By R Hariharan –
Col. (retd) R.Hariharan
On the eve of the release of a full length film on Sri Lanka’s alleged war crimes, the British daily the Independent carried an article along with two photographs showing Prabhakaran’s son eating a snack before his Sri Lankan captors allegedly shot him dead in cold blood. This serious allegation pertaining to a war India supported. It is about a brutal and heinous act by a state with very friendly to India. So apart from humanitarian concerns, India in its own interest, needs to get the allegations investigated impartially. If proved true it will undoubtedly be considered a war crime committed by Sri Lanka.
It is important not because the boy was the son of Prabhakaran, but because he was an innocent boy – not a LTTE cadre – who was killed in captivity either during or after the war, like thousands of others who are alleged to have faced the same fate. It further reinforces allegations beamed earlier by Channel 4 that included custodial killings of LTTE prisoners carried out by Sri Lankan soldiers and strengthens the allegation.
For the last four years these allegations have been coming up in public domain one after the other. Undoubtedly, it is a part of a global campaign by Tamils and international civil society groups to bring to book the alleged perpetrators of war crimes during the Eelam War in which thousands of civilians died. But there is nothing wrong in it because that in no way lessens the seriousness of the allegations or the magnitude of the crimes. So they cannot be ignored on this count.
The UN after a preliminary examination of the allegations discussed the subject with the Sri Lanka government both on one to one basis as well as in UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). As a result of these efforts Sri Lanka President appointed the Lessons Learnt and Recommendations Commission (LLRC) and assured its recommendations would be implemented. However, the promised implementation of the LLRC recommendations is unsatisfactory and incomplete. So the UNHRC last year passed a U.S. sponsored resolution seeking accountability from Sri Lanka in implementing the recommendations. And India for the first time supported the U.S. move and voted for the resolution. Sri Lanka’s progress on the subject is due for review at the UNHRC meeting in March 2013.
To summarise, during the last three years the UN and international community particularly India and the U.S. had given enough opportunity for Sri Lanka to investigate and take follow up actions on these serious allegations through a transparent process. Sri Lanka has not only not implemented LLRC recommendation but maintains it is purely an internal matter. It is steadfast in saying these false allegations are part of an international conspiracy to denigrate Sri Lanka and downgrade the achievement of Sri Lanka army in defeating the LTTE. Time has come for carrying out an international inquiry under UN auspices to establish the veracity of the allegations.
On Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s response
The lack of positive response from Sri Lanka to Tamil concerns in the post war period has distressed Tamils everywhere. This turned to anger when increasing number allegations of atrocities against Tamil prisoners and population with telling visuals started surfacing one after the other.
Tamil Nadu political leaders have been expressing their views on these issues reflecting popular sentiments in their political statements. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Ms J Jayalalithaa during and after her AIADMK party’s thumping victory in the state elections had been demanding that India pressurize Sri Lanka by applying trade sanctions and initiate international action to bring to book those Sri Lankans including President Rajapaksa for involvement in heinous crimes including mass killing of Tamils. The governor’s address in Tamil Nadu Assembly specifically reiterated the demand for trade sanction.
The pictures of Prabhakaran’s son Balachandran’s brutal killing in Sri Lankan custody has turned the simmering anger to rage in Tamil Nadu and triggered a wave of protests. Ms Jayalalithaa has reiterated that New Delhi must tackle this with the seriousness it deserves and wanted India to join hands with the U.S. to initiate action to bring the culprits of Sri Lanka before international criminal court. She has also announced that Tamil Nadu will not be able to host the 20th Asian Athletic Championships (20th AAC) scheduled to be held in July 2013 as “there was no place for Sri Lankan athletes in the State.”
Her actions and requests to New Delhi for specific actions like trade ban which fall in the central domain should not be trivialized because they reflect the feelings of most of the people of the state. Her decision not to host 20th AAC in a way regrettable because athletics has no borders and it promotes goodwill. In spite of this, I welcome her action because it sends a strong message to the people of India and Sri Lanka that Tamil Nadu’s serious concerns on the handling of Tamil concerns by both India and Sri Lanka.
However, I have my reservations on implementing other actions. India enjoys very close relations with Sri Lanka. So far India had brought its concerns to Sri Lanka’s attention at the highest levels on one to one basis. These efforts have been put paid because President Rajapaksa has political reservations about implementing his promises to India on devolution of powers to Tamils. In fact there had been little progress on many other issues relating to Tamils.
