The tragic fate of TRO employees abducted by Karuna cadres

February 3rd, 2007

By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

One year has passed since the abductions and resultant disappearances of seven Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) employees took place in Welikande . Five TRO persons travelling from Batticaloa to Kilinochchi were abducted on January 29th Three were released subsequently. On the following day (30th) another TRO vehicle going from B’caloa to Kilinochchi was hi-jacked at Welikande. Five full time TRO employees and ten trainee recruits were on board. The ten rookies were released later but the other five were not. The TRO has been often accused of being a front organization of the tigers.

The incident did not pass unnoticed. Apart from the TRO protests several INGO’s raised the issue. Worldwide appeals for their return were issued.Christina Rocca then US asst secretary of state made an appeal for their release. The reputed human rights organization Amnesty International issued a special statement in March and requested letters of appeal be sent to President Mahinda Rajapakse.

The AI statement provided a terse synopsis of what happened in the two abduction incidents.

“Kasinathar Ganeshalingam, Kathirkamar Thangarasa, Thanuskody Premini, Shanmuganathan Sujendram, Thambiraja Vasantharajan, Kailayapillai Ravindran and Arunesarasa Satheesharan, all employees of the Tamil relief and development charity, Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), were abducted in two separate incidents in late January 2006. It is feared that they may have “disappeared” and there are grave concerns for their safety.” said Amnesty.

Amnesty also issued some Background information about the incident.” The government and the LTTE met to discuss the implementation of the cease-fire in Geneva on 22 and 23 February. The abductions of the TRO workers, which took place shortly afterwards were interpreted by some as an attempt to derail this renewed effort to put the peace process back on track. However, the talks in Geneva went ahead as planned and both parties reiterated their commitment to respect the cease-fire agreement. They agreed to meet again in Geneva from 19 to 21 April”.

“The TRO is seen as being closely affiliated with the LTTE. However, it is a legally registered Sri Lankan charity and its mission is to provide much needed relief, rehabilitation and development for the people of the northeast of Sri Lanka”.

Amnesty International in an Urgent Action release issued on March 10th expressed “grave concern” for the safety of the seven Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) staffers who were abducted on 29-30 January and are still missing. Amnesty urged all concerned to write to the Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence, Inspector General of Police and Sri Lanka’s President Mr Mahinda Rajapakse to “undertake and complete as a matter of urgency thorough investigations into the fate and whereabouts of the seven,” and to ensure safety of all TRO workers and the families of the missing.

Nothing much has happened in the case despite appeals made by the USA, Amnesty International and several reputed INGO’s. The Commission of Inquiry set up by President Rajapakse to delve into fifteen major incidents of human rights violations excluded the TRO abductions. Appeals made by TRO that these be included have fallen on deaf ears.

The breakaway Karuna faction of the LTTE known as Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) was the prime suspect. Testimonies made by two of the released employees to the Human Rights Commission also indicated that they had seen the name Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal ( TMVP) written in chalk at the camp they were held and interrogated.

But the accusations were denied. A counter - charge was made that the LTTE was responsible. A “story” was floated that a senior LTTE member had advised families of those abducted to keep quiet because it was all a “drama”. It was a LTTE stage - managed act and those “abducted” would return it was said. Nothing has happened. Meanwhile the incidents are passing into the realm of the forgotten.

But the loved ones of the “missing” have not and will not forget. A ceremony was held last week in Kilinochchi to remember the missing seven. The mother of one woman and the wife of one man addressed the gathering. They expressed the belief that the persons were still living and appealed to the world to ensure that they return.Hope springs eternal!

However much one would wish that these abducted human beings whose “humanity” is being obscured by the TRO label be returned or return , recent information gathered by this writer point otherwise. The facts that I am privy to indicate that all seven abducted have been killed. The solitary woman among them was painfully gang raped before being killed. Cadres of the Karuna faction (TMVP) are allegedly responsible.

