The Magistrate’s Court inquiry into the mass grave discovered in Matale was taken up in the Magistrate Court of Matale today (19th August 2013).
The court accepted several affidavits of family members who believe the remains of their loved one are amongst the bodies unearthed. The affidavits contained information of disappearances and some disclosed names of army officials who were responsible for taking into custody individuals who thereafter disappeared. Those who had tendered affidavits to court are to present themselves at the police headquarters in Matale on 27th, 28th and 29th August 2013 to enable the Criminal Investigations Department of the Police (CID) to obtain statements and further information.
The Magistrate also ordered the CID to submit a written explanation as to why a previous court order requiring public notices to be issued had not yet been implemented.
The case is to be called up again on the 4th of November 2013.
Native Vedda / August 19, 2013
David Blacker
Could you shed some light on Matale Mass Grave Inquiry.
/
Dan Seneviratne / August 20, 2013
I guess to that time, David Blacker was not in the army ? :(
Native @,
I am quite confident, if one would investigate those graves properly, many of us (who lost their lovely ones, university batchas) could comfort our minds to some extent. To this day, we still feel that they just went missing. It is hard me to realize that my batch mates were murdered by JVP uprising ( or by govt forces)- until dead bodies are not displayed
/
Native Vedda / August 20, 2013
Dan Seneviratne
I understand.
No Justice No closure, No Closure No Reconciliation.
Investigations should cover the period from 5th April 1971 to date.
/
Dan Seneviratne / August 20, 2013
I think Our people to blame on all these. Their indifference has allowed to continue corrupt handlings of the crime investigations or no investigations at all. Not just the politicians.
As far as my memories concerned, I dont know any kind of proper investigations to have carried out in the country in the course of recent years.
Your comment brought me back to that cruel days in the history where I lost my batchas (one good friend from Vet faculty – 86 batch). He was only son to that family, to my knowledge did not support JVPers or any other activists groups, but went missing. This I was informed only mid 90ties.
So that has become usual to the average but not to us that live out of the country :(
/
David Blacker / August 23, 2013
“Could you shed some light on Matale Mass Grave Inquiry.”
Why, Jungle Bunny, you didn’t pay your light bill?
/
Lapatiya / August 19, 2013
When the Aadambarakara Thaththa Ignored,
1. Supreme Court decision to reduce the Petrol prices,
2. Applet Court decision regarding legality of Parliamentary Select Committee,
There was no problem from the courts or no body ask explanation from Aadambarakara Thatha. He is the supreme commander of Armed Forces, Police and Civil Defense. CID also under the supreme commander and now following their Leader’s foot path.
/
Ajith / August 19, 2013
What the hell this Magistrate? How can CID to implement the court order to their boss.
/
anuradha / August 19, 2013
This is a waste of public funds there are no complainants or acussed in this matter .J V P are retaining high profile attorneys and trying to upset the country as they have no leg to stand now .Almost all the people who have submitted affidavits have got their compensation and the death certificates of the dead .This is an exercise to bring discredit to our country .Some people come in hired buses from Negombo to hold banners on nthe road to the courts but no one in Matale is bothered about this
/
Fair N Square / August 21, 2013
YOU wouldt be saying this IF one of the victims were ur father, brother, uncle or a close relative…. Doesnt Human life has value? ALL lives that were TAKEN out by the army during the period in question need to be accounted for…it is irrelavent if the Commanding officer at the time was GOAT A or anyone else… they need to be put on the dock and made to pay for the crimes committed…
/
Safa / August 19, 2013
Police do not follow the law. They follow orders from above.
Judges and Magistrates do not hold the scales of justice. They follow directives from above.
Such is the scheme of things in the wonder of asia. Some are more equal than others. Justice is a pipe dream for the masses.
/
manel fonseka / August 20, 2013
‘Police do not follow the law. They follow orders from above.’
Amazingly, this is not always the case–even in sunny Sri Lanka. I am aware of at least one policeman during the late 1980s (JVP uprising) who took a 2nd look at a list of names he had been given & told to “deal with” as dangerous JVPers. He was taken aback by the presence of non JVPers, some were people he was aware belonged to other parties or were not, as far as he knew, associated with the JVP in any way. He refused the assignment– & was transferred. I wonder he is still alive. A relation of his told a group of friends this at the time.
/
Dan Seneviratne / August 20, 2013
It will take many more decades our people to learn to be self and learn to decide following their conscience. Having lived on the west for the last few decades, looking at the manner the police in general behave in EUrope, I always raise the question why at least 50% of our police officers cant behave respecting the human values. When reading the devleopments related to the incidents such as Deraniyagala, Vaas Gunaswardhana, how come lanken police has to come that far- ignoring their duties, not just a couple months but for 10 years ?
/
Benadict / August 19, 2013
uselss judges , wasting their time. they are only good for traffic police cases and punish poor people.
/
Aney Apochchi! / August 19, 2013
Benadict:
Thank you for that, sir. Simply put and absolutely accurate!
/
Piranha / August 19, 2013
Gota must have told them to ignore the magistrate’s order as he is implicated in the torture and murder of these people in Matale.
/
Dan Seneviratne / August 20, 2013
Why should Judges listen to Gota always ? So long this kind of Judges are part of lanken nation nothing will move towards the justice.
/
manel fonseka / August 20, 2013
Perhaps I should add to my comment above that during the period in question, when I was still an ACTIVE member of the CRM (by 1990 I was exhausted & grew pretty dormant, I am sad to say), I noticed that a number of people who were killed or ‘disappeared’ (seemingly by official or non official but ‘state-ly’ hands, because they were supposed to be JVPers, were in fact NOT JVP at all. They were members, known members, of other political parties — including the UNP & SLFP.
The same is true of a number of people alleged to have been killed by the JVP. JVPers may have wielded the weapons that dispose of certain key UNPers, but at times it appeared that the order for such disposals might have originated much higher up, & that anti Premadasa elements in the UNP were being eliminated at this time.
The short memories of the Sri Lankan polity as a whole has always bemused me. I used to wish that a really good investigative journalist wd emerge here who would try to find out what really happened in such benighted periods. Even a foreign journalist like the guy who did a book about the murder of a Pope — was it Pope John Paul — that kindly only man who was swiftly demised before he could deliver an encyclical which might lighten the burden on Catholics re contraception.
I am one those those conspiracy nuts, too, who never quite believed that the LTTE disposed of President Premadasa, and certainly not Lalith either. Too many other interests crowd the mind.
But why hasnt anyone gone into those murders, properly?
/
Dan Seneviratne / August 20, 2013
Since one commentator added his input in terms of a missing mate with whom he shares the hostel room – punchi borella. Particular missing mate is one of my then friends. 89 insurgency took the lives of many innocent youth. Majority of them were not dissidents to Premadasa GOVT. Nor were they JVP supporters. Just being a registered Undergrad at one of the Unis was good enough them to persecute them and abduct them.
/