The 5 policemen who were arrested over the killing of 2 university students in Jaffna were remanded till November 4, 2016 by the Court today.
The five policemen were arrested following the shooting and they were subsequently interdicted.
Meanwhile, President Maithripala Sirisena today instructed authorities to conduct an impartial inquiry into the death of the 2 university students, his media division announced.
According to reports, the policemen had opened fire on the speeding students who were traveling on a motorcycle, as the students had defied police orders to stop. The victims were students from the Jaffna University.
The CID is currently investigating the incident.
Tamil National Alliance Leader R. Sampanthan on Friday expressed his concern over the incident when he met President Maithripala Sirisena.
kanan / October 22, 2016
if they are under influence of liquor n not obey the law n order, shooting is justifiable. Please stay the same place where you drink liquor n travel next day not harassing police n family members. Univesity student, try to study without drinking n no advise to public when they meet accident
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Ben Hurling / October 22, 2016
Sir,
Nobdoy new this until now. Our excellent Cops on duty in Jaffna had actually been trained in Police Academies in USA.
What trigger happy criminals! Who can now replace those lives lost? When will these criminals learn that their job is actually to protect human life? Rather than taking it in a split second.
Take the bloody guns away from Cops on civilian patrol in SL. This was that barbaric clown Gota’s idea to begin with. He only picked up rubbish by living in California. Where he never even properly learned to speak the English language for more than a decade. Guns are the only thing the guy got obsessed with. “Buddhist” my foot.
Sri Lanka Police has no need to be armed at normal community policing activities. War is over. Sri Lanka is not USA.
Take the bloody guns away from their waste belts of Cops!
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Native Vedda / October 22, 2016
Ben Hurling
“Sri Lanka Police has no need to be armed at normal community policing activities. War is over.”
This is precisely my point. I have emphasized this point in my response to Anpu elsewhere.
This is part of Gota’s militarisation (of everything) project. In a way the policemen are also victims of Gota’s plot. It does not mean they can be absolved from any crime related to this shooting incident but should form the basis of a wider discussion on disarming police.
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lal / October 22, 2016
This is definitely a US style law and order enforcement operation. Respect for human life is zero, again, US stle police high handedness.Perhaps the Phillipines president has a point to make, keep them at arms length. President’s call for an imparyial investigation is to be applauded but, please no foreign investigators, even Wiggy is ok but no foreigners.
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Ratiionalist / October 23, 2016
Lal,
You say that “respect for Human life is zero, US stile police high handedness” and then you say “perhaps the Phillipines president has a point to make.”
Think for your self and try to answer the question, Who has the least respect for human life, US police or Phillipines president?
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Analyst / October 23, 2016
Ben hurling
I agree with you . The cops from the U.S. have trained our cops in SL exactly as they practice the Policing method there in the U.S.
Shoot to Kill Policy.
Bad for our country , certainly bad for our citizens.
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Banana republic / October 22, 2016
This is what happened in the past. Will history repeat? Are we going back to the 70s? This is purely political, it’s done by the racist Sinhala policemen. TNA should take this not to the SL president but to the UN. The Tamil speaking areas should have only Tamil & Muslim policemen. The Sinhala policemen should be sent out. Wigneswaran should organize a harthal in Jaffna in protest and show the world what the Sinhala regime is still doing to the Tamil people.
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Common Sense / October 22, 2016
If the Policemen were non-Sinhala and were part of the Jaffna community and fired for not obeying a command to stop then what is your reaction? Would you yet go on a tirade based on ethnic lines? What we should do is to create ethnic harmony and not ethnic division.
The reality is once a life is taken can it be given back? The answer is NO. Based ion that reality and many others a policy decision ought to be taken whether the Police should be armed or not.
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Racist Police / October 22, 2016
There is no war these days and nobody is carrying any guns. The two boys may be drunk but that does not mean they deserve to get killed by the police.
No Wonder the NE Tamils want Land & Police Powers to avoid these kind of Murders by racist Sinhalese…!
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Saro / October 24, 2016
During the period of Rajapakse regime paramilitaries recruited their supporters after receiving bribes into police and other government jobs. So not all Tamils or Muslim police are neutral in their approach to law enforcement.
Police must be brought under the local provincial councils. In UK major counties similar to SL provinces control police. If police is accountable to the provincial councils they will behave constrained to the needs and wishes of the locally elected representatives.
It’s obvious in this case that the police wanted to kill the students as shots were fired to the chest and not to stop the motorbike, in that case the tyres or the bike would have been aimed at.