This writer has been communicating with some sources, well - informed , about some of the goings on, within the Karuna faction. These include disgruntled ex - members who quit the TMVP in disgust over its conduct and the fact that Karuna cadres were functioning as the “running dogs of (Sinhala) Imperialism”. While some of the details divulged by these circles should be taken with a healthy dose of scepticism the information provided about the abductions was deeply disturbing. It is after many weeks of probing that I venture to re- construct in print the tragic fate that befell the abducted seven.

The Karuna faction has a man called “Pillaiyan” who is described as the supreme military commander of the TMVP military wing. Pillaiyan was responsible among many things for the assassination of G. Nadesan the “Virakesari” Batticaloa correspondent. He is said to be the main “link” between the TMVP and its military intelligence handlers. Pillaiyan is also the alleged mastermind behind the on going “abduction of Tamil businesmen for ransom” racket in Colombo.

Theevuchenai is a village in the Polonnaruwa district on the borders of Batticaloa. The TMVP had a string of camps in the adjoining jungle areas. An order was given to TMVP cadres at Theevuchenai on Jan 29th evening by Pillaiyan over the telephone. He told them that a van with TRO employees was coming from B’caloa . Pillaiyan commanded his cadres to lie in wait at Welikande and then pick the TRO people up.

A TMVP team led by a man called Sinthujan alias Pratheepan was given the task. Armed Karuna cadres went from Theevuchenai in a white vehicle and waited at Welikande. The Karuna faction cadres in the abduction team were Jeyanthan, Kumar, Pulenthiran, Siranjeevi and Yogan. All of them are in their early twenties.The TRO vehicle proceeded after checking in at the army post at Welikande. The TMVP van followed and at about 8. 30 pm seized the van at gun point in a convenient location. They took the TRO van to Theevuchenai.

The five people in the van were Kasinathar Ganeshalingam, North East Province Secretary of Pre-School Education Development Centre (PSEDC), Ms S.Doshini, PSEDC Coordinator for Manmunai North, Ms Punniyamoorthy Nadeswary, Pre-School teacher at the Vavunatheevi pre-school, Ms Chitravel Sivamathi, Pre-School teacher at the Vavunatheeevu pre-school and vehicle driver Kathirgamar Thangarasa.

The females were separated from the males. Sinthujan himself interrogated the two males while Sitha alias Pradeep the head of TMVP intelligence along with two others questioned the females. Sitha’s claim to notoriety was after the murder of former Tamil National Alliance National list MP Joseph Pararajasingham on Christmas day in 2005.

He was shot dead near the altar at the St. Mary’s cathedral in Batticaloa after partaking of holy communion at the hands of Bishop Kingsley Swampillai. Sitha was identified as one of the two killers and full details were given by the TNA to President Rajapakse. No arrests have been made so far but the “witnesses” who identified Sitha are now abroad in fear of their lives.

The three females were initially questioned by Sitha and Shashi alias Shanthan and Jeeva alias Thilakan. At one stage Sitha separated Doshini from the other two and proceeded to interrogate her alone.Shashi and Jeeva continued questioning Sivamathy and Nadeswari.

Sinthujan himself interogated the two males. Ganeshalingam was from Thellipalai in Jaffna while Thangarasa was from Kilinochchi. Both were from the north while the females were from the East. Both males were assaulted and accused of being Pottu Amman’s intelligence wing operatives. Their Jaffna origins were also ridiculed by Sinthujan. Later both were taken out and personally executed by Sinthujan.

Nadeswari and Sivamathy were cleared by intelligence and handed over to Sinthujan as “clean”. They were released by Sinthujan the following day and put on a bus near the Vavunatheevu army camp.. Both were not physically assaulted and treated quite decently by Shashi and Jeeva. The TMVP were under the impression that some of Pottu Amman’s tiger intelligence operatives were functioning as TRO employees. Once they were convinced that Nadeswari and Sivamathy were not tigers the TMVP intelligence operatives relaxed.

In the case of Doshini it was discovered that she was a close relative of a senior Karuna faction member. This was of some help initially. Thereafter it appears that Sitha took a fancy to Doshini. He “interrogated” her alone and at one point threatened her with death on the charge of being a tiger accomplice. She broke down and sobbed. Sitha comforted her gently. Later Sitha himself drove her back home in his vehicle.