So time has come for Indian Prime Minister to publicly announce India’s unhappiness over the way Sri Lanka has conducted itself in the post war period. And specifically it should speed up devolution of powers to Tamils, investigate all allegations of war crimes and human rights violations by cleaning up issues of governance, and implement all the recommendations of the LLRC. Otherwise India will be constrained to take action both at the national and international level. This can include bringing up the issue at the UNHRC and participation in the next Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting to be hosted by Sri Lanka. This will make it clear to the Sri Lanka government and people as well as people of India including Tamil Nadu, that India is contemplating a series of actions if Sri Lanka ignores its concerns.
After that India’s approach should be to progressively bring pressure on Sri Lanka rather than taking drastic actions like imposing trade sanctions which would harm India and specifically Tamil Nadu more than Sri Lanka. For initiating action in the International Criminal Court, a lot of preliminary action will be required like collection of evidence, establishing identity of victims and witnesses and recording statements, to establish prima facie case on involvement of specific persons. It can take years. This is not practicable as Sri Lanka’s cooperation at certain level is essential.
So India should join Britain, Canada and the EU in supporting the suggestion of Mrs Navi Pillay for an international inquiry under UN auspices to look into allegations of Sri Lanka war crimes and human rights violations. This will require Sri Lanka’s cooperation for its successful conduct.
It should not be forgotten that Sri Lanka has an elected government which has Tamil members in bureaucracy and parliament. So it is important that India joins international community in addressing Sri Lanka polity to support their moves and that it was not intended at penalizing the people of Sri Lanka. For the same reason, Tamil Nadu should not ban or cause any harm to visiting pilgrims and ordinary people of Sri Lanka; in fact they should briefed of the concerns of Tamil Nadu through appropriate means.
On LTTE also committing such crimes
This is not the issue relating to allegations of war crimes by Sri Lanka. Yes; LTTE had also committed such heinous crimes. But LTTE has been eliminated and Sri Lanka is planning to prosecute LTTE cadres short listed in its custody for perpetrating heinous crimes. Secondly, this is not a zero sum game; it relates to a state violating its own laws on issues of international concern. On the other hand LTTE was a terrorist organization operating outside the norms of an organized state. So there is no comparison between the two entities.
On Indian action impacting its strategic interests
It is true that China and Sri Lanka enjoy close, multifaceted relations. However, this cannot be the sole consideration for our Sri Lanka foreign policy formulation. On the other hand, India and China also are fairly successful in building a win-win relationship. And Sri Lanka knows it; it also knows that it is in its own interest that India-China relations are smooth and not jeopardized. So even if Sri Lankan politicians talk of playing the China card, there are practical limitations in implementing it due to India’s strategic domination of Sri Lanka. Probably China also knows this.
[This is a summary of the comments made by Col Hariharan in TV discussions and to print media on February 20 to 22, 2013.]
*Col R Hariharan, a retired Military Intelligence specialist on South Asia, served with the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka as Head of Intelligence. He is associated with the Chennai Centre for China Studies and the South Asia Analysis Group. E-Mail: colhari@yahoo.com
Mimi / February 22, 2013
Allegation after allegation, and according to the Sri Lankan government, they are all lies, and the evidence, doctored. You have to be intellectually challenged to believe that the government has been blemish free and a hundred percent honest and upstanding. Otherwise, wouldn’t they willingly cooperate with any international investigation? The world is not fooled by this childish game of blame. Obviously they have solid evidence, that can be authenticated, and credible. These horrible pictures have been examined and authenticated as from the same camera within a short time. If this little boy had been killed in battle, he would not be seen eating food before he was shot. The Rajapaksa regime is insulting our intelligence with the rest of the world.
The Sri Lankan troops have been ruthless and behaving like those they fought against.
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WK Costa / February 23, 2013
My dear all these are allegations and not facts. Consider the following facts.
1. Mr. Hariharan was an Indian army which has provan records (not allegations) of committing severe crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka when IPKF invaded North in 1987.
2. If India helped at that time when Sri Lankan military was about to finish LTTE, not only this type of unfortunate incidents but over 100000 deaths, over 15000 of IPKF members, Indias embarrasing failures in fighting LTTE and many prominent bodies such as Rajive Ghandi also woud have been protected and saved.
