A voice raised for the 60,000 people who were killed including Wijeweera
Sep 20, 2015
Political analysts point out the importance of forming a fact finding commission to the civil struggle conducted by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna during the middle of 80’s which killed nearly 60,000 people. Chitranganie Wijeweewa wife of the founder of JVP Rohana Wijeweera has already lodged a complaint to the Sri Lanka Police about her husband’s death. Political analysts say that it would be appropriate to hold a commission to investigate the people who died during the struggle.
Although 26 years has elapsed following the murder of Rohana Wijeweera nobody has demanded an investigation for the crime committed. Major Janaka Perera and his team were able to arrest Rohana Wijeweera who disguised himself as a tea superintendent in an area in Ulapane on 12th November 1989. Later he was produced to the then defense minister Ranjan Wijerathna and decided to execute the latter. Then reports stated that he was shot inside the Borella cemetery and burnt alive.
Recently his wife lodged a complaint to the police headquarters about her husband Nandasiri Wijeweera alias Rohana Wijeweera’s arrest and murder. Following taking a statement IGP Ilangakoon has advised her to lodge the complaint to the CID office in Colombo. Reports reaching us conforms she has made a complaint to the Colombo Crime Division.
However JVP following the entry in to active politics in 1994 has never demanded a fact finding commission or an alternative solution for the murder of its leader, the killing of its 60,000 party members, relatives and citizens who were not involved for this conflict but affected. On the 17th of this month the JVP urged the government to establish a Truth Commission for the people who were killed in the northern conflict. JVP’s national list MP lawyer Upul Kumaarapperuma stressed an opinion to present a bill in the parliament for the people in the north who were affected for the past 30 years due to war and for all people who underwent severe hardship during the war to present their grievances, to learn the truth and to provide relief for the people affected in order to promote national unity and reconciliation and to establish a fact finding commission. (Truth and Reconciliation Commission).
On the 16th of this month the UNHRC released a report about the investigation conducted against Sri Lanka for the complaints received about the violations of human rights and war crimes during the northern conflict. The report would campaign a fact finding commission, exercise equitable justice to the people affected, paying compensation and actions taken for none the recurrence of a similar incident.
Based on Citranganie Wijeweera’s complaint political analysts have shown that there is a space opened to establish a Truth Commission to ascertain what happened during the 1987-89 period. By exercising this there is an opportunity to find the truth about the murders of Vijaya Kumarathunga, Daya Pathirana, Nandana Marasinghe, Premakeerthi De Alvis, Themis Guruge and Sagarika Gomes alleged to be committed by the rebels. Political analysts stress on this context there would be spaces opened for discussions and take relevant measures to prevent a recurrence of an unpleasant happening again.
In order to release the security forces from crimes committed a bill “releasing from accountability“ was presented to the parliament in 1987 and all members of the security forces guilty of crimes were released . However currently there is an effort on the way to pardon the crimes conducted by the security forces during the northern conflict. It would be the responsibility of the current government to find the truth and prevent such a recurrence happening in the north or in the south for the crimes conducted by the deployment of official and unofficial armies.
Wijeweera’s family abandoned
Meantime the Sri Lanka navy has told the wife and the children’s of Wijeweera family in writing to leave the house they were residing inside the Welisara naval base. The family has to vacate the house by October 1st. After the arrest and murder of Rohana Wijeweera, following a request made by the government to surrender, Rohana Wijeweera’s wife and five children’s (She was pregnant during the time) surrendered to the government and kept inside the Ganemulla army camp. Later the family was transferred to the Trincomalee naval camp and following many hardships for so many years they were again transferred to the naval camp in Welisara in 1999. Last February 26th the navy commander has announced the Wijeweera family to leave and vacate the house they were living in the navy camp.
So far nobody has come forward to help the Wijeweera family which underwent many insults, hindrances and insecure for the past 26 years and recognized that there is no secure place for them to go.
The Wijeweera family and his children’s has requested the current government to facilitate them to live in a foreign country in order to resolve the problematic situation for them to live in Sri Lanka. Although the family has made a written request to the foreign minister on the 20th of March 2015 so far there is no response. Mrs. Wijeweera has stated the hindrances she and her family underwent for the past 26 years and the education problems her bright children’s went through, in the long letter she wrote to the foreign minister. She has said that due to the unjust conducted by her husband and the JVP her children’s were alleged and criticized for so many years. She said her children’s are not responsible for the hindrances committed by the JVP. She further said there are no allegations against the JVP leaders for the hindrances they caused but unfortunately her children’s have to suffer. She said the JVP has never involved in freeing her children’s and alleged the JVP trying to take political advantage using her children’s.
- Sathhanda
Translated by Ali Asgar
