A Press Release from The National Christian Council of Sri Lanka

As reported in the local and international media an operation to evict Tamil civilians from North & East living in lodges in and around Colombo commenced in the early hours of 7th June 2007.

This inhuman act sent shock waves amongst many civil minded people. This caused panic, outrage, despair and anger. One can imagine what sort of anxiety would have been going in the minds of those who were forcibly evicted. We view this as a very short sighted act which does not augur well for our country. It is a serious violation of people’s fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution. This move was challenged by a fundamental rights petition filed in the Sri Lanka Supreme Court by the Centre for Policy Alternatives. We are very much pleased with the Interim Injunction order issued by the Supreme Court on 8th June 2007 to stop this brutality to our fellow-citizens. We also appreciate the steps taken by the Hon. President of Sri Lanka to call for a report from the Inspector General of Police (IGP). The people need an explanation. This report should be made public if the people are to trust the President and the Government.

It was also reported in the media that nine (9) unidentified bodies were found at Wennappuwa in the North Western Province. Their hands were tied behind their backs and blindfolded. The issues of abductions, disappearances and ransom money have been reported in the media recently. These incidents show the brutality around us. There seems to be total impunity. We also here of stories of abductions in the North and East and that the people in these regions live in fear. This spiral of violence and counter-violence is against humanity and the teachings of the four religions we profess.

The National Christian Council of Sri Lanka expresses our sympathy to those who had to under go such harassment. We condemn all these acts and appeal to all leaders; political, religious and civil to take all steps to stop such brutal acts of physical and mental violence and ensure that all people live in harmony based on justice and human dignity. We also call upon all peace loving citizens to use religious teachings and engage in dialogue as we have appealed over the last twenty five years. This cannot be postponed any further.

As a Christian community we assure all our people that we will continue to pray as in the past for God’s intervention and for empowerment of all of us to engage in the role of peace-making based on the word of Jesus who said, “Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God”.

Signed on behalf of the following Churches
Methodist Church, Sri Lanka
Diocese of Colombo, Church of Ceylon
Diocese of Kurunagala, Church of Ceylon
Sri Lanka Baptist Sangamaya
Dutch Reformed Church
Jaffna Diocese of Church of South India
Presbyterian Church
Salvation Army

Rev. Dr. Jayasiri T. Peiris
General Secretary

EXPULSION OF TAMIL CITIZENS FROM COLOMBO

A Statement by the Rt Revd Duleep de Chickera, Bishop of Colombo

I refer to the disturbing news that Tamil civilians in and around Wellawatte and Pettah are being indiscriminately rounded up and deported to the Tamil areas in the North and East without adequate investigation or explanation.

This is a serious violation of the dignity and civic rights of these citizens of Sri Lanka and if these reports are true, this must be stopped and alternate security measures that safeguard the civic rights of all communities enforced.

The plight of those who have already been deported must be gone into immediately and appropriate remedial steps taken to enable them to once again pursue their legitimate business and interests. Where there has been reasonable suspicion for arrest and investigation, appropriate security procedures must be followed. In all this, the right of all communities in our country to be free to travel for personal and official business must be ensured by the State.

It is within this framework of equal civic rights and the freedom of travel and residence that all necessary security measures and contingency plans must be executed.

I appeal to the President of the country to address these concerns speedily and with understanding.

The Rt Revd Duleep de Chickera
Bishop of Colombo 7th June 2007

Police evict Tamils from Colombo

BBC News: 8 June 2007

Police in Sri Lanka have forced hundreds of the minority Tamil community out of the capital Colombo for what they say are security reasons.
They launched overnight raids in Tamil areas of the city and forced guests staying in budget hotels onto buses.

Police said that Tamils who were in the capital "without valid reasons" were made to board buses bound for the north and east of the island.

Police said that the move was necessary amid fears of renewed civil war.

'Bad example'

They said that the crackdown was part of continuing efforts to stop the Tamil Tigers infiltrating the city of 600,000 people.

They also said the measure was being taken for the safety of the Tamil community amid a rash of abductions across Colombo blamed on the rebels and the security forces.

A statement released by the government said that the evictions were made "without communal considerations".

It said they were directed at anyone occupying lodgings or temporary residences in Colombo and cannot provide valid reasons for doing so.

"There have been instances where some 'lodgers' have lived in the Colombo area for over six months without making any progress, on the pretext that someone has to obtain his or her identity card or passport," the statement said.

"The resulting action by the police is required considering security demands such as the recent Tamil Tiger bomb explosions resulting in several innocent lives lost, and severe damage to property.

"Investigations have also confirmed that those responsible for these brutal killings have hatched their brutal plans and executed them from these lodgings," the statement said.

It said that a total of 376 persons - 291 males and 85 females - have left in seven buses for destinations in the north and east.

The Tamil Tigers have so far not commented on the evictions, but mainstream Tamil political leaders have condemned it.

"This operation is a very bad example," Tamil political leader Dharmalingam Sithadthan told the AFP news agency.

"It is OK for the Tamil Tigers to indulge in this sort of ethnic cleaning because they have no moral responsibility, but a government can't behave like this," he said.

'Serious violation'

Colombo Inspector General of police Rohan Abeywardene told Reuters that some people who had no valid reasons to be in Colombo were "just hanging around".

"They have been requested to leave and told they had better get back to their own villages," he said.

Correspondents say that hundreds of Tamils, many from impoverished rural areas, live in boarding houses in Colombo while they seek work at home or abroad.

Many ethnic Tamils complain they have been deliberately targeted by the security forces, detained and searched.

One man forced to board one of the buses called the private local radio station Sirisa FM from a mobile phone.

"The police came and took us and put everyone on the bus," he said, saying the bus was about 32km (20 miles) outside the capital, heading northeast.

"We don't know where we are being taken."

Human rights campaigners and other observers say they are shocked at what they say is a serious violation of human rights.

"This is almost like a variation of ethnic cleansing," Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu of the independent Centre for Policy Alternatives think-tank told Reuters.

"It is quite appalling."