Apparently a Theevuchenai version of the Stockholm syndrome occurred. The captive began “loving” the captor.According to unconfirmed reports Doshini is now living with Sitha as his “common law” spouse. She has not been questioned by the authorities so far and is protected by powerful people.

But Nadeswari and Sivamathy were required to give statements to the Police. They were harassed by Police officials who kept them at the station overnight. The victims were treated as suspects. Both of them also went to Colombo and voluntarily tendered statements to the Human Rights Commission. Ms. Doshini has not made a statement to the HRC.

On the following day (Jan 30th) the TMVP cadres at Theevuchenai received another phone call around noon from Pillaiyaan.Sinthujan was told of a second TRO vehicle proceeding from Batticaloa.The same team led by Sinthujan went to Welikande and followed the same modus operandi. The white van waited at the checkpoint and followed the TRO vehicle . It overtook the TRO van after 100 metres and stopped it around 4. 15 pm .

While Sinthujan remained in the white van the other five (Jeyanthan, Kumar,Pulenthiran, Siranjeevi and Yogan) seized the TRO vehicle.The driver was pulled out and pushed to the road after a few blows. . Yogan got in and drove the hi- jacked vehicle while the TMVP white van followed suit.

The vehicles stopped after getting off the main road. Pulenthiran and Siranjeevi got in and blindfolded all fifteen abductees. The vehicles then proceeded along circuitous routes and reached Theevuchenai. The fifteen were taken in and questioned by Sinthujan, Shashi and Jeeva.

It was found within a short time that eleven of the fifteen were newly recruited trainees on their way to Vavuniya for a training workshop.The others were on their way to TRO headquarters at Kilinochchi. The TMVP was not satisfied about one of the trainee recruits whom they accused of being the henchman of Keerthi the B’caloa area intelligence chief.

The other ten trainees were blindfolded again and taken by van to the A - 11 highway. Kumar, Yogan and Jeyanthan were in the vehicle. At one point one Jeyanthan saw a Police jeep and shouted “munnale Police jeep”. Yogan replied casually “Athu Pirachinai illai” (No problem). When releasing the ten trainees the abductors told them that the last rites could be performed by family members for the other five.

The five persons kept at Theevuchenai were Aruneswararajah Satheeswaran an accounts trainee from Vellaveli;Kailayapillai Ravindran the accountant at Vipulananda Childrens home, Palugamam, Shanmuganathan Sujendiran the accountant of Manikkavasagar Children’s home, Santhively;Thambyrajah Vasantharajan acct at B’ caloa TRO office and Ms.Premini Thanuskody the chief TRO accountant for the Eastern Province. Premini was also an undergraduate at the Eastern university at Vantharumoolai.

All five persons were “interrogated” intensively by TMVP intelligence led by Sitha. Sinthujan was also involved. The men were assaulted and even tortured. Sitha and the other intelligence personnel then left the camp telling Sinthujan “Ini ungadai poruppu” (Now your responsibility).

The four males were then given rice to eat and tea to drink. Afterwards they were blindfolded and put in a pick - up. It was driven into the interior. The men were then forced to walk into the jungle blind- folded.. The blindfolds were removed and they were asked to dig a huge pit. When it was over the weeping men were lined up and shot. TMVP cadres quickly covered up the grave.

The fate of Premini was terrible. The dusky woman with attractive features and a slight squint was taken to another camp and raped first by Sinthujan himself. Threafter it was a horrible gang rape with TMVP cadres taking turns to sexually assault her. Fourteen cadres raped the poor girl. Some troubled TMVP cadres did not participate in the rape but were powerless to stop it.

Premini was heard to shout and cry at the start. Later she merely sobbed and whimpered. Premini was taken out before dawn by TMVP cadres to the jungles. She walked like a “nadaipinam” (walking corpse) without crying or showing signs of emotion said one ex - TMVP cadre. She was apparently hacked to death and thrown into the bushes.

This account of what allegedly happened to the abducted TRO personnel has troubled me greatly. The tragic fate of Premini is deeply distressing. I have re - constructed the tragedy from accounts related by ex - TMVP cadres. It may be possible to persuade them to testify to these incidents at a genuine inquiry if their safety is guaranteed and identity protected.

