Jayantha Liyanage

Date – 20. 02.2025
The President,
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights (OHCHR), Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, OPEN LETTER
Switzerland.

Dear Sir,

THE 2025 MARCH GENEVA HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL REPORT SHOULD INCLUDE
A LIST OF THE LTTE WAR CRIMES

I refer to the report Number A/ HRC/ 57 / 19 by the OHCHR dated 22nd August 2024. I would like to make the following observations & comments by focusing on the subjects of War crimes & Crimes against humanity.
War crimes & Crimes against humanity
The report under section – III, Page 9 & 10 states that,

36. This year, Sri Lanka marks 15 years since the end of the devasting civil war. During its 30-year duration, persistent and grave human rights violations and abuses were committed by both security forces and the LTTE. The United Nations previously established that there are reasonable grounds to believe that grave violations of human rights, war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed during the conflict. To date, the Government has rarely even acknowledged the serious violations that occurred in the conflict or provided victims with adequate redress”.
    SJP’s response the above statement
    The report while admitting, that grave violations of human rights, war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed by both security forces and the LTTE during the conflict has failed to mention about any incidences of the LTTE war crimes and crimes against humanity. Instead, the report was totally dedicated to put the entire blame on the Sri Lankan Government’s security forces by ignoring the LTTE’s genocide against the Sri Lankan civilians by exploding bombs in crowded areas, killing pilgrims in religious sites intentionally with no military value in order to achieve its military objectives. It was the LTTE that started the killing culture of its rivals with the assassination of the then member of Parliament Mr. Alfred Duraappa in the year 1975. Thereafter the LTTE started eliminating its rival Tamil terrorist groups in order to achieve its supremacy before it started to target the ordinary civilians, mainly the Sinhala villages.
    Also, the report failed to mention the fact that while the LTTE was committing acts of war crimes, the respective Sri Lankan Governments continued to maintain the government’s administrative structure in the LTTE occupied areas. The Government paid salaries to the Tamil government servants and sent food, medicines and other household items to the LTTE held areas and the best part of it were taken by the LTTE.
    Can the next report mention any example in human history where a group of fighters eating food given by their enemy and boosting about their military invincibility? Therefore, the said report failed to appreciate such humanitarian acts by the respective Sri Lankan governments but the drafters of the report continued to display their dislike of the Sri Lankan government & its security forces.
    (1)
    The report while mentioning about the 30-year period of the armed conflict failed to mention about the LTTE’s inhuman, barbaric, cowardice acts of terrorism.
    Here are a few incidences of such acts.
    (1). Murdering of about 120 Buddhist pilgrims in cold blood – (Annexure – 1).
    (2). Exploding a bomb near the Temple of Tooth – (Annexure – 2).
    (3). Exploding a bomb in front of the Central Bank (Annexure – 3).
    (4). Attacking Katunayake civilian airports which killed even western tourists (Annexure – 4).
    (5). Exploding a bomb inside a civilian bus at Kebethigollawa (Annexure – 5) .
    The following list is attached to imclude in the next Geneva Report
    A booklet published by the late foreign minister, Mr. Mangala Samaraweera containing the LTTE attacks on civilians from the year 1984 to 1994. It was published in 1996 February 29th under Sudu Nelum Movement.
    Under the International Humanitarian Law, attacking civilians intentionally in order to achieve an objective during an armed conflict constitute a war crime & a crime against humanity.
    Therefore, I, the general secretary of Sinhaladeepa Jathika Peramuna political party respectfully request the Human Rights Council in Geneva to include the above lists as a part of the next Geneva Report on Sri Lanka due in March 2025.
    (2)
    THE ACTS OF LTTE WAR CRIMES THAT THE DRAFTERS OF THE RESPECTIVE GENEVA REPORTS FAILED TO SEE