Consolation is that the president took swift action after TNA leader expressed concern to him. This must be compared with what happened to the army that shot 5 innocent students in Trinco beach in 2008. The murders are still at large thanks to the encouragement given by the then leaders, Rajapaksas.
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shankar / October 22, 2016
now this will become a racial issue.That is why they must devolve the police powers.Then wiggie will be squirming if something like this happened.
it is height of cheek to fire at a motorcycle.How can they hear with their helmets and all.The police could have just radioed the motor patrol instead.
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Sinhala_Man / October 22, 2016
Excellent advice. Yes, this does become a racial issue, because it happened where it did.
Unwise armed Sinhalese military presence in the North has led to an unfortunate accident, which could have serious repercussions. No villainy, but bad judgement by the authorities.
What “kanan” has said is universally true, but the after effects of a horrible war demand special consideration. I know that there will be howls of protest form my community!
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Aia / October 22, 2016
And, we hear an impartial inquiry ordered by the President, what does the adjective impartial imply?. Has it been used as a code word her to satisfy the extremists?.
They should not have shot these students unless their own lives were at risk or had been threaten. If deaths is the solution for traffic offences, we could witness too many bodies on the road. I have seen police were chasing traffic offenders who haven’t obeyed the order to stop, yet never saw firing at the offenders despite getting more and more reinforcement and mobilization as the chase was continued. More alarming was the offenders gave no regards for other travellers on the road nor traffic signals, yet police didn’t attempt to fire at offenders but tires at some instances. When finally caught, the offenders found to be one of or combination of the following: under the influence of drugs or liquor or smuggling some firearm/drugs or mentally unstable. I respectfully disagree with your endorsement saying what kanan said was universal, may have been happened in few incidents. SL police seems to raise the bar very high in the compliance of traffic laws. Tend to think there are other reasons for this killing than racial, but like other killings in the island, is hard to prove.
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umberto gui / October 23, 2016
Sinahala_Man
How can you say that kanan said is universally true? Where in the world police shoot to kill motorcyclist who do not stop when asked to stop but speed away without any danger what so ever to the police officers?
Is it your special universe of sinhala buddhists. Your comments have been reasonable most of the time but here you have got on to a band wagon.
Get the racists police officers out of the area. Lead a campaign for it. YOU CAN DO IT IF YOU WANT TO.
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Native Vedda / October 22, 2016
shankar
Many moons ago your poster boy Black and Decker typed that police/STF/Armed forces are the Judge, jury and executioner if they so deemed.
Now you seem to contradict him.
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shankar / October 22, 2016
native last veddha
you seem obsessed with David blacker.You must be female,am i right?
your continous obsession with him seems to be sexual in nature due to his rugged good looks you see.You can’t seem to get him out of your mind.
he seemed to have triggered the hormones in you like what happened to kuveni when she saw vijaya.BTW you can’t call yourself native because the veddhas are the descendents through incest of the son and daughter of vijaya and kuveni who ran into the forest when the yakshas killed their mother.So having vijaya in your paternal lineup,how come you call yourself native’ veddha?
ps.some advise for you dear girl,is contact david directly whithout moaning and groaning his name a thousand times on this blog.knowing men as i do they always won’t mind sticking it into a warm fuzzy place regardless of what the rest of the body looks like.
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thrishu / October 22, 2016
Good. I wish the Prez is that quick seeking an impartial enquiry also into his off springs criminal acts at the night club.
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Sinhala_Man / October 22, 2016
How to safeguard the fragile peace, but more importantly how to use this “window of opportunity” for ethnic reconcilliation are things that should receive top priority.
There just isn’t political violence in Jaffna and Police there just should not carry firearms. Some may genuinely consider this risky. However, the issues are too important for us to be compromising on this.
Yes, there is hooliganism and disorderly behaviour, but that we have everywhere in the country. There will be some political activity that is unhealthy, and there is legitimate political activity that is not all that much to our liking.
But please reduce military presence in the North, and let nobody there carry firearms!
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Kugan / October 22, 2016
A few weeks ago a tamil youth died in police custody in upcountry srilanka i didnt see any post here in colombo telegraph. Why is that discremination even in media?
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CHolan / October 22, 2016
Soon these police constables will be promoted.
The person responsible for the massacre of International Tamil research conference in Jaffna was promoted by PM Srimavo immediately .
Let the world know why Tamils took up arms …
Tamils never ever will get justice .
Cheers
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rohan j / October 22, 2016
The Tamil students are to be blamed, they got drunk and they tried to beat a hasty getaway from the always caring and always calm and collected policemen who have been unfairly remanded. The unruly students shot and killed themselves.
