Sri Lanka must call all Foreign Embassy Heads and Diplomats & brief them on the Swiss ‘temporary kidnapping’
Posted on December 2nd, 2019
Until such time the investigations officially conclude after the Swiss release a Sri Lankan National kept inside the embassy compound since 25th November 2019, it is only correct that the distortions and lies being spread is corrected officially by the Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry. Invite all diplomatic mission heads & key staff – explain the timeline – do a presentation and ask them to raise counter questions. Follow full transparency methods and show to the world how Sri Lanka is conducting the investigations and how embassy is withholding the victim from being questioned.
Overall objective was to accuse the Govt of abducting a Swiss employee
Timeline of incidents
24 Nov Sunday
CID CI Nishantha Silva secretly flees Sri Lanka with wife & 3 children to Switzerland. Visa given by Swiss embassy without police approval letter.
25 Nov Monday
Female local staffer of Swiss Embassy ‘temporarily abducted’ & threatened
(note news not made public in Sri Lanka but relayed via foreign media-why?)
26 Nov/Tue Web article
employee stationed in the Swiss embassy reportedly abducted in a white van” and ‘released after two hours’ ‘abductee questioned about Nishantha Silva who worked in the CID”
26 Nov/Tue Web article
NZZ Swiss news media
‘attack’ connected to t high-ranking Sri Lankan police inspector who took ‘asylum in Switzerland’ ‘due to death threats’ because he had been investigating corruption and rights violations in connection with the entourage of newly-elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa”
27 Nov/Wed Web media swissinfo.ch
Swiss Foreign Ministry Spokesman Pierre-Alain Eltschinger
Written statement to swissinfo.ch claims
- woman was threatened”
- forced to disclose ‘embassy-related information”
27 Nov/Wed Web media BBC
Employee of the Swiss embassy in Sri Lanka
detained against her will on the street and threatened at length”
27 Nov/Wed Web media NYT
New York Times
Swiss embassy employee is abducted and asked about asylum applications and investigators are banned from leaving just days after Gotabaya Rajapakse is elected”
‘forced to hand over sensitive embassy information’
‘men forced her to unlock her cellphone data, which contained information about Sri Lankans who have recently sought asylum in Switzerland and the names of Sri Lankans who aided them as they fled the country because they feared for their safety after Gotabaya Rajapakse won’.
police investigator fled to Switzerland with his family on Sunday”
27 Nov/Wed Web media TamilGuardian
‘Switzerland embassy employee was reportedly abducted in a vehicle, detained for two hours and then released’
27 Nov/Wed Web media
According Island newspaper
Swiss ambassador Colombo came to inform incident to PM Mahinda Rajapakse at his Wijerama Mw – GLP, PM’s foreign affairs advisor and acting IGP were present. Victims identity was not disclosed by envoy
28 Nov/Thurs Web media Adaderana
Quoting Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry
incident conveyed on 26th Nov (by phone or official statement)
28 Nov/Thurs Web media
According to the Island newspaper/Shamindra Ferdinando
- GOSL had directed CID to investigate but was yet to receive support from Swiss embassy
- Swiss refused police request to reveal victims’ identity
- GOSL is yet to seek clarification from Swizerland embassy re CID inspector fleeing SL
- Sources claim a senior navy officer who gave evidence against Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Admiral Ravi Wijegunaratne, too, reached Switzerland.
29 Nov/Fri Web media
According to the Island newspaper/Shamindra Ferdinando
Swiss embassy statement claims employee not in condition to testify due to ‘deteriorating health’
29 Nov/Fri
According to the Island newspaper/ Shamindra Ferdinando
Swiss embassy statement denied ever receiving a request from Sri Lanka to extradite De Silva.
30 Nov/Sat Web media
According to the Island newspaper/ Shamindra Ferdinando
- CI Nishantha & family stayed in luxury hotel on 23Nov before flying to Switzerland 24Nov
- Swiss Govt requests to remove abductee to Switzerland
- Govt officials said Swiss embassy did not file police complaint (5 days after incident)
1 Dec Sunday Web media
Sunday Times Newspaper says incident occurred after 5p.m. on Monday
near the Japanese embassy & Australian High Commission & local staffer had walked out of school to her office (Is school & office open at this time?)
