Victims evidence to LLRC not published in the English media in Sri Lanka

Vanitha Sivarupan

 (October 10, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Tamil website ‘Thenee.com’ has published some of the evidences to the Lesson Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) by the wife’s of the missing victims.

Mrs Joseph Mary Sahayamani, the wife of the Batticaloa Municipal Council member has cried ‘If my husband is not released by the army, I and my children will set fire and commit suicide’. Councillor Sahamani was allegedly kidnapped by the army in Batticaloa and being incarcerated in the camp.

According Mrs Sahayamani, her husband was kidnapped by the army on 23 August 2010. She has knowledge that he was taken by the army in a white van and he is kept with his hands and legs being chained.

‘Please help to release him. If he had committed any crimes produce him before the Court. Otherwise, we have to kill ourselves’ she cried. She further claimed, ‘my husband is a member of the Tamil Makkal Viduthali Puligal (TMVP) and if the government wants, it can release him. Please help’ she further cried.

When asked about her knowledge about army kidnapping her husband said: ‘she has knowledge of this information’. Mrs Sahayamani gave evidence with her two kids beside her.

In separate news filed in the ‘Thenee.com’ website, it is stated wife’s of many LTTE senior men have given evidence before the LLRC. Wife of LTTE’s former military spokesperson Rasiah Sivarupan well known as Ilanthirayan and Marshall, Vanitha Sivarupan in her evidence has claimed her husband was taken away on the 17th May 2009 by the army for treatment to his injuries in the battle front. Since then she has not heard anything about him.

Two days after taking him away her husband, two persons introducing themselves as CID officers visited her and had said her husband is receiving treatment at the hospital and wanted her to come with them to show him. She had refused their request.

She told the Commission that she believed that her husband is held somewhere and requested for his release for the sake of his children.

Another witness Mrs Babitha Prabakaran, the wife of Senior LTTE man Krishnapillai Prabakaran told the Commission that her husband was taken for investigations by the army in Vadduvan in the presence of civilians. Since his arrest, she is unable to find his whereabouts.

At the hearing many witnesses appeared before the Commission and many had submitted written statements. All of them had asked for information about the whereabouts of their husbands or children.