Sri Lanka: We Challenge the UN to tell us how many LTTE cadres died in the final phase
Posted on March 10th, 2017
Shenali D Waduge
Ever since May 2009 baseless allegations have been levelled against Sri Lanka’s military. Anyone can make allegations but facts and evidence is what counts. How can anyone accuse a person of murder without a dead body? We know how many Sri Lankan Soldiers died in the final phased but there is a big question mark as to how many LTTE cadres died. Without knowing that, no one can accuse the Sri Lankan Military of killing anyone. Can the UN that is throwing allegations of civilian deaths give proof that x number of civilians were killed after proving with names and clear identities of the LTTE cadres killed. It is only them that claims of killing can be entertained.
Let’s not forget that the Sri Lankan Army were fighting a brutal terrorist outfit that reigned terror upon a nation for 3 decades. These were no angels. They were supported by evil people living overseas and carrying out illegal and legal activities that raised money to buy arms and ammunition and helped by groups of locals and foreigners who were riding on the conflict to advance their own agendas. This was why we did not see any peace and every peace effort was a façade.
When a military offensive takes place there are casualties. If the LTTE had been man enough they should have fought the Sri Lankan Military face to face instead of taking lakhs of people. Yes, there are laws that govern how to engage in conflicts but does the UN seriously believe LTTE cared tuppence to follow Geneva Conventions except to use them for their own advantage. There must be equality and fairness in accusations. What is alleged against the Sri Lankan Army must be applicable to the LTTE. Here’s where we see non-conformity.
UN tell us
Guestimates count for nothing. We have not seen names of the supposed dead. It’s now 2017 – 8 years has passed since May 2009. Those that make guestimates must surely be able to give figures on LTTE deaths.
The Presidential Missing Person’s Commission mandated to investigate between 1983 and 2009 had only 16,179 names as of 9 April 2015. What happened to the 40,000 supposed dead? Why aren’t their names logged?
5000 names of missing soldiers had been logged with the UNHRC & Presidential Commission. Everyone is silent about these missing soldiers who have names!
To be dead one has to be born. Therefore, anyone who claims 40,000 dead must be able to provide details of names, relations, home address, school records, employment records, a birth certificate or some form of identity.
Those who claim 40,000, 125,000 or even 200,000 must produce some form of evidence that whoever they claim to be dead actually lived!
Where are the dead bodies?
Whereabouts of the dead bodies (at least skeletons) – by 18th May 2009 the military operations was over.
Surely even the skeletons must be there. Remember, the last battle was in a very small area so if the Army is supposed to have killed 40,000 people the soldiers would have to bury them. In the thick of fighting, the soldiers had no time to be carrying 40,000 dead bodies – even if you throw them to the sea or lagoon they should emerge!
- How did SL Military kill between 40,000 to 125,000 people between 13-18 May while also saving 295,000 people?
- How did SL Military dig graves to put 40,000 to 125,000 dead bodies? If C4 has obtained mobile footage of ‘crimes’ by SL forces why has no one taken footage of soldiers digging mass graves and shoving dead bodies inside these graves?
- To dig graves for 40,000 is no joke. It cannot be done within a few minutes or even a few hours. Also, how deep does the grave have to be to put such a number? A standard grave is 2 ½ feet wide and 8ft in length and 4 ft deep.
These basic questions need to be ascertained before wasting money, time and resources on starting a bogus tribunal when preliminary evidence is zero.
How many actually died – we know the soldier deaths but how many Tamils died? All LTTE were Tamils though all Tamils are not LTTE.
- How many LTTE cadres in uniform died
- How many LTTE cadres in civilian clothes died
- How many Civilians fighting by voluntarily or by force died
- How many Civilians who were neither voluntarily nor by force with the LTTE died in battle
Let’s not forget that ALL of the 12,000 LTTE cadres who surrendered were wearing civilian clothing. How come they all lived and were put for rehabilitation.
With regard to the 4th question – which is the most important.
- HOW MANY CIVILIANS DIED AS A RESULT OF GUNFIRE BY SRI LANKAN ARMY
- HOW MANY CIVILIANS DIED AS A RESULT OF GUNFIRE BY LTTE – moreover Tamils themselves have said that LTTE was firing at them when they tried to flee. How many such civilians did LTTE kill by shooting?
- HOW MANY CIVILIANS DIED NATURALLY DUE TO SICKNESS/WEARINESS/ LACK OF FOOD ETC?
It is in determining the above and in having concrete evidence to prove above that allegations against the Sri Lankan Army can be entertained
How ‘civilian’ were the civilians?
As for everyone claiming ‘Civilian’ dead. They first need to prove that these people were actually civilians. LTTE fought in civilian clothes and LTTE had a trained civilian armed force!
