Expulsion of non-resident Tamils from Colombo
Encyclopedia
The expulsion of non-resident Tamils from Colombo was an incident which took place on June 7, 2007 when 376 ethnic Tamils
who were temporarily staying in Colombo
and who could not explain their reasons for being in the city were sent back to their homes by the Sri Lankan Police due to security concerns. The evicted were sent back to Jaffna
, Vavuniya
, Trincomalee
and Batticaloa
, where they are originally from, in several buses with a police escort. However the buses only went as far as the town of Vavuniya
and the evicted Tamils were forced to stay in a detention camp. The President asked those who were evicted to come back to Colombo and ordered an investigation in to the incident
organization (the LTTE or the "Tamil Tigers"), which is banned as a terrorist organization in 32 countries including the United States
, Canada
and member nations of the European Union
, has carried out numerous bombings in Colombo, the largest city in Sri Lanka, over the course of the Sri Lankan Civil War
. The breakdown of the Norwegian
-backed peace process saw an increase in IED
explosions and suicide bombings, attributed by the Sri Lanka Police, to the LTTE in Colombo. In May 2007, at least three such explosions took place in the city, including an attack on a military vehicle that killed seven civilians and one police officer. Police investigations identified that those responsible for a number of these bombings had temporarily lived in and planned their attacks from low budget lodges in the city. The Sri Lanka Police said that, for instance, there were occasions where some individuals had lived in these lodges for over six months on the pretext that they had come to obtain their passports, which could be obtained in as little as one day.
Therefore the Sri Lanka Police said:
and made to stay in a detention camp. On the next day they were handed over to Government officials of Vavuniya
.
Embassy in Sri Lanka condemned the act, asking the government of Sri Lanka to ensure the constitutional rights of all the citizens of the country. Norway
also condemned the act, describing it as a clear violation of international human rights law. Their press release urged government of Sri Lanka to desist from any further enforced removals. Canada
has also condemned the action. The expulsion was also condemned in the Sri Lankan media. Eight human rights groups wrote a joint letter to the President claiming that act was "a flagrant violation of (freedom of movement) and a disgrace to humanity".
Allegation of Ethnic cleansing
Human rights groups, Local think tank and other observers have termed this act as "ethnic cleansing
".
The media group said that this type of act reminds people of what "Hitler did to the Jews", and the Asian Center of Human Rights urged India to intervene.
A 64-year-old woman from Jaffna, who was among those evicted said that;
Another 54-year-old woman was quoted as saying;
on June 8, 2007 issued an injunction
on the Sri Lanka Police to stop the evacuation of residents of Colombo lodges after hearing a fundamental rights petition filed by a non governmental organization, the Center for Policy Alternatives, Sri Lanka (CPA). As a result of the ruling, police boarded 185 out of the 270 people who were sent to Vavuniya
onto five buses and took them back to Colombo.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa
reprimanded his police chief for the deportations http://www.indianexpress.com/story/33088.html and ordered the Inspector General of the Police to present a report on the manner of transportation of the Tamils and on the alleged exceeding of authority by the officials involved. He has also invited the people who were sent to Vavuniya
to return to Colombo.
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
told reporters that the government regretted the eviction of 376 Tamils from Colombo and that he accepted responsibility of the incident. He promised that this kind of incident would not recur.
Two days later Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa defended the move, saying
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
who were temporarily staying in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
and who could not explain their reasons for being in the city were sent back to their homes by the Sri Lankan Police due to security concerns. The evicted were sent back to Jaffna
Jaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
, Vavuniya
Vavuniya
Vavuniya is a town in northern Sri Lanka. This town is situated in the Northern Province. Vavuniya was often referred to as the gateway to Vanni....
, Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
and Batticaloa
Batticaloa
Batticaloa is a city in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. It is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. It is on the east coast, south by south east of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island.-Etymology:...