Meanwhile the onus is on our former human rights champion and current executive president Mahendra Percy Rajapakse to take action in this matter. Looking back one sees the Govt and law - enforcement authorities acting as “obstructors” of justice in this matter. Cabinet ministers accused the TRO of not co-operating thereby implying that the victim organization was at fault. When TRO employees went to lodge complaints they were treated shabbily as if they were the offenders and not the victims. TRO officials made repeated attempts to contact authorities but were simply ignored.All this points to a massive cover up exercise.

I have also heard of one decent Sinhala military intelligence official who tried to probe this incident and the massacre of 12 Sinhala workers at Omadhiyamadhu being killed by Karuna cadrs themselves. It may be recalled that the Omadhiyamadhu killings were blamed on the LTTE. According to this ,yet to be confirmed version, the TMVP was responsible for that incident too. The MI official was lured into a trap by Pillaiyan and killed by TMVP cadres. The blame as usual was put on the LTTE.

The case of Welikande abductions did not receive the attention it should have received because TRO personnel were involved. It has been easy to downplay the incidents because the TRO is perceived as a tiger front organization. Even civilian employees of the TRO are treated as terrorist because of suspected LTTE affiliations. The well - designed campaign to cripple the TRO also has not been objected to stronly due to alleged tiger links.

Against this backdrop it was easily possible to float conspiracy theories against the LTTE over the TRO abductions and disbelieve that a massive human rights violation had occurred. I am ashamed to say that I too initially felt that the abductions were choreographed dances of deception. The information that is available now makes me realise the full impact of the incidents. There is a crying need for justice here.

The fact that the LTTE is no saint and that it has perpetrated innumerable human rights violations is widely accepted. Yet in a society that is under the rule of law and has a democratically elected government of gigantic proportions the individual is entitled to fundamental rights. Even those working for the TRO or even LTTE members have those rights however unpalatable it may be to some people. This is a crucial truth that cannot be denied in the tragic episode of the abducted TRO personnel.

Related: Amensty International - Sri Lanka: Fear for Safety/ possible “disappearance”

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I have also heard of one decent Sinhala military intelligence official who tried to probe this incident and the massacre of 12 Sinhala workers at Omadhiyamadhu being killed by Karuna cadrs themselves. It may be recalled that the Omadhiyamadhu killings were blamed on the LTTE. According to this ,yet to be confirmed version, the TMVP was responsible for that incident too. The MI official was lured into a trap by Pillaiyan and killed by TMVP cadres. The blame as usual was put on the LTTE.

இந்த விடையம் எங்கடை ஊடகங்களில் எப்படி வந்திருக்கும் என்று யோசிக்கிறன்.

கருணாவும் அவரது கும்பலும் புலிகளிடம் இருந்து பிரிந்தபோது, புலிகளிடமிருந்த கட்டுப்பாடுகளைக் கைவிட்டுவிட்டார்கள்.. சொந்த சகோதரிகளையே கூட்டுப் பாலியல் வன்புணர்வுக்கு ஆளாக்கிப் புதைக்கும் அளவிற்கு வளர்ந்துவிட்டார்கள். இதைத்தான் சிலர் "ஜனநாயக நீரோட்டத்தில்" இணைந்துள்ளனர் என்று சொல்லித் திரிகின்றனர்.

கருணா தன்பிடியை கிழக்கில் இறுக்க சிங்களவர்களயும், முஸ்லிம்களையும், ஏன் இராணுவத்தினரைக் கூட கொன்றுபோடலாம். எனினும் ஒருநாள் இவர்கள் இராணுவத்தினரால் அடக்கப்படும் சூழ்நிலை வரத்தான் போகின்றது. ஏனெனில் இராணுவப் புலனாய்வுத்துறைக்குள் இருக்கும் எல்லோரும் மகிந்தவின் விசுவாசிகள் அல்ல.