It has been proven over the years that the Tamil’s have been responsible for all the lawlessness in this fair isle.
During the last few days members of the navy ably assisted by the police have been running amok in the Mannar area intimidating the almost destitute Tamil folk.
I will be impatiently awaiting the outcome of the promised impartial inquiry.
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cholan / October 22, 2016
These 2 Tamil youths have shot themselves and committed suicide at the police check point.
Bravo….
Subject closed
Sinhala justice..Mahadana Mutha style
Cheers
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umberto gui / October 23, 2016
rohan
Is something wrong with you. Or you are always like this. I have never come across a moron like you. You are a pathetic excuse for a human. May be knowing a little about your background, that your mother sold her body for a living and you do not know your real father, I sympathise with you a certain extent. But you have gone too far. I think you must go and see your uncle, he is a good man and will help you. Allah bless you.
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rohan j / October 23, 2016
I was being sarcastic my good man / woman / ?. You are one who just cannot read between the lines.
Taking a Tamil’s life or harming them on whatever possible manner seems to be the highlight do some members of the armed forces / police and some of the sinhalese.
In 1977 policemen went berserk at a carnival in Jaffna and we had island wide racial riots.
As per the story after shooting the youth the policemen attempted to twist and turn the story but the last laugh was on them.
Let’s wait for the finale of this incident.
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Rajash / October 22, 2016
Jaffna is still an open prison.
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Pacs / October 22, 2016
Excellent in fiction writing and stage setting. Who?
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Pacs / October 22, 2016
The prevalence is much higher in Tamil areas and Tamils involved
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cholan / October 22, 2016
@ Pacs Peko
The question why these Sinhala policemen open fire and killed them?
These Grade 5 qualified Sinhala Police think they are above the law.
Thanks for the Sinhala Police to make Tamils to think what is best for them .
So Tamils should keep quite .
Cheers
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Pacs / October 22, 2016
And riot inside the prison
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Justice & Fairplay / October 22, 2016
“Meanwhile, President Maithripala Sirisena today instructed authorities to conduct an impartial inquiry into the death of the 2 university students, his media division announced.”
My question to the President’s Media Division is this: Are all other inquiries conducted by “authorities” partial?
Listen, you can build all the tallest buildings and the longest fly overs, but if the president has to tell authorities to hold “impartial inquiries” then we are still a very backward society. Everything that happens under the guise of inquiries is a mockery. Everything is a fix, unless the President says it should not be!
I now think we truly must have modern leaders capable of modern thinking.
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justice / October 22, 2016
Will the case be transferred to Anuradhapura after the first hearing?
This has been happening in the past, to make it difficult for lawyers and relatives of the deceased to attend from Jaffna.
Giving long dates after such transfers too, happens.
Will the accused policemen be defended by the Attorney General’s department – are they entitled to this?
If there is “just governance” – ‘yahapalanaya’, the Attorney General should PROSECUTE, as this is a case of citizens having been killed by “law enforcers”.
This happens in western democracies, where too, ‘trigger happy’ policemen kill citizens on highways.
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kumaran / October 22, 2016
Now what about Daham Sirisena and his gang wrecking that night club?! Sauce for the goose and all that!!
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A. Silva / October 22, 2016
This is the usual way police respond to speeding vehicles. How many people they have killed so far in this country. If the vehicle is speeding one need to shoot at the tyres but not to body of the human. Even to a person’s body they must shoot below the knee. There is no need to carry weapons now These policemen are now issued with high powered motor bikes. Why cant they chase and stop them. MR before his defeat purchased large number of pistols to be distributed among police, actually it was done to earn commission. Why was it not done when the Military conflict was going on what is the requirement after the war.ALL THESE POLITICIANS CANNOT THINK OBJECTIVELY OR THEY DONT WANT TO DO SO.Day and night they think of how to make money during the short spell they got to play.
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Gp / October 22, 2016
Police have a duty to do. They are given guns to defend, if not they can be given toy guns to play around the place. The two boys were ordered to STOP, why did’nt they stop? There were five policemen at the post to justify the two boys ignored the order to stop. Not only in Jaffna, even in Colombo they will be shot, because traffic police are armed with a pistol, and there a cops at certain points with guns. Please don’t make it a political issue… If the policemen were Tamils and the same offence were commited, then what you say?
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Native Vedda / October 22, 2016
Gp
“There were five policemen at the post to justify the two boys ignored the order to stop.”
As we have seen in the past the entire police department would justify what the policemen did, do and will do.
