Two senior members of a breakaway faction of the JVP who vanished on April 6 and reappeared a few days later have accused the security forces of abducting them.
One of them, Dimuthu Attygalle, held a press conference to announce that she was abducted by the security forces, while the other, Premkumar Gunaratnam, who was deported to Australia, made the claim after he landed in that country.
Premkumar, who has killed Indian soldiers of the IPKF, and Ms. Attygalle, vanished a few days before the inauguration of the Frontline Socialist Party, which both were deeply involved in building. Premkumar was mysteriously released and, since he had an Australian citizenship and was overstaying his visa, the police immediately picked him up, questioned and then deported him. Ms. Attygalle was dropped off at a different location and she got in touch with her party organisers and spoke up.
At the press conference, Ms. Attygalle said her abductors told her that the government was not involved but used terminology that cannot be forgotten by security personnel — for instance, they were referring to someone as “sir”, she said.
Once he reached Australia, Premkumar said were it not for Canberra's intervention he would have faced certain death. “He said that he was handcuffed, blindfolded and physically and sexually tortured during his three-day detention,” the Sydney Morning Herald reported. : “I can confirm I was abducted by the Sri Lankan government forces, blindfolded and tortured. This includes, I am embarrassed to say, sexual torture,” the paper quoted Mr. Gunaratnam as saying.
“He says about 15 government security personnel stormed into his house in Colombo around 4:30 am on Friday,” ABC.Net reported. “The 42-year-old, who holds dual citizenship in Australia and Sri Lanka, claims he was held for about four days and moved around to different army bases around the capital,” the website added.
The Sri Lankan government has denied any role in the kidnapping.
Both the media, however, refused to question the role of the Australian government in the episode. Australia has refused to answer questions relating to Premkumar's name changes, his travel under an assumed passport, his entereing Australia in the first instance and, according to Sri Lanka's Island newspaper, how the Australian High Commission in Colombo had his original passport when Premkumar had claimed that he had lost it.
“A chance saving of two lives due to decisive intervention on the part of the Australian government should be an eye opener to everyone both in and outside the country about what Sri Lanka has become; a place where democratic conversation is outlawed,” said the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission. “The purpose of abductions is to intimidate, not only the victims but also society as a whole,” it added.
Keywords: JVP, Sri Lanka, human rights violation, abduction charges, Premkumar, Dimuthu Attygalle
@Ranjith:
"Really! this guy should be facing charges for passport fraud,
identity theft and a number of other felonies. Instead, the
international media is treating him like some innocent victim"
Remember how Gota sent Karuna with a fake passport to London? Talk
about passport fraud. What are the "identity theft and a number of
other felonies" you talk about? Do you know what identity theft means?
There was no identity theft or any other felony except for the felony
of abducting Premkumar by the Sri-Lankan Government.
@Crana:
"I am not sure why this criminal was deported. He should have been
charged and convicted of murder."
He should be charged for murder for being abducted by the Sri-Lankan
Government? When are the Rajapaksas going to be charged and convicted of
mass murder?
Mr. Noel Mudalige (Premakumar Gunarathnam) is foreigner How he is enter active politic's in Srilanka . also he over stay ? show's Srilanka intelligence's are very feeble even Australia foreigner's cannot enter the active politic's. If he is interesting to politic's why he cannot do politic's in Australia. If he is double citizen holder he can do ploitic's in Srilanka no doubt.. Srilanka intelligence's have to more careful people who obtainig foreing passport and visit Srilanka. They make false propaganda over Srilanka human right,It is very damage for the country.deportation and question is normal every country will do. USA is very danger If he is do so in USA he is having very rage punishment. Australian high commissioner has no right to protect the over stay person It is our duty probably high commissioner know's this person is active politican in Srilanka.
If anyone from a less influential country like Sri Lanka overstay the visa by 5 months in Australia, NZ, UK, USA France, Norway, or any country in that block, the person will be jailed before being deported. Premakumar overstayed in Sri Lanka to create a split in a political party, had skirmishes with others in that party, and being promptly put on a flight back home. He needs to call himself lucky!
Shiva: Fear of mass graves to allow International Community in the North of Sri Lanka? Hope the President takes up your challenge to prove you are wrong & he is clean.
"Two senior members of a breakaway faction of the JVP who vanished on April 6 and reappeared a few days later have accused the security forces of abducting them."
And the Easter Bunny wears yellow suspenders.
Sri Lanka is a state of denial and a state of the jungle! Why don't the Sri Lankan regime to allow the International Community monitors in Tamil areas to report independently if the Rajapakse regime is clean?
I strongly believe that the Australian government know about the different names or aliases this Gunaratnam has used and this is another plot by the NGOs and other foreign powers to victimize Sri Lankan government. What those governments would in case a foreigner violate the laws of the countries? Especially one enters a country with a different name and then accuses a government of abducting him giving different name? And all the while the government of the country where that person is a citizen knows about his different identities to hoodwink the Government of Sri Lanka.
Former Vice Chancellor of Eastern University, Sri Lanka, Mr Ravindranath, kidnapped from a meeting in Colombo not so many years ago. He was never seen again, presumed dead. Who did it? It happened in day light from the centre of Colombo. Waht has the Govt. done about it? Is this normal in the island nation?
I am not sure why this criminal was deported. He should have been charged and convicted of murder. If you commit crimes in a developing country, you become a friend of the developed countries! It is disgusting that countries such as Australia let their country be used as a base for terrorists. How is this different from what Taliban did?
