NPC laments Rev Fr Karunaratnam assassination
Full text of the press release issued by National Peace Council of Sri Lanka
A Lamentable Loss to Civil Society and to the Country:
The killing of Fr Karunaratnam adds to the heavy toll of humanitarian, human rights and religious workers killed in the course of the ethnic conflict. The National Peace Council condemns this targeted killing of a senior Catholic priest and human rights worker. In addition to his many contributions to society, Fr Karunaratnam helped to facilitate some of NPCís own peace programmes and study tours in the Wanni and Jaffna.
As head of NESoHR which was set up in July 2004, as part of the 2002 Peace Process, Fr Karunaratnam worked tirelessly to strengthen the human rights protection mechanisms in the North East of Sri Lanka. He was active in highlighting recruitment of children by the LTTE and worked tirelessly for their release. Fr Karunaratnam also sought to publicise the human rights violations to which the people living in the north east, particularly the Wanni region, were subjected to. He publicly criticised the government for many of the sufferings inflicted upon the Tamil people and challenged the national human rights institutions to live up to their mandates.
Fr. Karunaratnam entered the priesthood relatively late in life having started his career with Bank of Ceylon before opting to become a priest. He had many friends among the majority Sinhala community. He was fluent in the Sinhala language and saw the whole country as his home.
The LTTE has accused the deep penetration unit of the Sri Lankan military for the killing of Fr Karunaratnam. Whoever perpetrated this evil act has taken away yet another bridge builder who loved the whole country. While it may never be known who was responsible for his assassination we are convinced that another moderate voice has been stilled. Fr Kili, as he was popularly known, had a deep love and commitment to build bridges between ethnic and religious communities in Sri Lanka. The National Peace Council laments his loss.
Executive Director
On behalf of Governing Council
Devinda Fernando said,
April 21, 2008 @ 4:11 pm
Why do people Like This Priest make Noise only against the government? He speaks out against the Mahdu church being caught in the Crossfire of the SL troops and the LTTE but do you hear him uttering a single word against the LTTE? Do you hear him and the Bishop of Mannar utter any condemnation against the LTTE for Deliberately positioning themselves with the Church as a Shield…? Then when the structure gets damaged you have the likes of Fr. Karunaratnam and Bishop Ryappu Joseph come out swinging against the Government. If they wanted the Church protected they should have come to the SL forces ahead of time and told them of the situation. They could have informed the SL army of the LTTE positions that are near to the Church and thus helped the SL army avoid this unfortunate incident. They could have done this if they were on the right side of this conflict… Instead we know they hide behind the Catholic Church and pretend to be Men of God but in all reality they allow their Church to be part of the conflict and then go crying to the International Community saying the Government is deliberately targeting Churches. People never question them because they assume Men of the Cloth are Moral and Just, but in reality these are just more LTTE Sympathizers and Proxies who are using Religion as a weapon to hide and provide cover for the LTTE. Just like those Militants who hide in Mosques in Iraq and then fire on the Americans.
Makes you wonder just how impartial the Church is on the Matter of the LTTE? I will be called a Blasphemer for this comment but I don’t care at this point, as a man who is Cured of his Catholicism I have no sympathy for the Church,…another Institutional Repressive Entity that preys on our fears and weaknesses… I have even less sympathy for these Particular So-Called Religious people who covet, aid, and abet Terrorists and Enemies of the State.
“Kill them all!, Let God Sort them Out…”
navalan said,
April 21, 2008 @ 7:08 pm
I whole heartedly agree to the sentiments expressed by the NPC.Rev.Father was a fearless champion of Human Rights,he was the Parish priest of the fishing hamlet of Navanthurai in the Jaffna Peninsula,on his reccomendation we were involved in a humanitarian project in that region to uplift the living conditions of the once thriving Lagoon fisher community,
who were living in abject poverty having lost most of their belongings.Rev.Father was a genuine friend of the down trodden.I can still recall how these poor peoples’ faces would lit up when the father was in their midst.He was a jewel of a man cruely plucked away from his people,May he rest in Peace,his legacy will live on forever.
JayPee said,
April 22, 2008 @ 1:37 am
During the ceasefire, a group of Sinhalese Catholics visited the north with aid for school children. During that time, Fr. Kili insisted that it be made known that “there are Sinhalese who care about us”.
Fr. Kili deeply loved his people and he died while serving them. May he rest in peace.
Arun said,
April 22, 2008 @ 1:48 am
Can SL ARMY do something like this 50 KM inside LTTE area ? Does this means deep penetrating units can go this far. My god what Ltte is doing ??????
Dassanayake D.J.G. said,
April 22, 2008 @ 1:59 am
Father is killed – by whom was he killed is the question.
From the History of LTTE , who has killed more Tamils themselves , there is a big question Mark ??, whether or not this was a deliberate or an accidental killing by LTTE themselves to gain Propagand Mileage out of it.
Gayan said,
April 22, 2008 @ 2:59 am
Another cowardly assasination by the LTTE
N2 said,
April 22, 2008 @ 4:28 am
#1 Devinda Fernando: “Why do people Like This Priest make Noise only against the government?”
This why this extremely intelligent and articulate was killed.
