HRW: Rights abuses on the up in east

A leading human rights group accused government backed paramilitary outfit in eastern Sri Lanka of being behind a worsening wave of killings and child abductions and urged the government to hold “open independent investigations into all serious human rights violations and hold perpetrators accountable”.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, November 25, Human Rights Watch accused the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) of at least 30 murders and 30 kidnappings in the east of the island in September and October.

The rights watchdog said the TMVP, an ally of the Rajapakse administration was able to function with "total impunity".

"The Sri Lankan government says that the liberated' east is an example of democracy in action and a model for areas recaptured from the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

"But killings and abductions are rife and there is total impunity for horrific abuses," Adams said.

He called on Sri Lankan authorities to "take immediate steps to address the deteriorating human rights situation in the Eastern Province, where there has been an increase in killings and abductions in recent weeks".

The New York-based watchdog said it had documented 30 cases of extra-judicial killings in the east in September and October.

Reports of these killings and other abuses come at a time of deepening tensions and violent infighting within the TMVP, particularly between factions loyal to Karuna Amman, the founder, and Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, known as Pillayan, who was appointed the chief minister of Eastern Province in May this year.

Karuna returned to Sri Lanka in July, after serving a six-month sentence for immigration fraud in the United Kingdom, and has reclaimed the leadership of the group. On October 7, the government appointed Karuna to Parliament.

In addition to extra-judicial killings, TMVP was also accused of abducting large numbers of children and forcing them to serve as soldiers. Human Rights Watch in its statement said, that it recently documented several cases of forcible recruitment of children by the TMVP.

"Far from being a reformed and responsible party ready for government, the TMVP is still actively involved in serious human rights abuses," Adams said of the pro-government Tamil group.

"Instead of holding the group accountable, the Rajapakse government has provided unqualified support."

"Many in the East believe that the government has given its blessing for these abuses," said Adams. "It is important for the government to take action against perpetrators to demonstrate that this is not the case."