7/27/2019 I didnt believe Sri Lanka torture stories I do now Tamil victim

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I didnt believe Sri Lanka torture stories: Ido now Tamil victim

Thursday 07 Nov 20!" Tamil man# who was tortured this year on his return $rom the %& to SriLanka on holiday has told 'hannel ( News o$ his $rustration and sense o$)owerlessness as world leaders )re)are to travel to the 'ommonwealthsummit in Sri Lanka ne*t week+,rime -inister .avid 'ameron and /orein Secretary# 1illiam aue# willhead the 3ritish deleation+ The ,rince o$ 1ales will also attend in )lace o$the 4ueen# as ead o$ the 'ommonwealth+

The man# who cannot be identi$ied $or reasons o$ sa$ety# had studied in3ritain $or several years and held a valid %& visa# but decided to return tohis homeland to hel) his aein )arents resettle $ollowin their release $roman internment cam)+

They had reassured him that it was )robably sa$e $or him to do so as he hadnot beloned to the outlawed Tamil Tiers rebel rou)+ The ethnic Tamil

http://blogs.channel4.com/miller-on-foreign-affairs/tortured-sri-lanka-2013/396http://blogs.channel4.com/miller-on-foreign-affairs/tortured-sri-lanka-2013/396http://blogs.channel4.com/miller-on-foreign-affairs/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/11/07_srilanka_victim_w.jpghttp://eng.lankasri.com/photos/thumbs/2013/10/channel4_001.jpghttp://blogs.channel4.com/miller-on-foreign-affairs/tortured-sri-lanka-2013/396http://blogs.channel4.com/miller-on-foreign-affairs/tortured-sri-lanka-2013/396

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insurency was summarily de$eated by Sri Lankan overnment $orces in2005+6n arrival at 'olombo international air)ort# the man# who said he wished tobe known by the )seudonym# 8athavan#9 claims to have been arrested andsubected to )roloned interroation and torture over several days# bothwithin the 'olombo air)ort buildin and at a se)arate# unknown location+

.octors $rom the London;based medical charity /reedom $rom Torture# whohave e*amined 8athavan# say do decision to visit Sri Lanka atthis uncture#9 8athavan told 'hannel ( News+Sri Lanka has o)enly carried out a enocide and is still carryin out avicious cam)ain aainst the Tamil community+Instead o$ )unishin this overnment and its leaders#9 he said# 3ritain ishonourin them by visitin+ 1e Tamil have no o)tion but to hel)lessly watchthis sad event+ It is dee)ly rerettable+9

avin esca)ed $rom Sri Lanka a$ter relatives bribed security o$$icials torelease him# 8athavan was smuled back into 3ritain# where he claimed)olitical asylum on arrival+

That a))lication# he told us# was reected and his a))eal then re$used+?udes# he said# had acce)ted the truth o$ his account# but cited %&'ountry @uidance9 that it would be sa$e $or him to be returned to SriLanka+ 8athavan is awaitin the outcome o$ his $inal a))eal+I will be sent back to Sri Lanka i$ this a))eal $ails#9 he said+I know what is oin to ha))en to me in Sri Lanka+ They will de$initelytorture me and kill me+ I would be ha))ier to serve a li$e sentence in a

3ritish )rison than be returned to Sri Lanka# where they will torture me todeath+9e added that his advice to any other 3ritish;based Tamils thinkin o$returnin voluntarily to Sri Lanka is: .ont+93ritish;based Tamil rou)s meet the ,rime -inister and /orein Secretary in.ownin Street this a$ternoon to make clear their concerns about 3ritainshih;level attendance at the 'ommonwealth summit+

"ll Tamil and human rihts rou)s had ured the 3ritish overnment to

boycott the event# but in -ay# .ownin Street announced -essrs 'ameronand aue would de$initely attend+/our;and;a;hal$ years have ela)sed since the end o$ the 27;year;lon civilwar which saw more than 00#000 Sri Lankans both Sinhalese and Tamil killed+ The Tamil Tiers were also widely accused o$ war crimes and werebanned as a terrorist oranisation by the 3ritish overnment+3ut it was the brutal manner in which Sri Lankan overnment $orces endedthe con$lict that has drawn dee) concern $rom the %nited Nationsand $rom

http://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka-war-crimes-soldiers-ordered-to-finish-the-jobhttp://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka-war-crimes-soldiers-ordered-to-finish-the-jobhttp://www.freedomfromtorture.org/http://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka-un-second-vote-investigation-civil-war-killingshttp://blogs.channel4.com/miller-on-foreign-affairs/wp-content/uploads/sites/39/2013/11/07_hague_g_w.jpghttp://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka-war-crimes-soldiers-ordered-to-finish-the-jobhttp://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka-war-crimes-soldiers-ordered-to-finish-the-jobhttp://www.freedomfromtorture.org/http://www.channel4.com/news/sri-lanka-un-second-vote-investigation-civil-war-killings

