Sri Lanka this week vehemently protested accusations by international truce monitors that government forces have been responsible for extrajudicial killings and rejected their ruling that that the airstrikes last Tuesday and Wednesday in Trincomalee were a violation of the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement.
Officials of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) said they “fear that government security forces have, in the north and the east, been involved in extrajudicial killings of civilians. This conviction is based on our observation and inquiries on the ground.”
“The air strikes that were conducted by the Sri Lankan Government in Trincomalee district on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) targets in Sampoor area on 25 and 26 April 2006 are a clear violation of the Ceasefire Agreement. Article 1.2 of the Ceasefire Agreement clearly states “Neither Party shall engage in any offensive military operation,” said the press release issued by the SLMM Saturday.
The government of Mahinda Rajapakse, which has clashed with the SLMM recently over the latter’s criticism of the presence of anti-LTTE paramilitaries in Army-controlled areas, angrily rejected the SLMM statement.
“We are surprised that the statement has been made at a time when the country is reeling from the bomb attacks carried out by the Tigers,” said Palitha Kohona, secretary general of the government’s peace secretariat, referring to the statement on extra-judicial killings.
“We are unconvinced about the ‘facts’ on which the statement has been made by the SLMM,” Kohona told AFP.
He made no comment on the other statement that government air strikes on northeastern Trincomalee district Tuesday and Wednesday were a clear violation of the 2002 ceasefire accord.
SLMM spokesperson Helen Olafsdottir reiterated the ceasefire monitors were following up on some “alarming” cases of extra judicial killings allegedly carried out by certain elements in the security forces but stressed that it did not mean the killings were part of a coordinated act of the government, reported the Daily Mirror.
“What we are saying is there are some rogue elements in the security forces, about whom the government may not be aware of. We want to bring this to the notice of the government,” she said. “We met the defence secretary [Monday] and raised the matter. I must emphasize this is not an overall judgment on the government forces.”
But Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, government spokesman on security matters, told AP “The government is not involved in any way in the so-called extra-judicial killings.”
“We categorically deny the charges, which are outrageous and not based on facts,” he said.
Commenting on the criticism over the SLMM ruling of the aerial bombing in Trincomalee, Ms. Olafsdottir stressed the only reason the aerial bombing was ruled as a violation was because there was no proof to say the LTTE fired on the Sri Lanka Navy first as claimed by the government.
The military has said it acted in self-defence when it launched the air and naval strikes, but coming after the attempted assassination in Colombo on Tuesday of the army chief, the attacks are seen as retaliation.
Ms. Olafsdottir also dismissed allegations that the SLMM was silent on the suicide bombing at the army headquarters, stating that the very next day the head of mission Ulf Henrikson in interviews with the international media raised suspicions of LTTE involvement.
“In the statement we released on the day of the suicide attack we said we could not point fingers as inquiries were just beginning. Now that the government has made some leads with the inquiries into the Colombo bombing, we are waiting for the results in order to make a ruling,” she said.
The SLMM on Saturday warned that any further operations by government forces would “only add fuel to the conflict.”
Officials of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) said they “fear that government security forces have, in the north and the east, been involved in extrajudicial killings of civilians. This conviction is based on our observation and inquiries on the ground.”
“The air strikes that were conducted by the Sri Lankan Government in Trincomalee district on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) targets in Sampoor area on 25 and 26 April 2006 are a clear violation of the Ceasefire Agreement. Article 1.2 of the Ceasefire Agreement clearly states “Neither Party shall engage in any offensive military operation,” said the press release issued by the SLMM Saturday.
The government of Mahinda Rajapakse, which has clashed with the SLMM recently over the latter’s criticism of the presence of anti-LTTE paramilitaries in Army-controlled areas, angrily rejected the SLMM statement.
“We are surprised that the statement has been made at a time when the country is reeling from the bomb attacks carried out by the Tigers,” said Palitha Kohona, secretary general of the government’s peace secretariat, referring to the statement on extra-judicial killings.
“We are unconvinced about the ‘facts’ on which the statement has been made by the SLMM,” Kohona told AFP.
He made no comment on the other statement that government air strikes on northeastern Trincomalee district Tuesday and Wednesday were a clear violation of the 2002 ceasefire accord.
SLMM spokesperson Helen Olafsdottir reiterated the ceasefire monitors were following up on some “alarming” cases of extra judicial killings allegedly carried out by certain elements in the security forces but stressed that it did not mean the killings were part of a coordinated act of the government, reported the Daily Mirror.
“What we are saying is there are some rogue elements in the security forces, about whom the government may not be aware of. We want to bring this to the notice of the government,” she said. “We met the defence secretary [Monday] and raised the matter. I must emphasize this is not an overall judgment on the government forces.”
But Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, government spokesman on security matters, told AP “The government is not involved in any way in the so-called extra-judicial killings.”
“We categorically deny the charges, which are outrageous and not based on facts,” he said.
Commenting on the criticism over the SLMM ruling of the aerial bombing in Trincomalee, Ms. Olafsdottir stressed the only reason the aerial bombing was ruled as a violation was because there was no proof to say the LTTE fired on the Sri Lanka Navy first as claimed by the government.
The military has said it acted in self-defence when it launched the air and naval strikes, but coming after the attempted assassination in Colombo on Tuesday of the army chief, the attacks are seen as retaliation.
Ms. Olafsdottir also dismissed allegations that the SLMM was silent on the suicide bombing at the army headquarters, stating that the very next day the head of mission Ulf Henrikson in interviews with the international media raised suspicions of LTTE involvement.
“In the statement we released on the day of the suicide attack we said we could not point fingers as inquiries were just beginning. Now that the government has made some leads with the inquiries into the Colombo bombing, we are waiting for the results in order to make a ruling,” she said.
The SLMM on Saturday warned that any further operations by government forces would “only add fuel to the conflict.”
