No Secret Detention Camps Now: FM Mangala Samaraweera

December 6, 2015

The former Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is the one who invited the UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances to visit Sri Lanka, says the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera.

Mangala Samaraweera -Minister of External Affairs

Responding to a question raised by Member of Parliament Douglas Devananda in parliament on the 3rd of December, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera said “as you are aware, this Government carried out a decision taken by the former Government in January 2013 to invite the UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances to visit Sri Lanka. In a letter dated 21 January 2013, the former Secretary of Defence, Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has conveyed to the Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (External Affairs at the time) that the Ministry of Defence has no objection to an invitation being extended to the Working Group to visit Sri Lanka, and that the timing of the extension of the invitation should be decided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”.

Refuting the claim of allegations Minister Samaraweera went on to say the present government carried out the invitation of the former Secretary of Defense and that there are no secret detention camps operating under the new government. “Despite the misinformation that some of the Members of this House may try to propagate, the visit to the Navy Base by the Members of the Working Group proved to those both within the country and outside the country who allege that there are still secret detention centres in operation in this site, that there are no such detention centres in existence anymore in the Navy Base in Trincomalee” he said.

CID investigations will continue Foreign Minister Samaraweera said.

We publish below the speech in full.

Hon. Speaker,

I rise to respond to the questions raised by the Hon. Douglas Devananda.

First I would like to thank the Hon. Member of Parliament for the questions that he has raised, which relate to issues of importance for the realization of the vision for reconciliation and durable peace that the National Unity Government, led by President Sirisena and Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, are committed to achieve.

The questions relate mainly to issues of land release, detainees under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, alleged secret detention centres, the tragic suicide of a student from Kopai last week and implications of these issues to achieving reconciliation.                                                 Read More