By Ms S. R. –
Appeal: to the international community; to human-rights and women’s organisations on behalf of Tamil women
Introduction. Given censorship and intimidation many journalists have fled Sri Lanka. (Several journalists have been murdered, perhaps the best-known of them being Lasantha Wickrematunge, Editor of the Sunday Leader, in 2009.) Colombo Telegraph, quoted below (https://www.colombotelegraph.com), is a “public interest” website run by Sri Lankan journalists in exile. Its internet-site of 13 September 2013 (under the caption ‘WikiLeaks: EPDP sold Jaffna children: girls to prostitution rings and boys to slavery’) highlights information that has come into the public domain through the WikiLeaks database. The information was given to the US Embassy by Mr Stephen Sinnavan Sunthararaj, Project Manager, Centre for Human Rights and Development. Abducted in Colombo in broad daylight on 7 May 2009, there is no news of him.
Clarification. EPDP and LTTE (Karuna group) are two Tamil paramilitary organisations collaborating with the Sinhalese government of Sri Lanka in return for power over their fellow Tamils . Under the former President of Sri Lanka, the EPDP received a financial grant. This was discontinued by the present government and so its leader, Douglas Devananda, extorts even more funds to maintain his private army. By all accounts, the situation of women has worsened: watch, for example;
Though the war is over and there is no threat whatsoever, the government maintains perhaps between 200,000 and 300,000 soldiers in the North and East. Most of these men are without their wives and families. Having uncontested power, they have impunity vis-à-vis the Tamil population. What is more, seeing all Tamils as former supporters of the Tamil Tigers, they are hostile and, worse, have contempt for them.
On the other hand, there is a shortage of Tamil men, many having been killed; many having fled abroad as refugees; some in detention. But even those who are present are powerless to protect the women of the house against the army and the armed EPDP.
According to information given to the US Ambassador, soldiers kidnap and rape Tamil women. Or they work through the EPDP which, being Tamil, has access to Tamil families, and uses that to win trust or, failing, resort to coercion. I cite from the Colombo Telegraph report: Sunthararaj’s story was partially verified by the Government Agent of the North, one Mr Ganesh, who stated that the EPDP works in concert with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to operate Tamil prostitution rings for the soldiers. Mr Ganesh stated that young women were forced to have sex with between five and ten soldiers a night. Sometimes, they are paid approximately a dollar for each “service.”
The women’s parents and relations are unable to complain to authorities for fear of retribution and because doing so would ruin the reputation of the young girls and women, making it impossible for them ever to marry. Besides, it would be like a lamb complaining to wolves about the behaviour of wolves.
It might be thought that the WikiLeaks information, though carried by Colombo Telegraph this month, is from a few years past. But going by reports received from family and friends, Christian priests in the area, volunteers and others, the situation is now much worse. Indeed, it is no longer “news”. You will appreciate that, particularly in a traditional society, where rape is concerned, families choose to remain silent; endure the catastrophe, cope with the pain and its consequences as best as they can.
I beg you: please “hear” their silent and distant cry, and help these helpless women.
Ms S. R.
yaya / September 20, 2013
this is what an army of occupation does. recently the army also showcased few of these marriages to soldiers as ‘reconciliation’ efforts.
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Percy Jilmart / September 20, 2013
To the Mahavamsa Sinhalese who comment here,
Such things have been happening in the north for a very long time…there is no use trying to deny it. Whether or not you people are willing or unwilling to devolve power to the Tamils is a different story, but can you condone what has been happening and still is happening to Tamil women in the North?
How would you feel if some foreign army
invaded Sri RajaPakistan and raped Sinhala mothers, sisters and daughters?
If you do not speak out against crimes like this, our country will be eternally cursed for what it is doing to its people.
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yaya / September 20, 2013
this will not stop until all the army is removed from NE and that is not going to happen till tamil people have power
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sach / September 22, 2013
actually it is the army there that give security to ppl. violence, robberies were on the rise in north but most of them were prevented due to army.
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sach / September 22, 2013
about power devolution, if you check news, it has already been done.
And yes abducting and raping women of any ethnicity is bad. As the article itself says the gov (sinhala as she puts it) had to pay money to Tamils not to kidnap and sell Tamils to others. So sinhala gov has been actually sympathatic towards them.
As gov fell into more economic difficulties they had to stop giving these money. So in other words it was the sympathy of the gov that has helped women even in the little time.
EPDP must be brought to books and punished for that.
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lal / September 20, 2013
As a Sri Lankan patriot I condemn all forms of violence – rape, thuggery, terrorism, robbery, suicide bombing.
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Lanka Liar / September 20, 2013
You are condemning the Sri Lankan culture. How can you be a patriot
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Moda Singalis / September 21, 2013
Lol
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sach / September 22, 2013
LTTE culture is not Lankan culture, you are mistaken
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cyril / September 20, 2013
this is exactly how terrorists should be dealt with.