Do you suggest just because a few fascistic pigs believe they are above the law and act as judge, jury and executioner we approve what they did.
Would you still justify if one of the victims was your own son?
If you say yes, you must be the most sadistic father this forum has ever known.
“They are given guns to defend, if not they can be given toy guns to play around the place.”
Defend from what?
I would rather give them toy gun and hope they are being entertained than give them real gun causing your children’s premature death. killed.
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umberto gui / October 23, 2016
GP
You are an idiot of degree one.
If the cyclist did not stop there is no need to SHOOT to KILL them. Where in Colombo has such incident happened?
In your imagination!!!
Sirisena’s son and his thugs smashed the night club and no one was shot at!!
In the night time the police in Jaffna rob passengers thats is why the cyclist didn’t stop.
Didn’t you hear about the Navy ratings and the police tried to steal from the village in Manner and they were caught by the villagers.
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Native Vedda / October 23, 2016
umberto gui
You are mad.
“In the night time the police in Jaffna rob passengers thats is why the cyclist didn’t stop.”
Didn’t both have a field gun on their tow?
“Didn’t you hear about the Navy ratings and the police tried to steal from the village in Manner and they were caught by the villagers.”
You are a traitor to this nation.
Our armed forces have a impeccable record on human rights, they neither steal nor kill, how dare you blame them?
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umberto gui / October 24, 2016
NV
Are you echoing our honourable president, who has no blemishes. He always rise to defend his family and friends.
Hev will defend his friends what may come, because he is honourable and the people of srilanka( who are kasippu consuming sinhale-buddhists) will back him up.
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A. Silva / October 22, 2016
GP This shows your ignorance of the real facts. In Uk I have not seen Police carrying guns. Remember our law says they must use minimum force n arresting a person. Most of other country also same. I quoted UK because we follow them being our rulers and every thing we copied from them.Police do not carry weapons when they are on Traffic duty. Where it is said if the motorist do not stop they should be shot at. And what is the need to shoot aiming the body. If they aimed at the tyres it will hit only the lower part of the body. These type of incident will scare the visitors to the country.Carrying weapons in open public will show still the military conflict is continuing. It is not politics when I wrote about pistols bought by the previous Govt. Police need not carry even a toy pistol. Buying Pistols for police was not required it was not a objective decision in the interest of the law and order except pouring the pockets of the poiticians.
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Douglas / October 22, 2016
This Government, a Coalition , led by both the President and the Prime Minister has obviously MESSED up in style particularly in Governance of Public Affairs. A recovery is far beyond and the irony is both the Leaders do not ACCEPT and attempt to RECOVER. As I said earlier the “HELL” has broken and all the “DEVILS” and “DEMONS” have begun to rise from the “Black Hole”. Mr. President & Prime Minister, you have gone blind to what is going on in the minds of International Community viz. the Business and other Commercial Sectors in analyzing this messed up domestic affairs, and in the end you will be forced to succumb to the “Iron Fist” of China. Both of you have already lost the most important CREDIBILITY factor in handling Public Affairs. You did it DELIBERATELY and it is not a “MISTAKE”.
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Franciso Mendez / October 23, 2016
Must be the US police training for Cops in Sri Lanka under Ranil and Sagala. To shoot first and then ask questions. US cops are trained to shoot and shoot to kill and not to maim. So when they shoot they shoot at the chest area. So this must be new Pivot to USA by Ranil
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Rajash / October 23, 2016
so police and army are still roaming Jaffna with guns?
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Pop Moron / October 23, 2016
I just need an answer to this questions
If that is from University of Peradeniya or Colombo and the 2 students are Sinhalese what will be the reaction?
a) One Month strike
b) Big island wide rally
c) Immediate suspension of police
d) New ordinance
The TVs and news papers spend more than usual for Jaffna University Kandian dance conflict . How much they have written and telecast about this..
a) Nothing
b) just in the corner with border
c) A news headline only
d) Similar like Kandian dance issues
Referance : ( https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/the-rupavahini-black-out-of-the-jaffna-university-clash/)
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Lester / October 24, 2016
“According to reports, the policemen had opened fire on the speeding students who were traveling on a motorcycle, as the students had defied police orders to stop.”
If they defied orders to stop, then the shooting may be justified, although perhaps not shooting to kill. What is needed here is some kind of CCTV footage to get at the bottom of the matter. As well as the results of the autopsy. Perhaps the students were drunk.
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Sinhala M / October 24, 2016
“Meanwhile, President Maithripala Sirisena today instructed authorities to conduct an impartial inquiry into the death of the 2 university students, his media division announced.”
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