புலிகளினால் குற்றவாளிகள் என்று தண்டிக்கப்பட்டவர்கள் அல்லது குற்றம் செய்வது தெரிய வந்து விசாரணைக்கு கூப்பிடும் பொழுது தான் அவர்களிற்கு மாற்றுக் கருத்து மற்றும் ஜனநாயகம் பற்றிய ஞானம் பிறப்பது வழமை. அதாவது சமூகத்தினால் குற்றவாளிகள் விரோதிகள் என்று இனங்கண்டு ஒதுக்கப்பட்டவர்களை அரவணைத்து நடந்து கொள்ளவது ஆக்கிரமிப்பு படைகள் ஏனைய நாடுகளில் கைய்யாண்ட வழமையான யுத்தி. இதில் கவலைக்குரிய விடையம் பெருளாதார சிக்கலாலோ அல்லது பிரச்சாரத்தால் கவரப்பட்டோ கருணா குழுவில் இணைபவர்கள். அவர்கள் தான் எமது சமூகத்தின் பலவீனங்கள் தவர்க்கப்படக் கூடிய உண்மையான இழப்புகள் அவலங்கள்.

வவுனியாவிலும் பல அவலங்கள் நடக்கிறது. இது பற்றி அண்மையில் தினக்குரலில் கூட வந்திருந்தது. யாழிலும் பல நடக்கிறது. எமது கலாச்சாரம் காரணமாக இது பற்றி வெளியில் வருவது இல்லை. இந்த மொளனம் சமூகவிரோதிகளுக்கும் துரோகிகளுக்கும் எதிரிகளுக்கும் ஒரு ஊக்குவிப்பாக இருக்கிறதா என்ற சந்தேகமும் வருகிறது.

excerpts from UTHR report.......

TRO Abductions of January 2006 – A Second Follow-Up

We take this opportunity to present additional testimony on what has been for us an elusive episode. A TRO vehicle, which left Batticaloa on the evening of 29th January, was taken over by the Karuna group. The three female employees were questioned and released. Kasinathar Ganeshalingam and Kathirkamar Thavarasa, the driver, are missing. Unaware of this, a second TRO vehicle left about 24 hours later on 30th January. Five in this vehicle were abducted and the rest were released.

We could now say that our first information, which appeared in Special Report No.20 that the abductions were staged by the LTTE for advantage before the Geneva talks, is wrong. We are still puzzled as to how this story arose within sources close to the LTTE and why little was done to refute it. We followed up in the Supplement to Special Report No.23 with further information, which is mostly correct except for some discrepancies regarding the first vehicle.

We talked to persons who worked very closely with the TRO in Paduvankarai, and know those abducted in the second vehicle on 30th January. The inference from the testimonies of the three girls from the first vehicle (29th) given to the Human Rights Commission and Amnesty International was that Thavarasa being new to the job lost his way into danger. Our new inside sources tell us that Thavarasa was an old hand who had done this trip for three years, several times a month. They don’t know Ganeshalingam and are convinced that the first vehicle didn’t get lost, but the Karuna group planned the abductions.

As for the second vehicle, our sources say that nearly all those travelling were new recruits being taken to Killinochchi for training in office work and had no LTTE connections. Many of them were closely related to persons from groups such as EPRLF and TELO whose members were massacred by the LTTE and were in the TRO for a job. Many people they add are not very conscious of TRO’s links to the LTTE.

The target of these abductions was Miss. Thanusody Premini, described as TRO’s Chief Accountant for Batticaloa. Sources we cited in the previous follow up said that she was a key person in the intelligence wing and a direct link between the Vanni leadership and leaders in the East. Our new sources confirmed that persons working closely with Vanni intelligence man the higher levels of the TRO and as people rise in the organisation they couldn’t escape its intelligence functions.

As for Premini, they said that she was very important and everyone in the TRO was conscious of it. Though described as chief accountant, she was the real boss. She was a northerner following an external degree course along management lines in the Eastern University. She was sent wherever good coaching was to be obtained. Wherever she stayed, she was given special quarters and special facilities. She also knew that she was in danger. When she joined TRO vehicles going out of Batticaloa, she did so at different locations. She also told others in the TRO not to talk about her movements.