3. India vas prepared to act similarly in 2008/9 also but the Mumbai attack and the memories of Rajive Ghandi did not allow that to happen.
4. West also prepard to save the LTTE by any mean but the LTTE was ended so fast denying any such opportunity.
5. How do Hariharan knows that he is VP’s son who lived with his terrorist father in a Bunker in deep jungle amidst a brutal war where anything could have happend although he may be an innocent child?
6. How Hariharan says that it is an Army bunker that may be a LTTE bunker as well? Time of taking those high quality photo graphs?
7. Sri lanka has prosecuted many military personal for uniformed crimes and even sentenced to death. Why the same photo grapher can’t produce sufficent evidences in a Sri Lankan court proceedings to punish and identify the responsible persons for this crime.
8. Sri lankan military has saved the lives of the family members of Wijeveera, Susei, Tamilsevan etc. who made severe harms to military lives. Moreover they saved nearly 300000 tamil lives including over 10000 hard core LTTE terrorists who were in the clutches of the VP who was once fed by India during the cold war and later by the west for the Dias pora money and for the lurative arm deals etc. Thus there is no cense in beliving that the SL army killed such an innocent looking boy.
9. How this single incident despite the fact that it is just an allegation links to the entire Sri Lankan military’s past and future behaviour?
10. Why the bullet wounds shown without any blood stains in the two photos are in differnt body locations.
All these facts prove that all these are nothing but a systematick fabrication of stories made by a few retired proffesionals and bankrupted Indian and Western politicians who was hired by the LTTE diaspora. However their stories are highly inconsistence to each other.
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JULAAMPITYE AMARAYA / February 23, 2013
good elaboration of a story .
All I can say is Get two Paracetamol,
because I think you have a bad Headache.
and have a nap, but some time you may dream.
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Yasith / February 23, 2013
Hah..hah…ha…
Wrong medicine at this late stage of the disease! Ask him to take “patas” or “oneshot” to finish the trouble on the spot because his paymasters Rajapakshas would soon be seen in Hague!
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S.R.H. Hoole / February 22, 2013
It is a welcome sea-change when thoughtful Indian opinion makers like Col. Hariharan begin to call for an international inquiry. I hope that the Indian establishment will take note and follow up.
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Amirthalingam / February 23, 2013
Tigers hiding under academic garb, like Hoole will always try to believe such propaganda as the truth.
Did you consider that the boy was in an LTTE bunker? Where is the proof that the bunker was an army one.
Where is the date stamp on the photo to verify the two hour gap (not that it proves anything)? We are supposed to believe Mcrae’s metadata?
Can you remember Prabhakaran getting his mlechcha army to cut open the wombs of pregnant women in the Gonagala massacre? Could it be that he ordered the killing when he knew his escape plan failed?
There is no proof in these photos that the SLA killed this boy. Hariharan is a dumb army man who was sacked on grounds of inefficiency. He ca write but he can’t fight.
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Native Vedda / February 23, 2013
S.R.H. Hoole
All Independent investigation should cover the period from 5th April 1971 to date, including IPKF atrocities in the North East.
Will the Col campaign to establish such a commission?
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K.A. Sumanasekera / February 22, 2013
Come on Colonel.
Watch the You Tube clip of a molested woman in Assam attacking your Professional Indian Soldiers of the 21 Century.
Just imagine what the the 20th Century version did to Tamils including women in Jaffna and surrounds.
And you want India to punish us for a digitally enhanced photo.
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punchinilame / February 22, 2013
Every photographic evidence relating to the war-without-witnesses are in
your opinion and that of Rajiva, Gota,Keheliya etc doctored by TV media and the diaspora. Why was the evidence of 1st Ch. 4 clips gathered by the LLRC from the SL expert Hevawitharane “in-Camera” if there is nothing
to hide?. Why is the MoD holding back its video-archive by Ramawickrema – the only embedded SLA Official camera-man, instead of countering these
with other related Photos?
The vernacular saying is – trying to hide a full pumpkin in a measure
of rice!
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justice / February 22, 2013
The least the government can do is to remove the military oppression of tamil civilians, remove suppression of their civil liberties in the north and east and allow the tamils to resume normal lives and livelihoods.Devolution can come later,if at all.
Military governers must be replaced by civilians.
