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Footage of a summary execution verified by UN human rights body

 

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: war crimes and confused Americans

Published on : 7 June 2011 – 1:23pm | By International Justice Desk (RNW)

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Pressure is building on the Sri Lankan government to investigate war crimes allegedly committed by its military against captured Tamil rebels two years ago.

Video footage purporting to show Sri Lankan army soldiers executing surrendering Tamils forms the basis of a UK Channel 4 documentary shown to the UN’s Human Rights Council last weekend.

Sri Lankan government officials deny the video is authentic, or that there have been any war crimes committed by their military.

Sri Lankan Tamil activists have joined human rights groups in calling for the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to start an investigation into alleged war crimes. But this process can only begin, according to the office of UN Secreatry General Ban Ki Moon, when the "host country [Sri Lanka] consents, or [following] a decision from [UN] member states through an appropriate intergovernmental forum".

American inconsistency

One appropriate forum could be the very UN Human Rights Council which, at an informal meeting, saw the tape at the weekend. But before the subject can even make it onto the Council’s agenda, a member state needs to make a good case for its inclusion.

That prospect has been undermined by the United States’ departments of State and Defence, which have contradicting each other on the issue – the former saying it was "deeply concerned" by alleged Sri Lankan war crimes, the latter questioning the credibility of those accusations.

Long and winding road

If the issue ever did get through the UN Human Rights Council, it would still need to get past the veto-wielding five permanent member states of the UN Security Council before being referral to the ICC and a formal investigation begun.

The allegations of atrocities on both sides are credible – the number of western nations expressing grave concern at the evidence make them so.

What presents a serious problem according to Sri Lankan Groundviews journalist Sanjana Hattotuwa is a lack of credibility in the government’s approach to investigating war crimes.

“When a shorter version of the Channel 4 video was shown in 2009… the government appointed a four-member panel to look into it, two of whom were from the army. Now you just can’t do that because part of the allegations is against the army itself.”

For Hattotuwa, failure to address the questions now being raised more loudly by the UN are vital to Tamils and Sinhalese alike.

"Justice needs to be seen to be done as much as it is done… and if we do not address this it could lead to discontent, and years down the line, another war. And none of us wants that".

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Discussion

Shiva 7 June 2011 – 9:06pm / Canada

Independent International Investigation into human rights abuses and war crimes must be conducted and the criminals must be punished according to the Law.

There is no Rule of Law in Sri Lanka, the Rajapakse regime is similar to the Pol Pot regime of Cambodia, does not allow independent journalists, media, NGOs, Human Rights groups, diplomats and others to have access to Tamil areas and report independently. There is transparancy and no investmentgation of crimes committed as this regime is responsible for attrocities, human rights abuses and war crimes.

The International community should not waste anymore time or delay in taking action. Bush took a firm action against Serbia to bring the war criminals to justice and this is the best method for Sri Lanka as well as this regime contines to defy international norms and community.

Anonymous 7 June 2011 – 9:16pm

The attempt to invoke comparison with the Pol Pot regime is ludicrous. No need to embellish your argument with absurd references.

Shan 7 June 2011 – 8:07pm

LTTE diasspora anthem …

Wanakam Wankam
We contributed monies, to our Tamil Fighters,
They used the monies, and killed Tamil Traitors
With the excess funds, killed thousands of Sinhalese and Muslims.

Aha aha aha

Then we sent more money, and tamil fighters used it abroad
To kill none other than Rajiv Gandhi ….. Dhanu Dhanu
But long before that killed so many in Sri Lanka
Including Sri Lankan President Premadasa ….. Babu Babu Babu

Aha aha

Then our terrorists, oops I meant the freedom fighters
Became deranged together with the fat pig ass
We continued to fund, tamil terrorists continued to kill and kill
Until all of them got killed in the process

Oh no oh nooooo

Before the tamil terrorists got killed, they held innocent civilians as hostages
Though we are referred to as tigers, we were really chickens
We shot when the hostages escaped,
And when we tried to escape, we got killed too.

Boo Booo

Now we sing this song, which goes like this
War Crimes, we committed day and night
But now we got amnesia,
So we watch the same stupid video day and night.