White Toyota Corolla CAR with 5 persons abducted her (4 persons including herself in the backseat!)
1 Dec Sunday
Secretary/Foreign Relations Ravinatha Aryasinha together with Secretary/Defence Major General (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne and relevant officials met with the Ambassador for Switzerland in Sri Lanka Hanspeter Mock and the Deputy Chief of Mission
SL Foreign Ministry Press Release
says sequence of events/timeline of abduction given by Swiss embassy on behalf of local staffer do not corroborate with her movements as evidenced by witness interviews/technical evidence, uber records, CCTV footage, telephone records, GPS data
SL Foreign Ministry requests Swiss embassy allow law enforcement authorities to interview her and examine her by a SL medical officer as she claimed injuries were sustained during abduction
25th Nov: Questions for Swiss Embassy
- How did she break the news of this assault to the Embassy?
- If as per Sunday Times newspaper the incident happened at 5p.m. – if so, that means she would have returned to Gregory’s Road at only 7p.m. – was the Embassy opened at this time & who was in the premises other than the security?
- Did you take a statement from her – is this filed?
- Did you inform the Sri Lanka Police or Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry of incident that evening itself (25th Nov) if not why didn’t you?
- Why did you decide to keep her inside Embassy compound without sending her home that evening?
- What was the reason given to the family? Did the family come to visit her on 25th Nov? If so are they also inside the embassy compound
26th Nov: Questions to www.lankanewsweb.net
- What is the source to claim the Swiss local employee was abducted to be questioned regarding Nishantha Silva who worked in CID?
26th Nov: Questions for NZZ Swiss news media:
- When, how and by whom did NZZ Swiss news hear about this abduction?
- With what evidence is NZZ Swiss news claiming the abductee was ‘attacked”
27th Nov: Questions for Swiss Foreign Ministry/swissinfo.ch
- Is this written statement to swissinfo.ch from the Swiss Foreign Ministry AFTER taking an official statement from the abductee?
27th Nov: Questions for New York Times
- What is the source that the abductee was forced to hand over sensitive embassy information?
- What is the source for the statement ‘men forced her to unlock her cellphone data, which contained information about Sri Lankans who have recently sought asylum in Switzerland and the names of Sri Lankans who aided them as they fled the country because they feared for their safety after Gotabaya Rajapakse won’
- How does NYT know staffer was questioned about Nishantha Silva
27th Nov: Questions for TamilGuardian
- What is the source to claim abductee was abducted in a vehicle?
- What is the source to claim abductee was questioned about Nishantha Silva?
28th Nov: Questions to Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry
- Adaderana news portal claims incident was conveyed to Foreign Ministry on 26th Nov – to whom was it conveyed, by whom in the Swiss embassy & was it by phone/email or official letter?
Questions to Norway
- Island Newspaper sources allege Norway secretly moved out Sri Lankans including LTTE cadres and Rajapakse administration sought explanation from former Norwegian ambassador in Colombo Hilde Harasldstad.
Questions for Swiss Embassy
- On what grounds did Swiss give visa to Nishantha Silva who did not have an official letter to travel overseas (Swiss are one of the strictest countries to give visas)
- Who arranged visa and tickets for Nishantha and entire family to travel on 24th Nov – a Sunday?
- What is the relationship Nishantha & Swiss Embassy have been having in secret and for how long?
- How did the abductors know this local staffer was handling secret visa/asylum papers?
- NYT says abductee had her phone unlocked which contained information about Sri Lankans seeking asylum to Switzerland and names of Sri Lankans helping them to flee – does Swiss embassy allow such information to be on mobile phones?
- How come the abductors & the Swiss embassy only know her identity but everyone else doesn’t?
- How come a health ailment that did not exist from 25th Nov suddenly result in ‘deteriorating health’ on 30th November when Sri Lanka Govt insisted on questioning her?
