestic standards.http://www.island.
June 2015
§ “People want army out” – Wigneswaran http://www.dailymirror.lk/
§ Mangala goes for talks with UNSC Resolution 1373 proscribed Global Tamil Forum
§ former
President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s alleges that the government had removed
59 camps in the North and was in the process of releasing LTTE cadres in
custody.
§ US
State Dept Country Report on Terrorism 2015 – detailing LTTE’s use of
its extensive international contacts and the large Tamil diaspora in
North America, Europe, and Asia to procure weapons, communications,
funding, and other needed supplies.
§ Staff Sergent R.M Sunil Rathnayake,a member of Army is sentenced to death
July 2015
§ Indian police arrest former
militant of the proscribed LTTE and seized 75 cyanide capsules, 300 gm
of cyanide, four Global Positioning System sets and seven mobile phones -
K Krishnakumar (39), who had served in the LTTE in the 1990s and came
to Tamil Nadu in 2009 (Is he one of the 40,000 ‘dead’)
§ 3 Army personnel travelling in a white van arrested – police later claimed they had no political connections
§ Army says its role limited in North - ‘only to demining, construction works and infrastructure development in connection with the resettlement of people.’
§ August 2015
§ C4
revelation that UN plans to make government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil
National Alliance (TNA) run Northern Provincial Council (NPC) named as
‘implementing partners.’ for domestic mechanism
§ Colonel of the Commando Regiment Major General Prasanna Silva has been removed
§ 6 LTTErs arrested in India
§ The
Defence Ministry issued a detention order today to detain and
interrogate the four army personnel arrested in connection with the
disappearance of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda. They were arrested and
remain in custody under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). (PTA is
used to arrest terrorists – why have intelligence officers been arrested
using PTA? – there is no evidence or even body and nothing to prove
Ekneligoda was even a journalist)
§ military checkpoint at the Omanthai in Vavuniya
§ Immediately
after being made Opposition Leader, LTTE created TNA leader Sambanthan
proposes ‘three to five regions’ with maximum power devolved to them
taking a good example from India (Sambanthan may have got the sizes of
the two countries mixed up?)
September 2015
§ The
government has proposed the setting up of a commission for truth,
justice, reconciliation and non-recurrence of conflict a la the South
African model as one of the two mechanisms to be established as a
solution to the national problem. (South Africa had an apartheid problem
– whites taking over black lands, Sri Lanka had a terrorist problem,
the LTTE terrorists were enemies of all the communities – how can we
model our problem on the South African model when even that model has
been a proven failure). The other mechanism is establishing an "Office
on Missing Persons based on the principle of the families’ right to
know, to be set up by Statute with expertise from the ICRC (lets see if
even after 7 years the 40,000 dead names can be registered.. so far not
even 100 names)
§ Tamil diaspora group calls for ‘internationalised Special Court for criminal prosecution’
§ Sri
Lanka goes and co-sponsors the UNHRC Resolution which names the battle
commanders and task force leaders in what is clearly a biased report
with just brushing mention of LTTE crimes. The
document that contains 20 Operative paragraphs and 23 preambular
paragraphs which recommends international judges, defence lawyers, and
authorized prosecutors and investigators’. The report says LTTE never
used hospitals for military purposes, The recommendations bizarre
proposals against a national army (absolutely nothing against LTTE or
the LTTE fronts the GOSL banned as LTTE fronts) while the Foreign
Minister of SL says that the “New US resolution a path breaking success”
October 2015
§ CID
to inspect Giritale Army Intelligence Corps Camp re the ‘journalist’
Ekneligoda case (he is neither a journalist and there is no dead body
either)
§ PM says government planning to create a new judicial structure to inquire into human rights violations.
§ Hitherto
unknown ‘war crimes witnesses’ likely to testify before proposed court –
Weliamuna (what kind of joke is this? Weliamuna says “some of those who
complained regarding accountability issues here to UNSG Ban Ki-moon’s
Panel of Experts (PoE) on the condition of anonymity are likely to give
evidence before the proposed domestic mechanism with foreign
participation.)
