"No
self respecting Tamil will vote for the extension of the
Emergency and its regulations. The Tamil people have been denied
their fundamental right of freedom from torture for more than 25
years. The Sri Lankan security forces behave as though no Tamil
has this fundamental right which is guaranteed to every citizen
of this country in the constitution. Can you tell me how many
Tamils were not subjected to torture in custody? The most
pernicious methods of torture are practiced on the Tamils by the
security forces today. Therefore I ask: are the Tamils citizens
of this country or should they determine their own citizenship?"
asked 'Selvam' A. Adaikalanathan, MP for the Vanni and the
leader of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO),
speaking in Parliament Thursday on the vote to extend the state
of Emergency...
The following are excerpts of Mr. Adaikalanathan's speech on the
Emergency vote Thursday:
"The Emergency Regulations and the Prevention of Terrorism Act
together encourage torture on Tamils by the Sri Lankan security
forces. The PTA says that the confession of a person arrested
under it is enough to indict him/her. Hence, torture becomes the
inevitable means for the security forces to obtain confessions
and convict Tamils. There is no need for investigation under the
PTA to argue a case. This law allows for indefinite detention
which helps the security forces to detain a tortured person
until all physical evidence of his torture disappear from his
body".
"Similarly section 18.1 of the Emergency regulations promulgated
in May last year have empowered every member of Sri Lanka's
security forces to search, interrogate, arrest and detain anyone
who he or she has reasonable grounds to suspect of anti-state
activities".
"In this context, a member of the Sri Lankan security forces can
torture a person he/she arrests for personal, racial, religious
reasons. Section 18.1 provides for much abuse in the Tamil
areas. What is the guarantee that all members of the security
forces vested with the authority to arrest, interrogate and
detain under 18.1 will respect a Tamil's fundamental right to
freedom from torture.
"The government was compelled to take action on the alleged rape
and torture of Sivamani and Wijikala only because of adverse
media coverage of the atrocity. Many women have been similarly
tortured and raped in Mannar in the past. There was no one to
question this because everyone was scared. Now when we speak up
against it we are branded as Liberation Tigers".
"Mr. A.S.M Faszmi, the Mannar journalist who revealed the
atrocities perpetrated on Sivamani and Wijikala in the
Thinakkural paper has been threatened by a section of the Sri
Lankan security forces recently".
"The government introduced the Torture Act in 1994. Under this
law, the Attorney General has to institute legal proceedings
against a person found guilty of torture in court. Thousands of
Tamils have been tortured in custody. How many cases did the AG
file against members of the security forces found guilty of
torture?"
"If you carefully examine the Emergency Regulations and the PTA
you will understand that they have been designed to destroy the
Tamil people. Ten children were shot dead during the Vesak in
Batticaloa last year. Despite the witness of a priest who saw
the murder no action has been taken by the state. There are many
instances like this".
"Presidential Commissions are appointed only as a means to
dissipate the heat and tension over such incidents. They
disappear in due course and are not heard of."
"Have you told the Sinhala people the truth about the war? The
Sinhala people do not know anything about the war because of the
censorship you have imposed under the Emergency Regulations."
