Govt, LTTE abused human rights:Wikileaks

The whistleblower website Wikileaks has blowed the lid on the Sri Lankan government this time around. The leaked cable documents have revealed that both the Sri Lankan government and the defeated Tamil Tigers had committed human rights abuses.

In what comes as a big blow to the strained relationship between locals and Tamils, this expose' could potentially jeopardize all chances of peace in the country.

The leaks claim that the government had secretly carried out paramilitary activities including killings, child trafficking and organised prostitution during the war that ended in 2009. The 26 year old conflict have seen human rights abuses of the highest order in recent times.

According to the BBC, the cables dated 2007 claim that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) forcibly recruited civilians to participate in the war against the govt.

The cables quoted a source as telling US Ambassador Robert Blake, “defense secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa has authorized Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) and LTTE-breakaway Karuna group to collect the money from Tamil businessmen. This may account for the sharp rise in lawlessness, especially extortion and kidnapping that many have documented in Vavuniya and Colombo.''

The contact also revealed, “Karuna operates prostitution rings out of the IDP camps to "take care of" govt soldiers, stating that the women "had no choice" but to acquiesce to Karuna cadres' demands… (the contacts) independently described how women are forced into prostitution, or to give up their children to traffickers. The methods are similar to those in Jaffna. Families sometimes try to arrange their daughters' marriages at the age of 12 or 13 in the hope that it will reduce the likelihood of their being forced into prostitution.''

The cable winds with Blake's blatant comment, "it appears that (government's) involvement goes beyond merely turning a blind eye to these organizations' less savory activities.''


(2010-12-18/Oneindia)