Peelam Peelam Peelam

Roshan De Silva 7 June 2011 – 7:55pm / UK

There were JUST 18 Sinhalese in 1837, according to the BRITISH CARRIED OUT FIRST CENSUS report in 1837, and there just 286 Sinhala WORKERS lived in 1948, according to Srilankan Census in the ENTIRE NORTH AND EAST called Eelam but now almost 1 million Sinhalese COLONISED in the East(Amparai, Batticola, Trincomallee, etc), North West(Puttlam, Chilapam, now in Mannar), North East(Manal Aru, Nayaru, Kokillai, etc)- those were Tamil areas wiith 90% Tamils and 10% Mulsims in 1948 but now Tamils and Muslims become minorites in their own areas thanks to Srilankan systematic Ethnic Cleansing since 1948.

LTTE IS THE SYMPTOM of the CAUSE OF NAKED SINHELLA TERRORIST RACISM by EACH AND EVERY SRILANKAN GOVERNMENT.
First SinHella racist Srilanka ethnically cleansed Tamils mainly and Musllims from East under the pretext of development and colonised 100% Sinhalese and chanhed the Tamil name of the city to SinHella Name KALLOYA in 1948, in 1998, all SinHella polticians and the Monks( behave like SKIN HEAD TERRORISTS) celeberated the 50th Anniversary of the First Ethnic Cleansing of minorities.
After 1948 to 1978 – almost three decades UNTIL FRUSTRATED Tamils created LTTE to counter the SinHella racist terrorism unleashed by Srilankan governments against unarmed Tamil civilians in 1948, there were several massacres and mass killings of Tamils and Muslims by each and every Srilankan governments. For Example- 1948, 1956, 1958, 1967 and 1977 massive killings of Tamils and Muslims nation wide by the Srilankan so called security forces and paramilitaries despite there was no LTTE and Tamils tried ONLY peaceful and democratic ways to get proper Autonomy to Tamil Nation as EXISTED before the British joined our Tamil Nation with Sinhala nation without our consent just 164 years ago.

Senerath 7 June 2011 – 8:33pm

I am sure the so called Roshan De Silva’s Tamil parents must be regretting and cursing about the hole in the condom ! A horrendous mistake for the mankind.

LOL !

Meera 7 June 2011 – 8:17pm

The so called "Roshan De Silva" is a Tamil, who is ashamed to give his tamil name for the crimes committed by the Tamil Terrorists. BUSTED.

Meera 7 June 2011 – 8:12pm

Please come in about 10 years, and do the census. LOL LOL

Roshan De Silva 7 June 2011 – 7:53pm / UK

Well, What a WEIRD BUNCH OF HYPOCRITES you Sinhala racists are,
Srilanka so far killed more than 10,000 Tamil children. Even Srilanka bombed them in school while they play, while they study, while they are at home, etc, etc but how many girls or children used by the LTTE??
Most of the statistics COOKED up the Srilanka by abducting Tamil children and locked up torture camps like BINDUNUWEAVA and butcher them whenever they wanted to revenge on Tamils,
What happened to the 27 Tamil Kids abducted by Srilankan police and locked them in BINDUNUWEAVA and shown them as LTTE Child Soldiers, saved by the Srilanka, and BUTCHERED them like BUTCHERS in MEAT SHOPS and the remaining survivors still locked up to hide the truth.
So many incidents like the Srilankan barbarism against Tamil kids but you hypocrites still blame the LTTE without any logic or eveidence.
LTTE called for UN MONITORS but who refused Srilanka, if Srilanka and U blame alll on LTTE, WHy not allow UN MONITORS????????//
LTTE called for international impartial investigations into all killings of civilians in the island since 1948 to date but Who refusing still while blaming all on LTTE, u and Srilanka,
If u don’t have anything to hide and blame all on LTTE, why LTTE welcoming UN Monitors and Investigations but SRILANKA REFUSED to do so????????
Easy to blame LTE wthout allowing Independent journalists, NGOs, UN and imaprtial investigations but very difficult to justify the SRILANKAN GENOCIDE OF TAMILS without those

Roshan De Silva 7 June 2011 – 7:51pm / UK

Srilanka declared that SRILANKA ONLY FOR SINHALESE.