§ Four
former security forces’ commanders and a retired Major General who were
appointed to Sri Lankan missions overseas were questioned by The
Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) over their involvement in
politics - General (retd) Shantha Kottegoda, Air Chief Marshal (retd)
Jayalath Weerakkody Admiral (retd) Wasantha Karannagoda Admiral (retd)
Thisara Samarasingha Major General (retd) Jagath Kumara Wijesiri (please
note they are not the first former defence chiefs to get diplomatic
appointments – in fact just weeks later yahapalan appoints Major General
Ubaya Medawela as the Military Adviser at the Office of the Permanent
Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations in New York)
§ Paranagama
Commission rejects Darusman findings – Commission says LTTE which
killed majority of Tamil civilians during the last 12 hours of the final
stage of the war. The report "rejects the suggestion that civilians
were either targeted directly or indiscriminately by the SLA as a part
of an alleged genocide plan." "The Commission finds that the Darusman
Report, as well as other reports, have taken a particularly narrow and
restricted view of the obligation upon the GOSL to prosecute
international crimes." The report says, "The LTTE was principally
responsible for the loss of civilian life during the final phase of the
armed conflict through their actions which included taking 300,000 to
330,000 civilian hostage, implementing a strategy of killing Tamil
civilians to suit their military aims, using civilians as a strategic
human buffer leading to considerable loss of civilian life, using
hostages to dig trenches and build fortifications thereby exposing them
to harm, sacrificing countless civilian hostages to keep the LTTE
leadership in power, arming hostages and forcing them into the front
line leading to the deaths of large numbers, forcing a great number of
children to man the frontlines; deliberately preventing civilians, under
their effective control, from fleeting to areas away from the fighting
and executing civilian hostages for attempting to escape their
captivity; shelling civilian hostages in order that the LTTE might
assign those deaths to the SLA for media purposes to provoke
international humanitarian intervention; placing their heavy weaponry
amid civilians making it inevitable that there would be civilian
casualties; killing civilians through the use of suicide bombers;
placing mines and other explosive devices that resulted in civilian
deaths; causing the deaths of civilians who drowned in an attempt to
flee their LTTE captors; and adopting a practice whereby a significant
number of its cadres fought in civilian clothes, thus blurring the
distinction between combatants and civilians inevitably leading to
civilian deaths." "Commission is of the view that the principal reason
for the loss of civilian life during the final phase of the war was the
hostage taking and use of human shields by the LTTE." http://www.island.lk/index.
§ TNA
MP Mavai Senathirajah said today that his party would be compelled to
form a separate Tamil State with the help of the international community
if any party resolved to form a Sinhala dominated state
November 2015
§ A
pro-Sri Lankan Tamil activist who hurled a slipper at former National
Security Advisor M. K. Narayanan in Chennai. Incidentally his name too
is Prabakaran
§ navy commander Jayantha Perera questioned by the PRECIFAC on the floating armoury belonging to Rakna Arakshaka Lanka Ltd.
§ 31 ex-LTTE detainees were released by Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya (11 Nov)
§ hartal
campaign organized by the TNA in several towns in the Northern
Province, launched by shop owners and other service providers demanding
that all Tamil political prisoners be released (can someone please tell
TNA that LTTE are not political prisoners)
§ The
Dead and Missing Persons Parents Front (DMPPF) handed over a report to
the visiting members of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or
Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID)
§ Plans
to abolish the Prevention of Terrorism Act with one modelled on the
Patriot Act of the United States (must we copy everything the West
does?). EU is also demanding GOSL to repeal PTA (do we demand EU to
remove their laws?)
§ Extraordinary
gazette notification issued lifting ban on several outfits and
individuals who had been banned under UNSC Resolution 1373 as LTTE
fronts. The de-listed organizations are: Global Tamil Forum (GTF);
British Tamil Forum (BTF); National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT);
Tamil Youth Organization (TYO); World Tamil Coordinating Committee
(WTCC); Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC); Australian Tamil Congress (ATC);
Tamil National Council (TNC). http://www.island.lk/index.
§ Former
Navy Commanders Admirals Jayanath Colombage and Jayantha Perera have
been summoned by PRECIFIC for the purpose of recording their statements
over allegations of fraud and corruption at the Rakna Arakshaka Lanka
Ltd.
§ Posters put up in Jaffna university premises requesting everyone to celebrate LTTE s Mahaviru day that falls on November 27
§ The
Madras High Court on Thursday had permitted the Dravidar Viduthalai
Kazhagam (DVK) to hold a meeting to commemorate ‘Heroes Day’ in
remembrance of slain LTTE cadres
December 2015
§ Former
President Chandrika says the Special Court will examine actions of main
line of command and not soldiers who were only carrying out orders.
