On 04.08.2006, 17 Eelamtamil activists who were working for the French NGO “Action Contre La Faim” (ACF), brutally killed by the Sri Lankan government troops in Muthur.

The statement of MSF-(Doctors without borders) – 08.06.2012

On 4th August 2006, 17 Sri Lankans working for Action Contre la Faim (Action against Hunger/ACF) and all wearing the NGO’s tee-shirt were executed inside their own compound, the same day Sri Lankan government forces reclaimed control of the town of Muttur which had fallen into rebel hands on August 1st.

ACF always commemorates the murder of its 17 employees on the esplanade of human rights at the Trocadero in Paris. It will call for justice, just as it has done and will demand that the biggest massacre ever perpetrated against members of an NGO not go unpunished. And, just has it has done in 2006, this demand will go unheeded.Let’s start with a few facts.

At the end of August 2006, the Norwegian head of the Scandinavian mission which had been monitoring the truce in Sri Lanka (SLMM) made a statement to the effect that the involvement of the Sri Lankan security forces in the massacre was beyond doubt.

According to information obtained by the mission despite the authorities’ attempts at obstruction, the town had been in the hands of the army on the morning of 4th August, and all the testimony gathered pointed the finger at the army. Yet this direct accusation, which the Sri Lankan foreign affairs minister denounced as “irresponsible and outrageous”, was never followed up. The head of the SLMM was about to leave the country and the mission issued no further statements.

The statement of ACF – France

17 Action Against Hunger humanitarian workers, whose sole objective was to support the people of Sri Lanka – were assassinated. Beyond the victims themselves, their relatives, and their coworkers, the entire population was wronged. After helping more than 100,000 people in Sri Lanka since 2005, the organization eventually decided to leave the country two years after the killings.

“Since 2006, the Sri Lankan government, after failing in its duty to protect its population and all aid workers, has failed in its duty to provide justice,” says Pauline Chetcuti, Action Against Hunger’s Head of Humanitarian Advocacy and Policy. The national investigations conducted were futile; and Action Against Hunger’s inquiries have been ignored.

“To address this impunity, we succeeded in obtaining the opening of an international investigation in 2014, which led to a report on the crimes committed during the Sri Lankan war. The United Nations’ Civil Rights Council has substantiated our conclusions regarding the government forces’ implication in the crime and the threats to the families and witnesses,” adds Chetcuti.

The United Nations and the Sri Lankan government approved the establishment of a special international court, as requested by the Council. Yet, its implementation has been constantly delayed. Indeed, Sri Lanka is impeding the process by refusing the presence of international judges. The United Nations recently asserted in a report from the Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism, that “none of the measures adopted so far to meet Sri Lanka’s commitment to provide transitional justice is appropriate to ensure real progress.”

“Action Against Hunger will not give up achieving justice for the 17 victims of the Muttur massacre. This tragedy reminds us that humanitarian workers are still threatened in conflict areas, as are civilians; despite the fact that their work is sorely needed. No humanitarian mission can be carried out under such conditions,” says Chetcuti.

This tragedy is unfortunately not an isolated event. On August 19th, 2018, World Humanitarian Day, tribute will be paid to all those who have perished in the field and to those who continue to provide assistance to millions of people throughout the world, despite the risks. The international community must rally to ensure that disregard and contempt will not prevail. The safety of all humanitarian workers is no option.

We demand the authorities urge Sri Lanka to implement a realistic and independent mechanism to combat impunity while guaranteeing accountability,” Chetcuti concludes.

we do not forget and we will not give up on our search for justice: M. Narmathan, I. Muralitharan, R. Arulrajah, T. Pratheeban, A. Jaseelan, G. Kavitha, K. Kovarthani, V. Kokilavathani, S. Romila, M. Ketheswaran, M. Rishikesan, S.P. Anantharajah, G. Sritharan, S. Koneswaran, S. Ganesh, Y. Kodeeswaran, A.L.M. Jawffar.