Tamils continue to live in fear in post-war: Report

The nightmare is far from over for the Tamils in Sri Lanka. Six years after a brutal civil war and six months after its architect suffered an unexpected defeat in the presidential elections instilling fresh hopes of new life and rehabilitation, Tamils continue to live in perpetual fear not because they have not been able to outlive the horrors of the civil war but the horrors continue to haunt them. A new report released on July 28 by International Truth and Justice Project Sri Lanka (ITJP) highlights the systematic persecution of Tamils through various forms of torture, rape, illegal detention and killings committed by State authorities. The persecution continued through the post war years and as recently as this month. The 134-page report draws from the experiences of over 100 Tamils and has documented the meticulously planned forms of torture by the security forces of Sri Lanka. The report has identified 41 sites of torture including 15 Military camps, 15 police stations, 10 rehabilitation camps and Menik farm. Disputing the emphatic claims of senior leaders like President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickramsinghe vowing to abolish the 'white van culture', the report has documented 110 cases of white van abductions from 2009 to 2015, the latest being in July. Recounting his ordeal after being abducted in a white van in 2014, a Tamil says he was tortured by unknown men claiming to be from Sri Lankan Military Intelligence. "They took my underwear off and made me lay on the floor on my back and they took a plastic pipe about 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter and forced it up my anus. They put it in and out 2-3 times. They took a wire about l/4 inch in diameter. The one end was sharp. They forced it up my penis. I was screaming in pain. They pulled the wire out once. They took my penis and twisted like one would to wring out wet cloths. I was screaming in pain. They put petrol in a polythene bag and put it over my head. I lost consciousness." The report suggests that the tortures inflicted upon the Tamils across the country were 'systematic and the violence, institutionalised.' Tamils who have fled abroad after the war continue to maintain a stoic silence about the situation back home lest their 'relatives there would be targeted.' "As recently as May 2015, a Tamil in exile, who gave a number of media interviews abroad about the final phase of the war, reported that his last remaining relative in Sri Lanka - his father - was beaten by the security forces and died as a result of his injuries' the report says. The report also says that some witnesses described being detained, tortured and/or sexually abused by the Sri Lankan security forces while under the age of 18 years. In addition, a large number said they had been forcibly recruited by the LTTE in the final phase of the war. At least 12 of the torture and sexual abuse survivors we have taken statements from joined the LTTE (under duress or voluntarily) while under the age of 18 years, some as young as 15 and 14. Noting that the structures of cruelty used for this ethnic persecution, political repression, extortion and revenge have not been dismantled six years after the war has ended, the ITJP has called upon the UN to refer its reports to the International criminal court for further action against those responsible for the crimes. (India Today)