The favourites for the office of president are suspected of war crimes – International investigation needed

The Society for Threatened Peoples STP (Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker GfbV) has one day before the presidential elections called for an independent international investigation into the war crimes committed by the army of Sri Lanka and the rebel Tamil Tigers between January and May 2008. "It is a pure mockery of the rule of law if the two favourites for the office of president are suspected of war crimes”, said the STP Asia consultant, Ulrich Delius. "Without justice there will be no peace in Sri Lanka.” Both the incumbent president Rajapaksa as well as his sharpest opponent, the former supreme commander of the armed forces, General Sarath Fonseka, are said to be responsible for the violent deaths of some 20,000 Tamil civilians and for torture and other severe violations of human rights. Up to now the government of Sri Lanka has rejected all appeals of the United Nations and the international community for an independent investigation of the charges.

"Instead of presenting credible ideas for a lasting peace in Sri Lanka both candidates are wooing the Tamil minority, on which the election perhaps depends, with empty phrases and promises which ring hollow”, said Delius. With the object of securing the votes of the Tamils, who make up some 17 percent of the population, General Fonseka has accused the present government of delaying the release of more than 100,000 interned Tamil civilians. Fonseka wants power at all price and a peace policy is not to be expected of him. He is a radical nationalist of the Singhalese majority. "We are the majority in the country, 75 percent, we will never give in and we have the right to defend this country. [...]The Tamils can live with us in this country. But they must not try under the plea of being a minority to make unreasonable demands”, said the general to the Canadian newspaper "National Post” (23.9.2008).

The present president Rajapaksa is also held responsible for countless attacks on journalists and for a great deal of the massive violence during the election campaign. More than 770 political acts of violence and four politically motivated murders were reported during the electoral campaign.

The Rajapaksa government is also said to be questioning the authenticity of a video of the year 2009 showing the mass execution of prisoners by regular soldiers, although several independent experts confirmed its authenticity. The UN expert for the investigation of extralegal executions, Philip Alston, is also convinced that the recordings are genuine and is calling for an international investigation of the shootings, said the Asia consultant Delius.

Ulrich Delius will be glad to answer questions at asien@gfbv.de