Who are terrorists in the island called Srilanka?

Srilankan security forces and paramilitaries with Sinhala criminals killed more than 150,000 Tamils and Muslims so far since 1948 to date and still continuing with nobody punished yet.
Srilanka started Ethnic Cleansing of Tamils and Muslims in 1948 as soon as the British left the island.
There were JUST 18 Sinhalese in 1837, according to the BRITISH CARRIED OUT FIRST CENSUS report in 1837, and there just 286 Sinhala WORKERS lived in 1948, according to Srilankan Census in the ENTIRE NORTH AND EAST called Eelam but now almost 1 million Sinhalese COLONISED in the East(Amparai, Batticola, Trincomallee, etc), North West(Puttlam, Chilapam, now in Mannar), North East(Manal Aru, Nayaru, Kokillai, etc)- those were Tamil areas wiith 90% Tamils and 10% Mulsims in 1948 but now Tamils and Muslims become minorites in their own areas thanks to Srilankan systematic Ethnic Cleansing since 1948.

LTTE IS THE SYMPTOM of the CAUSE OF NAKED SINHELLA TERRORIST RACISM by EACH AND EVERY SRILANKAN GOVERNMENT.
First SinHella racist Srilanka ethnically cleansed Tamils mainly and Musllims from East under the pretext of development and colonised 100% Sinhalese and chanhed the Tamil name of the city to SinHella Name KALLOYA in 1948, in 1998, all SinHella polticians and the Monks( behave like SKIN HEAD TERRORISTS) celeberated the 50th Anniversary of the First Ethnic Cleansing of minorities.
After 1948 to 1978 – almost three decades UNTIL FRUSTRATED Tamils created LTTE to counter the SinHella racist terrorism unleashed by Srilankan governments against unarmed Tamil civilians in 1948, there were several massacres and mass killings of Tamils and Muslims by each and every Srilankan governments. For Example- 1948, 1956, 1958, 1967 and 1977 massive killings of Tamils and Muslims nation wide by the Srilankan so called security forces and paramilitaries despite there was no LTTE and Tamils tried ONLY peaceful and democratic ways to get proper Autonomy to Tamil Nation as EXISTED before the British joined our Tamil Nation with Sinhala nation without our consent just 164 years ago.

Senaka 7 June 2011 – 7:51pm / Canada

Any Sri Lankan, worth his salt, would have been able to discern the Tamil accented Sinhala that is been spoken by the so-called "soldiers" in this tape. Of course, no foreign "expert", would have been able to understand this subtle difference.

Roshan De Silva 7 June 2011 – 7:49pm / UK

Srilanka killed 250,000 innocent Tamil civilians including more than 10,000 kids while LTTE killed more than 50,000 Sinhala terrorists occupy and kill our Tamils, WHO ARE THE TERRORISTS IN THE ISLAND WHERE LTTE CALL FOR UN MONITORS AND IMPARTIAL INVESTIGATIONS INTO ALL KILLINGS OF CIVILIANS WHILE SRILANKA REFUSE TO ALLOW UN MONITORS AND SABOTAGE INVESTIAGTIONS INCLUDING THOSE ORGANISED BY SRILANKAN GOVERNMENT ITSELF SUCH AS IIGEP.
WHO ARE TERRORISTS IN THE ISLAND????????
OPEN TO ANY SANE PERSON.

Ahamad 7 June 2011 – 8:25pm

Ahh one TAMIL terrorist escaped, now living with a SINHALESE name !!! LOL :) )

250,000 ??? You sure it is ONLY 250,000 … COME ON NEXT TIME SAY 500,000 !!

We have enough monitors in our estuaries, hence don’t need UN monitors to pollute our waters !!!

WHO WERE THE TERRORISTS IN SRI LANKA ? ANSWER IT WAS THE LTTE TERRORISTS.