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Spring Koha / September 20, 2013
And so the cycle goes on, relentless and unbroken, an inferno of the damned. Innocence lost. A curse on both houses!
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Longa / September 20, 2013
Only a fool can comment as you do
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Lanka Liar / September 20, 2013
Ok try raping KP Karuna and Pilaiyan and see.
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Moda Singalis / September 21, 2013
You must be born to [Edited out]
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Moda Singalis / September 21, 2013
Cyril
You must be born [Edited out]
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Suranee / September 20, 2013
Dear TNA (Tamil National Alliance)
Have you been sleeping while all this was happening in the North?
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Spring Koha / September 20, 2013
This is a silly comment given that the perpetrators have been clearly identified as fucking soldiers. There is much credence in the accusation, given our knowledge of these soldiers’ track record in the south and overseas (in Haiti). aiyoo! aiyoo!Sometimes, people just ejaculate rubbish before engaging their brain.
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Suranee / September 20, 2013
Spring Koha,
A silly comment? I really would like to know what are those Tamil politicians who claim they care so much for the rights of the Tamil people doing to stop this? Reminds me of Prabakaran who claimed he was a freedom fighter who fought for the rights of the Tamil people yet forcibly kept them in LTTE controlled areas and killed those who went against him plus took their children against their will to be trained as child soldiers and suicide bombers.
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Spring Koha / September 20, 2013
Suranee,
I don’t give a toss for Tamil politicians etc. I am talking of soldiers and their discipline. I am talking about the officers (and gentlemen?) who keep them under control. These are the armed forces we are talking about, who not so long ago we claimed fought a fair and clean war and won a long overdue victory over a odious terrorist organisation. Supposedly decent men who we honour. Who will believe us now? We are talking about basic human decency. How can we build a decent nation when we have this going on now?
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Suranee / September 21, 2013
Spring Koha,
When a war breaks out many a government will use the opportunity to recruit every tom dick and harry into the armed forces. They don’t care how indiscipline these people are even after they’ve been trained. They need soldiers to fight. After the Weliweriya case I have lost all respect for the soldiers in our country.
As for what’s happening in the North and East I do condemn it but the ineffectiveness of the NGO’s and Tamil politicians based there to help these people is unforgivable.
We can never build this nation Spring Koha. The damage done I’m afraid will be there for a very long time. There were three people who I strongly believe would have been able to build this nation – the Honorable Prime Minister D.S. Senenayake, Mr. Laksman Kardiragamar and Mr. Ranjan Wijeratne. They were the true heroes of this country in my books and Sri Lanka without them will be a lost cause that is until someone educated, compassionate and courageous enough is found to make the changes this country needs to benefit its people.
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SakiliS / September 22, 2013
Ado [Edited out]
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Spring Koha / September 20, 2013
This plea is an indictment of the President, the Defence Secretary, officers of the armed forces and others in position to act. A disgrace that the appeal is made to outside agencies to help. Our thick-skinned leaders show no appreciation that this is yet another nail in the national coffin.
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hadagamba / September 21, 2013
Spring Coba
You mean “another nail in Peelum national coffin?” Spot on podian.
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Moda Singalis / September 21, 2013
Hadagamba
It means another [Edited out]
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Vibhushana / September 20, 2013
/*
Sometimes, they are paid approximately a dollar for each “service.”
*/
Get a grip. If money changes hands why is it called rape?
85,000 war widows. They must have some income I suppose. Jaffna is the red light province now.
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Lanka Liar / September 20, 2013
It is 50 cents per kid in the south.
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Siva Sankaran Sarma / September 21, 2013
Really? You should have asked for at least 75c a pop :D
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Moda Singalis / September 21, 2013
[Edited out]
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Moda Singalis / September 21, 2013
I feel sorry for you son. [Edited out]
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sach / September 22, 2013
ah are you the little tamil who were rescued by child protection authority in wellawatte?
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Suresh / September 21, 2013
My God Vibushana! How CAN you make a comment like that? I’d like to see how you react if it happened to your own!You are a pathetic mongrel!
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Sandy / September 21, 2013
Vibushana.. have you a mother, sister or daughter?
You make me want to throw up.
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Moda Singalis / September 21, 2013
Vibushana
No doubt you were born [Edited out]
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Dhaksha / September 20, 2013
Where are the BBS thugs on this? Their people are going against the teachings of their Lord Buddha, and behaving worse than animals. This is what they should be protesting, not what Muslim women wear, or halal food. It seems this disgusting regime deliberately looks the other way, while someone’s daughter or wife, is brutally attacked by criminals who should be protecting them. The big goat is ineffective if his army cannot be controlled (but we know their method of rule; look the other way and not condemn these crimes). It seems Weliweriya is conveniently forgotten too. We should NOT be surprised that the international community keeps asking for accountability. We have a bunch of criminals ruling the roost, and all crime eventually point to the entire family.
