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The panel of experts on war crimes in Sri Lanka, which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced in March, is supposed to complete its work within four months of formally beginning. On September 14, Inner City Press (ICP) asked Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky why the panel had not yet even begun. Nesirky replied that it would be held Thursday afternoon. ICP reported that the meeting was not listed on Ban's schedule while several similar meetings were listed.
“Not everything is on the schedule,” Nesirky replied. What is the purpose of publishing the schedule that, if a meeting about war crimes is not listed?, ICP asked. “There are any number of reasons some things are on the schedule and some things are not,” Nesirky said. “Internal meetings typically are not,” ICP said quoting Nesirky.
The members of the war-crimes advisory panel, Marzuki Darusman, a former Attorney General from Indonesia, Yasmin Sooka, Member of South Africa's Truth Commisssion, and Steven Ratner, Law professor at Michigan University, US, were given 4-month period by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to complete the first report. The panel was announced in March, the panel met for the first time on 20th July, but the official start date has not been announced.
There were also questions on conflict of interest related to Sri Lanka. Ban's son in law, Siddarth Chatterjee served in the Indian Peace Keeping force in Sri Lanka while serving as an Indian Army officer. ICP said it is waiting confirmation on this matter from Nesirky.
The delegation led by Neil Buhne, the UN Resident Representative and Human Coordinator, accompanied by representatives of European Union, met Batticaloa district Government Agent (GA) Suntharam Arumainayagam Wednesday and discussed matters related to the development of Batticaloa district, Batticaloa District Secretariat sources said. Meanwhile, the resettled families in Paduvaankarai complained that though Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, the Sri Lanka Deputy Minister, says that funds have been allocated for the supply of drinking water to them every time he comes to Batticaloa nothing has been done, the sources added. Lack of drinking water is the most serious problem the resettled families in Paduvaankarai face.
The UN and EU representatives were particularly interested in finding whether the funds allocated by UN and other foreign institutions are being utilized for the resettlement and development activities in Paduvaankarai and Vaakarai in Batticaloa district.
The GA had told the visiting team of the immediate need for improvement in the supply of dry food relief ration to the resettled families.
He had also explained to them that housing, education, health, irrigation, electricity, infrastructures and livelihoods in Batticaloa district need development.
Around 62 persons including Sri Lankan policemen, civilians and reportedly four Chinese nationals have been killed in a massive explosion that rocked the Karadiyanaru area, situated 20 km northwest of Batticaloa city, Friday around 12:30 p.m. Containers with explosives parked close the police station exploded destroying the entire police station, initial reports said. The explosion also affected the nearby hospital. There were at least three containers with dynamites intended for road construction which was operated by Chinese workers, the reports further said. Around 100 persons, including engineers from the South, wounded in the blast were being rushed to hospital. STF personnel and Ex LTTE members deployed in the construction work under Colombo's publicized rehabilitation programme were likely among the victims, a local NGO official told reporters in Colombo.
Sri Lankan Police officials ruled out the possibility of sabotage and maintained that it was a tragic accident. Meanwhile, officials at the hospital have been instructed to remain tight-lipped on casualty details.
Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) personnel and police have been rushed to the area.
The Karadiyaana'ru police station was completely destroyed as well as several other buildings in the area.
The injured were being admitted to the Batticoloa Government hospital and they were being treated for burn injuries, police and hospital officials said.
The explosives-laden containers were part of the Eastern Province development programme.
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) have constructed many bases and camps in the properties of uprooted families and on the costal villages of Vadamaraadchi East using the roofing, door and windows plundered from the shops and houses left by the residents, persons who visited the area said. The areas from Naakarkoayil to Kaddaikkaadu are fully occupied by SLA and SLN, they further said. Meanwhile, Jaffna Government Agent Ms. Imelda Sukumar has announced that uprooted families from Vadamaraadchi East will be taken to their own places in the second stage of the resettlement plan and that Jaffna SLA Command had given permission for the resettlement.
The uprooted families who were taken from Raamaavil and Kundaththanai camps are now lodged in Chempianpattu Government Tamil Mixed School, Uduththu'rai Makaaa Viththiyaalayam, Maruthangkea'ni Hindu Makaa Viththiyaalayam and Thaazhaiyadi government hospital which had been under the control of Liberation Tigers before the war.
The families were told that they will be resettled in places excluding some parts in Kaddaikkaadu, Vettilaikkea’ni, Thaazhaiyadi and Naakarkoayil.
Jaffna GA said that nearly 3,500 uprooted families staying with their relatives and friends in Vadamaraadchi will be taken to Vadamraadchi East for resettlement in the second stage of resettlement plan.
The 3,500 families are staying now in places from Valveddiththu’rai to Kattkoava’lam in Vadamaraadchi North and in Ma’nattkaadu, Kudaththanai and Ampan in Vadmaraadchi East which had been under the control of SLA during the war.
Meanwhile, the families lodged in the schools and hospitals say that they will look after themselves if they are allowed to resettle in their own properties and engage in their traditional livelihood of fishing.