§ Government considering a general amnesty for LTTE cadres in custody
§ Former Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse warns against releasing remaining hardcore LTTE cadres http://www.island.lk/index.
§ Government forcing new constitution ignoring mandatory steps spelt out in Chapter 12 of the Constitution(article 83) which requires 11 provisions plus a two-thirds majority and a referendum.
§ Family
members of Army intelligence officers who were arrested and detained
under the PTA in connection with the disappearance of “journalist”
Prageeth Ekneligoda today requested the government to release their
loved ones similar to the way in which ex-LTTE detainees were released.
http://www.dailymirror.lk/
January 2016
§ TNA and the SLMC are seeking consensus on proposed new Constitution and electoral reforms
§ GLPieris gives why the new constitution is flawed - http://www.island.lk/index.
§ Recently deproscribed LTTE front Global Tamil Forum urge UN to ensure foreign judges’ participation in war crimes investigation
§ Who
exactly is heading the country? The President says investigation should
be internal and indigenous while the Prime Minister says war crimes
probe will have foreign component. Then a few days later he denies
saying so.
§ Prime Minister gets tough with media accusing them of promoting racism "You
don’t talk big because your hands are not clean. What are all doing
with regard to racism? I mean all newspapers. I am asking the electronic
and print media. What do you have to say about the incident at the
Homagama Court? Write an editorial, if possible, on the Homagama
incident."
February 2016
§ Joint
Opposition objects to UNHRC head going beyond mandate – insulting the
armed forces, the country’s judiciary and the administrative system http://www.island.lk/index.
§ Former President Mahinda Rajapakse says GOSL-UNHRC deal is like 1815 Kandyan Convention http://www.island.lk/index.
§ PM again says country willing to go for an international probe - http://www.dailymirror.lk/
March 2016
§ Fonseka says “Rajapaksas had no say in making battlefield decisions” http://www.island.lk/index.
§ Sampoor navy base vacated
§ 32-year-old
Edward Julian alias Ramesh arrested under PTA as he was fleeing the
Jaffna peninsula after Chavakachcheri police found a suicide jacket,
four claymore mines, three parcels containing about 12 kilos of TNT, two
battery packs as well as 100 rounds of 9mm ammunition in his house in
the Meesalai area. (why are Sri Lanka’s intelligence officers arrested under the same PTA?
April 2016
§ Military security to both former President Mahinda Rajapakse and former Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse removed.
§ Weapons stolen from Laggala police
§ Hand grenades found in Kuliyapitiya
§ TNA passes resolution calling for a Federal unit in re-merged NE (government as usual silent) http://www.island.lk/index.
§ TNA storm into Army camp - a
group of more than 50 persons led by Opposition and TNA Leader R
Sampanthan forcibly entering an army camp at Paravipachchan in
Kilinochchi http://www.island.lk/index.
§ Rehabilitated former LTTE member known ‘Ram’ was arrested by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) - See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/
§ LTTE revival bid confirmed: TNA youth leader arrested http://www.island.lk/index.
May 2016
§ C
V Wigneswaran requests Swedish foreign minister for direct aid to the
North which the foreign minister declined saying they could not directly
assist
§ those
wanted in connection with the chance detection of an explosive haul
including a suicide vest at Chavakachcheri during the last week of March
have fled to India. http://www.island.lk/index.
§ another
ex -LTTE leader at Koppai in Jaffna Sivamoorthi Kanapathipillai alias
Nagulan who had been a commander of the Charles Anthony Brigade, an
elite brigade of the LTTE during its heyday - See more at: http://www.dailymirror.lk/
§ Police Media Unit suspended
§ disciplinary
inquiry against the former police spokesperson ASP Ruwan Gunasekera (a
single to all others not to divulge any information to the public)
§ PM: LTTE threat no longer exists (bombs, suicide vests are emerging and former terrorists are getting re-arrested though)
§ Jaffna
police yesterday arrested five members of the criminal outfit known as
Avaa Group, involved in serious crimes in the Jaffna District http://www.island.lk/index.
§ Int’l assistance required to probe war crimes says Justice Nihal Jayawickrema landing him in public indignation http://www.island.lk/index.
§ exchange
of words between Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala
Samaraweera and the war hero Sri Lankan Army 51 Division Commander
Major-General Chagi Gallage led to his transfer Director General of
Infantry at Army Headquarters”.
§ Former
Senior DIG Anura Senanayake was remanded (rumors claim that all he had
to do was say ‘gota did it’ and he would be released!)
