ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ By Puttalam Ansari

The Non Governmental Organization referred to is the Community Trust Fund (CTF), established in 1993 and registered with the Sri Lankan Ministry of Social Service under the Voluntary Services Act.

The stated vision of CTF is to :Strive towards realization of a society in which JUSTICE, EQUALITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS ARE RESPECTED and people lead a peaceful life in spite of various differences, and The stated mission is to: Voice the grievances of all human beings irrespective of cast, religion, ethnicity and the nationality and create opportunities for the development of affected and underprivileged people.

The objectives included, around other services to improve the HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMAN DIGNITY. CTF was created in Puttalam with one director form the host community and six from the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Community, most of whom are from the District of Mannar in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. CTF is the biggest local NGO operating from Puttalam and having bureaus in the Northern, North Central and Eastern Province as well. CTF is managed by a team based in the Coordinating Secretariat who are answerable to the Board of Trustees. Function of the Coordinating Secretariat is divided into seven sections such as Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology and Telecommunication, Monitoring and Evaluation, Program, Resources Development, and Secretariat. Each unit is led by a Managing Trustee and supported by dedicated team members.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ CTF was very successful in raising funds from international funding agencies and donors such as UNDP, UNICEF, ASIAN RESOURCES FOUNDATION, GLOBAL PEACE MISSION, JAPAN CENTRE FOR CONFLICT PREVENTION, INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CORPORATION OF NETHERLANDS and a host of other international organizations and foreign embassies based in Colombo. CTF also have a number of international foreign and local partners. Activities of CTF were mainly in humanitarian services including income generation, water & sanitation, self employment, empowerment of women, capacity building etc. including provision of training to other NGO personnel management teams and Community Based Organizations (CBOs).

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As shown above under administration the committees are headed by a chairman each. Some chairmen and some members of the committee and trustees are also trainers of trainers (TOT) and lead and direct committees which provide trainings to a host of local NGOs and CBOs most of which work for the welfare of the IDPs. One such trustee who provides training, guidance and conducts workshop was Mr. P. Razick. Razick provides training as mentioned above during his off days and after retirement from the Government Service dedicated himself full time to social work. His work necessitated travel to many districts in the North Central, Northern and Eastern Provinces, during the war and after tsunami and more after the end of the war. Sometimes he engaged himself in fact finding missions to places in the said provinces and in order to advice and direct NGOs and CBOs of such areas regarding the action to be taken for the welfare of the people of those areas.

Razick was also a person very keen to see that the funds allocated or provided by donors are utilized for the intended purpose. He was very keen to see that such funds are not misused by CTF or by field bureaus. He used to question the activities and the expenses involved by the committees to ascertain that the allocations reached the intended destination. Razick was the only trusty from the host community and his questioning earned the hostility which was not publicly expressed of some chairman of committees and some trustees who are from the IDP community. The irony of fate is that Razick never suspected that hostility existed in those quarters. One such hostile person was Naushad.

The chairman of the Citizens Committee which deals more with HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES. It has come to light that this Chairman of Citizen Committee has told his confidante that the host community trustee ‘should be removed’. But the said Naushad did not take any action to do so for a long period of time after making the statement. Meanwhile Razick was going about doing his duties visiting places in the districts mentioned above and the field bureaus and providing advice and guidance to any NGOs CBOs which requested his services in the areas mentioned. During the later part of January 2010 one such request was made by a person who gave his name as Abdullah from Colombo requesting for an appointment to discuss about a training program in Polonnaruwa, Valaichchneai, and Kalmunai. Thereafter there was no communication form the said Abdullah and no response to the SMS sent by Razick asking for details of the training needs.

This SMS was not delivered and no further communication took place until the 10th of February 2010 when a female, called Razick and informed him that Abdullah has met with an accident and requested to arrange for the training program during the 4th week of February 2010 When Abdullah will be fit enough to discuss about the training program at their office in Polonnaruwa after finishing his official meeting with CTF scheduled for the following day. Razick left for Polonnaruwa with some CTF staff in the CTF vehicle on 11th February morning and reached Polonnaruwa around 3.00 pm the same day.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As arranged Razick was met by the so called Abdullah’s NGO members at the Kaduruwela Mosque. At the same time Naushad the said Chairman of the Citizen Committee of the CTF came to the same mosque in a Land Cruiser vehicle belonging to the Ministry of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services and met Razick at the mosque and spoke to him before he purportedly left for Batticaloa. The said Abdullah’s NGO members, which included a women, offered to take Razick in their vehicle which was a white van parked in the vicinity. A woman was said to be seated in the front seat of the said vehicle. Razick got in to the said white van. That was the last time Razick was seen by the CTF staff who went with him to Polonnaruwa.

