Quotations

“With the exception of the ICRC [the International Committee of the Red Cross], other aid workers must to leave the Wanni by 29 September,” Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister for Disaster Management.

“We hope that [our departure] is temporary so that we can reach the people. What we do know is that it is too dangerous for us to operate at the moment and our operations are being asphyxiated by the conflict,” Gordon Weiss, U.N. spokesman.

“It’s a short-term measure. Very soon they can go back. … We are focusing on war. We can crush them. Why can’t we? They are in the jungle and our forces are also [there now],” President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Press Conference, 16 September 2008.

Sources
Last U.N. staff safely leave Sri Lanka war zone, Reuters, 16 September 2008; UN pulls out of Sri Lanka war zone, rebels deny plane downed, AFP, 9 September 2008; UN says pleading crowds halt Sri Lanka pull-out, AFP, 13 September 2008.

In its 29-page report released today, it names a local Muslim home guard and two constables as the killers of most of the group, which took place around 4.30 pm on 4 August 2006. The report details the killings, the role of senior police officials in the murders, and criticises the government’s failure in properly investigating the crime.

Sources
Report details Sri Lanka aid massacre, blames forces, Reuters, 1 April 2008; Sri Lanka defends lengthy inquiry into the massacre of 17 charity workers, The Independent, 3 April 2008.

Quotations

“The evidence shows state security forces, including police, killed the 17 aid workers and that senior police officers covered it up…The killing of civilians during time of conflict is a war crime. The perpetrators and their superiors should be brought to justice.” Rajan Hoole, University Teachers for Human Rights.

“It does more than name the names of those responsible for the brutal ACF killings. It shows the government investigations into the massacre were little more than a bad joke played out on the victims’ families and the international community.” James Ross, Senior Legal Adviser, Human Rights Watch.

“We want the truth to come out. We can’t dictate the course of justice, we can only encourage the process by facilitating its work.” Rohitha Bogollagama, Foreign Minister.

“The country has learnt to be comfortable with grave crimes going unpunished one after another, with the certainty that even graver ones would follow. The answer to the question why Sri Lanka is steeped in recurrent gross crimes, especially against the minorities, that go unchecked is not far to seek. For years, the state has gone on denying, obfuscating, abusing detractors, intimidating or killing witnesses and making matters progressively worse.” Unfinished Business of the Five Students and ACF Cases – A Time to call the Bluff, Special Report No.30, University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) Sri Lanka, 1st April 2008.

Related events
4 August 2006
6 November 2006
5 July 2007
23 April 2007
6 March 2008

far as declining invitations when these conditions are not met. Given the high levels of insecurity, that include killings and abductions, faced by humanitarian agenices, human rights organizations and other civil society organisations we are also deeply concerned of the security implications for the actors who were invited to the meetings”.

Source
Press statement condemning military interference on Jaffna NGOs meetings with UN Under Secretary General on humanitarian affairs, Centre for Poverty Analysis, 9 August 2007;

Extracts from the Press Statement
“Our colleagues in Jaffna have also conveyed to us that on the day before Mr. Holme’s visit to Jaffna, the military commander called for a meeting at Palaly military headquarters, at which NGOs and civil society representatives were instructed not to refer to human rights issues and to restrict themselves to issues of humanitarian assistance during their meeting with Mr. Holmes. The military told the NGO and civil society representatives present that they, the military, would brief Mr. Holmes about the human rights and security situation, while the Government Agent would brief Mr. Holmes about the situation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Humanitarian and human rights groups in Jaffna have expressed their serious reservations about this interference by the military and regret their inability to meet Mr. Holmes in a more private manner, which would have enabled them to freely share their views, perspectives and experiences with him.

We condemn this type of military interference in matters relating to civil society and NGO activity. This completely undermines existing practice in which visiting UN officials meet with civil society groups during country visits, insisting on privacy for such meetings, even going as far as declining invitations when these conditions are not met. Given the high levels of insecurity, that include killings and abductions, faced by humanitarian agencies, human rights organisations and other civil society organisations, we are also deeply concerned about the security implications for the actors who were invited to the meetings.

The steps taken by the military in Jaffna to restrict Mr. Holmes’ access to information can only reaffirm concerns in the international community that there is no transparency and accountability of the government and of the military when it comes to both human rights and humanitarian issues in the conflict-affected areas of Sri Lanka.

We trust that Mr. Holmes will reflect these concerns in his reports, on the basis that his ability to obtain an objective assessment of the situation on the ground in the country, based on perspectives of various stakeholders including humanitarian agencies, was negatively affected by this situation.”

Source
Sri Lanka – ICJ issues statement regarding investigation into killing of 17 ACF aid workers, International Commission of Jurists, 5 July 2007.

Extracts from the report
“The collection of evidence has been incomplete and inadequate. In particular, as of March 2007, eight months after the killings took place, the ICJ was informed by the CID that no member of the Sri Lankan security forces had been interviewed nor any Tamil, apart from the family members of those killed. The ICJ has sought an update from the Government on the investigation. The Sri Lankan security forces will need to be extensively questioned about their knowledge of the killings and surrounding circumstances, especially those present in Muttur around the time of the killings. The local Tamil community should also be interviewed, as well as further interviews with other members of the community. This will require extensive questioning of people who were in Muttur at the time and the establishment of an effective witness protection programme. …
“On two occasions the police did not comply with orders of the Magistrate in charge of the inquest that were designed to guarantee the integrity of the evidence. Firstly, the Magistrate had ordered that the ballistics exhibits should be brought to the Court by the pathologist, Dr. Waidaratne. But on 6 December 2006 the exhibits where brought to the Court by a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer. Secondly, the CID failed to comply with an order that the sealed exhibits should be opened only in the presence of an Australian expert observer,” Michael Birnbaum, QC, Observer on behalf of the ICJ, July 2007.

Related events
6 March 2008
25 June 2007
1 April 2008
6 November 2006
4 August 2006

Sources
Action Against Hunger International Network mourns and demands full inquiry into Muttur “war crime”, ACF, 10 August 2006; Europe accuses Sri Lankan army of assassinating aid workers, The Independent, 31 August 2006; Sri Lanka: ICJ calls for justice as inquest into killing of 17 aid workers concludes, Press Release, International Commission of Jurists, 9 March 2007.

Quotations

“[We are] convinced that there cannot be any other armed groups than the security forces who could actually have been behind the act. Consequently, the killing of the 17 civilian aid workers in Muttur on 4 August 2006 is ruled as a gross violation of the CFA [ceasefire accord] by the security forces of Sri Lanka. The committed act of assassination has approved to be one of the most serious recent crimes against humanitarian aid workers worldwide and has been strongly condemned internationally. I urge the GoSL to take all necessary actions to immediately stop any kind of violence against the civilians of Sri Lanka and to do its utmost that the matter is thoroughly investigated by the Sri Lankan authorities.” SLMM statement, 30 August 2006.

“The Government also deeply regrets that the Head of SLMM who is charged with an extremely sensitive and responsible task of giving professional and objective observations after due diligent investigation, has rushed to hasty conclusions on what is clearly a most reprehensible attack on these aid workers.” Government of Sri Lanka, statement, 30 August 2006.

Related events
6 November 2006
5 July 2007
6 March 2008
1 April 2008