JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva yesterday called for legal action against those responsible for torturing and killing his party members between 1987 and 1990.

Addressing the meida in Colombo, he said President Mahinda Rajapaksa had campaigned against the killing of youth by the then UNP government’s death squads and later the People’s Alliance government in 1994 had worked tirelessly to punish those responsible for the Suriyakanda mass grave.

Silva said the UNP politicians in the area had a lot to answer for and current Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa had been the army’s District Coordinator at that time.

The JVP demanded that statements be recorded from the state administrators in Matale at that time such as the Government Agent, the Assistant Government Agent and the Grama Seva Niladharis and the people who had lost their children.

Silva said that judicial medical officers had confirmed the victims had been tortured before being killed.

“We urge President Rajapaksa to conduct an investigation like the Suriyakanda probe and bring the culprits to justice,” the JVP General Secretary said, adding that as a human rights activist President Rajapksa had been to the Geneva Human Rights Council with the photos of disappeared youth and formed the Mothers’ Front against the then UNP government.

The JVP would not seek an international inquiry as it was an internal problem of the country and Sri Lanka’s laws were strong enough to prosecute those responsible for the Matale mass grave, Silva said.

He said that they were satisfied with the investigations so far conducted into the Matale mass grave but the government was trying to hush up the issue.

“We will also launch a mission to collect details of missing youth in the Matale and adjacent districts,” Silva said.

JVP Western Provincial Council member Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa also attended the media conference. (by Dasun Edirisinghe)

Source: The Island (Sri Lanka)