Sri Lanka finally admits 20,000 missing Tamils are dead

When they call these Hindus ‘dead’, it means that Sri Lankan soldiers have killed them and disposed off their bodies. However, Rajapaksa’s statement says a lot without giving details about it. Hindus should realise this.

During the last phase of the war in Sri Lanka with the LTTE, Sri Lankan soldiers massacred thousands of innocent Tamil Hindus. However, it is unfortunate for Hindus that India has never raised its voice in this regard !

Rajapaksa, who has carried out the genocide of Tamil Hindus is the President of Sri Lanka today – which means the danger to Hindus remains. Will the Indian Government take steps to show Rajapaksa his proper place for such arrogant statements ?

Colombo (Sri Lanka) – The new Sri Lankan President has finally admitted the 20,000 missing Tamils who vanished during the Nation’s civil war are dead. Gotabaya Rajapaksa – who was then defence secretary – led Government troops to victory over Tamil soldiers, but his forces were accused of carrying out mass disappearances and executions.

It is the first time the Government has admitted its complicity despite the conflict ending in 2009. The move crucially comes as Rajapaksa is about to introduce legislation granting immunity to those who carried out abuses, according to local media reports. Rajapaksa made the announcement during a meeting with a United Nations envoy in Colombo, the country’s capital, and has said official death certificates will be issued.

He said the admission would bring closure to families and he hoped Tamil politicians would not use it as an opportunity to cause unrest. Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war began in 1983 and raged for 26 years, claiming an estimated 1,00,000 lives.

It was fought along ethnic and religious lines and ended with victory for the Buddhist Sinhalese-majority Government at the expense of the Hindu Tamil-minority which was fighting for Independence.

While atrocities were committed on both sides, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has reported how Government troops carried out unlawful killings, enforced disappearances and gender-based violence en masse against Tamils. Atrocities carried out by Government forces in the final year of the conflict are considered some of the worst human rights abuses in history.