Former SL President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK), who is the Chairperson of so-called Office For National Unity (ONUR) visited Jaffna on Saturday and addressed the Tamil audience along with NPC Chief Minister Justice C.V. Wigneswaran at Pazhai Veeman-kaamam in Thellip-pazhai, where she laid foundation stone for a Primary Health Care Centre. She was confronted by an uprooted mother, Ms Sarasvathy Shanmugalingam, who demanded demilitarisation of villages with houses, properties and agricultural lands of more than 3,000 families just 500 meters away from the site of the event. NPC Chief Minister also went on record exposing serious lack in the so-called Peacebuilding Priority Plan (PPP) framework, which has excluded the participation of the key stakeholder, the Tamils as a party shaping the process.
However, CBK went on record, once again, that the SL military would not be subjected to international investigations as being demanded by the Tamil diaspora or other groups like them.
“The extent to which I saw the spirit of empathy engulfing the Toronto Mayor, John Tory who visited us last Sunday, I have failed to see among our local people both Sinhalese and Tamils. Sympathy I do see. But very little empathy do I perceive,” NPC Chief Minister said.
The PPP framework has no reference War Crimes’ accountability, Justice Wigneswaran said. The PPP framework has no reference War Crimes’ accountability, Justice Wigneswaran added.
“There has been no reference to the inclusion of War Crimes jurisdiction into our Law; Demilitarisation, High Security Zones, Security Sector Reforms should have been included into the framework; The need to withdraw Prevention of Terrorism Act should have been reiterated and helped to be withdrawn; Role of the Diaspora should have been included,” he was referring to some of the serious shortcomings.
CBK had timed her visit after securing necessary ‘time and space’ for continuing structural genocide against Eezham Tamils at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
In the meantime, kith and kin of enforced disappeared were continuing their struggle for 10th day during the day time at Maruthang-kea'ni in Vadamaraadchi East.
Similar protests by the families of enforced disappeared were continuing for 34th day in front of Kanthasamy temple in Ki'linochchi, for 29th day with rotational hunger-strikes in Vavuniyaa, for 17th day in front of Mullaiththeevu District Secretariat and the uprooted families from Keappaa-pulavu in Mullaiththeevu are continuing their struggle. People from Mu'l'lik-ku'lam in Musali division of Mannaar have also launched their protest.
Two mothers and a father who were among the people taking part in the protest at Maruthangkea'ni in Vadamaraadchi East talked to TamilNet condemning the extended ‘time and space’ to SL State.
57-year-old Selvarajah Krishnapillai said his son chose to surrender as the SL military was announcing that everyone above 15 should be surrendering themselves. Those who fail to surrender would not be shown to their families. His son Subaskaran Selvarajah ‘surrendered’ in front of them.
A few months later, Mr Selvarajah came across photos on the Internet, marked with UNCHR and a prisoner number: 2853. Despite having a clear proof, he was not able to see his son.
57-year-old Patrima Pushparany Arulanantham said her son contacted her from the custody in October 2011. He was getting injections and the voice was very weak, she said. In order to check his identity, she had asked some questions about the whereabouts of his younger sister (who was slain by 2004 tsunami) and a couple of other addresses. He gave correct details and verified that he was in fact her son, she said.
51-year-old Thangarasa Chithrathevi from Vettilaik-kea'ni in Mu'l'liyaan said her son, who was 14 when he went into SL military controlled area at Vadduvaakal. He was psychologically ill and was dependent on medications, she said.
Mr Selvarajah Krishnapillai said SL State doesn't need 2-years to tell whether his son and others were alive or not. The SL State is only buying time to postpone everything indefinitely and expects that the families would at least give up. “We are not going to give up,” he said.
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