Dr. Mani’s computer taken by CID

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) this week took into custody a computer used by Dr.Rama Mani, the former Executive Director of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES), to check the correspondence regarding her advocating of the controversial R 2 P policy for Sri Lanka, a high ranking CID official told The Sunday Times.

Initial investigations into the files contained in all the other computers at ICES have not found any reference to R 2 P and hence the CID has now taken Dr.Mani’s computer into its custody.

R 2 P is described as the responsibility of the international community to intervene when a State fails to protect its civilians from mass atrocity crimes and Dr.Mani’s reference to Sri Lanka as a country which needs R 2 P has drawn strong criticism particularly from the JVP and some sections in Government.

Subsequently Dr.Mani’s visa was cancelled earlier this month forcing her to leave the country even though several members of the international community including the Canadian High Commission in Colombo (which threatened to cut funds to ICES if Dr.Mani was sent out of the country), attempted to intervene on her behalf.

Meanwhile several senior members of the ICES including its Chairman Prof. Kingsley De Silva and Director Bradman Weerakoon appeared before the Parliamentary Select Committee looking into the working of NGO and INGOs last week and were questioned particularly with regards to the attempt by Dr.Rama Mani to portray Sri Lanka as a country which needed intervention under an international undertaking known as Responsibility to Protect (R 2 P).

The Chairman and the Director told the Committee members that the R 2 P issue that had come up was in reference to statements made by Dr.Mani in her personal capacity and not in her official capacity and that the Board of the ICES had not endorsed any such policy. The members were also questioned about the finances of the ICES and who their donors are.

Meanwhile members of CARE International too appeared before the Committee and were asked about a report they had filed stating that they found it difficult to work in Vakarai, an area under Government control while stating they found it easier to work in Kilinochchi and the Wanni.