The provincial elections should be held soon and it should be a free and fair election.Tamils held in detention must be indicted in courts,or set free.
Debate about war crimes may be pursued in international fora and if the armed forces are not guilty,there is nothing to fear about a probe by UN monitors.
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Appu / February 22, 2013
how about Jaffna Hospital Massacre?????? you were part of that IPKF, who killed more than 70 patients and doctors in the hospital.
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Sinha Bahau / February 22, 2013
Anything to white wash Sinhala/Buddhist facishm? Are doctors worth more than patients?
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Dubdoc / February 23, 2013
Appu is pointing that people in glass houses should not throw stones.Hariharan knows well the heinous crimes committed by IPKF on Tamils.He says LTTE has been eliminated.What about all those who funded them and Adela Balasingham ‘auntee’ who is enjoying good life in UK.Law must apply equally to all. All those Tamil children died as child soldiers also had human rights so were those Sinhala/Tamil/Muslim children died due to suicidal bombs.They were all innocent.Are we to ignore and forget them?
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Safa / February 22, 2013
Govt has zero credibility and no one believes it. It has retrograded on all promises regarding 13+, 13++, LLRC etc. Nothing much to show on the answer sheet.
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Piranha / February 22, 2013
Manmohan Singh is a pussy cat. He is leader of a country without a backbone. The man made a big mistake supporting the cunning Rajapaksa to eliminate the LTTE without having a guarantee – not a promise – of devolution of power to the tamils. Manmohan disregarded the history of broken promises by all the Sinhala leaders before Rajapaksa when he gave his full support to fight the LTTE. Manmohan has a lot to answer for to the tamils and before he is kicked out of office let’s see how he is going to redeem himself.
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Vishvajith / February 22, 2013
No Srilankan Govt can settle the political thorn through devolution.
In this absence, we wonder whether the IC will be obliged to decide for us on the claim of sovereignty and let us go our separate ways.
If this happens, we can only blame ourselves.
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Senguttuvan / February 22, 2013
The Indian Govt – under continuous and understandable pressure from TN – is fastly becoming short of options. The only reason for GoI not taking more assertive action is in view of the personal safety of all the Tamils and their assets in the island. The threat by even a more initiated educated lawyer-politician like Gamini D who said “It takes their planes to come from Bangalore here 45 minutes. We will finish them all by that time” is no empty threat. But the Rajapakses cannot use this blackmail all the time. Something more rational has to be produced soon.
Senguttuvan
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Native Vedda / February 23, 2013
Senguttuvan says;
Gamini D who said “It takes their planes to come from Bangalore here 45 minutes. We will finish them all by that time”
This was the same man alleged to have passed cabinet minutes on a regular basis to South Block.
My elders tell me there must be something wrong with those who take extreme positions. They usually have something nasty to hide.
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Appapillai / February 22, 2013
Dear Col. R Hariharan.werent the IPKF whom you were part of and the Intelligence wing of the IPKF whom you had a hand in was also accused by these same Western EElam groups (today re modeled ) into HR groups and the same media in the west Of Rape, Murder of Prisoners, torture, abductions etc etc etc etc during the time of the IPKF in sri Lanka, and did not the CM of Tamil nadu boycott when the IPKF arrived with it many Indian dead in madras.Hmmm how fate has made you a concerned Contributor to CMB telegraph.
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Leon / February 22, 2013
Colonel India is not going to do anything. It is like the ostrich which
hides its head in the sands in the hope this will in due course be forgotten.
In the meantime, the Tamil Diaspora and South India will continue the struggle till the people who committed crimes such as killing a 12 year old child not because he was a Tamil but because he was Pirapaharan’s son are brought to justice.This must be the cry of
more than 40000 innocent civilians who were killed.Not all the Hindu temples
Mr Rajapakse visited will cleanse his bloodied hands.
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Peace Dove / February 23, 2013
For the sake of argument is it possible that young Balachandran could have been killed by a para-military outfit?
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / February 23, 2013
Why not? They were also working with and for the government. They had a very personal grudge against the LTTE and more so against VP.
These groups are yet involved in acts that are unfortunately tolerated by the government.
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
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Native Vedda / February 23, 2013
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran says:
“They were also working with and for the government.”
Where does the buck stop?
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / February 24, 2013
Native,
Read the second sentence.
