Frederikshavn d. 7.02.98
Til medierne og behjertede mennesker videresendes hermed en ny Amnesty-udtalelse samt en
kommentar i forlængelse heraf af Arne Hansen, medlem af Landsforeningen af Danske
Flygtningevenner.
On Wed, 4 Feb 1998 10:38:10 -0500, Amnesty International <amnesty@oil.ca> wrote:
>* News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International *
>AI INDEX: ASA 37/2/98
>3 FEBRUARY 1998
>
>Sri Lanka: Government forces kill eight civilians - justice needed now
>
>Today's report that eight Tamil civilians, including three teenagers, were
>deliberately shot at close range by police and home guards at Tampalakamam
>on 1 February is deplorable, Amnesty International declared.
>
> The human rights organization is calling on the Sri Lankan authorities
> to take all necessary action to ensure those responsible are brought to
>justice.
>
> "This incident is reminiscent of the killing by army and home guards
>of 24 civilians, including 13 children, two years ago in the same area and
>still the suspects have not been punished," the organization said. "It is
>important that the alleged perpetrators are taken into custody as quickly
>as possible so they are not able to intimidate witnesses."
>
> Among those killed were six people attending a house warming party in
>a house near the police post at Pokkuruni, a hamlet of Tampalakamam,
>Trincomalee district. Around 6.30am, around 20 police and home guards who
>appeared drunk reportedly took the victims, including two brothers as young
> as 13 and 17, inside the police post and shot them in the compound. They
>later went from house to house and beat up villagers. Soon after, two other
> villagers were killed near the church at Puddukudiruppu, another hamlet of
> Tampalakamam.
>
> Initially, the Kantalai police were apparently pressuring families to
>sign statements claiming that those killed were members of the Liberation
>Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) or that they were killed by the LTTE, an armed
> opposition group fighting for an independent state in the north and east
>of the country.
>
> A report on national television news yesterday also stated that six
>members of the LTTE were killed during a "confrontation" at Tampalakamam.
>After an intervention by high-ranking officials, however, the bodies were
>taken to Trincomalee hospital where post-mortem examinations revealed that
>all victims died as a result of shooting at close range.
>
> The officer-in-charge of Kantalai police station reportedly confirmed
>at a magisterial inquiry today that police and home guards were responsible
> for the killings. However, to Amnesty International's knowledge, none of
>those alleged to be responsible have been arrested. According to some
>reports, they have been transferred to Kantalai police station where they
>continue to be on active duty.
>
> The inquest is scheduled to continue on 6 February. The magistrate has
> reportedly indicated that an identification parade will be held. Several
>witnesses claim they can identify some of those responsible.
>
> Amnesty International is urging the authorities to ensure that
>adequate compensation be granted to the relatives of the victims.
> ENDS.../
>
---------
Frederikshavn d. 7.2.98
Til medierne samt behjertede og indflydelsesrige mennesker.
Det er velkendt at det i høj grad lykkes de Sri Lankanske regeringsmyndigheder at manipulere med den udenlandske presse igenenm sin pressecencur således at vi i Danmark stort set kun hører om de tamilske tigres angreb og overgreb. Det passer tilsyneladende også regeringen udmærket, når man kender dens hårde afvisning- og udvisningspolitik overfor tamilske asylsøgere - samt har bemærket regeringens passive udenrigspolitik, som reelt giver den Srilankanske regeringen frit slag til en ensidig militær løsning ved at forsøge at udrydde de tamilske tigre!
Af disse grunde håber jeg, at Deres medie vil omtale ovenstående sag og specielt regeringens udlægning af regeringshærens overgreb på sagesløse festdeltagere, som drab på tamilske tigere under en konfrontation, nu da sandheden er kommet for dagen takket være Amnesty International.
Jeg håber De har bemærket den tidligere udsendte pressemeddelelse d. 2. februar om at den mangeårige flygtningevenneaktivist Bernt Hauge d. 13. januar gik i sultestrejke for at vække den norske regerings samvittighed så den stopper udsendelsen af tamiler til *Sri Lanka Om den videre udvikling se videresendt brev af Ilangko i 'Trondheim
Med venlig hilsen
Arne Hansen
Dear friends,
Mr. Bernt Hauge is in his 24th day of fasting. If you have
not send your messages to the Prime Minister and Minister of
Justice by now, please do so as early as possible.
So far Mr. Hauge has not received any positive signals
from the Norwegian government.
Please act now to bring this hunger strike to an end.
Mr. Bernt Hauge
Raadgivningsgruppa in Trondheim
Prinsens gate 44
7011 Trondheim
Norway
Phone: +47 73 52 30 05
Fax: +47 73 52 93 86
Mr. Kjell Magne Bondevik
Prime Minister
Postboks 8001 Dep
0030 Oslo
Norway
E-mail: postmottak@smk.dep.telemax.no
Phone: +47 22 24 40 00
Fax: +47 22 24 95 00
Ms. Aud Inger Aure
Minister of Justice
Postboks 8005 Dep
0030 Oslo
Norway
E-mail: aud-inger.aure@jd.dep.telemax.no
Phone: +47 22 24 51 00.
Fax: +47 22 24 95 40
Please forward this massage to your friends.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ilangko Balasingham.