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hadagamba / September 21, 2013
Dhaksa
Speak to the point and context. This is nothing to do with BBS? It is all resulted from LTTE Peelum fighters?
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bganendra / September 20, 2013
Madam Navipilly – Please read the above article and act as early as possible.
Immediately after the war, a lorry load of children from Mullathivu area, between the age of 8 and 14 were brought under heavy military escort to Colombo and distributed to Colombo 7 residences and to the houses of Force personnel, including former army commander, Gen Sarath Fonseka.
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hadagamba / September 21, 2013
B(og) ganendra
Nice story. Very true. Where are the facts? people with a pinch of brain may believe your stories.
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sach / September 22, 2013
really? Last night a unicorn flew around wellawatta. sathyama!
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punchinilame / September 20, 2013
Seeing and reading this piece moved me to tears. What are Tamil Politicians and Society/Religious Leaders in the North doing about it.
Colombo is silent and deaf to such matters.
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lal / September 20, 2013
The Ms. S. R. states:
“Though the war is over and there is no threat whatsoever, the government maintains perhaps between 200,000 and 300,000 soldiers in the North and East. Most of these men are without their wives and families”.
Rubbish. The military(army) consists of less than 200,000 in active service. They are stationed in every part of the country, and it is impossible to have nearly all in the North and the East.
Since Ms. S. R. says “Most of these men are without their wives and families”, may I suggest,to remedy the situation the govt. must take urgent action to build homes and schools for their families in the north and the east.
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yaya / September 21, 2013
the remedy is to remove the occupying military from the north and east and that is why it is important for tamil people to have power
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hadagamba / September 21, 2013
Yaya in La-La Peelum Land
Tamil people to have power? Ha ha what a joke? We have seen enough of that with your lunatic son-goat for last 30. Be real.
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Moda Singalis / September 21, 2013
Hadagemba Ado [Edited out]
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hadagamba / September 22, 2013
Modaya
Do not show the qualities of a four-legged animal.
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justice / September 20, 2013
“Morality is due to lack of opportunity” someone said.
The oldest biological urge cannot be easily suppressed.
If sex starved men forced by circumstances to be away from families for extended perids of time,and defenceless women are nearby,coercion for sex – paid or unpaid – is inevitable.
Purposefully lax supervision can encourage this,especially if the population of an “occupied area” are of different ethnicity.
Such “sex-starvation” also affects their performance as soldiers.
While rank & file thus ‘suffer’,top brass usually manage to purchase satisfaction.
This is why,in the past,some armies had “comfort women” following them.
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Kumar R. / September 20, 2013
Rajasingham,
I am surprised you are so damn silent on this.
A few weeks ago you informed all of us that (a) you can see happier face among the Tamils in Jaffna as they can see a brighter future (b) the Government is forced to bring labor from the South only because Tamils are making good money in Fishing and from remittances from abroad, (c) You are convinced that Mahinda has honorable intentions for the Tamils.
Have you changed any of these views? If you have, could you tell us why? Stop bashing LTTE, four years after they were buried. What has the Government done to ease the pains of the Tamils or to be fair by them?
Do you realize that your soft-peddling all of the Regime’s (including EPDP’s) atrocious conduct that has helped them get to this stage of complete inhumanity as far as Tamils are concerned. Without support from you and your ilk, would this have been possible? Do you have any regrets?
Will it be wrong to assume that you were enticed by free luxury trips and tours and false promises? EPDP offer extra amenities as well?
You remind me of the wisdom “I can save myself from my enemies – but God help me from my erring friends!” God Bless You!
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sach / September 22, 2013
The biggest thing MR did was stopping the war. If Prabha was there can anyone think of an election in North? or even implementation of 13 ? Is nt this the result of MR?
How much you hate the man, he is the only politician who has done REAL service to the tamils. He cant be accused for what EPDP does.
The ones who do these things (alleged)are Tamils not gov.
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Kumar R. / September 22, 2013
Rajasingham,
Too ashamed to respond?
Not only fools, but even the wise make mistakes – sometime blunders.
However, it takes courage/backbone to concede, to accept mistake and to take responsibility. It is the cowards who seek cover or slither away. You prove that point rather vividly.
Now you have seen the election results – do you still stand by your version that the Diaspora has no clue on the sentiments of the Tamils. You have been, even as recent as two or three days ago, selling Government’s development programmes as the ultimate evidence for your assertions. Here below is a paragraph from the Island today. Do you still believe you have your ears closer to the ground than the Diaspora? Are still under the illusion that you have any superior wisdom because of your “Dr.” title or that “super-human” capacity you developed training to be a Balu Dostara?!
