Sri Lanka: Treatment by authorities of Sinhalese persons believed to have links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) (1999 - July 2000)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 31 July 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | LKA34783.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sri Lanka: Treatment by authorities of Sinhalese persons believed to have links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) (1999 - July 2000), 31 July 2000, LKA34783.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad672c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
On 16 June 2000 the Indian PTI news agency reported that a suicide bomber who rode his bicycle into a Sri Lankan Air Force bus in Colombo, was Sinhalese. The article stated that, according to police investigators, "though detailed inquiries have to conclusively establish the facts about the identity of the bomber, it may be possible that the LTTE was roping in unemployed and disgruntled Sinhalese to carry out the bombings" (ibid.).
In early January 2000, police detained the parents and sister of a suicide bomber, who killed 13 people outside the prime minister's office (Dawn 7 Jan. 2000; AFP 6 Jan. 2000). The mother was identified as Sinhalese and the bombing was blamed on the LTTE (ibid.; Dawn 7 Jan. 2000).
While not identifying the ethnicity of the "Government Agent (GA)", the Sri Lanka Monitor reported that the senior state officer, SM Croos,for Mannar District a northern island had been arrested on 4 September 1999. The arrest followed police questioning of Mr. Croos driver and police claimed that explosives had been found in Croos' house (ibid.). He had not appeared before a court by the end of September (ibid.).
In August 1999, 12 LTTE "suspects" arrested by the Special Branch of the Mt Lavinia Police for alleged involvement in the killing of Neelan Tiruchelvam, an MP for the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), included "two from the house of a Sinhalese ASP's brother" (Daily News 31 Aug. 1999).
The IND reported in April 2000 that "all residents of Colombo, including Sinhalese are regularly stopped and checked. The frequency of this occurring depends more on the distance and routes travelled than it does on ethnicity, neighbourhoods or newness to Colombo."
No information on the treatment by authorities of Sinhalese persons believed to have links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
On 3 May 2000 the Sri Lankan government introduced emergency measures that suspended rights after "declaring that the country is in a state of war" (Sri Lanka Monitor May 2000). The Sri Lanka Monitor reported that the measures included the strengthening of the powers of arrest and detention to which legal remedies may not be available, allowing "security forces [to] enter and search any building or premises at any time," imposing restrictions on foreign and local journalists, extending the powers of the government to acquire the "assets of persons found guilty under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA)," as well as permitting authorities to "force people to become involved in any service in the national interest" (ibid.).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Agence France Presse (AFP). 6 January 2000. "Sri Lankan Leaders Face Assassination Threat: Opposition." (NEXIS)
Daily News [Colombo]. 31 August 1999. Paneetha Ameresekere. "Tiruchelvam Assassination: Mannar G.A.'s Driver Among 12 Arrested."
Dawn [Karachi]. 7 January 2000. "165 Tamils Arrested."
Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), Home Office, UK. April 2000. Country Assessment on Sri Lanka.
PTI News Agency [New Delhi]. 16 June 2000. "Sri Lanka Bomber Identified as Sinhalese not Tamil." (BBC Summary 17 June 2000/NEXIS)
Sri Lanka Monitor [London]. May 2000. "State of War." _____. September 1999. "GA Arrested." IRB databases LEXIS-NEXIS REFWORLD World News Connection (WNC) Internet sites including: Amnesty International Human Rights Watch Immigration and Nationality Directorate: Sri Lanka Assessment The International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. Patterns of Global Terrorism: 1999 The Sri Lanka Monitor January 1999 - July 2000 Sri Lanka Peace Net (INFORM and MIRJE) TamilNet UNWire Search engines including: Tamil MeganetAdditional Sources Consulted