Thursday, 28 July 2011, 20:08

THE TAMIL CANADIAN ELDERS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere “Martin Luther King Jr.
5310 Finch Ave. East, Unit. 10, Scarborough-On. M1S 5E8, Canada.
Phone No. 416 613 2787, Email: humanrights2611@gmail.com

July 28, 2011.
To,
Hon. Navaneetham Pillay

UN Human Rights Commissioner,

Un Headquarters,

Geneva.

Your Honor,
Sub:- What is the world waiting for, Washed away the whole Tamil race in Sri Lanka?
Continuing its investigations into Sri Lanka’s war crimes, Channel 4 News broadcast Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 interviews with the Sri Lankan army officer and trooper from Brig. Shavendra Silva’s 58 Division. Channel 4’s report concealed their identities.
This is what Brig. Silva, now Sri Lanka’s representative to the UN in New York, told his gathered troops:
“This is a very decisive day for us because last night I got a call from the defense secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He told me that we only have a small chunk of land left to capture. Do whatever it takes- finish it off the way it has to be done."
The officer also told Channel 4: "We received orders from the top to kill some of those who surrendered. All regiments received the orders unofficially – from the top."
Meanwhile, another Sri Lankan soldier with the 58 Division has given an eyewitness account of an orgy of mass murder, rape, torture and mutilation in the final days in which tens of thousands of Tamil civilians perished. "They shot people at random. Stabbed people. Raped them. Cut out their tongues, cut women’s breasts off. I have witnessed this with my own eyes," he said.
Secretary Gotabaya’s order to “"to finish the job by whatever means necessary,” was understood as a license to kill, the soldier said.
Below are extracts from the account of the soldier, referred to in the Channel 4 report by the name ‘Fernando’, of what happened:
"When I look at it as an outsider I think they’re simply brutal beasts. Their hearts are like that of animals, with no sense of humanity.”
"They shoot people at random, stab people, rape them, cut their tongues out, cut women’s breasts off. I have witnessed all this with my own eyes. I have seen small children laying dead," he continued.
"I saw a lot of small children, who were so innocent, getting killed in large numbers. A large number of elders were also killed.
"They were shooting when a large number of civilians were crossing through a lagoon, including women and children. The soldiers were shooting at them. They were not Tiger cadres, just normal civilians. So yes, I saw normal civilians getting killed with my own eyes.
http://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka-war-crimes-soldiers-ordered-to-finish-the-job
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=79&artid=34232
There’s a prima facie evidence, that crimes against humanity in grave breaches of Geneva Convention were committed. They were committed through the principle of command response ability directed by both military and civilian leaders. All of this is sufficient in now triggering a responsibility by the international community to bring to justice to investigate and need be bring to justice these individuals who committed these most heinous crimes.
Thank you.
Yours respectfully
Perampalam Kanapathipillai -  Cordinator
Kumarathasan Rasingam -  Director
Selvarajah Ramupillai – Director
Thiyagarajah Sivasundram – Director
Ms Umadevi Sivasundram – Director
Ms Valthuruthamma Vethanayagam – Director
Vijayakanthan N Swaminathan – Director