They trained civilians in armed combat. Civilians were taught how to fire and use guns. We don’t know how many of the ‘civilians’ claimed as ‘dead’ belonged to this category. We don’t know how many of the ‘civilians’ the Sri Lankan army saved were also trained in combat. Is it fair to call them refugees/IDPs if so? We are seriously questioning why LTTE spouses are also being called ‘war widows’ especially when not many LTTE cadres were married!
- Does the UN know how many civilians did not take part in hostilities?
- Does the UN know how many civilians took part in one or two acts of hostilities making distinction further complicated?
- Does the UN know how many civilians volunteered to take part in hostilities?
- Does the UN know how many civilians may have died while taking part in hostilities?
- Does the UN know how many will admit and own up to being a civilian but took part in hostilities during the last phase?
- Can the UN rely on these civilian accounts if all those saved claim they did not take part in hostilities and thus provide them the package of witness protection for no reason?
What does the lawbooks say?
- Rule 1 of the ICRC declares the Principle of distinction between civilian and combatant. According to the rule, parties to the conflict must at all times distinguish between civilians and combatants. LTTE had a civilian force armed and trained to kill. Can these LTTE trained ‘civilians’ qualify as civilian under ICRC Rule 1? Principle of Distinction is blurred when LTTE has a civilian combatant force and LTTE also attack in civilian clothing.
- Attacks may only be directed against combatants. Attacks must not be directed against civilians. LTTE should not have been shooting among civilians. Sri Lanka Army has every right to return fire because if LTTE should not have fired among civilians. However, LTTE has been firing among civilians since 1980s… was the UN asleep?
- Under customary international law applicable to international and non-international armed conflicts. LTTE as combatants do not enjoy the protection against attack accorded to civilians.
- LTTE designated as a terrorist outfit also does not enjoy right to combatant status or prisoner of war status
- Rule 6 declares that civilians are protected against attack unless and for such time as they take a direct part in hostilities. How many Tamils either voluntarily or by force took part in hostilities & died as a result (for a short time or throughout)?
- A conflict that began in the 1980s and ended in 2009 cannot have just one group of victims and be confined to one select period. Every victim from 1980s, 1990s, 2000 upto 2009 must be given equal treatment. Sadly that is not how UN/UNHRC and foreign players are functioning.
Why have these basic questions been ignored by the UN? Like parrots a bandwagon of people are chanting war crimes and civilian deaths without taking cognizance of ground realities nor providing the facts and evidence to substantiate their claims.
We, the public of Sri Lanka will not allow our heroic armed forces to be taken to any tribunal without first producing the evidence to substantiate these claims. What all those proposing tribunals are trying to do is to set up international courts with international judges and then look for or frame lies as part of a witch hunt for ending a terrorist outfit that was a milking cow for many players.
Shenali D Waduge
March 10th, 2017 at 7:02 am
The U.N. and similar world organizations are mostly run by the western powers, with their money and for their own interests. So how could those organizations act against the wishes of those countries? It’s foolish of us to expect any good things done to the developing countries in common, and small countries like Sri Lanka in particular by those organizations! Only thing possible to go against their imposition on us is the people of Sri Lanka, who have to reject any government formed in favour of the so-called organizations!
March 10th, 2017 at 2:03 pm
It’s really a challenge to UN.
The UN has to take it and answer with genuine facts or withdraw their allegations against Sri Lankan Army.
March 10th, 2017 at 2:52 pm
We thank Shenali for this article.
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Numbers who died or went ‘missing’ in the final phase have been highly exaggerated due to the push for money collections abroad, based on the promise of Eelam formation.
On top of the exaggerations, it is most likely that the Tsunami (Dec 2004) dead and missing have been added to those actual dead & missing in the final phase.
Over 300,000 Tamil people were saved from the ravages of the LTTE’s pointless war.
That is proof positive that the LTTE wars had to end through a final war fought by the GoSL, at high costs to the govt of Lanka, both in terms of soldiers lives, funds, and now dealing with endless accusations about HR violations. The latter lie seems to be kept up by the Yahap govt calling Lanka a ‘failed state’ at the last UNHRC meeting in Geneva.
How about the Tamil Diaspora collecting money abroad to deal with the droughts/floods of Tamil Nadu by their engineers building up structures to collect flood waters to tide over droughts, and also build de-salination plants ?
That would be a blessed and creative activity. We would encourage such activities by the Tamil Diaspora.
March 10th, 2017 at 3:35 pm
Indians are a powerful group in the world. We are lead by these Indians. The Indian lobby in the West is more powerful.
