The Hon. Kaveenthiran Kodeeswaran

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I am pleased to join the debate on the Proceeds of Crime Bill relating to property and funds accumulated through criminal misconduct. Those who commit crimes contrary to law must be punished, and illegally accumulated funds and properties should be vested in the State, along with establishing an authority to manage such proceeds. I thank the Government for bringing this measure. Likewise, the proposal to remove Deshabandu Tennakoon from the post of IGP is also commendable.

¶ 02 Criminal acts have continued in this country from the past to date. Since 1956, justice has been denied to Tamils. Crimes against Tamils continued, from 1956 killings through to Mullivaikkal in 2009. Investigations and justice for these have still not happened, which is painful and distressing. The present NPP Government plans to bring a motion in Parliament to investigate torture camps operated during the 1987–89 period. Similarly, there were numerous ethnic pogroms: the Black July 1983 riots in which over two thousand Tamils were killed; the Udumbankulam, Satturukondan, and Jaffna Tamil Research Conference massacres; and above all, the mass killing at Mullivaikkal in 2009 where around 150,000 people were killed. There has been no investigation. That is why Tamils still do not trust domestic mechanisms and call for international investigations. Mothers continue to search for their disappeared children and relatives.

¶ 03 Minister Bimal Rathnayake earlier said a person named Pillaiyan committed murders and robberies and still walks free. What action has this Government taken against him? What action has this Government or previous Governments taken against those responsible for mass atrocities? None—hence Tamils’ mistrust in the justice system.

¶ 04 Therefore, this Government must take action against those responsible for genocide and violence against Tamils, just as you proceed against torture camps. Bring a motion to this Parliament for those as well. Only then will the injustices to Tamils be revealed domestically and internationally.

¶ 05 Further, today, in the name of democracy, people protesting are being taken by Police and security forces under the guise of inquiry, harassed, and pushed into misfortune. When people protest against “Ilmenite” mining, they are summoned and ill-treated under the cover of investigation. The Government must recognise their right and not subject them to repression as past Governments did. Thank you.