By Colombo Telegraph –
“An officer in the Sri Lanka Army, who fled to Canada and claimed he was ordered to plant explosives at the home of an outspoken opposition politician, is raising new questions about military abuses committed during the island nation’s long civil war.” Canadian National Post reported.
According to the Newspaper Captain Ravindra Priyashantha Watudura Bandanage, 38, deserted after flying to Toronto in October 2009. He has since told Canadian immigration officials he was aware of torture and other crimes carried out by government forces against minority Tamils.
The newspaper said; Testifying at his refugee hearing, he said a colonel ordered him to place bomb materials in the home of a member of parliament named “Silva Jilingam,” an apparent reference to M.K. Sivajilingam, a controversial Sri Lankan MP then aligned with the Tamil National Alliance party. But the captain said he refused and was transferred to Colombo, where he helped with search and cordon operations that rounded up ethnic Tamils. He said he knew the army was torturing, beating and raping civilians.
“I admit that it is a harassment of these people,” he said. A kung fu champion who joined the army in 1993,. Watudura Bandanage told the Immigration & Refugee Board he had been trained in counterinsurgency.
According to the National Posts, he recounted how, in 2008, a colonel had asked him “to do something which was not right…. He said there is an order in regards to this MP, there’s an order from the Defence Ministry…. I was asked to go to this MP’s residence and place some explosive material and detonator, and maybe they had planned to blame him for something and make him leave that area and to do something in that area that way or maybe they wanted to get rid of him.”
Wuliangguobinjiu / November 30, 2012
Sounds too good to be true!
Well several boat people dying to get away but unable to reach.
While some with the right connections and supposed to be human rights lawyers have political asylum not only for their family but their servant and travel SL/Canada very frequently.
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suryagamage nilan / November 30, 2012
This is indeed shocking, but the Canadian government should not reject his application since he will be tortured and killed in Sri Lanka like the many Sinhalse who were sympathetic or were married to tamils.
It is too bad that the army was not doing things to people like the good doctor Rasasinham who claims that the tamil charge of genocide is just humbug.
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Wuliangguobinjiu / December 2, 2012
Another blade runner keeps on dreaming and chasing ambulances.
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Senguttuvan / November 30, 2012
It will be said this army officer is concocting stories to secure his immigration in Canada. The truth is during the days of the conflict it was a normal ruse for uniformed men to blackmail rich Tamils to part with their money. Many were held on false charges until large sums were paid. Some who could not were reported killed and many missing. This is, sadly, the unfortunate consequences of conflict. But the tragedy is, it is still continuing in many parts of the country where people even with the remotest connection with tigers are held against the law. A Tamil lass, journalist, writes elsewhere how her parents were held several times and made to cough out money on minor matters of documentation. The journalist also had to pay a bribe to get documents from the Grama Sevaka in order to get a copy of the ID, she alleges.
Happily, the lucrative extortion “business” at the airport/immigration is now said to be far less than previously. But Tamils in all parts of the country still fear to go to the Police Station for even ordinary business. When they are compelled to do so they go accompanied by several relatives.
Senguttuvan
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M Y Foote / December 1, 2012
this sounds like a tall tale to get refugee status. I hope he can substantiate his claims because the Canadians will get to the truth in no time
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AJ-DXB / December 2, 2012
MR will torture this ex-army officer’s family to give a statement as he is mentally disturbed and was undergoing treatment in a Mental hospital. MR can fabricate documents and present it to the media, another Idi Ameen. S.O.B.
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Dinuk / December 1, 2012
The Rajapassa shit is hitting the fan — slowly but surely! You can fool some of the people some or the time, but you can’t fool ALL the people ALL the time!
Mahinda Rajapakse and Gota the white van goon and other war criminals who think that they are kings of Lanka – a despicable uneducated and uncultured family dictatorship – will face judgement day sooner than they think…
The people are learning about their deeds- latest, burning the land registry in the Colombo Kachcheri in order to land grab, prison riots, attacks on students in Jaffna? Been there, done that during the war years. Not a lot has changed although Prabakaran and his murderous LTTE gang is gone.. However, the gathering storm from the professionals, people and civil society against the impeachment of the chief justice.. things are indeed coming to a head and the fall of the dictator is near.. and his Chinese backers can go to HELL!
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kumudini / December 1, 2012
DInuk . My question is how did an army deserter end up in Canada from SL ????? Think hard and give me the answer. Did you not question this possibility ?
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Native Vedda / December 1, 2012
kumudini asks:
“My question is how did an army deserter end up in Canada from SL ?????”
Shocking.
The same way your ancestors came to my island, by kallathony?
KP would have helped him to reach Canada on one of his LTTE ships.
Perhaps the Tamil Diaspora bought him over??
Or was he working for LTTE in the first place?
Perhaps he was on the Canadian Intelligence Agency’s payroll.
Which of the above answers will satisfy you?
You are free to make your own choice or make up your own story.
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Lanka Muslim, UK / December 1, 2012
Not only to Canada. Some, at least two for sure, came to the UK as well and also to dared to make an Award to the President of SL at a public function held in London, handing it over to the former HC.
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Lanka Muslim, UK / December 1, 2012
The Award was given for defeating the Tigers. Do not think this is joke, it really happened.