As Razick did not turn up as expected at the Polonnaruwa office or back to Puttalam the family members of Razick made a complaint at the Mundel Police Station on 13.02.2010 stating that Razick did not return from Polonnaruwa. Another complaint was recorded at the Polonnaruwa police on 14.02.2010 and later another on 15.02.2010 at Puttalam police. At 15.02.2010 Mumthaj, PA to Razick received a SMS from Razick’s mobile phone stating “I am at Polonnaruwa. I will come soon”. On 16.02.2010 Rifana Mariam a host community worker attached to CTF as AO received an SMS “Rifana, Come to Polonnaruwa”.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Although the said SMS was originated from Razick’s mobile phone she suspected and did not respond. Many attempts made by Rifana thereafter to contact Razick over the phone failed. On 23.02.2010 Rifana received a call purportedly from Razick’s mobile phone, the caller speaking in a female voice (possibly using Razick’s SIM in a Chinese phone) demanding to know the assets of CTF and that of Razick and what kind of relationship she has or had with Razick and stating that Razick’s life will be in danger if she fail to give correct information.Thereafter till June 2010 there has been a number of phone calls to Razick’s son and son-in-law demanding a ransom of Rs. 10 million to 20 million at various times to release Razick. Finally the demand came down to 10 million in June. All the while Razick’s family members have been telling the callers that they do not have that amount of money and the family property is not worth even half that amount.

At last when they told the caller that they will arrange to pay the ransom there was no further contacts. Meanwhile the case of Razick’s “DISAPPEARANCE” first taken up by the Criminal Investigation Department. Their investigations revealed that On 11.02.2010 Razick left for Polonnaruwa in the morning in the CTF vehicle. The suspected abductor Naushad has also gone towards Polonnaruwa on the same day in a vehicle belonging to the Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services and he stopped his vehicle at a point in Minneriya, got down and walked towards a parked white van and spoke to the persons inside for about three minutes, returned to his vehicle and proceeded towards Polonnaruwa.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ It was also stated that there was woman in the said white van. Naushad met Razick at the Kaduruwela mosque at Polonnaruwa, spoke to him and went towards Batticaloa. Razick was taken by the said Abdullah’s NGO members around 3.30 pm in a white van in which there was a woman seated in the front seat. The police traced the location from which the calls were made by the kidnappers to places from Polonnaruwa to Wattala (where Naushad’s brother lives) using the IMEI numbers of the phones used by the callers. Police were trying to arrest Naushad, but he still said to be absconding. Naushad applied for an Anticipatory Bail on 15.06.2010. The Puttalam Magistrate’s rejected the application. Naushad is still absconding. According to the police they are unable to trace his hide out although the CID concluded their investigation and informed the proper authorities of their findings months ago. Naushad’s wife is a teacher in Fathima Ladies College in Puttalam town.

The police have not questioned her about the whereabouts of her husband. Neither has the police taken any action against Naushad’s brother, who is a government servant and who undertook in writing to produce Naushad to the police in two days time, months ago. It is believed that Naushad has political support as he was said to the PA to Minister Rishad Bathiudeen at some stage. This is proved by the fact that he has informed his political importance to the minister in his application for Anticipatory Bail and by the fact that he has used a vehicle belonging to his Ministry on 11.02.2010 – the day Razick was abducted.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚· Was Razick kidnapped because he was the only host community trustee in CTF and who questioned the misuse of CTF funds?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ * Was questioning the corruption in CTF and demanding service to poor host community reasons for this kidnapping?

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ * What action CTF as an organization has taken to release Razick and

* What action Mrs. Jensila Majeed, the 2010 ‘International Women of Courage’ Award winning Managing Trustee of CTF has taken to release the kidnapped Razick, a host community member and trustee of CTF, apart from posting an appeal in the ‘South Asians for Human Rights’ website on 22.02.2010 ten days after Razick was kidnapped?