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The commission’s media statements are quite strong but it remains unclear whether
the government will make any details of its findings public, or act on its
recommendations. Human Rights Watch asked the government whether it would
make public any of the commission’s reports, but the government did not reply to
this question.
As public criticism of the rising abductions mounted, on March 6, 2007, Inspector
General of Police (IGP) Victor Perera announced that the police had arrested a “large
number” of police officers and soldiers, including deserters, among 433 people
arrested on charges of abduction and extortion since September 2006. “There is a
lot of attention by foreign organizations on the human rights situation here and
these killings and abductions cause big problems for the government
internationally,” he said. 111
The government has yet to provide any details of those arrests, let alone whether
those arrested face prosecution. On June 18 Human Rights Watch asked the
government how many soldiers and police had been arrested, and on what charges.
The government replied that “this information is being tabulated by the police, which
maintains detailed records of persons arrested and places of detention.” 112 Why the
government could not provide any information on this issue remains unclear.
A government statement two days after IGP Perera’s announcement took issue with
security forces’ involvement in the abductions, effectively raising questions about
the authenticity of the 433 arrests. The government’s peace secretariat rejected all
allegations and accusations against the government for complicity in abductions and
“disappearances” as “unfounded.” It said that police investigations “substantiate
the fact that neither the Security Forces, nor the Police, have been involved, directly
or indirectly, in the alleged abductions and disappearances” and led “to the
inescapable conclusion that much of the accusations were stage managed for mere
propaganda purposes.” The statement also dismissed allegations of
“disappearances” as coming from people with ulterior motives:
111 “Sri Lankan Police, Troops Involved in Abductions: Police Chief,” Agence France-Presse, March 6, 2007. “Sri Lanka Police,
Soldiers Arrested over Abductions,” Reuters, March 6, 2007.
112 Sri Lankan government response to Human Rights Watch, July 12, 2007.
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Human Rights Watch August 2007