Liam-Fox-and-Rajapakse-2

Hon. Liam Fox MP

The Secretary of Defence

 

Dear Mr. Fox

Re: Mr. Fox please don’t go to Sri Lanka at this time

In the light of mounting evidence of executions with new “damning’ details”, that war crimes were committed in Sri Lanka with some of the perpetrators now known, and the “UN called upon to act” we strongly believe that it would not be prudent for you to go to Sri Lanka, at this time. Unless the Sri Lankan government and President Mahinda Rajapakse come clean with the truth of what happened in the war in Sri Lanka and are willing to submit themselves, to proper scrutiny by agreeing to an international independent investigation, as called for by your Prime Minister and highly respected members of the ‘civil society’ the world over, please don’t go to Sri Lanka – even if it be a private visit to deliver a lecture.

Up until this time Mahinda Rajapakse has categorically denied the serious allegations against him, his government and armed forces although incriminating evidence has shown otherwise. The responsibility for the crimes must fall squarely on Mahinda Rajapakse, further validation to this effect has come from US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Patricia Butenis who has said in her cables to the US government that “President Mahinda Rajapakse bears much of the responsibility, along with his government, generals and some of his family for the mass killings that marked the end of the war with the Tamil Tigers….”

By going you would be seriously undermining the cause for ‘Justice’ for the people who perished in Sri Lanka and ignoring evidence now described by Julian Knowles of Matrix Chambers “as astonishing” of a type he had only seen “a handful of times” showing the mass killing of civilians or unarmed combatants which he says, is a “serious war crime” and that the “UN must act”.

As a Tamil, as a woman and as a mother, I make this plea on behalf of all the outraged women and mothers of the world. It has come to be known that evidence with ‘damning details’ of Isaippriya’s killing has been established. Isaippriya, the woman now identified as one of the women who was bound, undressed and sexually assaulted before being shot dead in the video, Channel 4 News released earlier. The “damning details” of “the date of her death and the soldiers who killed her are both listed on the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence website, fixing the date of the video more accurately and indicating which troops were active at that time.” I am sure as a man, as a son, a husband, and father you are outraged as we are at the appalling way the “women have been treated by these psychopaths not soldiers who are beasts not men of valour.”

We believe the massacre that happened amounts to war crimes, crimes against humanity and also genocide as it was allegedly presided over by the president with his full knowledge and orders and cannot be hidden anymore.  Channel 4 News has previously reported “that a senior officer and a frontline soldier have spoken to them about the ruthless nature of their task and that both Tamil fighters and civilians were executed after surrendering and that their orders came from the top.” These allegations must surely be investigated by an independent body.

If nothing else, considering the position you are holding as the Secretary of Defence for the United Kingdom, in charge of your troops, you must indeed be proud of your soldiers and wouldn’t want to create the slightest impression in their minds that you are going to Sri Lanka despite the damning evidence, creating a notion that it’s alright to kill civilians and unarmed combatants and behave the way the Sri Lankan troops have behaved. This is a message you don’t want to give your troops.

If you go, you will be also sending the wrong message to Mahinda Rajapakse and his men and women. The fundamental principle of most legal systems is the presumption of innocence, referred to in Latin Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat – meaning “innocent until proven guilty”. Mahinda Rajapakse should know that it would be up to a tribunal established for this purpose by the UN to ultimately decide if he and his men and women are guilty or not of war crimes. If as Mahinda Rajapakse claims they are innocent, there shouldn’t be a problem for him to submit to scrutiny.

Much would rest on your decision as to what message you want to send Sri Lanka.

Mr. Fox please don’t go to Sri Lanka at this time.

Yours truly,

Sri B Sri-Skanda-Rajah Ph D (Cantab).

Usha S Sri-Skanda-Rajah

Toronto

Canada

NB

It is our humble opinion that you can still deliver the Lakshman Kadirgamar lecture, in the UK.

Please see some links to evidence we hope will be persuasive.

Sri Lanka: The Hidden Massacre

http://www.mefeedia.com/watch/29498116

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6383449.ece

Slaughter in Sri Lanka:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article6382706.ece

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article6276147.ece

Sri Lanka never killed any civilians as such

http://www.tamildaily.net/2010/12/02/sri-lanka-never-killed-any-civilians-as-such-rajapaksa-tells-the-times/

Actual short video footage showing Killings by Sri Lanka Army of unidentified Tamils – by courtesy of TamilNet

http://www.tamilnet.com/img/publish/2009/08/killings_by_SLA.3gp

“Kill everybody and finish them off”: Orders came from the top

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdFKlQT_Ta8&feature=related

Miliband in stand-up row with Sri Lanka defence minister over civilian deaths

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6197466.ece

Sri Lanka execution video: new war crimes claims – Channel 4 News exposes longer video which suggests Tamil women were bound, undressed and sexually assaulted before they were shot dead:

http://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka-execution-video-new-war-crimes-claims

Actual unedited version of long video: viewer’s discretion advised

www.lobbyforpeace.com

(With my apologies to Isaippriya for including this gruesome un-edited video – Isaippriya a television reporter, a non- combatant, who has been identified as one of the Tamil women in the video who was allegedly gang raped and killed by Sri Lankan troops)

Getting away with Genocide: Headlines Today – in association with India Today: “In Isaippriya the clamor for justice found a definitive face, a Tamil Television Journalist, an unarmed non combatant, stripped and in all probability gang raped and shot with her hands tied at the back.”

http://headlinestoday.intoday.in/site/headlines_today/ProgrammesShow?catName=Ground%20Zero&video=0&counter=null&contentId=121916&catId=45

Channel 4 News can name a woman journalist as one of the victims in the Sri Lanka execution video along with damning new details of the date and location where the video was filmed.

http://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka-war-crimes-video-womans-body-identified

A leading war crimes lawyer tells Channel 4 News the video apparently showing men taking part in executions in Sri Lanka is “astonishing evidence” and the United Nations must act.

http://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka-video-is-astonishing-evidence