Jaffna human rights investigators transferred

[TamilNet, Saturday, 29 August 1998, 18:46 GMT]
The co-ordinator, Mr. Senaka Dhisanayake and his associate Mr. Lohan Chandrasekare, of the Jaffna office of the Sri Lankan government appointed Human Rights Commission have been transferred. The transfer order, issued by the Commission's head-office in Colombo, asked the two to cease their activities in Jaffna and report for duty in their previous working places.

Mr. Dhisanayake and Mr. Chandrasekare have been working at the Commission's Jaffna office since it was opened in January this year.

They were involved in collecting information about the 700 or so people who 'disappeared' after being arrested by the Sri Lankan military, and were reportedly adopting a 'sympathetic approach' to the cases.

Sources say that people in Jaffna are suspicious about the Commission's latest move, particularly as it comes at a time when the Chemmani mass graves issue is being discussed both locally and internationally.

Mr. Dhisanayake has now been asked to work in Badulla, while his assistant, Mr. Chandrasekare has been sent to Vavuniya, said sources.

Meanwhile the Union of NGOs in Jaffna has written to the Human Rights Commission to repeal the transfer. The Union's head, Mr. K. Ganesalingam, said in his urgent letter to the Commission's head office, that the transfer, has alarmed the people of Jaffna, as the two officers were able to gather details about Jaffna's missing people and were gathering data on the Chemmani mass graves.