| Violence Isn't Slowing in Sri Lanka |
Tag it:
| Written by Our Correspondent | |
| Wednesday, 03 February 2010 | |
 Repression and fear continue in the wake of President Rajapaksa's snap election win
Despite promises by the Sri Lankan government to ease curbs on civil rights and a new era of reconciliation following its defeat of the Tamil Tigers, human rights and press freedom organizations say little has changed. Repression and state-sponsored violence are continuing in the wake of a convincing victory by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a snap election on Jan. 26 and if anything, anything, threats and intimidation appear to have accelerated, the rights organizations say. Rajapaksa's electoral success was built on the government's crushing defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009, ending a 26-year insurgency by the island's minority Tamil population. The opposition, led by the former Army chief, Sarath Fonseka, has charged that Rajapaksa's landslide victory, by 57.9 percent against 40.1 percent, was characterized by illegal imprisonment and intimidation of opposition figures. In return Rajapaksa accused Fonseka, a former ally, of seeking to organize a coup, and ordered the arrest of some of Fonseka's army colleagues. Fonseka, who called Rajapakse a "tin-pot dictator"and told the media he would scrap the executive presidency within six months, hold parliamentary elections and adopt a new constitution that would "uphold democracy, social justice and media freedoms,"had been endorsed by several opposition parties, principally the United National Party and Janatha Vimukthi Permuna. He rejected the results of the election, which has been called suspicious, and said it would challenge them in court. In the wake of the election, poll monitors and human rights groups including the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission cited counting irregularities, as well as blatant misuse of state resources by the Rajapakse government and intimidation of political opponents. "Very clearly, the question as to whether Sri Lanka is any longer capable of conducting a free and fair election has been raised in this election,"the collective groups said in a statement. "It is not only the electoral process that is under challenge. The very process of receiving, preserving and counting the ballot at the commissioner's office itself is an issue that has been prominently raised." Although the government insisted that the election was free and fair, the United States Department of State has asked for an investigation into the vote fraud charges. Human Right Watch said some 11,000 people remain in indefinite detention in the wake of the civil war, which was notable for savage cruelty on both sides that left 80,000 officially dead and probably lots more and impoverished the island's 21.3 million people. An estimated 400,000 ethnic Tamils have fled the island, according to the CIA Factbook. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of desperate boat people have attempted to sail to Australia. (See A Boatload of Money, October 22, 2009) As many as 30,000 people simply disappeared and presumably were killed at the hands of the government, rights workers say. The Asia Human Rights Commission, in its 2009 report, said that in the wake of the defeat of the Tamil rebels, "what exists in Sri Lanka today is a situation of abysmal lawlessness, resulting in the zero status of citizens. The word 'abysmal' is here used in its ordinary meaning to mean limitless, bottomless, immeasurably bad and wretched to the point of despair. Lawlessness of this sort differs from simple illegality or disregard for law, which to differing degrees can happen anywhere." Journalists have been a major target and violence is nothing new (See Death of a Journalist, Jan. 13, 2009). According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the country ranked eighth in the world for journalist deaths in 2009, with 18 reporters killed in connection with their jobs and another six for reasons that are not clear. Amnesty International Tuesday issued a statement saying that "journalists have disappeared, been arrested or threatened with death and opposition supporters harassed since the Jan. 26 election. Victory against the Tamil Tigers followed by an historic election should have ended political repression in Sri Lanka, but instead we have seen a serious clampdown on freedom of expression," said Madhu Malhotra, Amnesty's Asia-Pacific deputy director. Some 56 journalists reported they face serious threats, including some working for state-run media institutions, according to Amnesty International. The organization called on the government to cease its crackdown on journalists, political activists and human rights defenders. Reporters Without Borders appealed to Rajapaksa to put a stop to arrests and intimidation of journalists working for privately-owned and foreign media. "This wave of post-election violence could cast a lasting stain on the start of President Rajapaksa's second term and bodes ill for the political climate during the coming years,"said Reporters Without Borders. The Centre for Monitoring Election Violence reported more than 85 post-election incidents, including two murders and several assaults, Amnesty International's Malhotra said: "Victory against the Tamil Tigers followed by a historic election should have ended political repression in Sri Lanka but instead we have seen a serious clampdown on freedom of expression. Threats, beatings and arrests mean that Sri Lankan human rights activists live in fear of the consequences of expressing their political opinions." On Jan. 29, Amnesty International said, "police officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) raided the office of newspaper Lanka Irida and arrested chief editor Chandana Sirimalwatte, who remains in detention."Lanka Irida had openly campaigned for Fonseka during the elections. The office was raided again the following day. The government suffered a rare loss Tuesday when the country's Supreme Court ruled that Rajapaksa's new six-year term in office won't begin until Nov. 19. The reason for the decision, which runs against practice in most countries covered either now or previously by Commonwealth law, wasn't given. At the end of the war, according to Amnesty International, more than a quarter million Tamils were placed into government-run camps to be screened for rebel ties as their home villages were cleared of mines. Some 100,000 civilians still live in those camps. Those with suspected Tiger ties are held in separate facilities the government calls "rehabilitation centers." The group also said it was concerned because a lack of information about the fate of detainees raised the possibility that some may have been tortured or mistreated or may have "disappeared."
