by Brito Fernando, Right to Life
Fifty two incidents including abduction, attempted abduction, Disappearences and missing after being taken away by the CID and police for questioning have been taken into notice by our organization from the media, other organizations, websites and individuals between 01st January to end of the April, this year.
January – 09
February – 17
March – 20
Aprial – 06
Most of the incidents are reported in February and March 2012. Especially during the period of UN human right council was in progress in Genewa from 27thof February to the 23rd of March 2012, 22 cases were reported.
These disapearences took place in different ways. But we can find some common methods used by the perpetrators in dissapearing people.
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Direct Abduction
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White Van (Including an attempted abduction)
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24
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Other
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15
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|
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Missings
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13
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|
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Total
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52
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Ninteen of these 52 incidents are disclosed as seven deaths, eleven releases and one escape while abducting. According to the persons who were released after abducting, five (05) of them have assaulted and one of them has threatened by the abductors. Media says in the fourteen of the incidents, the public nearby the incidents has informed the abductors were armed.
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Death
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Abducted
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Shot in the head
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03
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|
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Other ways
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Body found burning
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01
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||
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Assaulted Body found in a well
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01
|
|||
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Missing
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Body found in a toilet pit
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01
|
||
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Body found in a jungle area
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01
|
|||
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Total
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07
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|||
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Abducted and released
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11
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Abducted and escaped (School girl)
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01
|
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Total
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12
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These incidents appear to have occurred in Fourteen (14) districts in the country.
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District
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Amount
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Colombo
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28
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Jaffna
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05
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Badulla
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03
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Hambanthota
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02
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Gampola
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02
|
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Kilinochchi
|
02
|
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Mulathiv
|
02
|
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Gampaha
|
02
|
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Puttalam
|
01
|
|
Ke-Galle
|
01
|
|
Kurunegala
|
01
|
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Madakalapuwa
|
01
|
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Vaunia
|
01
|
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Trincomalee
|
01
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Out of all incidents twenty eight (28) are reported in the main city (Colombo) of the country while twelve (12) have been reported from North and east provinces. Among the twenty eight Colombo incidents twenty seven (27) are direct abductions and the other is a missing. Sixteen (16) of the twenty eight are white van abductions.
There are seven (07) incidents which showed direct political relationship. Some incidents clearly point the finger at the govermrnt. According to the eyewitnesses and released victims some of the abductors were Army soldiers and police officers. We were informed two (02) missings after being taken away for questioning by the CID and police, two (02) abductions (CID had been involved) and another two (02) released after abduction and assaulted, the perpetrators have identyfied themsilves as CID. One news relate to a disapearence case says the abducting group has lead by a CID officer.
In eight (08) of the fifty two cases abductors demanded ransom to release the victim. As the media says six (06) of the fifity two victims are businessmans. Among the other victims there are three (03) school students, one (01) university student and three (03) vaddha people(aborigine). Some of the victims have being named as drug dealers and underworld agents.
Most of the time media gave their special attention to the disapearences of the pepople who have a direct relationship with politics. For an example during the time of the recent abductions of The dissident leader Mr. Premakumar Gunarathnam (Australian citizen and member Miss. Dimuthu Atigala, every news peper and other Medias published at least two articles per day. Mr. Ravindra Udayahantha, a government politician who is the chaireman of Kolonnawa Pradeshiya Sabawa (Local government body in the Colombo district) and Western Provincial councilor Mr. Sagara Senaratne, brother in law of Minister Jeewan Kumarathunga disapearence cases also had the same space in the media. So called underworld people and drug dealers when disapeared the media attention was not that much.
Information sources:
We got 29 cases from a report by Mr. Rukee. But we have added more details to those cases from other media and websites.
Our main source is newspapers. Specialy Sunday Leader, Daily Mirror, Sunday Times, Lankadeepa, Divaina and Irurasa. We collected more details and new incidents from the Yukthiya website and Sinhala 24 news web site.
Links………….
Minister Jeewan’s brother Sagara senaratne
01. http://www.lankaviews.com/sn/index.php?option=com_content&vi
ew=article&id=14227:2012-03-27-07-59-18&catid=35:2008-10-13-
08-30-14&Itemid=48
02. http://www.colombopage.com/archive_12/Mar27_1332831275CH.
Php
Mr. Ravindra Udayahantha, a government politician who is the chaireman of Kolonnawa Pradeshiya Sabawa
01. http://www.ceylontoday.lk/27-3337-
news-detail-white-van-abduction-foiled.html
03. https://www.srilankabrief.org/2012/03/criminal-white-van-record-ofrajapakses.
html