Roshan De Silva 7 June 2011 – 7:45pm / UK

If Srilanka justify their war against the so called LTTE terrorists, Why not allow the UN to investigate fully to put the remaining LTTE into jails and destroy the foreign LTTE members also??????Srilankan Genocide racist regime and their supporters cannot talk both ways, EIther Srilanka accept Genocide of 146,000 Tamils in 2009 alone or allow UN to investigate fully impartially to jail whoever done any war crimes and crimes against humanity. If Srilanka really don’t have anything to hide, Srilanka would have done so but Srilanka know well that Srilankan military used CHEMICAL BOMBS, CLUSTER BOMBS and STARVATION to kill almost 150,000 Tamils in 2009 alone and killed 250,000 Tamils since 1948 to date and still doing so without allowing even the UN into Tamil areas.

Roshan De Silva 7 June 2011 – 7:43pm / UK

If Srilanka justify their war against the so called LTTE terrorists, Why not allow the UN to investigate fully to put the remaining LTTE into jails and destroy the foreign LTTE members also??????Srilankan Genocide racist regime and their supporters cannot talk both ways, EIther Srilanka accept Genocide of 146,000 Tamils in 2009 alone or allow UN to investigate fully impartially to jail whoever done any war crimes and crimes against humanity. If Srilanka really don’t have anything to hide, Srilanka would have done so but Srilanka know well that Srilankan military used CHEMICAL BOMBS, CLUSTER BOMBS and STARVATION to kill almost 150,000 Tamils in 2009 alone and killed 250,000 Tamils since 1948 to date and still doing so without allowing even the UN into Tamil areas.

Senaka 7 June 2011 – 7:42pm / Canada

Any Sri Lankan would be able to discern the Tamil accented Sinhala that is spoken by the so-called "soldiers" in this tape. Of course,the so-called "experts" of foreign nationality would not have been able to understand this subtle difference.

Roshan De Silva 7 June 2011 – 7:42pm / UK

If Srilanka justify their war against the so called LTTE terrorists, Why not allow the UN to investigate fully to put the remaining LTTE into jails and destroy the foreign LTTE members also??????Srilankan Genocide racist regime and their supporters cannot talk both ways, EIther Srilanka accept Genocide of 146,000 Tamils in 2009 alone or allow UN to investigate fully impartially to jail whoever done any war crimes and crimes against humanity. If Srilanka really don’t have anything to hide, Srilanka would have done so but Srilanka know well that Srilankan military used CHEMICAL BOMBS, CLUSTER BOMBS and STARVATION to kill almost 150,000 Tamils in 2009 alone and killed 250,000 Tamils since 1948 to date and still doing so without allowing even the UN into Tamil areas.

Wasantha Wijewardane 7 June 2011 – 6:29pm / Sri Lanka

Well said Robert. Well, could not it be that tamil tigers dressed in Sri Lankan Army fatigues, killing captured army personnel, while speaking in sinhala. Nothing was impossible for them.

Robert_2011 7 June 2011 – 7:13pm / London

Tamil tigers, was described by the FBI as the world’s most ruthless terrorist organization. They used propaganda in UK, to collect funds from tamil sympathizers. This is merely, an extension of this propaganda too.

The tamil tigers, may even have abducted innocent civilians and killed them while wearing the fatigues of the Sri Lankan Army.

My point is, any buffoon who uses a video such as this and to make it the basis for alleged war crimes, really need to see a psychiatrist very soon. What dunce they are.

These very same individuals should watch Battle: Los Angeles (also known as Battle: LA and World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles, and formerly known as Battle for Los Angeles) is a 2011 military science fiction war film directed by Jonathan Liebesman, and starring Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Peña, Ne-Yo, Ramon Rodriguez, and Bridget Moynahan. The film is set in modern day Los Angeles and follows a platoon of U.S. Marines during a global alien invasion, who are joined by an Airman and some Army infantry. The events of the film are inspired by the Battle of Los Angeles, a supposed World War II air raid of the city which turned out to be a false alarm caused by several unidentified flying objects.

Will they also believe in Aliens and UFO’s in Los Angeles ?????? If not, high time they stopped behaving like imbeciles, and relying on this stupid video. Seriously.

