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The government dismissed the allegation that it was behind the abductions and
murders as “part of the general propaganda and disinformation build-up against the
president and the government.” 210
At the same time, the president ordered the police to conduct a full inquiry into the
killings. According to a presidential statement, he told the Sri Lankan Red Cross and
the ICRC that the government “would do everything possible to bring the
perpetrators of this crime to book.” 211 He repeated the promise to top officials from
the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva that
he was committed to a full investigation that would hold the perpetrators to
account. 212
In a statement, the Sri Lankan Red Cross explained how the murders will impact its
work: “This act will have major impact on the volunteers of the Sri Lanka Red Cross
Society as well as to the Red Cross Red Crescent movement which is the largest
humanitarian organization in the world, whose mission is to alleviate human
suffering. We believe that this act will jeopardize the commitment of our volunteers
and have a major impact in our accessibility in delivering humanitarian assistance to
the vulnerable.”
Direct evidence of Karuna group threats emerged in Batticaloa district. According to
humanitarian agencies working there district, the Karuna group has threatened local
and international NGOs providing aid to displaced persons, trying to control the
delivery of humanitarian aid and also attempting to extort from NGOs—including
large international organizations that are providing services to the displaced—to buy
goods from Karuna-endorsed suppliers. In one case known to Human Rights Watch,
the group demanded that an international humanitarian organization purchase
supplies from a distributor aligned with the group. In another case, the Karuna group
210 Presidential Secretariat, “Red Cross Workers’ Abduction and Killing – Concerted Efforts to Discredit President and
Government, and Tarnish Sri Lanka,” June 4, 2007.
211 Official website of the President of Sri Lanka,“President Talking to Red Cross Representatives at the Presidential
Secretariat,” June 6, 2007, http://www.presidentsl.org/data/html/news/200706/20070606news.htm (accessed June 28,
2007).
212 “Red Cross/Red Crescent Meet with Sri Lankan President in Geneva,” ICRC press release, June 14, 2007,
http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/html/sril-lanka-news-140607!OpenDocument (accessed June 28, 2007).
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