TNA condemns Father Karunaratnam slaying

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 April 2008, 04:32 GMT]
Father Karunaratnam was actively engaged in Human Rights related work, and as Chairman of the North East Secretariat on Human Rights, played a prominent role in the exposure of the grave human rights violations to which the Tamil Civilian population in the Vanni area were continuously subjected, said R.Sampanthan, the parliamentary group leader of the Tamil National Alliance and Maavai S.Senathirajah, the general secretary of Ilankai Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi (ITAK) in a press statement issued on Tuesday. "We deeply mourn the loss of Rev Father Karunaratnam who indefatigably served the legitimate interests of the Tamil Civilian population in the Vanni."

Full text of the statement issued by the TNA follows:

The Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi strongly condemns the killing of Rev Father Karunaratnam a Priest of the Roman Catholic Church, in a claymore mine explosion on the Mallawi Mankulam road on 20th April. Rev Father Karunaratnam was a frequent user of this road, and was returning after Sunday mass.

Father Karunaratnam was actively engaged in Human Rights related work, and as Chairman of the North East Secretariat on Human Rights, played a prominent role in the exposure of the grave human rights violations to which the Tamil Civilian population in the Vanni area were continuously subjected. Such activity on the part of Rev Father Karunaratnam could only have provoked the perpetrators of such grave human rights violations against the Tamil Civilian population. The deep penetration units of the Armed forces have several times in the past been accused of such claymore mine explosions in the Vanni in which Tamil Civilians have been killed. The killing of Rev Father Karunaratnam bears the hallmark of such an attack.

Such attacks against non-combatant civilians engaged in humanitarian work is most reprehensible and is indicative of the all pervasive environment of intolerance and impunity, that prevails in the country. It is becoming increasing manifest that the Sri Lankan State does not have the will to bring such violations to an end.

We deeply mourn the loss of Rev Father Karunaratnam who indefatigably served the legitimate interests of the Tamil Civilian population in the Vanni.

Mavai S.Senathirajah
General Secretary
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi

R.Sampanthan
Parliamentary Group Leader
Illankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi
(Tamil National Alliance)

Chronology: