Tamil mothers accuse state intelligence of snooping on them during flood relief work

“AKD government continues to intimidate us” accuse war-affected Tamil mothers

Government spying on Tamils rather than focusing on flood relief operations say Tamils

State Intelligence agencies in Sri Lanka are accused of spying and intimidating the public welfare organizations that are at the forefront of assisting the Tamils who were affected by the recent cyclone and floods in the North and East of the country.  

A leading member of the Association for the Relatives of the Enforced Disappearances (ARED), a civil society group created to search for the tens of thousands of people who disappeared during Sri Lanka’s armed conflict says, even humanitarian operations and help are being threatened by the intelligence agencies, which is hampering the relief operations for the affected.

Despite personal losses and extreme mental agony and trauma faced by the ARED members who are searching for their loved ones who were either handed over or surrendered to the security forces, say even their small efforts of helping the flood-affected are being seen with suspicious eyes and they are subjected to intimidation by the state agencies.

Most part of the North and East were heavily flooded in the recent cyclonic conditions and severe downpours causing floods throwing the life of the war-affected Tamils out of gear and thousands of them are yet to get back to their normal life, even as rains continue. 

Such actions are not only intimidating but also humiliating says MariaSuresh Eswary, President of the Mullaitivu District ARED, and says the most recent example of such a threat came when they were helping the Tamils affected by heavy floods in the Oddusuddan area.

“The flood-affected did not get any assistance or relief. So four days ago we organized from relief getting help from the diaspora. We packed those relief material in small packs and were getting ready to distribute them. At that time the intelligence officials intervened asking as to who gave that relief material, and what items were in it. This was hugely intimidating”.

She was speaking to media persons at the Jaffna Press Club. She accused the government of filming them while distributing relief materials, instead of analyzing the damage caused by the floods and organizing help and relief to the affected Tamils. 

“The government could have instructed the officials to assess the damages of the flood. But, without doing that, they are filming our activities of what we are doing in the relief operations including what we are distributing and to whom. How can such a government render justice to us? You think for yourselves”.

Mariasuresh Eswari further stressed that Anura Kumara Dissanayaka was elected president due to the Tamil votes. Even then the activities of intelligence agencies for the past three months have been very intimidating and we are under constant surveillance.

“Even though he has not said he would not finish us off, his intelligence agencies act in a threatening manner. District-wise over the past three months, their intimidation has been continuous and increasing”.