The government of President Mahinda Rajapakse was in quandary following heavy condemnation of the forced expulsion of Tamils from the capital Colombo earlier this month.
Under immense pressure following scathing criticism by international human rights organisations and strong condemnations from foreign governments, the President announced another ‘thorough’ investigation to identify the persons responsible for the eviction fiasco.
He promised "disciplinary action against any wrongdoing on the part of any government official."
Initial indications suggested that Inspector General of Police Victor Perera might be held responsible by the President. However the Sunday Leader paper published directives issued by the defence ministry revealing Gothabaya Rajapakse, President Mahinda Rajapakse’s brother, as the person behind the decision to evict Tamils from Colombo.
Initially the Sri Lankan state brushed aside accusation of ‘ethnic cleansing’ from human rights organisations and claimed the transportation of Tamils from Colombo was voluntary.
According to reports, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Victor Perera said there was no "forceful expulsion" of Tamils despite eyewitnesses accounts that men, women and children in low-budget hostels were forced at gunpoint to board buses with military escorts.
"The IGP explained that these people had expressed consent to go home if free transportation was provided," the defence ministry said.
According to Perera the government took the decision to remove the Tamils from hostels to secure the "the safety of millions of innocent people living in Colombo and its suburbs."
The government too agreed with the IGP’s statement when Minister Keheliya Rambukwelle also tried to portray the operation as ‘voluntary’. He said the Tamils had “voluntarily come forward to be sent out of Colombo," and that the GoSL was transporting them "free of charge."
However, as the condemnations poured in, the government started to distance itself from the operation with the President releasing a statement accusing officials of exceeding their authority by evicting Tamils from the capital.
"Allegations that officials exceeded their authority in implementing this initiative will be thoroughly investigated and appropriate remedial action will be taken," a statement from the presidential secretariat read.
Amid growing accusations of ethnic cleansing, Sri Lanka was also forced to make a public apology. The Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake accepted that the eviction was ‘a big mistake’ and said his government will take full responsibility for the expulsion of hundreds of ethnic minority Tamils from the Sri Lankan capital.
"The government regrets this and it should never have been done," Wickramanayake said at a press conference in Colombo.
"We accept responsibility," he said, adding it would not happen again.
"We accept responsibility," he said, adding it would not happen again.
Wickremanayake also rejected claims by IGP Victor Perera that the Tamils had left Colombo of their own accord.
"They (the police) asked people whether they want to go back to their village or not only after bussing them (256 kilometres) to Vavuniya," Wickremanayake said.
Whilst the government tried to put the blame on the police, a defence ministry directives published by the Sunday Leader clearly showed the orders for the eviction came out of a meeting presided by defence secretary Gothabaya Rajapakse.
The directives issued by Senior DIG of the North and East, Mahinda Balasuriya and dated May 31 reveals that the relevant authorities were directed to establish a rehabilitation camp in close proximity to Vavuniya town by June 6, one day before the evictions took place.
Paragraph 8 of the directives states “DIG Wanni District: A rehabilitation camp should be immediately set up surrounding the Vavuniya town. A suitable location should be identified soon and after discussing it with the relevant authorities inform me of the details by June 6, 2007. The report has to be submitted to the Defence Secretary. Consider it as top priority.”
Paragraph 10 of the directives states “from June 1, 2007, Tamil civilians who enter the Colombo city from the North and East would be sent back to the relevant operational areas in buses under police protection once they have completed their work in Colombo.”
"They should then be handed over to the relevant police station by you. They should from there be sent to their homes by the respective OIC of the police station. Therefore the entrance and the departure of Tamil civilians to the Western Province should be done by the police and security should be provided.”
