Rhetoric Aside, Sirisena Cannot Shield Army Generals Accused Of War Crimes For Long

Rhetoric Aside, Sirisena Cannot Shield Army Generals Accused Of War Crimes For Long

COMMENT

Most of the comments are irrational and wide off the mark. Let us conduct the discussion with dignity and decorum without twisting facts, re-writing history and denying in toto that no war crimes or crimes against humanity were committed by the armed forces.

(1) No other person than the former Army Commander is accusing Jagath Jayasuriya of committing war crimes. As commander in charge of the army he should know better. He is ready to give evidence in a court of law.

(2) LTTE cadres who surrendered to the army on the evening of May 18, 2009 and taken away by the army in buses in the presence of their spouses, friends and relatives were never sighted thereafter.  Ananthi Sasikaran, spouse of Sasikaran (Elilan), one time LTTE commander in Trincomalee, is an eye witness to the surrender. She had filed a habeas corpus application asking the government to produce her husband. It is now clear some one in Colombo gave instructions to the Vanni commander to kill the surrendees. Who gave the orders and who carried out the orders? Fingers are pointed at Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. One source says Lawrance Thilakar one of the surrendees was placed in a cement crusher and crushed to death. Also Balakumar and his son seen in photographs seated in a bench inside an army camp. The army should tell the public where are the surrendees now? If not killed by the army did they commit suicide? What happened to their bodies?  1/3 continued

 

2/3 continued

(3) “Starting around 230 BCE South Indian Tamils committed war crimes in Sri Lanka. Tamil armies ruthlessly wiped out entire Sinhala villages along their way to Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa the royal capitals of the past. These highly prosperous Sinhala Buddhist capitals were ransacked and plundered and the people subjected to untold atrocities” – Eagle Eye. Obviously Eagle Eye is blind and ignorant. It is the army of Duttu Gemunu, a Buddhist Naga, which defeated 32 Tamil chieftains on the way to Anuradhapura. It took 6 months to defeat the Tamil Chieftains.

According to Mahavamsa those living north of Ganga River were Tamils. Kakavanna Tissa tells Dutugemunu not to wage war against the Tamils since the land this side of the Ganga is sufficed for them to rule.  The war between Ellara and Gemunu was not a war between Tamils and Sinhalese. It was a war between Hindu Tamils + Hindu Nagas Vs Buddhist Tamils + Buddhist Nagas. Gemunu’s army commander Velusumanna was a Buddhist Tamil!  There was no Sinhalese identity till the 8th century AD. The motive for the war by Gemunu against Ellara is to regain the Anuradhapura kingdom ruled by his forefathers from Muttu Sivan, Devanampiya Tissa downwards.

(4) All those who committed war crimes and crimes against humanity should be prosecuted, that includes LTTE commanders who are still alive.

(5) Dr.Varatharajah spoke about army bombing hospitals and schools. Not the other way.  Why would LTTE bomb hospitals and schools?

3/3 continued

No body is claiming all the commanders are guilty of war crimes. What is asked is to put them on trial for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity based on available evidence. If they are innocent the court(s) will set them free.

Twenty years ago, war crimes and crimes against humanity were confined to books and journals. Seldom tested in courts. But today, the world has changed as we saw the swift and strong reaction by countries against the government of Myanmar. De facto Head of State Aung San  Suu Kyi has come under heavy criticism by world leaders. Her image as a symbol of peace has been dented over night.

Finally, there will be no genuine reconciliation and communal peace as long as the Yahapalana government fails to implement UNHRC Resolution 30/1 of 2015 fully and faithfully. Failure to implement will end up in political isolation and economic ruination of Sri Lanka. 19-09-2017

About editor 3192 Articles
Writer and Journalist living in Canada since 1987. Tamil activist.

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