Victor Base 1 - LTTE's secret prison, torture chamber

by Shenali Waduge

LTTE the world's most brutal international terrorist organization may be no more yet how much of its inhuman atrocities is the world aware of or even ready to finally acknowledge? Why would those posing as "liberators" maintain torture prisons and run secret killing camps whose victims were its own men, women and children far more than State soldiers?

The Victor Base 1 situated in Vallipunam was one such camp that was kept a dark secret known only to the top hierarchy of the LTTE and from where the dead will provide clues to take the LTTE to international trial for its crimes against humanity.

Situated a good 4km into the dense jungles of Udyarkattu along the A-34 road in Puddukurippu, this secret prison cum torture chamber was built in 1997 with 24 cells made of steel doors and impossible to escape from which is why only 15 guards were stationed. Known only to a handful of top LTTErs, the torture chambers was frequented regularly by the LTTE supremo and Pottu Amman who watched each torture and killing take place. The cells were 8ft in height and 4ft in width with provision for a toilet yet captured LTTErs have affirmed that at times upto 15 prisoners had been shoved into one cell. The VIP POW cells shown to foreign emissaries and NGO heads were a mere whitewash to hide the actual prisoner cells that the LTTE were maintaining deep in the jungles of the Wanni run by Ratnam Master a member of the LTTE military intelligence while Gobi was kept in charge of the captured military personnel.

What is noteworthy about the prison-cum torture chamber was that the LTTE used it to torture their own and many of those who had been tortured and killed were Tamils and LTTE members who the LTTE hierarchy felt did not tow the line. So much for democracy in Tamil Eelaam! Many of these were Tamils who had been accused by the LTTE of being Government informants. A simple "doubt" or rumour sufficed to end up chained to one of the 24 fortified cells. The structure of the cells and fortification of its access and denial of escape was extremely well thought out and far more sophisticated than the prison chambers run by Hitler, Pinochet or Pol Pot.

The military lost 26 of its brave soldiers (18 navy and 8 army) captured over different periods but who were summarily executed in twos on 16th January 2009 prior to the fall of the LTTE in May 2009. This was just one instance of the LTTE killing POW during a time it was trying to pull rabbits from all corners of the world to save itself from annihilation. Nevertheless this act of executing POWs goes down as a clear offence under the Geneva Convention since the LTTE had used diesel mixed with sugar to ensure no traces of bones remained to be identified. It was only after the capture of an LTTE terrorist supervisor of the Vallipunam torture chamber who facilitated the ultimate identification of the dead military personnel. LTTE's killing of POWs does not second its cruelty in killing its own cadres not necessarily in any prison chamber. A good example is how 50 LTTE injured women cadres were all put into a bus served tea and after locking all doors bombs were fixed killing all 50 of these women on 8 May 2009. These examples are just a few and whereas example after example have been available internationally the international bodies and authorities did little to stop any of the carnage that took place in Sri Lanka throughout 30 years of LTTE terror. If the LTTE is responsible for the carnage the world is accountable for the silence in watching these atrocities take place year in and year out.

Most international laws and conventions primarily hold the STATE as the responsible entity for protecting international laws, conventions and the rights of the individual. It is the lack of accountability and international punishment when armed groups start to commit atrocities, acts of torture and cause untold suffering that has increased terrorism globally. Human rights groups and Governments enjoy hollering against States and accusing it of abuses but what have they done against terrorists like the LTTE for their crimes and acts of terror that has spanned three decades?

Sri Lanka is just one country that had to weather terrorism and its tragic consequences suffered through three decades in a world that is unable to find a conclusive globally binding definition to terrorism. Yet there is no shortage of international treaties (approximately 20 such conventions) prohibiting acts that are associated with terrorism in spite of the establishment of international criminal tribunals and the International Criminal Court. Still for all it is over 70 years since the adoption of the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Terrorism established in 1937 (Geneva Convention) and the Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism in 1977 amended in 2003 yet we see no abatement to terrorism and certainly no punishments to the perpetrators. The fact remains that terrorists do no conduct themselves as lawful combatants. Moreover, the UN General Assembly resolutions and declarations do not have legal effect and are therefore not binding on UN member states.

Essentially, terrorists act from political, ideological or religious convictions while others are simply criminals for hire. Until and unless globally LTTE is distinguished outside of its published propaganda framework punishing LTTE for its decades of crimes against humanity and acts of terror will be submerged in a complicated set of false notions. The REAL LTTE is certainly not the LTTE it pretends to be or is made out to be.

A good place to start disassociating the LTTE from its false notion of liberators is by demanding its accountability for the tortures, assassinations, crimes on innocent civilians, targeting of women and children and killing of prisoners of war. It is from here that international laws can be forced to be applied to the LTTE especially the LTTE groups that have been remote controlling crimes against humanity whilst living overseas.

As a fighter unit the LTTE may be no more but its victims are Tamils as well as military personnel and innocent civilians. It is time the world finally make the LTTE accountable for its crimes against humanity and for every human the LTTE butchered, the LTTE must be punished for it is the accountability factor that will eventually help reconciliation and accountability must begin with the LTTE as the LTTE is the armed terrorist group that is banned globally.

Courtesy: Defence.lk