{"id":44199,"date":"2012-06-05T21:24:58","date_gmt":"2012-06-05T21:24:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=44199"},"modified":"2012-06-05T21:26:46","modified_gmt":"2012-06-05T21:26:46","slug":"sri-lanka-official-has-no-idea-of-reporters-fate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/sri-lanka-official-has-no-idea-of-reporters-fate\/","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka Official Has ‘No Idea’ Of Reporter’s Fate"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Charles Haviland\/BBC –<\/p>\n

A senior Sri Lankan official has said that he has no idea about the whereabouts of a disappeared journalist seven months after saying he believed the man was alive and living abroad.<\/p>\n

Human rights activists say that the remarks of former Attorney-General Mohan Peiris betray insensitivity to the plight of missing people.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Mr Peiris's evidence to the court has been described as somewhat confused<\/p><\/div>\n

They say that is especially so at a time when disappearances are ongoing.<\/p>\n

Several dozen of such cases have been reported since October.<\/p>\n

The government denies any role in enforced disappearances.<\/p>\n

It says that accounts of them are inaccurate.<\/p>\n

But critics of the government say its involvement is suspected.<\/p>\n

Mr Peiris was called before a magistrates’ court looking into the disappearance two years ago of journalist and cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda.<\/p>\n

The court wanted to hear more on his assertion – made before a UN committee in November – that he believed Mr Ekneligoda was alive and living in a foreign country.<\/p>\n

That statement came despite an emotional and public campaign by Mr Ekneligoda’s wife, Sandhya, to try and find him.<\/p>\n

In court, Mr Peiris – now a legal adviser to the cabinet – gave a confused account of what he had actually said in Geneva, saying both that he had heard it from “intelligence” and from “hearsay”.<\/p>\n

Testifying just yards away from Mrs Ekneligoda, he said “we do not know the truth or falsity” of the matter and he wished he could shed more light on it.<\/p>\n

Under cross-examination, he said he could not recall which government department gave him the information that Mr Ekneligoda was alive.<\/p>\n

Mr Peiris, who had not wanted to appear at the magistrates’ court, refused to answer BBC questions outside the courtroom.<\/p>\n

After the hearing, human rights campaigner Nimalka Fernando accused the government of behaving irresponsibly.<\/p>\n

“If you look at the manner in which these responsible people – who are also supposed to be advisers to the cabinet – behave, it shows the utter insensitivity that they have to the crime of disappearances,” she said.<\/p>\n

Sandhya Ekneligoda said she and her two sons had hoped for new information from Mr Peiris but she had come away disappointed.<\/p>\n

Mr Ekneligoda worked for an anti-government website, Lankaenews.com, and vanished two days before the 2010 presidential election which saw incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa beat former army chief Sarath Fonseka.<\/p>\n

Among those who have disappeared in the past six months are two young activists who had themselves organised regular demonstrations by families of disappeared people.<\/p>\n

Related news; \u00a0Was Prageeth Abducted For His Journalism Or For Mailing Human Ash?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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