Justice urged for Lanka Tamil massacre
International human rights groups expressed concern on the failure of Sri Lankan justice system to bring the culprits of a massacre in a rehabilitation centre, where young Tamil Tiger suspects were being held, to justice.
New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court of prejudice after it freed all five suspects convicted of killing 27 Tamil inmates at the Bindunuwewa detention camp in the central district of Bandarawela in October 2000. The Supreme Court on appeal acquitted and released four remaining suspects, including a police officer, on the grounds of insufficient evidence last month. Analysts say the acquittal may further alienate Sri Lanka’s minority Tamils. It may add to the grievances of Tamils, who say they have been discriminated against by the successive Sinhala-dominated governments since Sri Lanka’s independence. Violence Violence erupted when locals stormed the detention centre. Many of the victims were hacked to death or burned alive and 14 others suffered serious injuries in spite of the presence of armed police. The massacre was international condemned. The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, has called on Sri Lanka to conduct an impartial inquiry into the massacre. The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for a separate state for Tamils in Sri Lanka. Now that each of the accused has been acquitted, the Tamils may feel they have another legitimate reason to justify their struggle. Violence and extrajudicial executions are not unusual in Sri Lanka. More than 60,000 were killed during the second armed uprising of the Sinhala youths led by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), former coalition partner of the current government. Although many police and security personnel were accused of extrajudicial killings in the late 80s, only a few has ever been convicted. Tamils may feel they cannot ever expect a fair treatment from a justice system that failed to bring the killers of the Sinhala youths to justice. Planned attack The mob attack was not an arbitrary incident, according to activists in the area. Chairman of the regional council Manel Rathnayake (member of the governing UPFA alliance) says there have been campaigns by the Sinhala extremist groups against the existence of the detention camp before the attack. Human rights campaigners have accused the police officers investigating the massacre of having links with a group of Sinhala hardliners, which was accused of masterminding the attack. The government has acknowledged that the accusation is “very serious”. However, Justice and Judicial Reforms Minister John Senevirathne told the BBC that it will be difficult to start investigations afresh as the court has already given its verdict. Hong Kong based Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) demanded the resignation of Sri Lanka’s police chief, if he fails to probe the incompetence of police investigations. “The police should be made primarily responsible,” Basil Fernando, Executive director of the AHRC told the BBC. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chandra Fernando, for his part, accused human rights organisations of contempt of court and “double standards”. However, some judges have also heavily criticized the conduct of police. Delivering the verdict of the Trail-at-Bar in Colombo High Court in 2003, presiding judge Sarath Ambepitiya made a scathing attack on the role of the police at the time of the attack. Presidential Commission Activists say the government should take responsibility for the attack as it happened in a detention camp under the government’s control. According to government-appointed Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRC), not only should the government admit responsibility, it should also be seen to carry out justice. Legal experts say the government may have alternative ways of carrying out justice. They say the government for instance can implement the recommendations of the Presidential Commission on the massacre. Attorney-at-Law Chandrapala Kumarage, who represented the victims before the commission, called for the government to publish the Commission report. But Minister John Senevirathne says the matter is up to the Defence Ministry. President Chandrika Kumaratunga is the minister in charge of Defence and the commander-in-chief of armed forces. The government says it is trying to establish permanent peace with the Tamil Tigers. But if the government is seen as not doing enough to bring the culprits of a massacre into justice, analysts say Mrs. Kumaratunga risks jeopardizing yet again a greater opportunity to prove she really means business.