http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20111022_02

Rump LTTE has their women operatives to spin stories

(By: K.T.Rajasingham)
Sri Lankan community has come across two women - Damilvany Gnanakumar and Meena Krishnamurthy. Today both of them have played vital roles in the campaign against Sri Lanka.
Damilvany was the key player in the Channel 4's - 'Sri Lanka the killing field' and now Meena Krishnamurthy a new face but very old with LTTE, is from Australia featuring in the ICJA's report against Sri Lanka.
About Miss Damilvany Gnanakumar, Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa in his speech delivered at the release of the report,"Humanitarian Operation: Factual Analysis" on 01st August, 2011 at Hilton- Colombo said:
"This lady claims to have arrived in Sri Lanka to visit her relatives but was unable to leave due to the hostilities, and therefore volunteered to assist in the hospitals.
While there, she claims, she saw large numbers of casualties and surgery being carried out without anesthesia even on children. Not only do the doctors at the hospital flatly refute these claims, but Miss Gnanakumar is known to have been an LTTE operative. She was recruited by Castro, the leader in charge of the LTTE's international operations, and worked at an LTTE front organization in London before arriving in Sri Lanka in February 2008. While here, she underwent military training under Durga, a female leader of the LTTE. Miss Gnanakumar was no civilian volunteer but an LTTE cadre. The sad reality is that her word has been taken at face value.
While the LTTE's propaganda machine continues to spin its lies, and such lax standards of journalism continue to prevail in the west, the narrative on Sri Lanka may continue to be obscured by vicious falsehoods. I sincerely hope that with the publication of this document, these falsehoods will be laid to rest once and for all, and that the world will see, beyond any doubt, that the Humanitarian Operation was just."
But unfortunately, there is nothing much to say about the new entrance to the arena, Meena Krishnamurthy, who, it is alleged that she has spun lies to ICJA officials. Without making a clear screening about this lady ICJA has fallen head on with her concocted stories. "The sad reality is that her word has been taken at face value," repeating the words of Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
It must be noted that she has said in the interview aired by http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GoAnh1_u4CA#! by Sarah Dingle that she had an affair with an accountant of the LTTE and was pregnant.
Sri Lankan's are aware of the dictum of Late V. Prabhakaran, the failed leader of the LTTE, that LTTE cadres can only marry someone from the women cadres of the outfit. Was that particular LTTE accountant given any exception to the rule. Then who is this woman Meena Krishnamurthy? Your guess is as good as mine.
The coincidence is that the earlier one who featured in the Channel 4's "Sri Lanka Killing Field," Damilvany Gnankumar said that she was in one of the hospital and during the final stages of Sri Lanka's humanitarian operation against LTTE and even helped one of the doctors to carry out " surgery without anesthesia even on children."
Even Meena Krishnamurthy too has said that when she went to Vanni and when she saw the horror of the battle, she too volunteered in a hospital and help the doctors to treat either civilians or the wounded LTTE combatants - this point was not clear in her revelation.
Based on her revelation, ICJA has prepared a 500 page report against Sri Lanka.
"Story of Meena Krishnamoorthy is crucial to war crimes submission. She is one of just three Australians who were in the conflict until the end", said Australia's "7.30 Report", the nightly current affairs program of ABC. The program aired on Tuesday, October 18th.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner, Tony Negus, told a hearing yesterday that the AFP were treating the submission, "as a matter of urgency".
In the meantime Asian Tribune contacted Sri Lanka's High Commissioner in Australia Thisara Samarasinghe and asked about the complaint filed by the President of International Commission of Jurists, Australia (ICJA), John Dowd AO QC that "Those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity at the end of the Sri Lankan civil war in 2009, must not be allowed to go unpunished."
Sri Lanka's High Commissioner in Australia Thisara Samarasinghe said, ICJA a non-governmental organization, they have made a complaint or whatever it is , submission, so it will take appropriate action and I expect that the Australian justice will prevail. Nothing else we can do and you will know the people who are being used for various things and their credibility has to satisfy the people and the people when they say something then they must take responsibility, and this lady says that she heard the bombs coming and falling on the hospital. Who fired the bomb is the problem?
Asian Tribune: That is the most important question in this revelation and we wanted you to comment.
Thisara Samarasinghe: I have clearly said that we never did that and we did everything to save civilians, so what she says, it is the Australian people to judge her credibility and what is her background, the people has to judge. In fact it is an individual making an allegation and will that be justified?
Asian Tribune: Unfortunately the ICJA has taken those individuals allegations very seriously.