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email This
Comments
(7)
Why is it so, in a country calling itself Buddhist? Why is it in a state of perpetual political and accomapnying social and economic ferment? What is it that once considered normal practice like the conduct of a peaceful election all being turned on its head? The politicians have a lot to answer for this precipitous decline. But who is to call them to account ? Only the voters can with sensible voting. Else violence and mayhem can never end.
Votes: +0
report abuse
vote down
vote up
this ia not a real election.RAJAPAKSA won this election by regging.if the election free and fair SARATH FONSEKA would have been won.the whole world comunety know about this.now USA have asked to give a report about the election froud.they have to push heard the government to submit as early as possible.EU commetion also must request the same from the government.if RAJAPAKSA says this is a democratic country.ask him to show.sri lanka is not a democretic country.in one period sri lanka was democretic but after RAJAPAKSA came to the power their is no democratic and no justis.all dead.
Votes: +1
report abuse
vote down
vote up
 written by Iyanar , February 03, 2010
Now who are the friends of Mahindha's regime? They are Mianmar, Iran,China and so on..The human rights violators are joined together. It is a dangerous situation for the hapless citizens.Very soon we'll see a militarized regime in Sri Lanka.The foundation has been built on the dead bodies of many hundred thousand Tamils.Unless the responsible IC open its eyes, the situation might be out of control.Justice delayed is justice denied. In Sri Lanka justice had been buried for a long time ago.
Votes: +2
report abuse
vote down
vote up
written by Iyanar , February 03, 2010
Now who are the friends of Mahindha's regime? They are Mianmar, Iran,China and so on..The human rights violators are joined together. It is a dangerous situation for the hapless citizens.Very soon we'll see a militarized regime in Sri Lanka.The foundation has been built on the dead bodies of many hundred thousand Tamils.Unless the responsible IC open its eyes, the situation might be out of control.Justice delayed is justice denied. In Sri Lanka justice had been buried for a long time ago.
Votes: +0
report abuse
vote down
vote up
written by Bandaranaike , February 03, 2010
Poopalapillai cited a massacre in 1992 . Before and after 1992 there have been countless massacres of Tamils by hired Sinhalese thugs and government armed forces for more than five decades.
Votes: +2
Tamils have been deprived of rights from 1948 up to now and there is no end in sight of an end to it in the near future. In the far future there won't be Tamils to masscre. People write comments that make others wonder if they have been living away from this planet for decades. Why was my namesake murdered in 1959? By whom? report abuse
vote down
vote up
written by Poopalapillai , February 03, 2010
The Tamils destroyed the island. With 30 years of war and a terrorist group controlling half the island many right were lost. It's going to take time to undo the damage done by Tamils on the island:
Votes: -1
http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8180000/8180963.stm report abuse
vote down
vote up
written by P_Mahen , February 03, 2010
80,000 is not a number, it is generation which was wiped out. Very sad to see this happened in this modern day where the information is free to flow and the gov managed to keep the rest of the world blind. Those who supported to crush the LTTE should pressure the gov of sri Lanka to put forward a political solution for the Tamil question.
Votes: +0
report abuse
vote down
vote up
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
Alice Poon
| Book About Land and Power in Hong KongFriday, 02 July 2010 | Alice Poon
The Chinese edition of “Land and the Ruling Class in Hong Kong” has finally come to life. The title of the book is “地產霸權” and it is co-published... Full Story |
| Previous posts: |
John Elliott: Riding the Elephant
| From vultures in Delhi, to coups in Pakistan, a journalist's un-edited take on current events |
|
Donate to Asia Sentinel
