Lanka sees Oslo hand in critical EU resolution

by Shamindra Ferdinando-The Island

Based on the Nordic truce monitoring mission head Maj. Gen. Ulf Henricsson’s controversial assessment that government troops executed 17 aid workers in the first week of August, the EU is planning to formally criticise the Sri Lankan government.

Speculation is rife that a resolution critical of the government is to be moved shortly in the European parliament. "We are going to be targeted on the human rights situation," a well informed source said.

The displacement of tens of thousands of people in the northern and eastern provinces due to ongoing battles and alleged disappearances in war-torn areas and Colombo too are expected to be taken up by the EU.

This comes against the backdrop of France demanding to be fully informed of the ongoing probe on the massacre. The retired Swedish army officer on the eve of his departure from Sri Lanka accused troops of executing the workers. He also accused the military of a systematic campaign of death, destruction and abductions.

Well informed sources said that the Norwegians were working hard to get the resolution passed. "This is part of their strategy to strengthen the LTTE in the post-EU ban era," a senior official said. He emphasised that the recent Norwegian and SLMM criticism of the EU ban and Henricsson’s attack over the Muttur massacre were a calculated move to facilitate a damaging EU resolution.

The recent disappearance of Catholic priest Jim Brown (34) on August 20 at Allaipiddy and civilian Vimalathas, a father of five, too has been brought to the notice of the EU, one of the four donor co-chairs.

The sources said that the Muttur massacre remains the major contentious issue. Officials said that Henricsson accused government troops without checking facts.

They emphasized the urgent need to establish the time of death and who was in control of Muttur town at the time of the massacre.

According to the Judicial Medical Officer who performed post-mortem examinations on the bodies, the probable time of death was between the night of August 3 and August 4. According to Henricsson’s report the French NGO office at Trincomalee was in radio contact with the Muttur Office (wherein the 17 deceased were employed) every 30 minutes from August 1, and the last contact was at 06.10 hrs on the morning of August 4. Henricsson goes on to say that after 06.10 hrs on the morning of the 4th August all attempts to contact the Muttur Office by radio, mobile phone and fax were in vain. It would thus follow that the murders took place at sometime between 06.10 hrs and 06.40 hrs on the morning of Friday August 4.

The overwhelming probabilities would, therefore, be that the murderers were those who were in control of Muttur town in the early hours of Friday. This would be in accord with both the opinion of the JMO and the evidence of the NGO officers, they said.