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STF pleads `not guilty`
Monday, 25 September 2006 - 4:49 AM SL Time
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Controversy rages on regarding the massacre of 10 Muslims in Pottuvil on September 17, with the government and the LTTE trading allegations as to who carried out the crime. Even before the bodies of the victims were taken to the morgue on Monday the finger of blame was directed towards the Special Task Force for this incident. Many residents of Pottuvil remain convinced that the Officer-in-Charge of the Sastrawela STF detachment was responsible for the slaying of the youth. With this allegation even being made at national level by certain political parties, the STF has vehemently denied the accusation.
The crime scene
For the past two months a group of men were involved in constructing an anicut at the Raddela tank situated several kilometres inland from the Pottuvil-Panama main road. Though initial media reports said that the massacre had occurred near the Sastrawela STF camp it was clear that it was not the case. The camp is situated alongside the main road and is roughly 10 kilometres from the anicut by road and eight kilometres by foot.
The labourers mainly from the Pottuvil area, were in the habit of returning home each day after work. Since there is not a single village between Raddela tank and the main road and the area being infested with elephants, the relatives of the men were worried when they didn`t return home on Sunday evening. Since it was not the practice of these men to remain at the work site, a group of 10 people from Pottuvil travelled to the site and found no sign of their relatives but observed their tractor idling.
Next morning around 5.30 four people in motor bicycles revisited the area in search of their loved ones. ?There I saw a body lying few metres away from the construction site with the throat cut,? says Shahab who went in search of his brother. The four immediately came to the Sastrawela STF camp and informed its OIC, Chief Inspector S.N Gunaratne of the incident. According to the relatives of the deceased the OIC had been reluctant to visit the site which prompted the relatives who had now gathered in numbers to venture to the site by themselves.
A senior STF officer attached to the Sastrawela camp said that they had to take maximum precautions when going in to the jungles and that was the cause of the delay. ?Sir (OIC Gunaratne) is an experienced veteran in counter terrorism and he wouldn`t just run off to a place when someone comes and says there`s a dead body,? said the officer adding that the STF patrol had to take a foot path considering the possibility of an ambush on the uncleared road. When the STF did arrive at the scene of the incident the Pottuvil residents had already collected the bodies and were taking the lone survivor to the hospital. Meera Mohideen, the only person of a group of 11 to survive the massacre is now at the Intensive Care Unit at the Ampara General Hospital and is at the centre of the investigation in to the crime.
`Boxer` factor
The wrath of Pottuvil was directed at the STF due to the actions of a single officer. The OIC of the Sastrawela STF camp was known to the locals as `Boxer`. Being well over six feet tall and having represented Sri Lanka in Boxing at international level, Chief Inspector S.N Gunaratne had a love-hate relationship with the Muslims of Pottuvil.
Immediately after the tsunami, Gunaratne worked tirelessly to provide relief to the affected people in Pottuvil, a fact readily accepted by most residents in the area. ?He even gave his own bed sheets when these people lost everything to the tsunami? says Senior Inspector Dissanayake attached to the Sastrawela STF camp. However the SAF gold-medal winning boxer, Gunaratne became unpopular with the local populace due to his heavy handed dealing with issues. He was instrumental in curbing logging in the Raddela Forest Reserve. This lucrative trade had been going on for years and was mostly ignored by the local police and the Wildlife Officers. However since getting a presidential decree a few months ago to halt this activity, the STF had taken a more proactive role.
The local people however complain about the humiliation they had to undergo when they were caught by Gunaratne with some people even being beaten up by the officer. On the day of the incident Gunaratne`s men had confiscated 17 bullock carts transporting timber from the jungles. According to Potuvil Police a carter is given Rs 18,000 per load of illicit timber by the interested businessmen in the area. The people of the area saw these actions of the STF officer as in excess of his duties since it was the Police which were supposed to take such action. Even more frustrating to the residents of Pottuvil was what they perceived as discrimination when taking legal action against the loggers.
?Why don`t we see anyone from Panama or Lahugala being produced in court?? questions Ramathulla a community leader in the area expressing his anger at the STF officer who he firmly believes discriminates against Muslims. Many Muslims in the area believe that this particular STF officer was involved in the massacre due to some of the harsh statements he had made regarding the people venturing in to the disputed Raddela area. They say Gunaratne warned them a few days before the incident of dire consequences if they returned to Raddela.
Disputed land
The area of Raddela has been a bone of contention between the Sinhala and the Muslim communities with both groups accusing each other of encroaching on jungle land. Raddela was abandoned during the conflict and was reclaimed by mainly Muslim farmers who were in the habit of making temporary shelters during cultivation time and abandoning the area once the crop has been taken in. The adjoining jungle area to the paddy lands at Raddela are frequented by loggers in search of timber. Most of this contraband is transported through the Sastrawela area and are usually apprehended by STF personnel. Some farmers complained that CI Gunaratne was vehemently opposed to Muslims even carrying out cultivation in the Raddela area. He is alleged to have threatened them on several occasions not to encroach into the region. The antagonistic history between the people of the Pottuvil region with STF`s Chief Inspector Gunaratne and some of the statements he is alleged to have made regarding logging and farming in the Raddela area have led most people to be convinced that the STF officer and his men had something to do with the massacre which took place last week.
