SRI LANKA: Two “white van” abductions within a few hours in Colombo

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed by the Civil Monitoring Commission (CMC) regarding the forcible abduction and disappearance of two men, Satkunarajah Sasindran and Robin Rosten, by armed men in white vans in separate incidents on 8 May 2007 in Colombo. The manner by which these victims were abducted is similar.

CASE DETAILS:

At around 9:30pm on 8 May 2007, five men riding in a white van had arrived at the residence of Robin Rosten at 87-4/5 Mayfield Road, Kotahena, Colombo. Robin’s wife, Jasmine, was told by a private security guard of their apartment that the policemen were looking for her husband and they have asked him to come down. Jasmine accompanied her husband to meet them.

According to Jasmine, one of the five men, was wearing a police uniform and was armed with a rifle. This officer had concealed the insignia bearing his service number. Four other persons were also seen waiting inside the white van. They told Jasmine that they wanted to take her husband Robin in order to obtain a statement from him and promised that they would send him back shortly.

They then took Robin with them towards a white van waiting nearby and left. Since then, however, Robin’s whereabouts remained unknown. Jasmine has already lodged complaint before the Kotahena police station and with the CMC.

At the time of incident, Robin was working as a private driver in Colombo. He originally came from Jaffna, Kayts, Ooraathurai before moving to Colombo five years ago.

In another incident, a few hours after Robin’s abduction, another man, Satkunarajah Sasindran, was forcibly abducted and disappeared in Vihara Lane, Wellawatte at around 11:30pm. Sasindran was at the time at his workplace in Sunrise Communication when five armed men, who arrived in a white van forcibly took him.

Sasindran’s fellow employee, who witnessed the incident, recounted that the perpetrators, who were carrying firearms, entered their workplace and ordered everybody to kneel down on the floor. Soon after, they called for Sasindan and dragged him towards the white van waiting outside. The white van was seen traveling towards the direction of Dehiwela.

Like Robin, Sasindan was also a native of Jaffna, Kattuwan, Tellipalai. He had come to Colombo with his mother in May 2006. Sasindan has since been working as a low-income employee of the said communication firm for two months. Sasindan’s mother, Sivadevi Satkunaraja, had lodged a complaint with the Wellawatte police station and the CMC.

In both cases, the pattern by which perpetrators carried out the abduction is similar. They were armed, wearing civilian clothes, and were riding in a white van.

Abductions carried out by armed men riding in white vans were common in Sri Lanka in previous decades and this phenomenon has re-emerged recently.

Robin and Sasindran’s abductions occurred within areas of Colombo, which is supposed to be well secured, given the numerous check points and security barricades in place. The two victims are employees earning small incomes. To date, the whereabouts of the two victims have remained unknown.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the concerned authorities requesting their immediate intervention to locate the whereabouts of the victims. Their families must also be actively engaged in this process. There must be an inquiry into the possible involvement by the police authorities into these cases, in particular the case of Robin Rosten. Please also urge the government to take proactive measures to prevent these incidents from reoccurring.

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