March 10th, 2017 at 5:16 pm
This entre Drama enacted by the Tamil Diaspora, over missing TAMILS, is to keep collecting money, for some Tamils to be Super Rich. The UN **tu vit tu voo** is singing for his Supper. So are other top officials of other Governments, who show undue interest in Sri Lanka. They have been bought over and are singing for their Supper.
This is a never ending story. The President must call the LTTE Proxy TNA, to show where the 40,000 Dead Tamils are buried. If Australia, Canada, UK, USA, and other countries collect statistics of those Tamils who came to their country within a particular time frame, atleast 35,000 could be found, some with their names changed.
SHOUTING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN IS A FANTASTIC MONEY SPINNER. THESE TAMILS ARE LIVING BY THEIR WITS.
March 10th, 2017 at 5:52 pm
Susantha: Tamils are Indians and you find Tamils are part of the Indian Colonial Parasites in the world. Yasmin Sooka and Navanatham Pillai from South Africa are Indian Colonial Parasites. It is Indian imperialists who try to portray Tamils as a separate entity.
March 11th, 2017 at 3:36 am
Dear president,
Please don’t betray our ALL WEATHER FRIEND CHINA for 5,000 MT rice donation from Indonesia.
RATANA ruined SL’s rice production. That is why we had to BEG RICE from Indonesia.
March 11th, 2017 at 5:29 am
1 West and india don’t like the growing influence, dominance in the indian ocean by the Chinese.
2 The deshapaluwan in those countries need tamil diasporats’ vote.
3 Diasporats want to keep the bogus asylum going plus getting their drealam in Sri Lanka.
So what better way to thrash Sri Lanka than using the west’s slave UN to manipulate. UN is a tool they use to
punish countries don’t toe their line. Have they heard a country called syria. Yes we heard about it, since Russia is
heavily involved, they just don’t see it. That’s how it works. If you have powerful friends UN looks the other way. That’s why Sri Lanka should stick with the Chinese. When Chinese frown on UN, they just go to the next soft target. Of course they have to show they busy policing (bullying) some small countries. It’s a sort of Pathalayin in suits! Sinhalese famous for modayas can’t see this simple truth. They saw when MR was around how these do gooders stayed away. Why? Chinese were protecting Sri Lanka. Sinhala modaya where is your brain?
March 11th, 2017 at 7:59 am
We cried in front of the political leaders, in front of the world as a nation we did so many things to stop the war. During that period we lost so may of our sons, daughters, political leaders even Presidents and Prime minister’s etc and somehow we managed to stop the war.Thanks to our war heroes dead and alive today and also to the then Govt led by most fearless leader ex President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his defense secretary Gotabaya and the commander’s of all armed forces.From the day we eliminated the most ruthless killer of all time Prabakaran upto 2014 end we lived very peacefully.We never heard a gunshot in North or in the east but now after January 8 2015 we hear not only gunshots but protests and disturbances,demands and challenges etc to the govt of today. What happened to our peace and development we saw before Jan 8th 2015? Why we talk all the time of Tamils and Muslims? What about us Sinhalese people? Sri Lanka is for all to live in harmony and in peace. Nobody can demand more power to their hands except live in harmony with the majority. If any government tries to give more power to any of these two it will be the end of our unity, harmony and peace. Both these two enjoy more freedom and benefits than the Sinhalese already. They have freedom to buy lands, free education, free medicine, live anywhere in the land, and same freedom like the majority Sinhala people so why we promise more specially to these two groups. Our politicians should not play anymore with the Sinhala majority promising tons of lies and lies cheating us all the time.Only a leader like President Mahinda Rajapaksa can bring real peace to our country because he has a backbone not like the current puppets of the west and the Indian parasites. He loves our land. He loves the people and he talks straight to the subject and have the willpower to say “yes or “no to the face. I hope people in my country realise their mistakes and bring back a real govt with a real leader not gays and liars who cheats the citizens all the time.
March 12th, 2017 at 3:20 am
If there were killings there would be graves.
At the request of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International in May 2009, American Association for Advancement of science (AAAS) undertook an initial review of satellite imagery for the Civilian Safety Zone (CSZ) in northeastern Sri Lanka. Comparing the May 6 and May 10, 2009 images of the CSZ, AAAS found only 1,346 individual graves.
In all three gravesites reviewed, a total of 1,346 likely graves are estimated to be in the imagery by May 24, 2009. The majority of the graves were present by May 6, with little change after that except in the southernmost graveyard. The southernmost site grew an estimated 28% between May 6 and May 10, and grew another 20% between May 10 and May 24.
There comprehensive report is available at the website
https://www.aaas.org/geotech/sri_lanka_2009#D.%20Examination%20of%20Gravesites