Investigation
The investigation in to the murders was handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department by the Inspector General of Police. Though the people of Pottuvil remain convinced that the STF was involved in the incident, initial details were suggesting otherwise. The doctor at the Pottuvil Hospital who first received the injured man told The Nation that he spoke to the survivor, Meera Mohideen who was brought in with a severe cut in his throat. ?The man only spoke a few words but he told me that the killers spoke fluent Tamil,? says Dr A.M.M. Issadeen who also carried out the post-mortems on the deceased. According to Dr. Issadeen, the killings had taken place between 11 and 12 midnight on Sunday, September 17. The Police who later transferred the survivor to the Amapara Hospital citing security reasons had earlier denied access to the man. However Police say that he made a statement to the effect that the LTTE carried out the attack.
Meanwhile Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, Rauf Hakeem called for an international investigation into the incident. While there is yet to be any consensus on that matter the CID is carrying out its own investigation. Assistant Superintendent of Police Mewan Silva along with a CID team visited the scene of the crime on September 20. He was of the view that it was too early in the investigation to jump to any conclusions.
Gunaratne denies
?Rauf Hakeem immediately after the tsunami told me with his hands over my shoulder Gunaratne you have become so popular with the people, if you contest an election you will win defeating me,? says Chief Inspector Gunaratne speaking to The Nation. The officer at the centre of the controversy says he is very disappointed with the manner in which the whole incident had been handled and how certain political pressures had resulted in his removal from the area. Gunarathne was removed from command at Sastrawela by IGP Chandra Fernando after the incident. He is yet to be informed whether he is to be transferred or reinstated at Sastrawela.
Asked about the charges, Gunaratne denies these as an attempt by interested parties to get him out of the way in order to carry out their illegal activities without hindrance. The officer explains that on Monday after being informed of the incident he took his time to get to the site since he had to take all measures not to walk into a trap since he was well aware that LTTE members were in the area.
?We had intercepted some LTTE communications on the previous day which suggested there were some LTTE cadres in the region, and I`m positive they were being assisted by one or two people from Pottuvil?. Regarding his alleged discrimination against Muslims Gunaratne points out that he was involved in detecting several illicit timber racketeers from Panama.
Lewke defends his men
Deputy Inspector General of Police Nimal Lewke, Commandant of the Special Task Force has based himself at Arugam Bay since Sunday`s incidents. He is of the view that the STF is being targeted with false propaganda for two main reasons; the timber racket which has been going on for years in this area was being curtailed by the STF after a Presidential decree to do so a couple of months ago. ?Another reason is that the LTTE is getting weak now, and wants to divert attention from their losses? says DIG Lewke who adamantly protests any suggestions that any of his men were involved in the killings. Lewke speaking to The Nation was critical of ?some? politicians trying to score political brownie points during this tragedy. He says that these politicians have ?played to the gallery? rather than looking at the facts.
A fact working against the STF in this matter is an incident which occurred in January this year. In Trincomalee five youth were killed allegedly by a STF team which was sent to the town on special duty. The matter was swept under the carpet and the investigation has not yet yielded any conclusive outcome. The STF which has a better track record compared to other arms of the security forces regarding human rights, lost much of its credibility due to this incident. Even when the facts are on its side as it seems in this case, the STF seemed to be in a position of having to prove itself innocent after being presumed guilty.
Pottuvil unconvinced
Even though initial reports were suggesting the contrary most of the people in Pottuvil remained convinced that the STF was involved in the murders or were at least aware of the culprits. Though the survivor had indicated that the killers were fluent in Tamil many believe that either the STF or home guards carried out the massacre. The head priest of the grand mosque in Pottuvil Adambawa Maulavi called upon the residents of the area to show restraint in the face of the massacre. He was troubled by some news reports which suggested that the Muslims along with the LTTE and timber racketeers wanted CI Gunaratne transferred.
?We have no connection with the LTTE or the timber racketeers. We requested this officer to be transferred since his arbitrary actions were hurting the people,? said the priest`s Sharing the priests views the former Chairman of the Pottuvil Pradeshiya Sabha Kadar Mohideen says that it is only this particular officer the people have a problem with. ?We have no issues with the Police or the STF and we have not forgotten what they have done for the community but the actions of this particular officer in the past has resulted in the people suspecting him to be involved in the incident? says Mohideen.
The forgotten
The only people at Pottuvil who do not have an opinion about who carried out the massacre on September 17 are the immediate relatives of the deceased. For them it does not really matter whether the killers wore shorts or spoke Tamil. As it was the case at Welikanda and Kytes Island a few months ago, the killing of innocent civilians has become a political game rather than a human tragedy. Nazar Anurudin was just 18 when he met his tragic death. The young man was married only for seven months at the time of his death. In the bigger picture of trying to find out who is guilty, even those in the media have forgotten that there is a human toll in this story. We shall move on from Pottuvil after few days or maybe weeks just as we did from Welikanda, Kytes and Kebethigollewa. However Nazar`s 16-year-old wife and his family will most probably remain in their shack on the Pottuvil beach without a breadwinner and anyone to care for them.