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international human rihts rou)s+ " %N re)ort stated that at least (0#000Tamil civilians were indiscriminately killed in the $inal months+ 3ut otherestimates suest that number may have been much hiher+.avid 'ameron has in the )ast called $or accountability $or those accused o$war crimes which include the Sri Lankan ,resident# -ahinda Aaa)aksaand his brother @otabaya Aaa)aksa# the .e$ence Secretary+ 3ut the 3ritish

overnment has# $or the )ast three years# insisted on enain with the'olombo reime+1ritin in todays .aily Telera)h# 1illiam aue said what while civilsociety is su))ressed9 and while no one has been held to account $oralleed war crimes#9 a boycott o$ the 'ommonwealth summit would bewron+3y visitin# we can see the situation on the round $irst;hand#9 he wrote#meet )eo)le on all sides o$ the con$lict# and raise our concerns $rankly anddirectly with the overnment+9e said the ,rime -inister would be visitin the north o$ the island where

some o$ the worst $ihtin occurred+e will be the $irst head o$ overnment to visit the reion since Sri Lankaained inde)endence in 5(B#9 he said+ e will meet )eo)le directlya$$ected by the con$lict+9

The /orein Secretary insisted that the meetin has )ut Sri Lanka underthe international s)otliht and has contributed to some im)rovements+9uman rihts rou)s stronly disaree+In "uust# the visitin %N ih 'ommissioner $or uman Aihts concludedthat Sri Lanka was slidin towards reater authoritarianism+"ll leadin international human rihts rou)s have documented a steady

deterioration in the human rihts situation since the war ended+ .issenthas been criminalised# they say# while $orced disa))earences are commonand torture is wides)read+

8athavan# the Tamil man interviewed by 'hannel ( News# who was torturedin 20!# said that $ollowin his arrest# he thouht he was oin to be takenaway and shot+e said he was sus)ected by his torturers o$ bein a su))orter o$ thevanCuished Tamil Tiers o$ which his late brother had once been amember+ is brother was killed in combat in 552+ 8athavan re)eatedlyinsisted he had never been involved+

,rior to comin to the %& to study $ive years ao# 8athavan had beenarrested and tortured while in 'olombo+ Aecallin that e*)erience#9 he toldus# I thouht I would never be set $ree+ I told mysel$ that this was oin tobe the last cha)ter o$ my li$e+9e said that $ollowin his arrest# interroation and beatin at theinternational air)ort# he had been driven to what looked like an army cam)#where he was stri))ed to his underwear and re)eatedly beaten unconsciousover $our to $ive days by security $orces wieldin assault ri$les# electric

http://blogs.channel4.com/world-news-blog/david-cameron-presses-sri-lankan-president-over-war-crimes/22439http://blogs.channel4.com/world-news-blog/david-cameron-presses-sri-lankan-president-over-war-crimes/22439http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/srilanka/10430540/William-Hague-a-boycott-of-Sri-Lanka-would-be-wrong.htmlhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp/html/story.asp?NewsID=45743&Cr=Sri+Lanka&Cr1=#.UnukpttQLTohttp://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp/html/story.asp?NewsID=45743&Cr=Sri+Lanka&Cr1=#.UnukpttQLTohttp://blogs.channel4.com/world-news-blog/david-cameron-presses-sri-lankan-president-over-war-crimes/22439http://blogs.channel4.com/world-news-blog/david-cameron-presses-sri-lankan-president-over-war-crimes/22439http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/srilanka/10430540/William-Hague-a-boycott-of-Sri-Lanka-would-be-wrong.htmlhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp/html/story.asp?NewsID=45743&Cr=Sri+Lanka&Cr1=#.UnukpttQLTohttp://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp/html/story.asp?NewsID=45743&Cr=Sri+Lanka&Cr1=#.UnukpttQLTo

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cables# barbed wire and wooden rods+1ith 8athavans consent# 'hannel ( News has had siht o$ his medico;leal re)ort9 a $orensic medical and leal document in an e$$ort tocon$irm the authenticity o$ his claims+ " s)ecialst doctor $rom /reedom $rom

Torture who e*amined him con$irmed that he not only bore lare numberso$ scars consistent with his claims# but that he continues to e*hibit

sym)toms o$ ,ost;Traumatic Stress .isorder+8athavan said that he believed that he had been identi$ied by the security)ersonnel as havin taken )art in )ro;Tamil )rotests in the %&+ -any o$these events have been o)enly videota)ed by Sri Lankan aents and theevidence then used to identi$y those returnin $rom the %&+"sked i$ he had seen or read re)orts o$ other Tamils returnin $rom the %&and $acin arrest and torture on arrival# he said: I had heard about it# but Idid not $ully believe it+ Now that it has ha))ened to me# I $ully acce)t everyone o$ those re)orts+9&eith 3est# .irector o$ the London;based /reedom $rom Torture#

told 'hannel ( News: Since 200# over D0 cases have been re$erred to/reedom $rom Torture in which the individual has been detained andtortured havin returned to Sri Lanka $rom the %&+ In most cases# theindividual returned voluntarily+ The risks may be even reater $or those$orced back i$ the Sri Lanan authorities sus)ect they have souht asylum+9

The court o$ a))eal has today ranted leave to a))eal aainst the recently$ormulated Sri Lanka 'ountry @uidance which allows $or the $orcible returno$ $ailed Tamil asylum;seekers to Sri Lanka+- See more at: http://blogs.channel4.com/miller-on-foreign-affairs/tortured-sri-lanka-

2013/3!"sthash.#!s$lu#%.dpuf