My issue is not about identifying who killed whom, but about whether the purported circumstances surrounding this particular death are plausible , given the vested interests and trickery that are at play. The infant I saw who had lost both parents in the final stages of the war and had only an old grandmother to care for him, matters more to me. I am crying for greater objectivity and less partiality when contemplatinfg incidents/events that transpired during the war. No one was blame free except the poor innocents who were caught up in a war they did not seek and were deliberately placed in the middle of crossfire. It was a mad war, as all wars are and sanity was the exception than the rule. Considerations of which party to the war was more insane than the other are puerile.
What transpired teach me only one thing.Wars and violence should be avoided at any cost. They are never a solution to any problem. If war and violence are resorted for whatever reason, the consequences have to borne stoically. Trying to seek morality in what is essentially amoral is insane.
Dr. RN
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Native Vedda / February 24, 2013
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
I just want to remind the readers certain aspects of Dharmayuddha.
The elders knew the destruction wrought on the people and drafted certain rules to limit the damage.
Lets forget the modern day Geneva convention. There are other international aspects to this war. We can discuss it some other time.
Rules of engagement in Kurukshetra War:
Two supreme commanders met and framed “rules of ethical conduct”, dharmayuddha, for the war. The rules included:
Fighting must begin no earlier than sunrise and end exactly at sunset.
More than one warriors may not attack a single warrior.
Two warriors may “duel”, or engage in prolonged personal combat, only if they carry the same weapons and they are on the same type of mount (on foot, on a horse, on an elephant, or in a chariot).
No warrior may kill or injure a warrior who has surrendered.
One who surrenders becomes a prisoner of war and will then be subject to the protections of a prisoner of war.
No warrior may kill or injure an unarmed warrior.
No warrior may kill or injure an unconscious warrior.
No warrior may kill or injure a person or animal not taking part in the war.
No warrior may kill or injure a warrior whose back is turned away.
No warrior may attack a woman.
No warrior may strike an animal not considered a direct threat.
The rules specific to each weapon must be followed. For example, it is prohibited to strike below the waist in mace warfare.
Warriors may not engage in any unfair warfare.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurukshetra_War
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / February 24, 2013
Native Vedda,
Thanks for this comment. the Tamils of yore had similar and probably more detailed rules of war. These included concepts such as wars being fought away from human dwelling; women, children and the aged; and livestock.
In both the Mahabharatha and Ramayana wars and events leading to them, there were multiple breeches of such protocol. Krishna was at the centre of many breeches of protocol during the Kurukshetra war, to save the life of Arjuna and make the Pandavas win. Karna, the best character in the Mahabharatha was a victim of Krishna’s below the belt tricks and paid the price with his life. In the Ramayana , Rama killed Varlli who was in the open with his arrows, while hidden behind trees.
They were not perfect times either. Wars were as dirty as wars are now. Of course, there were no Human Rights Committee meetings in Geneva to probe and pass judgements then. We are however left with the epics and their stories on the wars, to make judgements in each successive generation.
Dr. Rajasingham Narendran
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / February 23, 2013
Can anyone,even Col.Hariharan himself, comment on the following report?
http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2013/02/the-boy-in-bunker-faked-photo-
or-real.html
This link also has also a photograph of VP viewing reports of his own death. Is the photograph also genuine?
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
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Dev / February 23, 2013
Yes everything is fake and no one speaks the truth except you and your here MR
You options for defending your regime seems to be diminishing
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Dr.Rajasingham Narendran / February 23, 2013
You have absolutely no ability to debate,discuss or argue. However, your ability to insult is boundless. I will however not disappear because you wish so. Whether you like it or not, I will say what I have to say. It is for you to read, ignore, nag or insult.
Dr.RN
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Dev / February 23, 2013
I only comment on your comments to expose you as a government lackey that’s says what your master tells you to say !
Whether you go away or not I will stick around !
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Native Vedda / February 23, 2013
Dr.Rajasingham Narendran
“However, your ability to insult is boundless.”
It is my job and I haven’t resigned from it.
Don’t you think the Tamils and Sinhalese need to be insulted on a regular basis?
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David Blacker / March 7, 2013
Interesting opinion; thanks for the link. What he says about the retouching in the first pic bring up some valid points. But I’m skeptical about his view on the boy’s trousers, andI think he’s wrong in suggesting that it is a civilian show in the second picture. However, the article makes a good point of the fact that so-called photographic evidence is hardly conclusive when examined closely.