The new sources tend to place Premini’s intelligence profile lower than that given in earlier testimony. They described her role as institutional intelligence, keeping track of what other organisations were doing and to bring them under TRO control. Among those watched were the more than 40 children’s homes in the District. This involves in part auditing, tracking their sources of funds and centralising the funding. Were her intelligence profile very high, the security lapse on the part of the LTTE is inexplicable. Had the TRO known that the first van was missing when the second was to set off a day later, Premini would have escaped her fate. While the abduction of persons in the second van was publicised a few hours later on 30th January, it was a day later that the TRO announced the van that set off on 29th January was also missing.

Our new sources who know passengers in the second van said that Premini had boarded after Santhiveli. The passengers were surprised and asked her if she too was going to Killinochchi. Premini answered evasively that she was going to Colombo. Karuna’s men (or Karuna’s men with military persons) stopped the van after Welikanda and made them get out. They asked pointedly for Premini. Without answering them directly, Premini asked, “Why are you asking for Premini?” The men tied her hands and mouth. The others screamed. Most of them were let off, especially those connected to groups massacred by the LTTE. Premini remained dignified and defiant.

Others from the second vehicle not released according to the TRO are: Mr. Shanmuganathan Sujendram TRO Accountant, Manikkavasahar Children’s Home, Santhivelli; Mr. Thambiraja Vasantharajan Accountant, TRO Batticaloa; Mr. Kailayapillai Ravindran Accountant, Vipulananda Children’s Home, Palugamam and Mr. Arunesarasa Satheesharan Accounts Trainee, Vellavali.

Our new sources knew the foregoing individually, confirmed their credentials and the fact that they were abducted. They also affirmed that these persons were new recruits of Batticaloa origin and none except Ravindran had LTTE connections of any sort. Ravindran was a nephew of Keerthi of LTTE intelligence, which does not link him personally. Their families were earlier hopeful, but now fear the worst.

In our previous follow up we raised the question why the TRO did not arrange for any released from the second vehicle to testify as they did for the first. Our sources said that they declined to testify as the TRO wanted, since there were now competing killer groups and they needed to be careful.

A good source told us that in the wake of international concern about the abductions, the Army sent an official to Karuna’s area interior of Welikanda to inquire. He, we learn, returned and filed a report that all those abducted had been killed. The Government kept mum. As to the role of government intelligence in this episode, we will not know for sometime. Without it the level of impunity enjoyed by the Karuna group is hard to understand and the Government could have saved those abducted by giving Karuna an informal warning as soon as the news was out.

As for the subsequent fate of those abducted, we have just one report by D.B.S. Jeyaraj (Sunday Leader and TamilWeek, 3 Feb.07). Jeyaraj quotes former members of the Karuna group. All, according to the report, were tortured and interrogated by Sittha who resides in Batticaloa town and handed over to Sinthujan. The men, the report says, were made to dig a pit, shot as they wept and then buried; while Premini was taken to another camp, gang-raped by Karuna cadres, beginning with Sinthujan and then killed.

Any speculation about Premini’s intelligence connection must now end. If Jeyaraj is right, what was done to her is a crime against humanity. Sinthjan has a nasty public reputation as a leading child abductor for Karuna. A few months ago he ran his operations from an office next to and protected by the Akkaraipattu STF. The Government tries to evade responsibility for the Karuna group’s actions by pretending they have nothing to do with them, but for the people who have to live with both, the nexus is a fact of life.

Abducted TRO staffers final rites held

[TamilNet, Saturday, 17 March 2007, 20:01 GMT]

The final rites for the seven TRO staffers abducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA)-backed Karuna paramilitary group in January 2006, and presumed murdered, were held on the Saturday, after three days of mourning, sources from Kilinochchi said. Framed memorials with photographs were taken to relatives home in Kilinochchi on Wednesday, 14 March, for people to pay respect. The pictures were taken in procession to the Kilinochchi Cultural Hall where the final ceremony was held.

Following lighting of the Common flame, relatives garlanded the pictures of the seven staffers.

Mr Sivanadiyar, President of the TRO, speaking at the event said: "Despite the committed efforts taken by the International Red Cross, Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, various Non-Governmental Orgnizations, UN Human Rights Groups, and the TRO, we were unable to save the lives of the seven dedicated workers."