It is most interesting that Devinda Fernado and the NPC are making contrary/opposite comments.
The NPC wants to make out that the LTTE had a motive: “He was active in highlighting recruitment of children by the LTTE and worked tirelessly for their release. Fr Karunaratnam also sought to publicise the human rights violations to which the people living in the north east, particularly the Wanni region, were subjected to.”
But Devinda Fernando has in this instance stated the truth of the matter.
As to the Madhu matter, Fr Karunaratnam himself, shortly before his murder/assaination, pointed out very clearly that it was the GOSL that was trying to politicise the matter to gain military advantage and that there was no genuinly military reason why the GOSL offensive should take the Madhu church route.
So is it surprising that he was seen as a threat and became a target?
Fernando.J said,
April 22, 2008 @ 11:47 am
You can kill a man but not his idea.
Fr Karunaratnam was a human rights activist. The GOSL was killing to silence him. They are wrong.
Fr Karunaratnam will be in heaven. How about the Buddhist soldiers who are dying? Are they not rushing to hell to be in eternal fire?
Soldiers, think of what you are doing and where you will end up !!
Devinda Fernando said,
April 22, 2008 @ 1:39 pm
N2,
LTTE use the Church to hide shield themselves… LTTE know the Northern Territory better than anyone else… they know the Ballistic capabilities and ranges of the SL Armed forces weapons… they knew if they positioned themselves behind the church and that some SL Army retaliatory Artillery fire would fall short and hit the Church…they designed and planned their attack with this outcome in mind……they do it deliberately so that they can get their Church Barkers like the Good Fr. Kili to run to the UN and Western countries in order to bolster their case for International Community intervention….
I have no sympathy for priests who support and participate in Terrorism. They are merely men just like the rest of us, capable of all the Evil that normal men do. If anything, this man has engaged in a Dereliction of Duty by choosing to support the oppression of his flock by throwing his hat in with the LTTE terrorist organization.
N2 said,
April 23, 2008 @ 6:56 am
I see that Devinda Fernando is saying one should “have no sympathy for priests who support and participate in Terrorism” such as “Church Barkers like the Good Fr. Kili” who were “engaged in a Dereliction of Duty “. So in other words, Devinda Fernando has accepted that Fr Karunaratnam had to be silenced by the GOSL.
In Devinda Fernando’s scenario the LTTE are all hiding in the church and attacking the SL forces. So if the SL forces had any sense wouldn’t it be better to go through another place where the LTTE are not concentrated?
If all the LTTE can hide in or behind the church then the church must be like Dr.Who’s Tardus.
The Madhu church area is tiny compared to the rest of the area that the SL forces are trying to attack. There are plenty of other options, so why try to go through the Madhu church area?
If the LTTE was really firing at the SL forces from inside/behind the church doesn’t it make more sense to go another way and stay out of range?
The LTTE seems to have positioned some defenses near the church in response to the SL forces trying to go that way. One should not confuse the effect with the cause.
Devinda Fernando said,
April 24, 2008 @ 8:15 pm
*** So in other words, Devinda Fernando has accepted that Fr Karunaratnam had to be silenced by the GOSL. ***
N2,
No,…. that is your Felonious assumption. You would actually need something like Proof to say that the GoSL was responsible for his death…Oh WAIT! Who am I kidding…..? but when do Tamil Nationalists and Communalists who Bark from 12,000 Miles away need any SORT OF PROOF of anything to Condemn the Sri Lankan Government?
You Tamil Chicken-Littles have been Crying “GENOCIDE” for the past 25 years to the West….
LOL …. Yeah I can see how you can make the assumptions all day long… it is what you people do best.
All I said is there is no Love lost for him with me… Just like there’s No Love Lost with you Communalists for Tamil Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle that the LTTE murdered a week before…. You will cry Genocide when the SL armed forces are fighting the LTTE, but when the LTTE murders Tamils you giggle like little school girls.
I’m not the GoSL. he may have tripped on a Mine in LTTE territory… I heard it is kinda dangerous there with all those Mines the LTTE has been laying down for our Soldiers to find… Non-Existant Eelam is a Dangerous Place…
N2 said,
April 26, 2008 @ 7:36 am
Devinda Fernando I was merely baiting you on that point, and you took it
What about the rest?
Anyway, why is it that ‘ You Sinhala Chicken-Littles’ blame the Tamils for ruining the country when it is ‘you Sinhala Nationalists and Communalists’ are fully to blame?
Remember, no Sinhala-Buddhist nonsense = no LTTE; caused and effect!
Devinda Fernando said,
May 2, 2008 @ 3:12 pm
*** Devinda Fernando I was merely baiting you on that point, and you took it ***
N2,
I call it like it is. You’re not baiting me to say anything I do not want to.
*** Remember, no Sinhala-Buddhist nonsense = no LTTE; caused and effect! ***
25 years ago was the case, but after all the proposals by the GoSL to devolve power and the LTTE flat out refusing all of them that argument no longer has any validity.
Here’s a new one for you: Manhinda’s Administration and the Sri Lankan population’s Zero Tolerance on Terrorism is a direct result of LTTE unrelenting and unwillingness to negotiate. Plain and Simple.