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tigeress19
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2005
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25 Sep 2006 14:32:40 GMT Report for Abuse
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SPECIAL TASK FORCE is directly run by the president just like all armed forces in srilanka.
if the STF plead guilty then obviously ,it is like the president has been found guilty of massacre of those innocent civilians.
I URGE THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO INTERVENE AND CONDUCT AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO THIS MATTER.
there were many massacres took place in srilanka upto now and none are brought to book.
it is time the international community save some innocent lives in srilanka from the govt. |
ajan
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 3496
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25 Sep 2006 14:42:56 GMT Report for Abuse
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Tigeres , International community are fooled by sinhala spin doctoring.
Its time muslims joins hands with Tigers and get justice done to you and us.
If you united you are strong , if you divided your enimy is strong.
Sinhala budhas wants tamils to be divided.
we all unite as one identity TAMILS,
sooner the musims community understand this its better,
Sinahlese are trying to separate tamils as different ethnics,
Muslim Tamils
Eastern Tamils
Up Country Tamils
North Tamils
TAMILS MUST UNITE as ONE Undiveded ethnic. that way we can win this war.
Sinahlese idea was first finish eastern tamils,then Northern tamils,then muslims and finally they will finish Up country tamils.
that is the agenda we tamils must not allow to happen.
sinhala racisits have killed over 100,000 tamils. |
tarquin
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25 Sep 2006 17:24:09 GMT Report for Abuse
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STF pleads 'not guilty'
A tall story.
A very very tall story.
A very very very tall story.
A very very very very...tall story by the STF.
Bloody murderous liars.
Edited By - tarquin - 25 Sep 2006 17:25:27 GMT |
Ruwani
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 2537
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25 Sep 2006 17:32:11 GMT Report for Abuse
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TAMILS MUST UNITE as ONE Undiveded ethnic. that way we can win this war.
But what has happened is that, Colombo Tamils, Estate Tamils and Eastern Tamils have all joined hands with the other peace loving Sri Lankans.
It's only the Northern Jaffna Tamil Vellala racists who are isolated. |
slmgr
Joined: Sep 2006
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26 Sep 2006 04:28:35 GMT Report for Abuse
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I doubt if this is Mahinda Chinthanaya or Buddhist Chintanaya? It is obvious from the villagers statement that this has been done by the so called STF and now they are trying to wash their hands. Buddha said don't kill animals. But Buddhists (few culprits/thugs) kill innocent civilians, who are not oppressed in any way to you.Can anyone have any justice for this murderous act?
Edited By - slmgr - 26 Sep 2006 04:29:43 GMT |
velu
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 96
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26 Sep 2006 22:45:37 GMT Report for Abuse
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Tis why i kill muslims!
also karuna tamils, east has no case!
only case my case!
follow tradition of rama, ellala, raja to kill millions of sinhala!
Edited By - velu - 26 Sep 2006 23:08:56 GMT |
nativerights
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 135
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26 Sep 2006 22:55:06 GMT Report for Abuse
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| There is no point for the security forces that had been protecting the extermination of Muslims by Tiger cannibals to kill Muslims near their camp, especially when they have the facilities to do it anywhere. The only people with the motive to do this act of barbarism and have the pedigree are the fascist tigers. There is no point in then saving one and treating him in hospital. The incentive to not use guns is the other clue. This is not something new, even the Muslims know that. The real issue however is the ability of the security forces to protect the Muslim community at all times, not just in areas that we witnessed recently around Muttar. Even there they could not prevent the massacre of over a hundred Muslims but surely the amount was reduced to a 100 due to their brave efforts. We all know of the special love tigers have for Muslims! Excuses were also given by tiger ass lickers in this forum accusing them of jihadis. They have the right to protest if the forces are not providing effective security and if the camp attracts tiger atrocities. The government and the security forces and the republic of Sri Lanka include Muslims. There should be serious and urgent improvement in security measures to build confidence in the community, if not move the camp even though there is room then for the traditional tiger special love! The issue is easy for Tamil-only eelaam, however complex for the security forces and government |
nativerights
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26 Sep 2006 22:56:19 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Wanii tigers are mainly kara, even 'Christian' kara, and some barber. Vellalas don?t like either of them, they believe their even better than their native Tamil-Nadu Tamils, having the majority they are waiting for the right opportunity and the wanni terrorists I believe are willing to honor that? |
Revy
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26 Sep 2006 23:43:20 GMT Report for Abuse
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There is no point for the security forces that had been protecting the extermination of Muslims by Tiger cannibals to kill Muslims near their camp, especially when they have the facilities to do it anywhere.
What point did they have in killing the 17 aid workers? They still did it anyway. |
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