Re: Report on Killing of 17 Aid Workers in Muttur
A Letter to Mr. Thorfinnur Omarsson Information Officer Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Colombo, Sri Lanka

Dear Sir:

I have read your statement regarding the killing of 17 aid workers in Muttur, Sri Lanka and your conclusion that "the killing of the 17 civilian aid workers in Muttur on the 4th of August 2006 is ruled as a gross violation of the CFA by the Security Forces of Sri Lanka". I am writing to you for clarification of your conclusion. The news I get on Sri Lanka are from news reports in the international media and your statement has been given much publicity by you and the LTTE propagandists overseas. Therefore I would ask for your response to the following -

Your statement

1."Taking into consideration the fact that the Security Forces had been present in Muttur at the time of the incident it appears highly unlikely to blame other groups for the killing". You will understand my confusion as Tamilnet, the official website of the LTTE, claimed that the LTTE was in control of Muttur from August 1st to Aug 5th. This statement was made by Irasaiah Ilanthiyan. Did the SLMM check with Ilanthiyan? Did the SLMM consider that even before the armed forces were aware of the deaths of these aid workers, the LTTE had published news of their killings? One cannot ignore the cognizant fact that the Judicial Medical Officer who performed the post-mortem examinations on the bodies ruled that the probable time of death was between the night of August 3rd and August 4th - the time the LTTE themselves say they were in control of Muttur. Ironically in this instance the LTTE and Security Forces are in agreement that it was the LTTE that were in control of Muttur which means that the SLMM has got it horribly wrong. I trust it is not a deliberate act of misinformation by the SLMM.

2."Provided that was the case (assumption on part of the SLMM), it would in particular be illogical for the Security Forces to prevent the SLMM from entering the area and making proper inquiries in order to find the perpetrator(s)". As mentioned in point number 1, if the LTTE were in Muttur, and all indications point to that being the case, namely news reports of them driving the civilian population out of Muttur (reported by the BBC -the BBC TV news even last week showed the town of Muttur without anybody in the town), it is illogical for the SLMM to conclude that the Security Forces were in Muttur and it is logical for the Security Forces to prevent the SLMM from entering the area because of the fighting that was taking place to get the LTTE out. Imagine what the SLMM would have said if any of their personnel had been wounded! Without doubt they would have pinned the blame on the security forces as you claim that ONLY the Security Forces were in Muttur completely ignoring the statements by the LTTE. The SLMM should be thanking the GOSL for acting responsibly and protecting the SLMM, not using it as an excuse to arrive at unsubstantiated conclusions.

3."The Head of SLMM has also had confidential conversations with highly reliable sources regarding the party who most likely has been responsible for the act. The views have not proved contradictory and the Security Forces of Sri Lanka are widely and consistently deemed to be responsible for the incident." Considering that by their own admission it was the LTTE that was in Muttur at the time of the killings one must question what the "highly reliable sources" are. As it was the LTTE who were in Muttur they would naturally not accept responsibility for the act. The LTTE NEVER accept responsibility for murders, assassinations etc. It took them 15 years to acknowledge just this year that it was they who assassinated Mr. Rajiv Gandhi.

Based on improbable, flawed, biased information per your statement, "the SLMM is, with the obtained findings, convinced that there cannot be any other armed groups than the Security Forces who could actually have been behind the act". Of course the SLMM is "convinced" that it was the Security Forces who were responsible because they have completely ignored the FACT that the LTTE WAS in Muttur at the time of the killings. Once it is established that the LTTE was in Muttur at the time of the killings it destroys your assumptions, makes your statement worthless and renders your conclusions WRONG.

Your conclusion should therefore have been " the killing of the 17 civilian aid workers in Muttur on the 4th of August 2006 is ruled as a gross violation of the CFA" - based on the available evidence it is probable that it was by the LTTE as by their own admission they were in Muttur from August 1st to August 5th. However, further investigations should take place such as waiting for reports from the team of Australian forensic experts before any one party is held responsible.

Regarding your Recommendations

"The committed act of assassination has approved to be one of the most serious recent crimes against humanitarian aid workers world wide and has been strongly condemned internationally. I urge the GOSL to take all necessary actions to immediately stop any kind of violence against the civilians of Sri Lanka and to do its utmost that the matter is thoroughly investigated by the Sri Lankan authorities". I agree that it is a serious crime . It is therefore imperative that the SLMM should have taken all possible steps to find out the truth before issuing condemnations and not relied on hearsay. Your recommendation should read that the LTTE should immediately stop any kind of violence against the civilians of Sri Lanka. You should have stated that the closing of the sluice gates depriving 15,000 people of their livelihood, the attack on Muttur, the current attacks on Jaffna, Trincomalee and other parts of the north and east as well as the suicide bombings in Colombo are all attacks by the LTTE which have resulted in thousands of people being displaced and caused a humanitarian crisis. If you are in a rush to issue reports, these should be reported on immediately. There is no need to rely on hearsay. These events have been reported on widely by the international media. I would also like to point out that the SLMM is yet to confirm the LTTE attacks on innocent civilians in spite of eye witness accounts and the SLMM being present when some of these attacks were launched. Did the SLMM issue a report that the LTTE set up bases and bunkers in Sampur after 2002 in violation of the ceasefire? It could be argued that if the LTTE had not illegally occupied Sampur many civilians would have been saved and many more not been driven from their homes.

Finally, the SLMM is still to report on many violations of the ceasefire. What led the SLMM to "rush" this particular report? Please advise as soon as possible. I look forward to your response.

Yours truly,

Ira de Silva
London, Ontario, Canada