The Tamil National Alliance has expressed shock at the arrest of the widow and disappearances activist Balendran Jeyakumari by the police on Thursday night and said the high handed conduct of the Government was illustrative of the regime’s disdain towards the UN Human Rights Council.
“The TNA demands that Jeyakumari and Vidushika be produced before a magistrate and released, we remain deeply concerned for their safety and wellbeing particularly in the context of reported widespread sexual violence against women in the Northern Province,” the party said in a statement a few hours ago.
The two women have since been produced in court and Jeyakumari has been issued a Detention Order under the prevention of terrorism act and will be transferred to the Boosa camp tomorrow, activists said.
The TNA has urged the international community to push for the women’s release.
We publish below the statement in full;
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) protests in the strongest terms the arrest of a widow named Balendra Jeyakumari and her thirteen-year-old daughter Vidushika from Dharmapuram in the Kilinochchi District last evening, Thursday 13 March 2014. The Sri Lankan Police claims that gunshots were heard in the vicinity of their home and that a policeman was injured. They also claim that the alleged attackers appeared to have taken shelter in Jeyakumari’s house.
Jeyakumari and Vidushika are active participants in most protests conducted by families of the disappeared in the Northern Province. Jeyakumari’s two sons were killed in the war and the third went missing after she handed him over to the military in May 2009. Vidushika is her only remaining child.
A massive contingent of several hundred security personnel surrounded Jeyakumari’s house last afternoon, confiscated their mobile telephones and interrogated them for over four hours before taking them away. They were reportedly held in Vavuniya overnight and were to be produced before a Magistrate today, Friday 14 March 2014. However, as of 3.00pm, they are yet to be produced. TNA Members of Parliament Mavai Senathirajah and E. Saranapavan have been at the Magistrate’s Court premises the whole of today. We have now heard reports that Jeyakumari and Vidushika may be detained by an Order of the Secretary, Ministry of Defence under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act, thereby circumventing the legal requirement that they be produced before a Magistrate within twenty-four hours of arrest.
The TNA is shocked and appalled at the conduct of the authorities in this regard. The high-handed conduct of the government, even while its human rights record is under scrutiny at the current sessions of the Human Rights Council, is illustrative of the government’s disdainful conduct towards the Human Rights Council. The TNA demands that Jeyakumari and Vidushika be produced before a Magistrate forthwith and released. We remain deeply concerned for the safety and wellbeing of Jeyakumari and Vidushika, particularly given the context of reported widespread sexual violence against women in the Northern Province. We urge the international community to take all possible measures to ensure the safety and release of Jeyakumari and Vidushika.
Navin / March 14, 2014
I think all drug peddlers, underworld gangsters, murderers, petty thieves, white collar criminals should actively participate in anti-government propaganda activities and wear human rights on their sleeves for at least for 6 months before engaging in their chosen illegal activity.
This will ensure their immediate release should they get caught. The arrest will draw the attention of the opposition (especially TNA and other Tamil political groups if you happen to be Tamil or can pretend to be one), international human rights action groups and independent western media who will campaign for your immediate release no matter what the crime is.
Moreover, you may even get an audience with American or British diplomats in prison.
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Native Vedda / March 15, 2014
Navin
How about internship at the parliament, judiciary, armed forces, police department, ……… which would give those criminals a wide raging on the job experience and networking, particularly prime minister’s office?
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Siva Sankaran Sarma / March 15, 2014
How true, Navin :D
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OutRider / March 15, 2014
We urge the international community to take all possible measures to ensure the swindler Saravanapavan stops publishing lies in the rag called Uthayan to mislead the world about what is happening in the north.
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Liberal One / March 15, 2014
TNA should not intervene in the process of law enforcement high highhandedly like this. Is she supposed to have a special immunity just because she is a human rights activist and a Tamil?
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Truth / March 15, 2014
Who are you to tell who should interfere and who should not? You want MR and Co to have a free hand in their killing spree?
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Native Vedda / March 15, 2014
Liberal One
“Is she supposed to have a special immunity just because she is a human rights activist and a Tamil?”
She is not entitle to impunity.
However impunity is automatically granted if the offender is found to be a Sinhala/Buddhist murderer,drug runner, policemen, members of armed forces, war criminals, saffron clad thugs, child molesters … etc.
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Siva Sankaran Sarma / March 15, 2014
Typical Tamil racist mindset – let them get away with murder, as long as they’re Tamil :D
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ela kolla / March 15, 2014
[Edited out]
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aratai / March 15, 2014
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Sinhalese government don’t have the guts to arrest people like Sambandan or Ananthi! who do more harm to srilanka than this little 13 yr old girl.
But they arrest a 13yr old girl, soon they will be arresting 1 yr old babies too.
What a shame.
:-)
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Bruz / March 15, 2014
Please don’t blame Secretary of Death Gota for this. Probably he was under the influence of Duminda’s specially imported medication when he gave orders for the detentions. He can even order an year old arrested and kept in Boossa under the PTA. He was just trying to do his ‘duty’ in spite of being under the influence. He is a strict vegetarian and only harass human and not animal (except his pet sharks) or eat animal parts. Guy is such a true BBS Ravaya Buddha dhamma Sinhala example of a true Buddhist.
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