In the euogies, Sivanadiyar told the audience of the empathy the staffers had for the people who were suffering amidst violence and economic hardship, and the dedication with which the staffers served the people.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians Pathmini Sithamparanathan, and K Gajendran, LTTE's senior member Balakumaran, Head of Northeast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR) Rev.Fr. Kanagaratnam, and other officials of the TRO spoke at the event.

http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=21598

Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Abducted TRO Aid Workers Believed Dead - Memorial service held by TRO

(March 15 2007 - Kilinochchi) Tamil Rehabilitation Organization Headquarters in Kilinochchi held a memorial ceremony on Wednesday March 14 2007 to honour the seven (7) TRO humanitarian aid workers who were abducted on 29 & 30 January 2006 from the Welikanda area in Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) controlled Polonaruwa District by the “Karuna Group”, a paramilitary organization that is functioning with the protection of and in collaboration with the armed forces of the Sri Lankan government.

The 7 aid workers remain “disappeared” over a year after their abduction and, as a result of news reports and information conveyed to our organization, it is with great sorrow and condolences to the families that TRO now believes that our co-workers were executed soon after being abducted by the GoSL-affiliated “Karuna Group” paramilitaries. Recent news reports state that they were tortured before being murdered and their bodies disposed of. TRO requests that the Police follow up on news reports and investigate the locations where the bodies may be buried.

TRO President Mr. Sivanadiyar, speaking at the ceremony stated, “With respect to information on our abducted staff, though we received much information on their status from the beginning, we took much effort and time to ensure and confirm the truth of all the information. In the year since the abductions we have observed a day of fasting and conducted media events in Colombo to publicize and appeal to the Sri Lankan and international community for the release of the abductees. Based on the news that has been published in the Sri Lankan newspapers and based on the research we have performed, we now strongly believe that our staff have lost their lives.”

The 7 who are missing and believed dead are:

Batticaloa

1. Mr. THAMIRAJA VASANTHARAJAN.

2. Mr. SHANMUGANATHAN SUJENDRAN

3. Mr. KAILASAPILLAI RAVINTHIRAN

4. Mr. ARULTHAVARASA SATHEESKARAN

Kilinochchi

1. Ms THANUSHKODI PREMINI

2. Mr. THANGARASA KATHIRKAMAR

Jaffna

1. Mr. KASINATHAR GANESHALINGAM (Member of the TRO Board of Directors)

To date the Sri Lanka Police and security forces have yet to conduct any meaningful investigation or inquiry into these disappearances. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka investigated the case and made a report to its head that has never been released. In addition to not thoroughly investigating the abduction of the TRO aid workers the GoSL has also not listed their case among the 15 cases that the President’s “Commission of Inquiry” will investigate. The atmosphere of impunity that exists in Sri Lanka has lead to a steady decline in the status of human rights and the safety of humanitarian workers on the island.

Neither TRO nor any of the families have to date received any reports or response from any investigating authorities despite several persistent inquiries.

There have also not been any arrests or convictions in this case.

The abduction of the TRO aid workers was the first in a series of attacks on local and international NGOs and their staff. The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has, by design, made it very difficult for international NGOs, the UN and ICRC to work in the NorthEast with the tsunami and war affected populations. The GoSL has sought to isolate the NorthEast from any humanitarian assistance by:

• Denying international NGOs access to the LTTE controlled areas of the NorthEast

• Limiting access for the UN and ICRC to these same areas

• Instituting a controversial “permit” process for international staff wishing to work in the NorthEast

• Executing 17 ACF aid workers in Muttur, allegedly by SL Army troops according to the independent Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM)

• Fostering and encouraging a general negative attitude towards and treatment of NGO staff and organizations

• Freezing US$ 800,000 of TRO Tsunami Project Funds in Sri Lankan banks

For further information, please contact:

Arjunan Ethirveerasingam, TRO Colombo / London (+44 77 586 49198 arjunan100@yahoo.com)

http://www.tamilnet.com/img/publish/2007/03/TROstaffdead.pdf