Author: TELO Admin

The Mullivaikkal Commemoration Committee invited Tamils from across the homeland to gather at the Mullivaikkal Memorial site on May 18, and commemorate the tens and thousands of Tamils massacred by Sri Lankan security forces.

Speaking at a media briefing at the Mullaitivu Press Club, the organisers said that this year will be the 15th year since the end of the armed conflict which saw generations of Tamil families being wiped out, thousands dead, and many still missing to date.

They added that despite the intimidation and threats, all plans are afoot to hold the commemoration this year as they have held it the year before. The event is expected to begin at 7am and be held until noon.

“We urge our people not to bring any items for the commemoration,” said the organisasers. “We will conduct a special service and invite everyone to come by 7am.”

Last year thousands of Tamils gathered at Mullivaikkal to mark the commemoration. A Tamil woman who had lost 13 of her relatives in Mullivaikkal in May 2009 lit a lamp to begin the commemoration event.

This week Tamil women distributing Mullivaikkal kanji in Sampur were arrested and remanded until May 27.

In 2008, 11 Tamil and Muslim youths living in Colombo and its suburbs were kidnapped for ransom.

After all three Attorney Generals had decided that the former Navy Commander Wasantha Karnagoda could be named as a defendant in the disappearance incident, it was problematic for the then Attorney General to not pursue the related charges against Wasantha Karnagoda after 2019 and advocated for the relatives of the disappeared. On May 13, he made a presentation when the case was called in view of the appeal.

The petition filed by the former Navy Commander Wasantha Karnagoda requesting to nullify the decision of the Attorney General to name him as a defendant in a case being heard before a three-judge bench of the Colombo High Court regarding the abduction and disappearance of 11 youths in Colombo and its suburbs in 2008 was called before the Court of Appeal. The lawyer mentioned this.

The relevant petition was called before Court of Appeal Judge Mohammad Lafar Tahir.

The Attorney General’s decision to not press charges

At that time, President’s Attorney Romesh De Silva, who appeared for the petitioner Wasantha Karnagoda, made his comments before the Court of Appeal.

“Sir, the Attorney General decided on August 8, 2021 not to continue the charge sheets filed against the former Navy Commander in relation to this incident. Accordingly, the Attorney General has informed the three-judge bench of the High Court hearing the case. Against my client “The Court of Appeal has already issued a restraining order suspending the proceedings before the Colombo High Court. If the Attorney General withdraws the charge sheet filed against my client from the High Court, a decision can be taken regarding not continuing this petition,” said Wasantha Karnagoda, who appeared for the petitioner. The lawyer said.

‘The change in the position of the Attorney General after 2019 is problematic’

Lawyer Nuwan Bopage, who represented the relatives of the missing youths, objected to this request of the petitioners.

“Sir, I strongly oppose this request. All three Attorney Generals had decided that the charges against the petitioner Mr. Wasantha Karnagoda could be maintained. But after 2019, the position of the Attorney General has changed. This is an unacceptable situation. Please be given the opportunity to present facts in this regard. I request,” lawyer Nuwan Bopage requested from the court.

Speaking at that time, Judge Lafar addressed the aggrieved party’s lawyer and said, “The Attorney General is empowered to file charges against a defendant. Accordingly, if the Attorney General decides not to pursue charges against a defendant, it is an admission that there is no real case against him.”

In that case, the judge asked the aggrieved party’s lawyer if there is any result in continuing this writ petition.

There is no decision from the High Court’

At that time, Additional Solicitor General Nerin Pulle, who appeared for the Attorney General, presented the following facts before the court.

“Sir, the decision taken by the Attorney General not to pursue the indictment against the petitioner has been communicated to the three-member High Court bench that is hearing the case. However, the concerned bench has not yet issued any orders regarding the position of the Attorney General.”

President’s lawyer Romesh de Silva, who appeared for Wasantha Karnagoda, requested the court to give two weeks’ time to notify the decision to be taken regarding this petition, and the petitioner party continues to point out the facts and tries to continue this petition and is strongly against it. Nuwan Bopage, the lawyer of the aggrieved party, stated again before the court. Lawyer Bopage further said that injustice will be done to the aggrieved parties and justice will be delayed for them.

Judge Lafar pointed out to the aggrieved party’s lawyer, ‘Will the petition continue? Or will the petitioner be withdrawn until the 3rd of June to decide?

The judge stated in the open court that if the petitioner does not give a decision in this regard by that date, he will proceed to give a decision on the petition.

‘For 15 years, we have been going to court to get this justice in tears’

The mother of one of the 11 missing youths related to this case commented to BBC Sinhala. Jennifer Weerasinghe was just 24 years old when her son disappeared, and five young men, including her son, were abducted together.

“There is clear evidence related to the incident in which five children including my child were kidnapped. It was not us who leveled these charges against Wasantha Karnagoda, but the Attorney General’s Department. Similarly, the investigations were conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department. When we go to the May 13 case, the Attorney General who is supposed to represent us is representing the accused. That’s what we felt,” she says.