, where they are originally from, in several buses with a police escort. However the buses only went as far as the town of Vavuniya
Vavuniya
Vavuniya is a town in northern Sri Lanka. This town is situated in the Northern Province. Vavuniya was often referred to as the gateway to Vanni....
and the evicted Tamils were forced to stay in a detention camp. The President asked those who were evicted to come back to Colombo and ordered an investigation in to the incident
Background to the Expulsion
The Tamil militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil EelamLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
organization (the LTTE or the "Tamil Tigers"), which is banned as a terrorist organization in 32 countries including the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and member nations of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, has carried out numerous bombings in Colombo, the largest city in Sri Lanka, over the course of the Sri Lankan Civil War
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
. The breakdown of the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
-backed peace process saw an increase in IED
Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
explosions and suicide bombings, attributed by the Sri Lanka Police, to the LTTE in Colombo. In May 2007, at least three such explosions took place in the city, including an attack on a military vehicle that killed seven civilians and one police officer. Police investigations identified that those responsible for a number of these bombings had temporarily lived in and planned their attacks from low budget lodges in the city. The Sri Lanka Police said that, for instance, there were occasions where some individuals had lived in these lodges for over six months on the pretext that they had come to obtain their passports, which could be obtained in as little as one day.
Therefore the Sri Lanka Police said:
"Temporary occupants who cannot provide valid reasons for their stay in the Colombo area will be sent back to their homes"
Expulsion
On the morning of June 7, heavily armed Sri Lanka Police officers entered low-budget hostels in the Wellawatte, Kotahena, Pettah and Wattala areas of Colombo and asked 376 persons, comprising 291 males and 85 females, who did not have valid reasons for being in Colombo to leave. They were then put into buses and were sent away from Colombo to destinations in the east and north of Sri Lanka. People were taken to the town of VavuniyaVavuniya
Vavuniya is a town in northern Sri Lanka. This town is situated in the Northern Province. Vavuniya was often referred to as the gateway to Vanni....
and made to stay in a detention camp. On the next day they were handed over to Government officials of Vavuniya
Vavuniya
Vavuniya is a town in northern Sri Lanka. This town is situated in the Northern Province. Vavuniya was often referred to as the gateway to Vanni....
.
Concern
The move to expel these people drew wide criticism of the government. The United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Embassy in Sri Lanka condemned the act, asking the government of Sri Lanka to ensure the constitutional rights of all the citizens of the country. Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
also condemned the act, describing it as a clear violation of international human rights law. Their press release urged government of Sri Lanka to desist from any further enforced removals. Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
has also condemned the action. The expulsion was also condemned in the Sri Lankan media. Eight human rights groups wrote a joint letter to the President claiming that act was "a flagrant violation of (freedom of movement) and a disgrace to humanity".
Allegation of Ethnic cleansing
Human rights groups, Local think tank and other observers have termed this act as "ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas....
".
The media group said that this type of act reminds people of what "Hitler did to the Jews", and the Asian Center of Human Rights urged India to intervene.
Eyewitness Accounts
One of the men who was forced to leave Colombo managed to call a local radio station, Sirisa FM from a mobile phone. He said;A 64-year-old woman from Jaffna, who was among those evicted said that;
Another 54-year-old woman was quoted as saying;
Aftermath
The Sri Lankan Supreme CourtSupreme Court of Sri Lanka
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka is the highest court of the nation of Sri Lanka. The Supreme Court is the highest and final judicial instance of record and is empowered to exercise its powers, subject to the provisions of the Constitution. The Court has ultimate appellate jurisdiction in...
on June 8, 2007 issued an injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
on the Sri Lanka Police to stop the evacuation of residents of Colombo lodges after hearing a fundamental rights petition filed by a non governmental organization, the Center for Policy Alternatives, Sri Lanka (CPA). As a result of the ruling, police boarded 185 out of the 270 people who were sent to Vavuniya
Vavuniya
Vavuniya is a town in northern Sri Lanka. This town is situated in the Northern Province. Vavuniya was often referred to as the gateway to Vanni....
onto five buses and took them back to Colombo.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Percy Mahendra "Mahinda" Rajapaksa ; ; born November 18, 1945) is the 6th and current President of Sri Lanka and Commander in Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa was first elected to the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1970, and served as prime minister from April 6,...
reprimanded his police chief for the deportations http://www.indianexpress.com/story/33088.html and ordered the Inspector General of the Police to present a report on the manner of transportation of the Tamils and on the alleged exceeding of authority by the officials involved. He has also invited the people who were sent to Vavuniya
Vavuniya
Vavuniya is a town in northern Sri Lanka. This town is situated in the Northern Province. Vavuniya was often referred to as the gateway to Vanni....
to return to Colombo.
Government reaction
On June 10, 2007 Sri Lankan Prime MinisterPrime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake MP is a Sri Lankan politician who was Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2005 to 2010. He is currently a National List member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka....
told reporters that the government regretted the eviction of 376 Tamils from Colombo and that he accepted responsibility of the incident. He promised that this kind of incident would not recur.
Two days later Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa defended the move, saying