Orchestrated efforts suspected in silencing war witnesses

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 March 2010, 05:22 GMT]
Some recent 'abductions' of Eezham Tamil refugees who have come to Tamil Nadu after the war may have connections to orchestrated efforts in silencing war crime witnesses, allege informed media circles in Chennai. Within the last one month, a special group of people, released from the detention camps of Colombo, was sent to Tamil Nadu to carry out certain specific tasks, the sources said adding that the group includes some former LTTE members of key positions and those who were employed in the former Tamil Eelam civil administration, including the police.

The group is engaged in gathering information about key LTTE members, who have fled the island, and in establishing contact with refugees and health workers having firsthand knowledge about war crimes committed by Colombo's armed forces.

Recently, a doctor, having knowledge of war crimes was abducted in Tamil Nadu, allegedly by some belonging to the said group, accompanied by Indian intelligence operatives, the Tamil Nadu media sources further revealed.

Last year, the whole world watched with bewilderment how Colombo silenced the five doctors, the key witnesses to its war crimes, after being emboldened by the abetment of India, China and others in bailing it out from condemnation at the UN Human Rights Council.

A few days back, some people in Mannaar were interrogated by Sri Lankan military, which accused them of registering details about war crimes with diaspora activists visiting India.

There seems to be an ongoing orchestrated effort involving 'governments' exploiting former LTTE members in captivity in erasing evidences of war crimes, alleged the Tamil Nadu media sources.

Meanwhile, even governments and agencies in the West have not so far come out with any active help in protecting or in providing safe passage to real key civilian witnesses of war, ranging from health workers to media people. They languish burdened by their knowledge, commented activists engaged in compiling war crimes in the West.