§ UK to take up diaspora groups’ concerns with UNHRC http://www.island.lk/index.
§ The
Office of Missing Persons is one of four transitional justice
mechanisms Sri Lanka has agreed to establish during the September 2015
Human Rights Council session in Geneva
June 2016
§ The
government has rescinded a directive issued by the previous government
in March, 2011 meant to deprive those who had obtained/sought political
asylum overseas from visiting the country
§ Office of Missing Persons to receive US, NGO support
§ The
bizarre drama starting out with the Muslim Chief Minister of the
Eastern Province publicly degrading a naval officer in uniform which led
to the military taking a bold stand as a result of which the Eastern
Commander was transferred and replaced with a former Naval officer who
had been a US embassy employee and had returned to Sri Lanka before the
elections and had been reinstated above all other rear admirals and now
placed as Eastern Naval Commander. The drama obviously was pre-planned
and an infamous false flag. http://www.island.lk/index.
§ Orders
from higher powers force Eastern Naval base to invite the Eastern
Province Chief Minister to a meal thus humiliating the Navy further.
§ The
arrest of intelligence officers for ‘allegedly’ killing some man who is
projected as a journalist but even people who had been in the
journalist field has not known, heard or seen at any press conference.
These officers are being kept without any evidence being presented and
has crippled the country’s intelligence network which greatly helped
neutralize the LTTE.
§ A
‘sudden’ fire at the Sri Lanka ammunition factory in Kosgama,
Avissawella which even the LTTE could not destroy. A crime is solved by
listing the beneficiaries. Ammunition destroyed means, new ammunition is
needed. Who will Sri Lanka have to go to purchase these ammunition? US
or India, probably we will end up getting sub-standard weaponry as has
been supplied by UNP governments in the past!
The Foreign Interference (January 2015- June2016)
§ New war crimes campaign backed by some British MPs gets underway
§ Modi tells Sri Lanka - Modi: ‘Go beyond 13A’
§ US
calls for the release of ‘political prisoners’ – in other words the
release of hardcore LTTE cadres (200) LTTE cadres are not POWs and
cannot be referred to as political prisoners.
§ Senior
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, ranking member, Senate Judiciary Committee
on June 9, 2015 had called for international bodies, such as the Office
of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in war crimes
investigation process, to provide technical assistance as well as
substantive input and help with ‘prosecutorial’ work,
evidence-gathering, and judicial decision-making
§ UN
calls for hybrid court in Sri Lanka (firstly UN has still not answered
how a personally commissioned UNSG report became the foundation of UNHRC
Resolutions and extensively used by the UNHRC head in oral/written
reports, moreover what prima facie evidence is in the report to claim
war crimes … when witnesses can be kept hidden for 20 years there is no
limit to allegations that can be built against a targeted country…
moreover all of UN’s hybrid courts have been proven failures – colossal
waste of money, time and only a means for those involved to get rich)
§ Motoo Noguchi - a top international prosecutor from Japan to visit Sri Lanka.
§ UN
Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein justifying the OISL report
recommendation for a hybrid special court to address accountability
issues in Sri Lanka, said the domestic judicial system is not equipped
to conduct an investigation into the crimes listed in the findings (this
was a slap on a sovereign nation for which the yahapalan govt just kept
mum as usual) UNHRC head had no grounds to make such a statement and
should have been taken to task for it http://www.dailymirror.lk/
§ A
team from the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary
Disappearances (WGEID) headed by its Vice President, Bernard Duhaime
arrive for a 10-day-visit to facilitate investigations into issues
related to disappearances. “The WGEID only visits countries following
invitations by their governments. Its representatives had visited Sri
Lanka thrice previously, in 1991, 1992 and 1999. It had, so far,
submitted 12,341 cases on enforced or involuntary disappearances to the
government and the government had clarified and solved 6,590 of them.
Most of the unresolved cases, about 4057, had taken place in the 1980s
and 1990s,” (so where is this 40,000 name list???)
