War against Tamils loses support

June 3, 1998
Issue 

By Sue Boland

Compulsory military service will be declared if an amnesty fails to bring back about 15,000 army deserters, Anuruddha Ratwatte, Sri Lanka's deputy defence minister, announced in early May.

The government is threatening to impose conscription because of the poor response to several army recruitment drives. The military has drawn up plans for recruitment campaigns in schools to attract school-leavers and has introduced a scheme to take back retired soldiers and officers to be stationed in Colombo.

The shortage of voluntary participation in the army indicates that the government's war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Tamil people is not popular with Sri Lankans, especially as the government is paying for the war with the privatisation of government utilities.

The government has also stepped up harassment of human rights groups, forcing Peace Brigades International (PBI) to quit in protest. PBI was forced to withdraw from Sri Lanka after the government imposed restrictive conditions on its operation.

PBI, based in Colombo and Batticaloa, has been critical of the army and government's record on human rights and humanitarian relief.

One of the conditions imposed on PBI is that its delegation in Sri Lanka be limited to two. As well, PBI's overseas volunteers have frequently had visa renewals refused.

The immediate cause of PBI's withdrawal from Sri Lanka is the government's demand that it reveal its sources of information.

The PBI, which says its most important function is the protection of individuals endangered by institutionalised terror, refused to comply. In Batticaloa, the PBI provided protection to survivors of massacres carried out by the Sri Lankan security forces.

The government has also renewed its campaign against Tamils living overseas, accusing them of supporting "terrorism". One of the government's priorities is to persuade western governments to close the offices of the LTTE and to ban other Tamil organisations. It has been buoyed by the US's designation of the LTTE as a terrorist organisation, and is targeting other countries that have a large Tamil population.

Tamil activists say the real aim of this renewed government campaign is to hide its genocide against the Tamil people. They say the government has blocked information by banning reporters and other independent observers from the northern and eastern regions of Sri Lanka, where the military is accused of arbitrary arrests and killings.

As well, public relations firms hired by the Sri Lankan government are believed to have commissioned a string of misleading and false reports in the western media.

A report titled "Canadian Tamils terrorised", which appeared in two major Canadian newspapers, reported that Tamils living in Canada are subject to extortion by the LTTE. However, the story was later retracted. Similar stories have appeared in the Bangkok Post.

When the presidential commission of inquiry report, "The Involuntary Removal or Disappearance of Persons in the Northern and Eastern Provinces", was released earlier this year, it provided conclusive evidence that the overwhelming majority of human rights violations have been committed by the Sri Lankan army, with very few by the LTTE.

The report concentrated on disappearances in the eastern districts of Batticaloa and Trincomalee. It found that in Batticaloa District alone, 64% of arrests leading to involuntary removals from 1988 to 1996 were the work of the army, while the LTTE was responsible for only 2%.

It was also found that approximately 500 of the 600 people who disappeared in Trincomalee District between 1995 and 1998 were Tamils, as were 1100 of the 1200 who disappeared in Batticaloa.

The report highlighted evidence of mass arrests at the base hospital and McHeyzer Stadium in Trincomalee, in June-July 1990, when the army launched cordon-and-search missions around the city. Many of the 82 people arrested were never seen again.

One of the few survivors of the McHeyzer Stadium episode gave an eyewitness account to the commission in which he described the execution of detainees by soldiers based at the Plantain Point Army Camp in Trincomalee.

Given the commission's collection of this sort of information, it's not surprising that it was told to wrap up its investigations last year. At least 5000 reported complaints of alleged removals and disappearances have yet to be looked into.

You need Green Left, and we need you!

Green Left is funded by contributions from readers and supporters. Help us reach our funding target.

Make a One-off Donation or choose from one of our Monthly Donation options.

Become a supporter to get the digital edition for $5 per month or the print edition for $10 per month. One-time payment options are available.

You can also call 1800 634 206 to make a donation or to become a supporter. Thank you.