BRUTAL ATTACK ON PRISONERS (IN SRI LANKA) BY ARMED FORCES
The defeat of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) does not seem to have ended the anti-Tamil policies of the Sri Lanka government; brutalization of Tamil prisoners is one expression of such a policy.
SK Senthivel, General Secretary of the New-Democratic Marxist-Leninist Party issued the following statement on July 7, 2012 on behalf of the Politburo of the Party denouncing the cruel attack by the armed forces on Tamil political prisoners in the Vavunia Prison.
On the 29th of the last month the armed forces carried out a savage attack on Tamil political prisoners in the Vavunia Prison. The attacks on the severely injured prisoners continued even after they had been transferred to the Mahara Prison. On the 4th of this month, Ganesan Nimalaruban, a young prisoner, succumbed to the severe injuries that he sustained in the attacks. The above savage attack on Tamil political prisoners and the cruel killing are brutal fascistic attacks. Besides, the Mahinda Chinthana government is committing the grave injustice refusing to hand over the remains of the deceased to his parents. The Party points out that the above condemnable and sorrowful incident was an outcome of the prolonged detention of political prisoners without inquiry.
There are Tamil political prisoners who are under detention without inquiry for more than five, ten or even fifteen years. Pressure campaigns have been conducted within and outside the prisons demanding their release. But the rulers who boast of Buddhist virtues have refused to listen to the pleas. Instead the Tamil political prisoners are subjected to arrogant chauvinistic oppression and attacks.
The recent attack evokes memories of earlier prison attacks and killings. The Vavunia Prison attacks and killing have to be seen as a continuation of the Welikada Prison killings of 1983, the Bindunuweva Rehabilitation Camp killings of year 2000, the Kalutara Prison attacks, and Boosa Detention Centre tortures. The occurrence of such a savage attack and brutal killing under a government that sermonises daily on the teachings of the Buddha and Buddhist virtues has made the leaders of the government bow their heads in shame.
The Party emphatically asks the government that, at least after this cruel event, it should come forward to release all political prisoners under a general amnesty.
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