§ United States Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Samantha Power arrives for 3 day visit to Sri Lanka
§ UK
govt that refused to give military support to end LTTE says that UK
will provide sterling pounds 6.6milion over 3 years to support
reconciliation, military reforms (very fishy) and displaced persons. UK
voted against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC and has been calling for not only
hybrid courts but UK’s Opposition leader is saying he would help create
self-determination for Tamils
§ British Defence Adviser in New Delhi will concurrently function as non-resident military representative for Sri Lanka
§ international
coalition led by Britain to help new government. UK commits Rs. 15
million to support Sri Lanka’s anti-corruption project. (UK ranked most
corrupt country in the world J)
§ 6
US envoys had visited Sri Lanka during the past four months - US
Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal, US
Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, United States Secretary of State
John Kerry, US Under Secretary Thomas Shannon and US Assistant Secretary
for Democracy and Human Rights and Labour Tom Malinowski were among
those arrived in Sri Lanka
§ US
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence (DASD) for South and Sout Eeast
Asia Dr. Amy Searight arrives to examine the future role of Sri Lankan
security forces
§ Indian
interference in internal affairs - One-time Indian High Commissioner to
Colombo Gopalkrishna Gandhi yesterday accused the previous government
of having executed LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran’s son during the
final phase of the Vanni offensive in May 2009.
§ Indian interference - SL drops plan to buy Chinese fighter aircraft assembled in Pakistan due to Indian pressure
§ Britain wants Lanka to implement Geneva Resolution before June Minister of State for Asia Hugo Swire
§ Regular arrivals of Indian military vessels to Sri Lanka (by air & sea)
§ Norway the nation that openly sided with the tigers returns to do reconciliation
§ Return lands US tells Sri Lanka
§ EU denies hand in National Security Act replacing PTA (when they deny there’s always some truth)
§ Canada
publicly called for an immediate end to military celebrations - Canada
welcomed the current Administration’s efforts last year to shift from a
celebration of Victory Day to a Day of Remembrance (Canada is party to
illegal military interventions of US/NATO)
§ United States government has eased military trade restrictions imposed on Sri Lanka for over eight years
Don’t you have questions?
· Why
is a government releasing hardcore LTTE cadres while using Prevention
of Terrorism Act to arrest and keep imprisoned the country’s
intelligence officers accusing them of killing a man who is not even a
journalist and there is no body even to claim crime?
· Why
has the government removed the security of the 2 main players
responsible for ending terrorism when caches of arms, ammunition,
suicide vests and re-arrest of LTTE cadres signal their lives will be at
stake
· Why
has the government diluted a war victory when West and Allies continue
to celebrate World War 2. The former President and Defense Secretary had
not even been invited for the official war heroes ceremonies.
· Why
are officials of foreign organizations given unfettered access to
military establishments (nowhere in the world does this happen)
· Will US allow anyone to commemorate Osama bin Laden or Al Qaeda? Why is Sri Lanka allowing such even inside Jaffna university
· Why has the govt simply deproscribed LTTE fronts just to please a handful of people these fronts are closely associated with?
· Why
are so many foreign envoys visiting Sri Lanka and issuing demarches on
items which strictly come under the purview of the internal affairs of
the sovereign country
· Why
is the government taking the stand that only Tamils are victims – why
is the govt not speaking for the victims of the rest of the country who
are over 85% of the population?
· Why
is this government ready to crucify the war heroes who sacrificed their
lives to liberate this country – not a word has come from the
government calling for accountability of LTTE crimes from all living
supporters including LTTE diaspora groups that provided material, money,
procurement and campaigned amongst foreign nations to support LTTE.
· Why
is the government not questioning the legality of the UNHRC/UNSG
reports and resolutions – these have no mandate of the UNGA or the UNSC
· Can
we trust nations with forked tongues? Have we forgotten the damage
colonial Britain committed against Sri Lanka and now they are returning
to dangle 6 million pounds to reform the military and turn our war
heroes into wimps.
· Creating
of wimps in the military subservient to the West and puppet local
leaders is the ‘reformation’ taking place both in the armed forces and
police – all war heroes have been denied service extensions so that they
will lose institutional backing and the government is being asked to
change the country’s laws so that these gallant war heroes will become
easy prey.
· The
manner foreign nations are interfering is blatantly clear – they want
to play a role in all of the new offices being created so that they can
plug their people and run the country like a colony. All laws are being
changed so that these too would fall in line to their agenda. The
constitution is being made by treacherous citizens who will agree to put
their name to any change that would end up with Sri Lanka virtually
becoming another Philippines.
Is
this where people want Sri Lanka to end up? Do we as a nation have no
national pride? While other nations are trying their best to maintain
their country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity we have a bunch of
politicians and others on foreign payroll lining up to hand over every
inch of Sri Lanka to foreigners including our sovereign rights too… this
hand over turning us to virtual slaves is the real crime against
humanity.
www.yuthukama.com
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