Twelve STF arrested for 2006 killing of five Trinco students
[TamilNet, Friday, 05 July 2013, 23:59 GMT]
Twelve members of Sri Lanka Police Special Task Force (STF) were arrested in connection with the extra-judicial killings of five Tamil students, all aged 21, at a beach in Trincomallee on 2nd January 2006, and remanded in custody till the July 18th court hearing, Colombo media reported Friday. Colombo has been resisting pursuing the killers amidst accusations that high-level officials connected to the Government were allegedly complicit in the killings. Amnesty International, and Dr Manoharan, the father of one of the victims, Ragihar, have relentlessly raised the matter in the UN and other international human rights fora. Polical observers speculate that the arrests are likely intended to mitigate serious fallouts from the impending visit to Sri Lanka of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay.
The names of the tweleve STF personnel as released by the Trincomalee court are: Harichandra Perera, Rohitha Wijekumara, P. Ananda, T. Jeyalal, U. Amal Pratheep, Lavilkumara Rathnayake Chaminda Lojitha, Uthaya Mihira Bandara, Gunamunagamage Hettige Sanjiva, U. Vimal Bandara, Nimal Bandara, Jeyasekara Tissanayake Jeyalath Tissanayake, and Indika Duvara.
Twelve members of Sri Lanka Police Special Task Force (STF) were arrested in connection with the extra-judicial killings of five Tamil students, all aged 21, at a beach in Trincomallee on 2nd January 2006, and remanded in custody till the July 18th court hearing, Colombo media reported Friday. Colombo has been resisting pursuing the killers amidst accusations that high-level officials connected to the Government were allegedly complicit in the killings. Amnesty International, and Dr Manoharan, the father of one of the victims, Ragihar, have relentlessly raised the matter in the UN and other international human rights fora. Polical observers speculate that the arrests are likely intended to mitigate serious fallouts from the impending visit to Sri Lanka of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay.
The names of the tweleve STF personnel as released by the Trincomalee court are: Harichandra Perera, Rohitha Wijekumara, P. Ananda, T. Jeyalal, U. Amal Pratheep, Lavilkumara Rathnayake Chaminda Lojitha, Uthaya Mihira Bandara, Gunamunagamage Hettige Sanjiva, U. Vimal Bandara, Nimal Bandara, Jeyasekara Tissanayake Jeyalath Tissanayake, and Indika Duvara.
In 2006 soon after the killings the same twelve were detained in connection with the killings, but were later released in 2006.
Trinco executions crime scene
Culpability chart
Udawatte Weerakody, formerly a
Naval Officer and now a Senior Commander, and H.D.K.S. Kapila
Jeyasekera, who rose in ranks as the Superintendent of Police (SP) from
the Special Task Force (STF) and currently the Deputy Inspector General
of Police (DIG) to the Ki'linochchi and Mullaiththeevu district, are
allegedly key master-minds behind the killings, but both have not been
charged.
Dr Manoharan, told TamilNet, "While I am happy that the spotlight is again on Sri Lanka's criminal record, I am certain that Colombo will not be willing and will not be able to bring the perpetrators to justice. Only an independent international investigation will bring justice to my son."
A commission of inquiry was established in November 2006 to investigate the incident along with 11 other deaths. However, the commission report, delivered directly to the Sri Lanka's President, was never made public.
No thorough investigation has ever been conducted and no one has been brought to justice for Ragihar’s murder, according to Amnesty's report.
In a classified memo written by US's Sri Lanka Ambassador Robert Blake in October 2006 to Washington, ten months after the extra-judicial execution of five students, Basil Rajapakse, had told Ambassador Blake that Special Task Force (STF) was responsible for the killings, according a Wikileaks document.
The case (DR-11/1-2006) in the Trincomalee court, was being kept alive by Colombo and the subservient judges for procedural purposes only, legal sources in Trincomalee said. The Magistrates have been postponing hearings routinely for the past seven years, first asking the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to produce reports of investigations, and then accepting without scrutiny CID's response that investigation is still in progress, Dr Manoharan who was following the legal process Sri Lanka told TamilNet.
The names and the dates of birth of the five students killed at the big harbor town under the control of and heavily garrisoned by the Sri Lanka security forces are: (i) Manoharan Ragihar, DoB 22.09.1985, (ii) Yogarajah Hemachchandra, DoB 04.03.1985, (iii) Logitharajah Rohan, DoB 07.04.1985, (iv) Thangathurai Sivanantha, DoB 06.04.1985, and (v) Shanmugarajah Gajendran, DoB 16.09.1985.
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Dr Manoharan, told TamilNet, "While I am happy that the spotlight is again on Sri Lanka's criminal record, I am certain that Colombo will not be willing and will not be able to bring the perpetrators to justice. Only an independent international investigation will bring justice to my son."
A commission of inquiry was established in November 2006 to investigate the incident along with 11 other deaths. However, the commission report, delivered directly to the Sri Lanka's President, was never made public.
No thorough investigation has ever been conducted and no one has been brought to justice for Ragihar’s murder, according to Amnesty's report.
In a classified memo written by US's Sri Lanka Ambassador Robert Blake in October 2006 to Washington, ten months after the extra-judicial execution of five students, Basil Rajapakse, had told Ambassador Blake that Special Task Force (STF) was responsible for the killings, according a Wikileaks document.
The case (DR-11/1-2006) in the Trincomalee court, was being kept alive by Colombo and the subservient judges for procedural purposes only, legal sources in Trincomalee said. The Magistrates have been postponing hearings routinely for the past seven years, first asking the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to produce reports of investigations, and then accepting without scrutiny CID's response that investigation is still in progress, Dr Manoharan who was following the legal process Sri Lanka told TamilNet.
The names and the dates of birth of the five students killed at the big harbor town under the control of and heavily garrisoned by the Sri Lanka security forces are: (i) Manoharan Ragihar, DoB 22.09.1985, (ii) Yogarajah Hemachchandra, DoB 04.03.1985, (iii) Logitharajah Rohan, DoB 07.04.1985, (iv) Thangathurai Sivanantha, DoB 06.04.1985, and (v) Shanmugarajah Gajendran, DoB 16.09.1985.
Related Articles:
17.03.13 Kapila Jeyasekara, alleged killer of Trinco-5 students, appo..
02.01.13 Extra-judicial killings of Trinco-5 students by SL military ..
30.04.12 Amnesty rally in New York demands justice for Trinco-5 victi..
12.03.12 Dr. Manoharan rejects Colombo's proposal, demands release of..
01.03.12 Head of State immunity saves Rajapakse from war-crimes charg..
29.01.12 STF killed Trinco students, Basil Rajapakse told Blake
02.01.12 Extra-judicial execution of Trincomalee students, Sixth anni..
17.12.11 Rajapakse accepts Court summons, asks US to confer immunity
27.06.11 Colombo fears judgment against Rajapakse in US Courts
02.01.11 Fifth Anniversary of Trincomalee Students execution
19.01.10 Trinco executions added to Sri Lanka's war crimes record in ..
19.12.07 CoI's murder inquiries lack transparency, fall short of inte..
External Links:
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