TIME APPEAL FOR RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS-NPC

The killing of Maheswari Velayutham takes away from the political community another strong personality who headed the Forum for Human Dignity and was also closely associated with the EPDP, a former Tamil militant organisation that is now with the government. She had escaped previous assassination attempts and was aware of the threats to her life, but this did not dissuade her from continuing her work for the rights of the people in Sri Lanka.The National Peace Council condemns the assassination of this activist who assisted victims of war and participated in programmes we organised and who shared her anguish about the war trap that the parties to the conflict were in. In addition, several accounts of human rights violations involving Tamils in the context of the war are being reported by the media.

A tragic example recently highlighted in the media is the rape of two teenage girls and the abduction of one of them in Kalmunaiin the presence of their family on the day of the Eastern Provincial Council elections when the presence of security personnel in the area on guard duty was very high. The family alleges that armed men came in a white van who committed the crime on their children. When the mother wentto the police station to make a complaint the police reportedly sent her away on the grounds that most officers were on election duty. Later that same night the men returned and took the elder girl away. She is missing since then. The fact that the police refused to accept their complaint indicates state culpability in the practice of impunity.

In addition, contradicting the claims that abductions and disappearances of Tamils in Colombo have come to an end is the disappearance and abduction in the heart of Colombo of Sinnathurai Varatharajan, a highly reputed tuition master from Jaffna and his cousin. They were allegedly taken away by armed men in uniform who came in a white van. Witnesses were told that they were being taken away for questioning, but they have not reappeared. The National Peace Council appeals to the government to ascertain their whereabouts and ensure their safe return to their families.

We also call on the government to re-organise the security apparatus so that human rights violations listed above do not take place with impunity. The Government should do away with the culture of impunity. It is the bounden duty of any state to protect all its citizens. The state by its failure to protect Tamil civilians may give a message to the world that it is the state of the ethnic majority and excludes the Tamils which can bolster the claim to a separate state among the International community.

Finally, we appeal to the government to immediately release senior journalist and human rights activist, J S Tissainayagam, who has now been in government custody for over--- Mr Tissainayagam was detained on the allegation that he had connections with the LTTE. But so far the government has not charged him in a court of law. During the period of the Ceasefire Agreement and peace process from 2002-06, there were many, especially journalists, who made contact with the LTTE for legitimate and peaceful purposes.

As the country prepares to celebrate the holy day of Vesak, we cannot forget that Lord Buddha preached compassion and respect not only for human life but also for the lives of animals. May the spirit of compassion enter the hearts of our country’s decision makers, and may the wisdom of our religious tradition guide them to show their compassion to the victims of human rights abuses, and motivate to solve the country’s problems without harming the lives of innocent Tamil civilians.