Video: No civilians went missing: Gotabaya

2013-01-25 01:27:56

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Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa rejected claims yesterday that civilians had gone missing in the North during the last stages of the war, insisting that all records maintained by the Army and the ICRC tallied with no discrepancies.

Responding to a question posed by a journalist, the Defence Secretary said that the people who came to the Army by sea, during the final stages of the war were registered with the ICRC and with the “Indian hospitals manned by the Indian Army, and not a single person is missing from that list”, when tallied.
“This is another factor that many people have forgotten. Take the large number of people who were coming by sea. Where did they go first? They went to the Indian hospital; it was manned by the Indian Army. They reported to them first and from there only did they come to the welfare camps. And the ICRC was present whenever they surrendered.

“There was a procedure followed when registering these people. Not a single person is missing from that list,” he said.

Earlier Mr. Rajapaksa had said that many of those considered to be ‘missing’ might have died during the war as a result of their fighting against the Army.
“That’s a false allegation. Of course you have to understand that when you say missing, people should realise that in these areas there were people recruited by the LTTE and they were fighting the Army, if you take the Army alone I think even today you have about 3000 missing personnel. We couldn’t find the bodies. If you take the North of Sri Lanka it was dominated by the LTTE so we didn’t have the military going in and arresting people. Nobody talks about these things. These people were terrorists who died in action. For their parents they may be missing because they were taken forcibly and put to fight by the LTTE and they died and their parents didn’t know what had happened to them. So to their parents they are missing. You have to understand this,” he said. (Supun Dias, Menaka Mookandi, Darshana Sanjeewa)

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Comments - 29

common man Friday, 25 January 2013 02:17

yeah, you are right, no one missing....Wives,parents, children and relatives of missing are crying for just time passing..One day you have to answer, at least to god if exist.

Reply : 35 198

sinnia Friday, 25 January 2013 06:40

Common Man,
I think you are confused.. Think about it.. what about the LTTE terrorist who were killed in the fighting.. They have parents.. Their parents are not saying that 'My son was a LTTE Terrorist and he was killed in the war'.. I have not heard any Parent saying this!!! All what they are saying is my son went missing!!!! There were 45,000 LTTE terrorist at the height of the was.. 11,000 or something like that surrendered.. So the others would have perished due to the War.. It is similar to the Sri Lanka Forces...

Reply : 118 25

Lobo Friday, 25 January 2013 08:35

True Sinnia, I am no supporter of the Govt but these people now conveniently put the blame on the Govt.

91 19

RamUK Friday, 25 January 2013 08:48

Sinna...Tamil or Sinhalese or Muslim...LTTE or not Army or not MOTHERS have the right for grieve and cry others has no right to question them....

Reply : 10 82

RamUK Friday, 25 January 2013 11:28

the one put a negative mark ...r u a test tube baby????

8 34

hello Friday, 25 January 2013 02:21

Just like the old story of 'not a single civilian was killed' during the closing stages of the war!

Reply : 23 157

Mark Friday, 25 January 2013 02:56

hoodwinking...I think those missing civilians lost their addresses and they may be looking for Jaffna in Kandy...

Reply : 20 102

nicky karunarathna Friday, 25 January 2013 02:56

People or journalist asking how many people went missing - would they ask the same question from US and UK about Iraq,Afghanistan, or Libiya. We know that Iraq alone one million people went missing and 3 million displace. If they do not ask - why not?

Reply : 133 36

Mimi Friday, 25 January 2013 06:53

At this moment, we are talking about Gota our Defense Secretary, and accountability in Sri Lanka. Not US, UK, or any other country that does not concern us at this time. Lets focus on the serious problem the Defense Secretary seems unconcerned about, and we Sri Lankans should be outraged about. Two wrongs do not make a right. Just because other countries resort to wrongs, does not mean we should. After all, aren't we better than everyone else?

Reply : 11 82

kumar Friday, 25 January 2013 06:56

Most of the those people were killed by their own rebels. But the blame goes to US and UK

Reply : 45 16

Mimi Friday, 25 January 2013 03:12

He is trying to make us believe that all these families are imagining they had loved ones.

Reply : 22 112

Renu Friday, 25 January 2013 06:14

If Sai Baba is able to comment on your statement, he would say that you are the biggest lier who had come to see him , and you will end up in hell

Reply : 9 59

Mason Friday, 25 January 2013 06:39

Defence Secretary, what have you to say about the comments made by "Common Man". Also why has it taken more than three years for you to come up with this explanation !!!

Reply : 9 62

Defense Secretary Friday, 25 January 2013 08:44

Mason, in the absence of proper documentation it took us a while to compile these figures. Many who were killed were LTTE fighters but their families will not admit that and still claim them missing. Many more were killed by the LTTE in jungles leaving no trace. Anyway, had we published the figures earlier you would have accused us of providing bogus figures.

Reply : 61 19

Silva Saturday, 26 January 2013 01:32

I don't blame you Def. Secretary. This is what MR&CO wanted us to believe and you exactly echoing that. Gotha is taking nonsence...

2 10

rumi Friday, 25 January 2013 08:08

I am missing

Reply : 15 18

RamUK Friday, 25 January 2013 11:29

hope u r not in Saudi...

Reply : 2 18

common man Friday, 25 January 2013 11:30

Thank you for your explanation Mr.Deaf secretary.

Reply : 7 27

Miruthula Friday, 25 January 2013 17:04

Sinnia,
LTTE is a terrorist group government is a democratically elected one. But in Sri Lanka the current regime also acted like terrorist group and still it's continuing.

EX: CJ matter.

Reply : 6 16

Vignesh Friday, 25 January 2013 17:25

Hahahaha

Reply : 1 12

Jagath Leanage Saturday, 26 January 2013 00:28

Civilians were not mising but DISAPEARED.

Reply : 0 8

vaidy Saturday, 26 January 2013 03:36

Army and Police take into custody from their homes without giving a letter to the parents or custodians.Allegations are people taken into custody go missing.A gazette notification soon after mass arrests may be a remedial action to give confidence of security

Reply : 0 0

ELARA Saturday, 26 January 2013 08:28

Gota what count did the army have.Can you give the figures and explain how did you manupilate...Like the Genaral Election count??? No one will pardon you even the God who you belive?? You are a Conning Dirty fellow.Wait for your bad daysfor the course of all people including the sinhalese will trigger.At that moment No body will rescue you.

Reply : 0 6

Nadi Saturday, 26 January 2013 09:23

We have convinced China, Iran, Russia, Cuba and North Korea but why have we not managed to convince the USA, the EU,the UK, Canada, Australia, Norway and the UNCHR?Why would that be? Are we trying too hard to convince ourselves?. Most humans are imperfect and many truths are unpalatable...but sooner or later must be confronted.

Reply : 0 5

Shan Saturday, 26 January 2013 12:12

don't worry.....he is always funny

Reply : 0 2

rajaraja Saturday, 26 January 2013 17:12

This how Srilankans are being fooled

Reply : 1 0

raviraj Sunday, 27 January 2013 05:03

no one wentt missing- heard of Pradeep Ekanilgoda

Reply : 0 0

Anushka kalansooriya Sunday, 27 January 2013 07:32

Are these guys on some drug , when they are talking on tv like saints...for eg take lasantha...and that hori ya duminda...what are you talking..

Reply : 0 1

Anushka kalansooriya Sunday, 27 January 2013 07:38

@renu...still believing on this sai ba ba shit...my god..grt a life..you guys call me god..and he didn't know himself what's comming to take his life...
Get a life renu...

Reply : 0 1

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