War-crime allegations piling up in Sri Lanka
December 31 2009 – The National
Seven months after Sri Lanka ended nearly 40 years of bloody insurgency on the island, allegations of war crimes continue to haunt President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is seeking re-election next month.
Last week, the UN special rapporteur for extra-judicial killings and arbitrary executions, Philip Alston, urged the government to clarify allegations that Tamil rebels and some leaders had been shot down while trying to surrender and carrying white flags.
The allegation was made by the former army commander, Gen Sarath Fonseka, who is contesting the January 26 presidential election against Mr Rajapaksa. In an interview with the Sunday Leader newspaper on December 13, Gen Fonseka was quoted as saying that the defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, who is also the president’s brother, had ordered field commanders to kill senior rebel commanders including those who wished to surrender.
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On Sri Lanka, UN Won’t Be “Used” or Speak on Broken IDP Promises or Elections
December 31 2009 – Inner City Press
UNITED NATIONS, December 31 — As the Sri Lankan government of Mahinda Rajapaksa reneges on its commitment to empty the internally displaced person camps into which it herded Tamils earlier this year, the United Nations has had nothing to say.
Despite statements by the UN and its Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that particular attention will be paid to Sri Lanka, the UN has in the past week repeatedly refused to answer questions about whether it has been asked to provide election observers and whether it will.
At the last in-person press briefing of 2009, on December 24, Inner City Press asked Mr. Ban’s spokesman Martin Nesirky about the UN’s vetting of Sri Lankan soldiers as peacekeepers, and that it’s “been said in Sri Lanka that the former military head, [Sarath] Fonseka,may be prosecuted for having said that those seeking to surrender were shot, and I’m wondering whether the Secretary-General, who said he is concerned about political openness, has any, is monitoring that and has any comment on the number two presidential candidate being threatened with legal prosecution.”
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Journalist name command officers involved in killing surrendering combatants in Sri Lanka
- Special Forces Regiment were deployed alongside the 59 division : Commanded then by Col. Athula Kodipilli. Special Force battalions 1-SF led by Maj. Mahinda Ranasinghe and 2-SF led by Maj. Vipulathilake Ihalage. Golf squad under Capt. Chaminda Gunasekera , Romeo squad under Capt.Kavinda Abeywardene, Echo squad led by Maj. Kosala Wijekone and Delta squad led by Capt. Lasantha Ratnasekera.The Golf and Romeo squads were from 1SF while theEcho and Delta squads were from 2SF.
- 59 division led by Prasanna Silva
- 58 div led by Shavendra Silva
- 53 div led by Kamal Gunaratne
- Task Force 8 led by Col Ravipriya
“.. From the Government side those in the loop were President Mahinda Rajapakse, Presidential secretary Lalith Weeratunga, Defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, Parliamentarian and Special adviser to the President Basil Rajapakse and then Foreign secretary Palitha Kohona ..”
“..Gotabhaya Rajapakse and Sarath Fonseka..”
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Sri Lanka president accused of illegal funding
December 31 2009 – AFP
Anti-graft campaign group Transparency International accused Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse on Thursday of using state property and public cash to illegally finance his re-election bid.
The Sri Lanka branch of the Berlin-based watchdog said armed forces, police and public servants were being deployed to campaign for the ruling party in the January 26 vote.
Election law prohibits the use of state property or public servants for the benefit of candidates.
“The abuse of public resources at elections seems to be a continuing activity in every election in Sri Lanka. The trend seems even more ominous at the current presidential election,” TI said in a statement.
Rajapakse, who is being challenged by 21 others, including his former military chief Sarath Fonseka, called a snap poll hoping to capitalise on the end of a 37-year ethnic conflict with separatist Tamil rebels in May.
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Twist as Tamil refugees arrive today
December 30 2009 – The Australian
SIXTEEN Tamil refugees rescued by the Oceanic Viking will begin arriving in Australia today, six via the Christmas Island detention centre.
Forty of the Sri Lankan Tamils left Indonesia’s Tanjung Pinang detention centre yesterday morning, courtesy of a special deal underwritten by the Rudd government to fast-track their resettlement in exchange for ending their month-long standoff aboard the Customs boat.
In an unlikely twist, The Australian has been told six of the Tamils will travel straight from Indonesia to Christmas Island, where three of them – a mother and her two young children – will be reunited with their husband and father.
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