Thisara Samarasinghe: Yes by that organization. It is up to them. She had made some statement about her and she has all the right to say all those she had said about her.
Asian Tribune: She also alleges about massacre? It is supposed that she is the only witness they have. Even in the channel 4's Killing Field they had a Tamil woman - Damilvany Gnanakumar, as the person who witnessed the massacre of Tamils and she also claimed that she volunteered and worked in a hospital in the last days of the humanitarian operations?
Thisara Samarasinghe: Both are former LTTE combatants and it has been proved.
Asian Tribune: This woman Meena Krishnamoorthy is she also a former combatant?
Thisara Samarasinghe: I don't know. I am not bothered to find about who these people are? My mentality and thinking are not up to what they are trying say or do. Somebody must have placed their signature to that document or report, which alleges Sri Lanka and that person must take the responsibility.
Asian Tribune: About Dr. Palitha Kohona who was the Secretary to Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the days the operation against the LTTE concluded and at present the Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN, based in New York?
Thisara Samarasinghe: Yes I know. These are all allegations against me, HE President and also against Dr. Palitha Kohona, you know? I have no malice against anybody.
Asian Tribune: In conclusion, what are you going to say?
Thisara Samarasinghe: I just wanted to know that If it was a massacre, how did those three hundred thousand people were able to come to the Government side? And also 11,000 LTTE combatants to come out and surrender to the armed forces?
Asian Tribune: It is widely accepted that because LTTE held more than three hundred thousand civilians as human shield, all these problems occurred?
Thisara Samarasinghe: Yes of course, unfortunately nobody is speaking about that. I believe that truth will come out, I believe in the thing called "justice", and we are very happy that we have brought peace to our country and also for the people in the North and East and I have been commended for saving Tamil civilians and not once, and not twice but thrice.
Also I have been commended for preventing boats with questionable people leaving from Sri Lanka to Australia by the Australian Government.
Therefore my credibility and credence is before all for the people to see and if these people are making any defamatory allegations, you know that I have also some degree of immunity in this country, not that I am depending on that, but I know that I have not done anything incorrect.
Asian Tribune: What about the charges made about Sri Lanka's President?
Thisara Samarasinghe: What charges you can make about a President of a country? He is responsible for bringing peace to our country. He has brought peace which others could not get. I think you must judge what he has given to the people. In the meantime, they must be having good reasons to make such allegations, you must ask them. You give a call to Mr. John Dowd, President of International Commission of Jurists, Australia (ICJA) and ask him as why are you getting round with these types of people?
Asian Tribune: Yes, I will get in touch with him.
Thisara Samarasinghe: In fact he has to take full responsibility for making all those allegations.
Asian Tribune: They say that they have witnesses who were present in the last days of the humanitarian operation by the Sri Lankan armed forces?
Thisara Samarasinghe: What I am trying to say is we have been commended for rescuing such a large number of displaced Tamil civilians.
Asian Tribune:Commended by whom?
Thisara Samarasinghe: I have a letter from the International Committee of Red Cross's Head of the delegation in Sri Lanka, addressed specifically for the Sri Lanka Navy for the manner in which we performed. He said finally," I served with you and I have realized soldiering is a noble profession." What else you want? Mr. Paul Castello was the Head of the International Committee of Red Cross in Sri Lanka. The letter was dated 14February 2009. In conclusion I wish to say that the people has the freedom say what they wanted say, but justice will prevail.
www.defence.lk">

"Colombo, 14 February 2009
COL 09/485/PCA
Dear Sir,
Following the successful medical evacuations by sea that took place on 10 and 12 February, on behalf of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) I wish to express my sincere thanks to your and to the Navy for your valuable and effective collaboration, which helped to save many people's lives.
I know that it was a complex operation, which proved to be extremely demanding for all. Your men, either at sea or on land, succeeded in an exemplary manner to carry out their essential task to protect the State and its citizen and simultaneously to care for the sick and wounded. They displayed a strict discipline and respect of rules of engagement and at the same time very respectful and kind attitudes to help those in need.
In that regards in addition to all others who contributed to this medical evacuation, we wish to express our special thanks to the Director General for Operations, at the Navy HQ, the Officiating Commander Eastern Naval Command, in Trincomalee and to the Deputy Area Commander North, in Jaffna.
They spent many sleepless hours coordinating the operation and played a crucial role to make it's a success.
The days demonstrated that soldiering is a noble profession.
Your sincerely
Paul Castella
Head of Delegation
Adm. Wasantha Karannagoda
Courtesy: Asian Tribune