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Most often the person demanding money on the phone used one of four names, the
couple said: Robert, Seelan, Elial, or Benthan. The couple provided Human Rights
Watch with the telephone numbers of the cell phones on which they received calls
from these individuals. 104 Some of these numbers matched numbers given by two
other Tamils from Vavuniya, who also said they had been contacted by men from the
Karuna group who demanded money.
On February 28, 2007, the Vavuniya Bar Association decided to boycott court
proceedings due to threats from the Karuna group. The association said that a
person calling himself Seelan, who identified himself as from the Karuna group, had
been threatening some members of the Bar, demanding large sums of money. “This
Bar has not experienced any such demand by any militant group in the past. This
demand has caused anxiety in the minds of the members of the Bar, affecting their
professional performance. The Bar Association of Vavuniya has brought this matter
to the notice of the High Court Judge and the District Judge, Vavuniya,” the Vavuniya
Bar said. 105
Karuna group spokesman Azad Maulana said the group had a political officer named
Seelan in the east, but he was not involved in any threats or intimidation. “Do you
think someone will call and give his name while making threats,” Maulana said
“Someone is obviously using Seelan’s name and making threats. We respect the
legal profession." 106
The government’s response
In late 2006 and early 2007 the Sri Lankan government began to react to the growing
chorus of complaints about abductions and “disappearances” from within Sri Lanka
and abroad. On the one hand, the government adamantly denied responsibility for
the spree of “disappearances,” and dismissed human rights groups and journalists
104 Human Rights Watch interview with couple from Vavuniya, Colombo, March 4, 2007.
105 Easwaran Rutnam, “Vavuniya Bar Alleges Threat by Karuna Faction,” Daily Mirror, March 2, 2007,
http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/03/02/news/06.asp (accessed June 28, 2007).
106 Ibid.
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Human Rights Watch August 2007