While evidence at the crime scene pointed to the occupying Sinhala navy personnel of the ‘SLNS Vidura’ naval base as culprits of the alleged abuse and brutal murder of 6-year-old Tamil boy Tharshan Kugathasan, who was dumped into an abandoned well near the Vidura camp at Champoor on Monday, the Sinhala police of genocidal Colombo was attempting to shield the criminals, the resettled Tamil villagers told TamilNet on Wednesday. The detection dogs brought by the SL police were sniffing towards the Navy camp. In the meantime, a Tamil girl, who was sexually abused by three Sinhala soldiers at Chanthi-ve’li in Batticaloa five years ago at the age of eight, is still fearing for the lives of herself and family members. One of the abusers was still deployed in the area. Her father seeking justice was subjected to ‘grease devil’ attack and had to leave the island on employment.
The SL police was trying to deceive the family of the girl in 2010 by saying that the alleged soldier would be taken off duty and that his salary would be paid to the victim as compensation. When the family was pushing for justice, they were subjected to threats, harassment and ‘grease devil’ attack.
From ‘Grease Devils’ to the present day abuses targeting Tamil women and children show a systematic pattern of terror threats by the genocidal Sinhala military, Tamil rights activists said drawing parallel to the conduct of the SL police following the Champoor murder.
There was no civilian movement at the site of the crime where the boy was slain as the area was yet to be released to the owners by the occupying SL Navy.
The abusive SLN soldiers were waylaying Tharshan Kugathasan, who was living at a house close to the murder site. Tharshan was earlier spotted with SLN personnel manning the check posts.
6-year-old Tharshan was dumped into the well on Monday evening after being bound to a stone with military shoelace.
Evidence of attempts to wipe out the traces of boots was found along a wall facing the naval base at the abandoned house, the people who provided witness statement to the police investigations said.
However, the SL police was diverting the attention of the people by posing the question whether the boy had a ‘habit’ of climbing on trees. The people blame the SL police for shielding the real culprits.
The SL police handed over the body of Tharshan to the family after carrying out post-mortem and was quick to claim that there was no sign of sexual abuse.
The SL Navy has also been widely blamed of running a notorious and secret torture camp in Trincomalee during the Rajapaksa regime.
A January 2016 report by International Truth & Justice Project, Sri Lanka Report, which was citing available recording of the violations that took place in 2015, stated: “In the current climate of impunity in which torture, sexual violence, intimidation and persecution are ongoing in the former conflict areas, it is unlikely that Tamil victims of torture and sexual violence at the hands of state forces will be able to participate [the domestic investigation unanimously resolved by the UNHRC at Geneva in 2015]”.
One year after the change of government in ‘Sri Lanka’ the security forces continue to detain, torture and sexually violate Tamils in a net work of sites across the island, and one of the purposes is to maintain control over the Tamils through an atmosphere of oppression and tyranny, the ITJP report said.
The abusive pattern of SL military was established also outside the island before the 2009 genocidal onslaught. 114 Sri Lankan soldiers, who were part of a UN peacekeeping mission, had been accused of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of minors during their duty in Haiti in 2007.
However, certain Western powers have been suggesting to increase the deployment of ‘Sri Lankan’ military personnel in UN peacekeeping missions elsewhere in an attempt to whitewash the military of genocidal Sri Lanka, Tamil right activists in Trincomalee said urging Tamil politicians to demand complete de-militarisation of Tamil homeland.