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watcher / December 1, 2012
This guy was fired from the Army and was never part of the active army Ops… He use his karate expertise inside army training camps and when he left SL for Karate show, he ask for asylum.. This is a disgrace to the nation.
So many times he was court marshal for AWO..
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Raja / December 1, 2012
Surely He must have been court-marshalled for not obeying illegal orders coming from Gotabhaya not like other war criminals like Sahvendra who obeyed them shamelessly
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David Blacker / December 10, 2012
You cannot be court martialed for refusing an illegal order, idiot.
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Leela / December 1, 2012
If he admit for crimes, I cannot understand why HRC and et al charge him and also use him to expose all those involved in killings that he say he had been used.
Leela
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Native Vedda / December 1, 2012
Leela says:
“use him to expose all those involved in killings that he say he had been used.”
The process of collecting information on war crimes and crimes against humanity commenced a long time ago. Whoever collect and varify the information aren’t telling you anything about it.
India, UK, USA and other countries hold information on everything about Sri Lanka. It would be surprising if they don’t. If they don’t then there would be serious questions raised about their competency which costs billions of dollars annually.
You are rest assured information is already there.
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Leela / December 2, 2012
It’s good that my sarcasm hit right on the nail. But the conman couldn’t bluf Canadian authorities. They realized the man is not suffering from a war syndrome but an economic one. So they packed the nut home.
Leela
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Native Vedda / December 2, 2012
Leela:
“an economic one.”
So are the rest of the people except the ruling clan and their cronies.
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Shenali / December 1, 2012
One is supposed to imagine that as every crime was being committed – he was simply watching so that he could use these data to apply for refugee status on the grounds of threat to life?
Makes a good hollywood movie!!
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Raja / December 1, 2012
What else he can do except watching them in this country of War criminals at the top
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capt ranjan perera / December 1, 2012
i know him some nights he is missing we followed him he met tiger informants before we try to cap. he is missing we think he is died now expose his tret/ acts
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Wuliangguobinjiu / December 1, 2012
Fudge-packing is the name of your game, never mind about the graft and criminality that is going on in Sri Lanka. Woof, woof, yum!
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Senguttuvan / December 2, 2012
Re. S. Nilan’s post (Nov 30) The Tamil Nation is unlikely to take at face value your allegation of the person named about this holocaust-denial of our own 5/09. Personally, I wonder if he said that in the context you characterise – but I can well be wrong.
Senguttuvan
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BunkerRat / December 2, 2012
FBI’s report card on TTD sponsored Tamil terrorists:
http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2008/january/tamil_tigers011008
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Wuliangguobinjiu / December 3, 2012
I don’t know about this case of yours but in the Raj R. case now the FBI is biting dust because the judge who passed the initial verdict has accused the FBI for misleading him right from the word go. It is also known fact that it was a fix with the woman who worked as undercover and gave evidence was a jail bird for similar case. The verdict will be out in a couple of months but meanwhile will the finger point at Gota and then PM who met Raj for a loan – the reason being phone tapping is only for terrorism and the folk associated with Raj are north Indians jains etc.Small world.
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Lester / December 2, 2012
Obviously, this guy took part in some pretty heinous crimes. Now, he is “coming clean” either because he holds a grudge against the higher-ups, or because his conscience is calling. Whatever the case, he should be granted asylum on the condition that he provide maximum info about his ex-master, the warlord Gothabaya. The kind of info that could be useful in a future war crimes trial.
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David Blacker / December 10, 2012
Too bad then that Canada thought it better to deport him than gather his “valuable information” :D
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Neomal / December 2, 2012
Still a Captain at 37? Must be something terribly wrong. In the Army, Captains are around their mid 20s.
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Leela / December 3, 2012
Bandanage sought asylum after entering Canada as Wushu coach of a Sri Lankan team that participated in the 10th World Wushu championship in Nov. 2009. According to MOD, Bandanage had joined the army in 1993 and served throughout the country. He was not in operational areas but stationed in Colombo between Aug 2006-May 2009.
Leela
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K.A Sumanasekera / December 2, 2012
By making these allegations,Capt Ravindra has ensured that he won’t be deported even if his asylum application is rejected.
Who says Sinhalese are not smart !!!!
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PresiDunce Bean / December 2, 2012
Nothing surprising about this revelation. Most people know what the armed forces are capable of. :)
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Peter Casie Chetty / December 2, 2012
This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn’t abide by our Comment policy.For more detail see our Comment policy
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Jim Softy / December 2, 2012
If this Captain disobeyed the Colonel’s order he should have been court martialled and ripped his titles but not transferred to Colombo. In the Army, he can decide right and wrong thing. It just following orders.
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Wuliangguobinjiu / December 3, 2012
J.S.:Quote” In the Army, he can decide right and wrong thing. It just following orders.Unquote
Do you ask a thieves mum if the son is a thief??
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dicky Bird / December 3, 2012
Why did you not carry out the order ?
This is insubordination……………
Hi Captain, who gave you the D rope to say what ?
Was it Mangala?
If the Captain went to Channel 4, he would have by now got a rewward and asylum as well Cameron.
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Bedrock Barney / December 4, 2012
With regard to Sivajiligam, it would have been a waste of a bomb. The most racist man you can ever meet. Quite mad.
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