- If she is ill and she has been sexually molested as alleged given that she is a Sri Lankan citizen, Sri Lanka must be allowed to examine her and give treatment to her. Why is the Swiss embassy not allowing this?
- If she is too ill to give a statement how can she travel to Switzerland which is a minimum flight hour time of 14hours and with transit may even be more?
- On what grounds did Swiss give entry permit to a naval officer who gave evidence against Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Admiral Ravi Wijegunaratne,
Questions to victim (whoever she is – if she does exist)
- Did you take a hired cab to drop child at school around 5p.m. on Monday 25th Nov 2019
- If so, why did you not drop the child at school which was walking distance from Swiss embassy and get yourself dropped at the embassy – why walk to the embassy?
- Why go to an embassy when it is closed & only security is inside – local recruits are not allowed to open embassy offices
Our Questions
- Was this drama an attempt to divert guilt away from Swiss for giving asylum to CID CI Nishantha Silva to flee Sri Lanka & earlier another Naval officer to flee to Switzerland?
- Does this ‘victim’ actually exist or is it a fabricated story?
- Did the victim create this story to claim refuge in Switzerland similar to an earlier attempt by another Swiss local staffer in 2009?
- Did the victim and Swiss embassy jointly connive this drama to embarrass the Govt and the new President?
Gathering all foreign mission heads – putting the truth on the table – having a panel answer their questions will put an end to their spreading lies and distortions. Same should be done to international media outlets too
Shenali D Waduge
December 2nd, 2019 at 8:20 am
Thank you Shenali. I think it is important to show the world the kind of misinformation and confusion that the Western countries try to project about Sri Lanka. They have done it with impunity for the last 4 years with the UNP in power. No more.
December 2nd, 2019 at 2:38 pm
The main thing is not to allow the said ‘woman abductee’ to leave the Swiss Embassy and leave the country without having gone through Sri Lanka Police investigations. Let the Swill Embassy keep her and if true her entire family and ‘look after’ them till they get fed up feeding and looking after their ablutions and the stench hit the four corners of the world.
Swiss collusion with those who try to make Sri Lanka a Failed State and in the present moment to sling mud at the newly elected President Gotabhaya should be exposed for the whole world to know.
Especially India, China and Russia and not to mention our neighbouring countries who are affected by Western Christian meddling in the region should get together to protect each other’s sovereignty.
December 3rd, 2019 at 7:18 pm
Let Sri Lanka RETURN THIS FAVOR IN KIND when Switzerland is HIT BY Muslim Terrorists in the future!
So much for Swiss “Fairness” and “Justice”!
DO UNTO as DONE UNTO!
Bloody Hypocrites!
………………………………..
Swiss court rules LTTE is not a criminal organization, acquits 12 Tamil Tigers charged of terror financing
Dec 03, Colombo: The Swiss Federal Court has ruled that the Tamil Tigers are not a criminal organization and has acquitted 12 people of charges filed by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), Swissinfo reported.
In its indictment, the OAG had accused the people of violating the Swiss Penal Code by raising funds for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) between 1999 and 2009. After its nine-year investigation, the OAG suspected the accused of financially supporting the World Tamil Coordinating Committee (WTCC).
But in June 2018 the Federal Criminal Court found that the hierarchical link between the LTTE and WTCC could not be sufficiently established. The judges also felt there was not enough proof to consider the LTTE a criminal group.
In April the OAG appealed against the verdict, insisting that the accused had supported a criminal group.
In a decision published on Tuesday the Federal Court upheld the previous ruling, noting that Article 260 in the Swiss Penal Code was designed to combat organized crime of a mafia nature. Since then it has also been applied to terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda or the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia. The LTTE was not regarded as a criminal organization at the time of the fundraising, stated the Federal Court.
According to the court, those who procured money for the LTTE in Switzerland at that time could not assume that they would later violate the law. Even if it had carried out terrorist attacks, the LTTE’s primary objective was to be recognized as an independent ethnic community.