Responding to international outcry over the police shootings in the southern city of Rambukkana, Sri Lanka’s President and Prime Minister, Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa, claimed on Twitter that Sri Lankan police would carry out an “impartial and transparent inquiry”.
Deeply distressed following the tragedy in Rambukkana. I have every confidence that a strict, impartial investigation will be carried out by @SL_PoliceMedia who've always served #lka with utmost honor. I urge protesters to engage in their civic right with equal respect & honour.
— Mahinda Rajapaksa (@PresRajapaksa) April 20, 2022
Sri Lankan citizens' right to peacefully protest wont be hindered. @SL_PoliceMedia will carry out an impartial & transparent inquiry re the incident at Rambukkana which led to the tragedy for which I’m deeply saddened. I urge all citizens to refrain from violence as they protest.
— Gotabaya Rajapaksa (@GotabayaR) April 20, 2022
Their statements follow international condemnation with the UK, US and Canadian ambassadors for Sri Lanka urging for an independent investigation and for the culprits to be held accountable. The police violence in Rambukkana was in response to widespread anti-government protests and has resulted in the confirmed death of a former member of the United National Party's Youth Wing.
I am deeply saddened by the horrible news coming out of Rambukkana. I condemn any violence - whether against protesters or police - and call for restraint & calm from all sides. A full, transparent investigation is essential & the people’s right to peaceful protest must be upheld
— Ambassador Julie Chung (@USAmbSL) April 19, 2022
Claims of an independent inquiry have been met with scepticism given the dire human rights record of Sri Lanka’s police and the complacency of the Sri Lankan government. Last October, then Public Security Minister, Sarath Weerasekera, announced that 'human rights charges' levelled against police officers in active duty would be dropped if charge sheets against them are not completed within a six-month time frame.
Sri Lankan police shootings are relatively rare in the Sinhala south, although brutality and killings by the security forces are more common in the Tamil North-East.
Earlier this year, protests broke out in Jaffna after anger over the killing of a prominent Tamil protestor by the Sri Lankan navy. Last year, a Tamil man was shot in the head and killed by security forces outside of the Sri Lankan Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Sathasivam Viyalendiran's house in Batticaloa. The killing sparked widespread outrage. In June last year, 22-year old Chandran Vithusan was beaten to death by Sri Lankan police officers in Batticaloa. His parents told reporters that the Sri Lankan police officer responsible boasted of the killing, claiming it was his 9th murder and that there was nothing that could be done about it. In February last year, Sri Lankan army officers shot at three unarmed Tamil men in Vavuniya, leaving one of them hospitalised.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
