10,000 Tiger suspects: Govt. seeks US help

10,000 Tiger suspects: Govt. seeks US help
AG in Washington for talks
By Our Diplomatic Editor The Sunday Times lk Sunday September 27, 2009
Special tribunal likely
By Chandani Kirinde
The government is exploring the possibility of setting up a special tribunal to try LTTE suspects who have been involved in grave crimes such as murder and abductions.

The tribunal is likely to be set up on the lines of a Special Presidential Commission or the Criminal Justice Commission which tried the JVP suspects after the 1971 insurrection.
Government sources said the suspects would be put into three categories – those to be indicted for grave crimes, those who could be released on supervisory bail and those who could be rehabilitated.

The Sunday Times learns that Justice Minister Milinda Moragoda is studying the options before presenting his proposals to the government.

Sri Lanka is seeking help from the United States in its efforts to formulate procedures to cope with more than 10,000 Tiger guerrilla suspects now in custody. The aim is to study how the US handled terrorist suspects, particularly thousands from the outlawed al-Qaeda, after the 9/11 attacks in New York.

Attorney General Mohan Peiris will arrive in Washington tomorrow for talks in this regard with officials in the US Attorney General’s Department. According to diplomatic sources, the visit has been arranged in consultation with the United States embassy in Colombo.

At present there are more than 10,000 suspected members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Government custody. There has been a slight increase in the numbers as more guerrilla suspects are being rounded up.

This is both through interrogations in IDP camps as well as search operations in other areas. While a sizeable number against whom there is evidence will face prosecution, the Government is yet to finalise the legal procedures they are to be put through. Those against whom there is no evidence are to be sent for rehabilitation.

Key suspects involved in acts of terrorism have been interrogated. In some instances, revelations made by them have led to arrests of others. The profiling of the suspects is now under way.