Roshan De Silva 7 June 2011 – 7:44pm / uk

If Srilanka justify their war against the so called LTTE terrorists, Why not allow the UN to investigate fully to put the remaining LTTE into jails and destroy the foreign LTTE members also??????Srilankan Genocide racist regime and their supporters cannot talk both ways, EIther Srilanka accept Genocide of 146,000 Tamils in 2009 alone or allow UN to investigate fully impartially to jail whoever done any war crimes and crimes against humanity. If Srilanka really don’t have anything to hide, Srilanka would have done so but Srilanka know well that Srilankan military used CHEMICAL BOMBS, CLUSTER BOMBS and STARVATION to kill almost 150,000 Tamils in 2009 alone and killed 250,000 Tamils since 1948 to date and still doing so without allowing even the UN into Tamil areas.

Ravi 7 June 2011 – 6:03pm

TAMIL LTTE ASSHOLES FOR 30 YEARS GAVE MONEY TO THE TAMIL TERRAS – NO PEEELAM AND THE FAT PIG AND HIS GOONS ALL DIED.

TAMIL LTTE JOBLESS ASSHOLES, CAN NOW JUMP UP AND DOWN IN STREET CORNERS FOR ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING – WE DON’T GIVE A $H!T

Sri Lankan 7 June 2011 – 5:46pm

Those who support the tamil terrorists and having selective amnesia, please find below the link which gives the details of some of the killings carried out by your ‘darling’ tamil terrorists since 1975.

http://ltteterrorists.wetpaint.com/page/History+of+LTTE+Terrorist+Atroci…

We are sorry, this link does not contain all the killings carried out by the tamil terrorists.

Sri Lankan 7 June 2011 – 5:16pm

For easy reference, please check the below mentioned site, to read the names of tamils killed by the Tamil terrorists …there are many more tamils and others who were killed by the tamil terrorists, thanks to the contributions made by the LTTE diaspora to the terrorists.

http://ltteterrorists.wetpaint.com/page/Prominent+Tamils+killed+by+the+T….

High time, the LTTE diaspora did any of the following:-

1 Bite the cyanide capsule;
2. Wear the suicide jacket and pull the cord while alone in the toilet;
3. Go in a suicide boat and ram into a rock in the middle of the ocean;
4. Take a ride in a suicide plane, and nose dive to their own home without harming the neighbours.

If the LTTE diaspora was able to contribute monies to the LTTE terrorists to do the above and in the process kill innocent civilians, they should equally do it themselves, of course without harming anyone else, other than themselves !!!!!

Anonymous 7 June 2011 – 9:29pm

Well said sir…

Grim Reaper 7 June 2011 – 4:46pm / SL

It is time to get B52s out – no precision weapons please – they are too expensive to be wasted on savages.

Anonymous 7 June 2011 – 4:46pm / us

1st investigate war crimes in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, then COME BACK !!

Nilanka 7 June 2011 – 5:01pm

Well said.

Till that happens, let the LTTE diaspora, much on some cyanide !!!

Senaka 7 June 2011 – 4:44pm

Tamil terrorists killed tamils and others, for tamil peelam stupid cause, with money given by the tamil terrorist supporters.

sril 7 June 2011 – 4:19pm / Canada

the whole reason why LTTE was branded as terrorist is the exact thing what the sri lankan government have been accused with proof. if LTTE is terrorist then SLG is the same.

Sunimal 7 June 2011 – 4:30pm

Sri Lanka Forces killed tamil terrorists, LTTE just like how they killed sinhala terrorists, JVP. In eradicating both kinds of terrorists, innocent civilians died, which happens the world over when combating terrorists. e.g., Irag, Afganistan, Pakistan.

Tamil terrorists killed innocent civilians over a 30 year period.

That is the difference between Sri Lanka and Tamil Terrorists.

LTTE di"ass"pora, can go rot in hell for funding the tamil terrorists.

sril 7 June 2011 – 6:13pm / Canada

JVP might be terrorist, as for LTTE they were in existence since 1983, can any sinhales tell the world why they have killed somany innocent tamils in 1956, 1957, 1958 1977 and 1983 when there was no so called terrorisam.
LTTE was born out of despration against the sinhales etnic cleansing

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