While the government may have its own faults, this incident of alleged abduction stinks all the way to Canberra. As this man has entered Sri Lanka under a different name there was no way the government would have known him as Gunaratnam, even if they want to abduct him. He had not explained why the government would be interested in a ‘Mudalige’ when such a person does not even existed in SL, yet alone wanted by the government. Secondly, if he was released by his abductors, as an Australian citizen he should first approach the Australian High Commission as this is where he could get full protection. Why in the world would he go to another police station if he believed that he was abducted by the very same people? This stunt was done to gain maximum publicity for whatever his cause. The failure of AHC to explain how they came into possession of this man’s original passport is a great mystery. At least they have not bothered to give a rather believable explanation that someone found it and returned to the HC. Finally, how this man was able to live in Sri Lanka for over six months and support himself is another mystery. For all its faults the government should be much more aggressive on this case and demand more answers from the AHC, the same way they demand SLHC for the slightest transgression. This man should have been fingerprinted and barred from ever coming to Sri Lanka even as a visitor. If this happened in the US, he would be in jail and never would be allowed to return and they are the “greatest democracy” in the world.
There are few questions arise as to the way Australian High Commission in Colombo dealt the situation after Premakumar's apprehesion by the Police.It was indeed government's failure to prosecute him under the immigration law, made authorities vulnerable for easy intervention by Australian High commisson.
When he went missing Sri lankan authorities would have been looking for the person who had the Australian passport with the name appeared as Noel Mudalige.Had he arrived in Sri Lanka his passport would definitley had the date of arrival stamped,It is strange that the High commission had in their possession a passport issued to a citizen and to produce in place of a travel document, when requested by Sri Lankan authorities.Can a new passport be issued to a citizen within hours instead of a travel document? or did Premakumar hand over his passport to Australian High commission upon his arrival in Sri Lanka?.
Premakumar has had skirmishes with others in the party he had come to split. He has not come to Sri Lanka on a peaceful mission, but to create a split within a political party. “Australia has refused to answer questions relating to Premkumar's name changes, his travel under an assumed passport, his entering Australia in the first instance … Australian High Commission in Colombo had his original passport when Premkumar had claimed that he had lost it” shows how complicit Australian government is in this underground world. In such context, “A chance saving of two lives due to decisive intervention on the part of the Australian government …” is a baseless comment by the AHRC. As Kadira very rightly commented, if you are an INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL, “all you have to do is say "the Government is persecuting me!" especially when it is the GOSL! Plenty of NGO's and governments are ready to provide you safe haven and defend you. The actual victims [ordinary People] just have to keep quiet …”
The following statement in this news item is factually incorrect " ...was overstaying his visa, the police immediately picked him up, questioned and then deported him." The police spokesman SP Ajith Rohana has categorically denied the arrest of Mr. Premkumar. The police position has been that he has been abducted by some unknown group and has thereafter being released. The reasons for deportation given by the police is that this was done at Premkumar's request.
These days it is good to be a mass murderer, rapist, liar etc., all
you have to do is say "the Government is persecuting me!" especially
when it is the GOSL! Plenty of NGO's and governments are ready to
provide you safe haven and defend you. The actual victims just have to
keep quiet and tell themselves "Life is Not Fair" and hope tomorrow
will be better! Dimuthu Attygala who held a press conference after her
abduction said she was never abused except for the first beating or
slap (whatever) and she was treated nicely although bound and claimed
the abductors repeatedly tried to convince her that the GOSL does not
have a hand in her abduction and even mentioned the name of the
Defence secretary of the Nation!? Either the abductors were extremely
stupid or this was just a Very TALL TALE! Even more amazing is
Gunarathnam claiming that he was abused by GOSL forces anyway went and
surrendered him self to the Police station in Demetagaoda? So he still
had faith in State authorities?
Really! this guy should be facing charges for passport fraud, identity theft and a number of other felonies. Instead, the international media is treating him like some innocent victim. The Australian government was involved in a coverup and was trying to use the opportunity to sling mud on Sri Lanka. Hopefully, Sri Lanka has seen the last of this fraudster.
'Premkumar, who has killed Indian soldiers of the IPKF'...?
Can you publish this kind of unsubstantiated statements, based on Sri Lankan government stories??
So the JVP killed IPKF soldiers. Funny how everyone in India and Sri-Lanka always
mention the LTTE in connection with the IPKF deaths but never mention the JVP or
the Premadasa Government's support to the LTTE against the IPKF. That's OK, the
IPKF war memorial in Colombo that no one visits and is hated by both the Sinhalese
and the Tamils should hoodwink the Indians for a long time to come.
Sri Lanka is the bomb diggidy.
I welcome The Hindu for exposing the real situation in Sri Lanka.
If Hindu maintained such views just 3-4 years back, then thousannds of lives might be spared.Refering to ABC-News and AHRC consolidate the claim.Proceed this way to expose any crime against any community.
Undoubtedly Sri Lankan Rajapakse regime is the worst criminal regime of the 21st Century. It commits crimes with complete impunity as several rogue and undemocratic regimes are supporting it.
It is shame for those leaders and the International community that boast democracy, freedom and human rights but support the Sinhala Buddhist Apartheid Sri lankan regime that oppresses Tamils and commits ethnic cleansing.
The rogue Rajapakse regime has to be removed and face ICC war crimes
charges at The Hague. India should strongly support the Tamil people of
Sri Lanka in their struggle for equal rights and due representation. If
Sri Lanka cannot guarantee basic human rights for its Tamil citizens,
then the establishment of an autonomous Tamil state in Sri Lanka is the
only solution.
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