“The government cannot hide these problems under new roads and bridges, and without addressing those problems the government cannot even get the ears of the people, let alone their support. How does it benefit someone to have the road in front of his property carpeted when he or she is denied access to that property on the pretext of state security? How does that property benefit from a road reconstruction if the road is raised above the property and the drainage from the property runs to the property and not the other way around? What benefits are there to the local people and entrepreneurs when they are excluded from the immediate spin-offs from infrastructure investment and construction, such as jobs and contracts? The not so obvious factors are the government’s motivations in undertaking this investment programme and the manner in which the programme is implemented. The selection of contractors and suppliers and the network of kickbacks have bred cynicism among the people rather than any appreciation for the infrastructure invasion. These factors invariably make political sales job all the more difficult for government apologists and campaigners.”
Do you think the author’s note about “government apologists and campaigners” may be pointed at you?
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Jim softy / September 20, 2013
There are EIGHTY THOUSAND or SO women in the NORTH AND THE EAST who don’t have husbands and those men died for their homeland.
IF those women eye single men is it wrong ?
there were reports that Christian Priests manipulating married women whose husbands were away and slept with those women. There are women Tamil – professors in JAffna University asking one night stands with expatriate tamil women visiting sri Lanka. There are reports of murder of a man who was keeping four tamil women. All these are post war stories.
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Fathima Fukushima / September 21, 2013
This is what Tamils and Vigneswaran are begging again.
Elam War V will turn all Tamil women into this.
Dear Tamil Homeland believers, is this the fate of your mothers, sisters, daughters, aunties? :(
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vignaswaran / September 21, 2013
I want to ask Tamil politician (TNA. up country tamil ministers. And all LTTE supoters as well as people who selling these women for money) what did you do for them. At least have you given them a water bottle. No they want these women must be this state then they can sell them to other country and get money from them and they can have a good life. Most of them live in out of North and East the politician have a comfortable life Colombo or foreign country. What these video do for these tamils. nothing. These tamils who talk about these women they do nothing for these women.
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Suresh / September 21, 2013
Going by the comments of the revolting Jim Softy and Fuckushima, I feel saddened by the complete lack of decency shown by these two unparalleled idiots. Get a life, you two!
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Fathima Fukushima / September 21, 2013
You get a like Tamil war widow’s son.
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Moda Singalis / September 21, 2013
Fukushima
Para [Edited out]
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Sandy / September 21, 2013
To all our precious mothers,daughters and sisters who are mistreated and abused –
We love you, we weep for you, we pray for you and wish we could be there for you..
And to those who take advantage of these helpless ones…
Isaiah.10.1-3 ‘Woe to you who legislate evil,
who make laws that make victims –
Laws that make misery for the poor,
That rob My destitute people of dignity,
Exploiting defenceless widows,
taking advantage of homeless children.
What will you have to say on Judgment Day,
When doomsday arrives out of the blue?
Who will you get to help you?
What good will your money do you?
(Isaiah.10.1-3.Holy Bible)
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Fathima Fukushima / September 21, 2013
Doomsday is what today is for many more Tamil mothers.
Elam War V is just around the corner.
Many more Tamil war widows in the making. Grease devils will have a field day.
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Moda Singalis / September 21, 2013
[Edited out]
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RajasH / September 22, 2013
Dear Editor/Moderator…I request you please delete out all any future comments made by Fathima Fukushima on Tamil War Widows. It’s an insult to motherhood irrespective of whether they are black, white, yellow or belong to any race or religion.
Fathima Fukushima comment insulting a woman who has lost her husbans has reached an obscene level. As you can see from the angry response she gets on this from all decent people.
As a respcetable web media her future onscene filthy comments should be dleted.
Fathima Fukushima does not contribute intellectulaay to any debates except vulagrism…..
All walks of life in Sri Lanka has deterioted to vulgarism, whether international relations, diplomatic encounters, cricket, freedom speech etc
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Fathima Fukushima / September 22, 2013
Truth hurts!
Preventing freedom of expression like the Lasantha killers is for COWARDS.
Face the ugly truth. Don’t run away from it with white flags hanging from the rear.
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SakiliS / September 22, 2013
I wonder which race this monkey belongs to? I would love to watch this pig die slowly.
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Sandy / September 22, 2013
‘A beast does not know that he is a beast, and the nearer a man gets
to being a beast, the less he knows it ‘ – George McDonald.
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sach / September 22, 2013
This is just editing of a news item that Colombo Tele produced from Wikileaks and presented as an article. Nothing new
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titan / September 26, 2013
Before the elections, recently Vigneswaran said there are 60,000 widows in the North, now that he has taken note of this deplorable situation, hope he and TNA guys wll do some social reform, otherwise the problem will further deteriorate, among the widows how many of are young or what age group, no indication was made about this.
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