She asks how they can believe that justice will be done in the case when they cannot trust the Attorney General. “A total of 667 charges and 200 witnesses have been presented to the court. We have been going to the courts for 15 years to get justice.”

“If Vasantha Karnagoda is not really involved in this incident, he can come to the court like a good gentleman and prove his innocence. But as a mother who lost her child in this way by filing petitions and dragging them out, I also think that he has blood on his hands,” said Jennifer.

“Now, his lawyers said in the court that day that they will discuss with the client and inform the court whether they will withdraw this writ petition. So why did this case drag on for four years? Didn’t the Attorney General make the indictments knowingly? Who is responsible for our tears? Who Justice for us?”

Jennifer said that she hopes that she and the other children’s parents will get a just decision as victims on June 3rd.

“On June 03, we hope that the Attorney General will take the right decision to represent us. We can only trust the court now. Therefore, we hope that justice will be done for the tears we shed for 15 years through the court.”

In relation to the kidnapping and disappearance of 11 Tamil and Muslim youths living in Colombo and its suburbs in 2008, the Attorney General filed a case before a three-judge bench of the Colombo High Court against 14 people including Navy Intelligence officers during the previous Good Governance government.

Former Navy Commander Wasantha Karnagoda was named as the 14th defendant in the case, and DKP Dasanayake, a former media spokesperson of the Navy, was also named as a defendant.

A high-level meeting took place this morning at a local hotel in Madiwela, where leaders from two political entities engaged in discussions about forming a new political alliance.

The participants included Nimal Siripala de Silva faction, representing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, and the new alliance which also includes MP Nimal Lanza.

Notably, twenty current Members of Parliament participated in today’s dialogue, representing both sides.

The New Alliance movement that took part in talks with the Nimal Siripala faction of the SLFP included Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Nimal Lanza, Minister Susil Premajayantha, Minister Nalin Fernando, Piyankara Jayaratne, Udayakantha Gunathilake, Sudath Manjula,Nimal Piyatissa, M. Musharraf, and Ishaq Rahman.

Anura Priyadarshana Yapa currently leads the operational aspects of the new alliance, initiated by MP Nimal Lanza.

Additional attendees included Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, State Minister Lasantha Alagiyawanna, State Minister Dr. Suren Raghavan, State Minister Jagath Pushpakumara, Duminda Dissanayake, and Weerakumara Dissanayake, representing the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, alongside Nimal Siripala De Silva.

The discussion focused on laying out the foundational steps for the new political alliance, with plans underway for a future rally in Hambantota.

Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader Rauff Hakeem has called on the Sri Lanka Government to suspend diplomatic ties with Israel for committing “genocide” in Palestine.

He told Parliament the Government must take a bold stand on the issue like certain other countries.

The MP said that Sri Lanka must call for action on Israel in the international criminal court.

Hakeem also accused the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration of becoming virtual “slaves” to the US.

The opposition MP accused the Biden administration in the US of giving Israel bombs to destroy the entire Gaza strip.

State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya responded expressing regret over the attitude of the MP.

He said that while the MP may want to cut ties with Israel, Sri Lanka will do what is best for the country.

According to the United Nations, almost 450,000 Palestinians have fled from Rafah over the past week as Israeli tanks reportedly push deeper into the southern Gaza city.

“People face constant exhaustion, hunger and fear,” warned the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa.

Israel’s military says it is continuing “operations against terror targets” in the east of the city, where more than a million people had been sheltering.

New Israeli operations in northern Gaza have displaced another 100,000 people.

The military ordered civilians to evacuate eastern Rafah and Jabalia for their own safety before starting the assaults, but the total of those displaced in recent days is equivalent to almost a quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million population.

Israel launched a military campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s cross-border attack on southern Israel on 7 October, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 252 others were taken hostage.

More than 35,170 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

The Indian on Tuesday extended the ban imposed on the LTTE for five more years as it continues to foster a separatist tendency amongst the masses and enhance the support base for it in India, particularly in Tamil Nadu.

The Union Home Ministry of India imposed the ban invoking the sub-sections (1) and (3) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

In a notification, the home ministry said the central government is of the opinion that the LTTE is still indulging in activities which are prejudicial to the integrity and security of the country.

It said that even after its military defeat in May, 2009 in Sri Lanka, the LTTE has not abandoned the concept of ‘Eelam’ (an independent country for Tamils) and has been clandestinely working towards the ‘Eelam’ cause by undertaking fund raising and propaganda activities and the remnant LTTE leaders or cadres have also initiated efforts to regroup the scattered activists and resurrect the outfit locally and internationally.

“The pro-LTTE groups/elements continue to foster a separatist tendency amongst the masses and enhance the support base for LTTE in India and particularly in Tamil Nadu, which will ultimately have a strong disintegrating influence over the territorial integrity of India,” the notification said, citing a few other reasons too.

Source: PTI