Who manipulated the UN envoy?

The Special Advisor to the United Nations Rapporteur for the Children and Armed Conflict, Ambassador Allan Rock who concluded a fact finding mission on child conscription made some daunting remarks this week. At a press briefing held at the UN office in Colombo, the UN representative said he had evidence to the effect that the security forces were helping the Karuna faction to recruit child soldiers. He said the troops had rounded up children to be recruited by the Karuna activists.

What brought Ambassador Rock to this conclusion was not clear. He did not go in to details to substantiate his allegations either. But what he said was of extremely serious nature. If the Government is already perturbed by the allegations of the security forces conniving with the Karuna faction, what Mr Rock said was a cause for a greater worry.

Ethical responsibility

Needless to say that the UN envoy, given the serious nature of his observations, had an ethical responsibility to detail how he substantiate his claim when he made remarks which could have a devastating impact on the reputation of the Security Forces.
Ambassador Rock failed in doing that . So there is a vacuum of allegations in itself.

Sunday Observer this week followed the foot prints of the UN envoy in the East, visiting places the UN envoy visited, simply to clear the air of confusion.

During his tour in the East, Ambassador Rock visited Amparai before he travelled to Batticaloa next day.

In Batticaloa, his tour companion was the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission’s Batticaloa District Office Chief Arthur Tveiten, who was formerly based in the SLMM office in Kilinochchi. Mr Tveiten himself is a controversial character. The security forces had raised concerns about his prejudice against the Security Forces, if not the perceived bias towards the LTTE, since his new posting in Batticaloa. The SLMM in Batticaloa under Tveiten has repeatedly rejected the security forces complaints against violations of the ceasefire agreement by the LTTE, citing lack of evidence. Where as Mr Tveiten has shown a hither too unseen interest in pursuing complaints lodged against the security forces.

Manipulated evidence

The senior security forces in the area feel that Tveiten manipulated evidence and could, most likely, have distorted the ground situation which influenced Mr Rock’s observations.

Of course the Karuna faction abduct children, there is no reason to deny that. So does the mainstream LTTE.

According to UNICEF, the Karuna faction had abducted 164 children in the period ending October 31. But the actual numbers could be three times higher.

And the security forces admit, given the ground situation, there can be occasion where the armed Karuna cadres have been seen in the Government controlled area. There excuse is that given the vast area and surrounding jungles some member of the Karuna cadres could sneak in to the Government controlled area and that given the constraint of man power, the security forces, understandably do not have capacity to police this vast landscape all the time.

(Also read the box story where a spokesman for the Karuna’s political party, TMVP office in Chenkalady rejects allegations of abductions and child conscription) What however disturbs the security forces is the allegation that the troops are supporting the Karuna faction in child conscription.

Immediately after the UN envoy aired his concerns the Defence Ministry flashed a strongly worded clarification in the Army website. it said the security forces were pertubed by Ambassador Rock’s comments and observations.

The UN Envoy said the political offices of the Karuna faction is located in the close proximity of the security forces camps. Yes, they are for the understandable security concerns of the party activists. So are the offices of other none LTTE Tamil political parties such as EPDP, PLOTE and EPRLF (Varathan Group) of which many a cadre had been killed by the LTTE gunmen during the ceasefire agreement itself.

Even this is not a complete deterrent to prevent attacks by the LTTE.

Last month, the LTTE attacked the Karuna’s political office in Chenkalady located next to the Siththandy army camp. Six LTTE attackers who came in a tractor fired at the Karuna’s office. Sentries at the Army detachment fired killing two LTTE cadres before they stormed the Karuna’s office.

Likely culprit

Understandably Ambassador Rock who was visiting an unknown landscape could not be more than a tourist on a site seeing, had there not been a competent escort. There lies the possibility of the UN envoy being manipulated by the interested parties.
According to the security forces, Mr Tveiten is a likely culprit.They charge him of a prejudice against the security forces. One incident which took place this week was further reinforcing this conviction.

On November 14, five children- Sivaratnam Sinathujan (14), Velayudan Prasad (23) Thambiarajh Sukumar (17) Arulanadan Madan (16) and Dayalan Aponso (16)- were abducted by an unidentified gunmen in Savkade Road, Vipulananda Puram, Chenkalady. The abductees were working at a road reconstruction project when they the gunmen took them away. Thambiraja Sukumar’s father Thambiraja (48) was toiling on the road along side with his son when the latter was abducted.

He saw three men in civilian clothes, one carrying a handgun approaching the five young men. Then the strangers walked with the youth about four hundred meters in to the jungle which borders the Batticaloa lagoon. The father followed the youth. But he could not trace them as they disappeared in the bushes.

Thambirajah said five youth did not walked voluntarily, but were taken away by the force of gun.

Following the abduction, parents went to the Karuna’s office to demand their children back. They also lodged a complaint at the SLMM. Mr Tevitent visited the Karuna office in Chenkalady along with the parents.

Karuna activists denied abducting the children and let parents check the office to make sure that the children were not held in there. Following the discussion with the Karuna’s cadres, the Parents who were convinced that the Karuna faction had no hand in the abduction left the office, but Mr Tveiten insisted that Karuna cadres were responsible and declined to leave the office.

He telephoned the General Officer Command, 23 division Brigadier Daya Ratnayake to charge that Karuna faction had abducted five children and the army was turning a blind eye to the abduction.

Abduction

The Brigadier asked whether children were held in the Karuna office and offered to raid the office if that is the case. The SLMM spokesman replied in the negative. Then the Brigadier asked did the SLMM rep have any evidence to prove the children were abducted by the Karuna cadres. Mr Tveiten said no, but he still insisted that the Karuna faction was responsible and the Army was supporting them.

The SLMM rep exhibited an obvious prejudice against the security forces.

Meanwhile the parents who accompanied a local priest Rev Chandran visited Illuppudichenai , the LTTE road bloc to inquire about the abduction of their children.

The LTTE denied abducting children. However by Thursday morning rumour which made rounds in the village said a relation of Velayudan Prasad (23) had secured the release of Prasad.

The relative, a member of the LTTE, had come from Kilinochchi to Marapalan in the Tiger held area to seek Prasad’s release. Prasad is now held in a place of a family relation in the tiger controlled area. When the Sunday Observer visited Vipulananda Puram, on Thursday , parents and relations were still mourning over the missing children. Arulananthan’s mother Nirmala fainted as she appealed to the policemen to help secure the release of their offspring.

The Parents had also lodged a complaint at the Chenkalady police later in the day. In the complaint, the parents had not mentioned whom they suspected of abducting their children. There lies the question. When the parents could not name the abductors, on what grounds did Mr Tveiten point the finger at the security forces of supporting the Karuna faction of abducting the children?

Later on Friday Mr Tveiten told 232 Brigade Commander Lt Colonel Napagoda that he would inquire from the LTTE of the abduction. That was only after all evidence pointed to the LTTE complicity in the abduction. As senior security forces commanders say, Mr Tveiten from day one in Batticaloa has shown a prejudice against the security forces. The remarks by the UN Envoy could have been the outcome of these manipulative tactics by those like Mr Tevitent.

jayasuriya@sundayobserver.lk