by Col.
R. Hariharan
( November 10, 2014, Chennai, Sri Lanka
Guardian)
Sri Lanka Deputy Minister Vinayagamurthi
Muralitharan, known as Karuna Amman in his earlier incarnation as LTTE
commander of Batticaloa, accused the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) of rape
and killings during its war against the LTTE in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 90.
Speaking in Parliament on November 4, he said the IPKF
had raped several Tamil women and also killed Tamils and “there is evidence for
that.”
Of course, as a parliament member Karuna has every right
to draw attention to human rights violations, though it was made 26 years too
late. In a democracy, human rights violations committed by any person including
the army, police or anyone including political parties is totally unacceptable
and cannot be condoned. They have to be inquired into. Human rights watchdogs
have been created for this purpose.
But I have a problem when Karuna talks about human rights
violations and killings. When he took over as Special Commander of Batticaloa
in 1990, LTTE cadres under his command perpetrated some of the heinous killing
of innocent civilians including women and children. These included the massacre
of 175 Muslims praying in Kattankudy mosque and many other Muslims (some
estimates say up to 300) including women and children in Kattankudy and Eravur.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) report of March 28, 2013 lists
his other “achievements” in this period as LTTE leader: “In June 1990, 400 to
600 police officers who had surrendered to LTTE forces, many of whom may have
been under Karuna’s control, were bound, gagged, and beaten. The LTTE then
executed the Sinhalese and Muslim police officers among them. Karuna has
admitted that the LTTE committed these killings in an interview with the BBC,
but claims he was not at the scene. Under the legal principle of command
responsibility, though, Karuna could still be criminally liable for the
massacre even if he was not physically present.
“In another case, in July 1990, Karuna’s forces stopped a
convoy of Muslims traveling in eastern Batticaloa district and executed about
75 people, including women and children. In August 1990 Karuna’s forces killed
more than 200 civilians in two incidents in Batticaloa district,” it adds.
After Karuna broke off with the LTTE in 2004, he worked
in support of Sri Lanka Army. During this period, he and his supporters have
been accused of indulging in forced disappearances, recruitment of children as
cadres, intimidation, extortion and even killings.
In March 2013 when Karuna asked for war crimes
investigations for the Tamil National Alliance (TNA)’s alleged links of with
the LTTE, Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch said “his [Karuna’s]
LTTE forces were implicated in some of Sri Lanka’s most horrific abuses, so the
government’s long-stalled war crimes investigations might as well begin with
him.”
President Rajapaksa had chosen to ignore Karuna’s crimes
for the support rendered by him and his cadres in aid of the Sri Lanka forces
during the Eelam War. So far Karuna has not even apologized for his conduct
during the LTTE days and thereafter, let alone showing remorse for the crimes.
This is not the first time such allegations against the
IPKF have been aired. LTTE talked about them till its dying days. During IPKF
days even the then Tamil Nadu chief minister Karunanidhi had spoken derisively
of Indian People Killing Force; so did many other fringe Tamil parties (of
course AIADMK was an exception to this).
But the DMK leader never thought of taking follow up
action on the allegations during his nearly two decades of association as a
coalition partner with the Congress at the Centre. Even Defence Secretary
Gotabaya made a sly reference to IPKF’s alleged human rights violations when
India voted against Sri Lanka in UN Human Rights Commission meeting. But he
never went beyond this.
If Karuna had seriously wanted Sri Lanka’s human rights
record set right he should have cooperated in an inquiry into the alleged
killings and other crimes committed under his watch. Then his call for inquiry
into the IPKF’s alleged human rights violations would carry conviction. But
this has not happened. So why is Karuna raising this old issue now? Is he
contemplating some serious follow up on it?
No such thought seems to have crossed Karuna’s mind.
Karuna has been driven to political wilderness, marginalized by Rajapaksa and
ignored Tamils. With little or no influence either personally or politically,
his future looks bleak as he faces the parliamentary election next year. He
runs the risk of being totally sidelined in the run up to the elections unless
President Rajapaksa lends a helping hand.
So he is probably trying to ingratiate himself with
President Rajapaksa by raising “vote-catching” issues in the coming elections.
He probably wants to deflect the attention from the UN inquiry into Sri Lanka’s
alleged war crimes by raising the IPKF atrocities issue. Similarly Karuna has
used the issue of President Premadasa (of the UNP) arming the LTTE to settle
scores with the UNP which had sought action against him for involvement in
crimes during his LTTE days.
In his speech Karnua has also accused Northeastern
Province Chief Minister Wigneswaran of working against Sri Lanka by supporting
the UN probe into alleged Sri Lanka army war crimes in 2009. TNA has become
bête noire of Mahinda Rajapaksa and any attack on them by a Tamil politician
would be welcomed by him.
So Karuna’s parliamentary speech is not merely about IPKF
only. Allegations against the IPKF indirectly whip ups the hardy perennial of
Sri Lanka politics – India-baiting – which comes to the fore during the run up
to the elections. So Karuna’s purpose of the whole exercise appears to be
limited to shoring up his own dwindling political fortunes and nothing more. It
deserves to be ignored by Indian public because Karuna has little say in the
scheme of things of Rajapaksa or Tamils.
As regards Karuna’s allegations against the IPKF one may
say wars always lead to human rights violations, though it does not lessen the
seriousness of the allegations. But I feel, neither India nor Sri Lanka paid
the attention the issue deserved either because human rights was not considered
a big issue either politically or militarily at that point of time.
Personally, I felt that at least in two instances- Jaffna
Teaching Hospital killings on October 27, 1987 (the day our family friend
Rajendra Doraisamy SLAS, former Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, was
also killed a few hundred yards from the hospital ) and the Valvettiturai
retaliatory operations on August 2, 3, and 4, 1989 – Indian army should have
done better than holding routine internal inquiries. But I am glad Indian army
is now serious about human rights violations and has a mechanism in place to
handle these issues.
[Col R Hariharan, retired MI officer, served as the head
of intelligence of the IPKF (1987-90). He is associated with the Chennai Centre
for China Studies and the South Asia Analysis Group. E-mail:
haridirect@gmail.com Blog: http://www.col.hariharan.info]
No comments:
Post a Comment