Missing Persons Commission to probe White Flag case

Oct 27, 2015

An investigation team of the Commission will be conducting an independent, impartial inquiry into the alleged extra-judicial executions of surrendering top level members of the LTTE during the last stages of the conflict, Presidential Commission Investigating Cases of Missing Persons chairman P. Paranagama said.

Paranagama told the Daily News that the investigation arm of the Commission will conduct a thorough investigation into these allegations, after gathering evidence from parties concerned and taking to account present evidence in hand.

When inquired if evidence provided by Channel 4 or other interested parties will be considered, he added that all details will be deliberated and examined by the team that investigates.

A five member team including a retired High Court Judge will examine these allegations and even visit several districts to gather information before submitting the report. The report is scheduled to be submitted early next year, most probably by February.

The now infamous “White Flag Killing” aired under the same name by Channel 4 which alleged that top level members of the LTTE including Head of its Political Wing Balasingham Nadesan, Seevaratnam Pulidevan, the LTTE’s Head of the Peace Secretariat and several other high ranking LTTE members had been given assurances through NGOs and other intermediaries regarding being able to surrender to the armed forces who had surrounded them. However, those who had proceeded to do so upon the instructions of the intermediaries had allegedly been shot and killed by government forces.

However, the former Army Commander Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka previously stated that he was not informed regarding any communications during the final stages of the war regarding any LTTE members wanting to surrender, and that if any took place he was not informed at that time.

The previous government headed by then President Mahinda Rajapaksa and then Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa have vehemently denied this stating that the government forces never killed anyone who surrendered to the armed forces, including during the last days of the conflict.

The team investigating the alleged White Flag incident, will further fan out to cover alleged shelling by armed forces in the later stages, the alleged killing of Isaipriya who worked as a broadcaster for LTTE’s Oliveechchu television station which operated from Kilinochchi.

According to Channel 4 footage Isaipriya was captured and later executed by the armed forces.

The Paranagam Commission was appointed by former President Rajapaksa to probe complaints regarding missing persons in the Northern and Eastern Provinces from June 10, 1990 to May 19, 2009.

Earlier, Paranagama submitted the Report to President Maithripala Sirisena. It was later tabled in Parliament on October 20 by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The report mainly looked into violation of International Humanitarian Law or War Crimes allegedly committed both the government forces and the LTTE and how to prevent such occurrences in the future.

(dailynews.lk)