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Safa / February 23, 2013
The entire episode had been revealed in Lankanewsweb in 2012
Major General Kamal Gunaratne had murdered Balachandran on Gotabhaya’s order .
Thursday, 14 June 2012 17:39 Exclusive -Lankanewsweb.
LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran’s 14 year old son Balachnadran Prabhakaran had been killed after surrendering to the army on a direct order of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
Lanka News Web learns that Balachandran had been killed under the supervision of the Commander of the 53rd Brigade Brigadier Kamal Gunaratne.
Balachandran had surrendered to the army near the Nadikadal Lagoon at 7.30 a.m. on May 19, 2009. He had surrendered to a group of eight soldiers led Sergeant Mutubanda from the 4th Vijayaba Infantry Regiment.
Balachandran had said his father, Velupillai Prabhakaran had been shot dead the previous night and that his body was hidden in a shrub near the Nandikadal Lagoon. Mutubanda had then informed the detail to Lieutenant Nalaka from the C Group of the 4th Vijayaba Infantry Regiment.
Nalaka together with another officer named Kirinda and Sergeant Wijesinghe were engaged in a search operation in the Nandikadal Lagoon at the time.
Nalaka had informed the Commanding Officer of the 4th Vijayaba Infantry Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Rohitha Aluvihare that a boy claiming to be Prabhakaran’s son along with two security personnel had surrendered to the army. He had then informed the head of the 53rd Brigade, Brigadier Kamal Gunaratne about the matter through head of the 681 platoon, Lieutenant Colonel Lalntha Gamage.
Following orders, Brigadier Gunaratne together with Lieutenant Nalaka and Balachnadran had gone to the shrub in the Nandikadal Lagoon and shown Prabhakaran’s body to the army.
Lalantha Gamage had then personally taken charge of Balachandran and taken him to Gunaratne.
Gunaratne had then personally interrogated Balachandran.
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gamini / February 23, 2013
It is this same Major Kamal Gunaratne who discovered first, the look alike VP in span cloth with an axe cut wound on the head. The jigsaw is finally fitting in to place.
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Sulary / February 23, 2013
Tamilnadu should activate trade sanctions against SL.and ban idiotic philgrims.(Nam demala should kill atleast one or two such pligrims whether christians or buddhists. Ban all the politicos.I read idiotic Karu (Cripple) was there few days ago.
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Kamala Nayar / February 23, 2013
Be it an Indian or a child belonging to any state of India or more so of any part in any corner of the world, such heinous crimes should never be afflicted young and innocent souls. The recently claimed footage on the murder of the LTTE leader’s son in Sri Lanka is outrageous and should be condemned by the whole world. That country should apologize to the whole world for their brutal act or else it should have to be ostracized .
Kamala Nayar
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Kamala Nayar / February 23, 2013
Be it an Indian or a child belonging to any state of India or more so of any part in any corner of the world, such heinous crimes should never be afflicted on young and innocent souls. The recently claimed footage on the murder of the LTTE leader’s son in Sri Lanka is outrageous and should be condemned by the whole world. That country should apologize to the whole world for their brutal act or else it should have to be ostracized .
Kamala Nayar
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Senguttuvan / February 24, 2013
If I may be permitted to comment on Sulary and other readers in this page, trade sections against Sri Lanka will be counter-productive, create confusion and disorder here and will bring more harm than good – in which the Tamil people also will suffer immensely. Sinhala pilgrims going to India should not only be encouraged but every State enroute must take personal responsibility of the safety and the well-being of them while on Indian soil. I have personally seen much goodwill for India develops when these pilgrims, most from the rural areas fed for long on an anti-Indian (Tamil) diet, change their opinions and hopefully are able to change opinions in their own polity.
There are other internationally-accepted methods by which GoSL can be pressured to comply with their own much delayed obligations. I believe GoI is doing this, more behind the scenes, and in other ways. The justice to the Tamil Nation, which I have repeated many a times, can be delayed but cannot be denied. It may not come under the confused Rajapakses – but it will. There are many in the Sinhala South, even among the extremists, looking matters objectively and in perspective.
Senguttuvan
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Shibsekhar Das / March 20, 2013
The Sri Lankans are Bokachoda.
From Canthi, West Bengal, India.
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