We, the undersigned civil society organisations, are deeply disturbed by the threats faced by Mr. Herman Kumara of NAFSO and Mr. Aruna Nishantha Fernando of All Ceylon Fisher Folk Federation (ACFFF), including an attempt to abduct him, and condemn these attempts to stifle democratic rights and silence activists.
According to an affidavit signed by Herman Kumara, he alleged that there was an unknown group that followed him following his return to Sri Lanka after attending a meeting overseas on the 24th February 2012. The group followed him from the airport to his village and made inquiries about his whereabouts. Herman Kumara had been accused and named by the Minister of Fisheries and Acquatic Resource Development, Rajitha Senarathne in Parliament on On 21st February 2012 as one of two persons responsible for the protest conducted by the fishing community in Chilaw against the fuel price increases at which one person was shot dead by the STF. Despite the protests by the fishing community being spontaneous and self-organised, these two individuals had to hide and find security because of the allegations.
Herman Kumara leads a strong fisher people’s organisation in Sri Lanka – the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) and he has been the General Secretary of the World Federation of Fisher People (WFFP) for several years. He is a leading activist involved in other movements including the People’s Alliance for Right to Land – PARL. He has also worked tirelessly on individual campaigns to protect the rights of fishermen in the Negombo lagoon, whose livelihood was threatened by the introduction of seaplanes, and in opposing moves to appropriate the land of residents in Kalpitiya for tourist expansion.
We have worked with Herman Kumara and his organisations for many years and we know that they play a very important role in increasing people’s awareness and sustaining the struggle against injustice where the socio-economic and political rights of people are threatened by the State or other actors. Herman and NAFSO have also played a very important role in building solidarity among the people in the North and East with those of the South, which occurred through the people-to-people dialogue between the North and South for peace and sustainable development. The efforts to intimidate Herman and NAFSO undermine all these initiatives.
This threat against Herman Kumara and others is not an isolated incident and it is just an example of a pattern of events that is taking place in the country to intimidate organisations, which are involved in protecting and securing the rights of our fellow citizens. As organisations actively involved in efforts to secure social justice, we are deeply concerned by these recent incidents targeting individuals, and the broader trends of intimidation and violence.
We would like to appeal to all people to join in solidarity to condemn this intimidation and to call for the freedom of association and expression to be protected so that Herman Kumara, others activists and organisations can function freely. We appeal to the government of Sri Lanka to take urgent steps to guarantee the security of all activists, to desist from measures targeting individual activities and to conduct investigations into such cases.
Organizations:
Movement for Land and Agricultural Reforms (MONLAR)
Uva farmers’ collective of poison free agriculture (UFCPFA)
Vikalpani National Women’s Federation
Sri Lanka Nature Group
Environment Conservation Trust
Individuals:
Rev. Fr. Sarath Iddamalgoda
Melani Manel Perera – Journalist
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