 |
Sri Lanka/France – aid worker deaths
Sri Lanka clears military of killing 17 French charity employees
Article published on the 2009-07-14 Latest update 2009-07-14 09:12 TU
A memorial for the ACF aid workers in the town of Trincomalee in 2006
(Photo: AFP)
Sri Lanka’s Commission of Inquiry, in its final report to President Mahinda Rajapakse, cleared the military of the deaths of 17 employees of a French charity in 2006 and recommended the group to pay more compensation to the victims’ families. Thirteen men and four women who were working for the French group Action Against Hunger (ACF) were found shot dead in August 2006 in the north-east of the country where government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels were fighting.
"The evidence does not disclose the presence of the commandos anywhere near the ACF office during the period, that is, on the morning afternoon or evening of the 4th,” said the Commission report, according to The Island newspaper. The final report was not made public.
The charity workers were working on water and farm projects from the group's Muttur office.
The report said the area was subjected to a Tamil Tiger rebel attack, and that there was no evidence of army personnel in the area, as alleged by Norwegian peace monitors who at the time blamed the killings on government forces.
The report did not blame anyone specifically for the deaths, although it accused the charity itself of “gross negligence”, saying that managers did not allow their staff to leave when fighting intensified in the area.
"They were stubbornly told by the Trincomalee ACF office not to leave the office and stay together as it would be difficult for the ACF to collect them,” said the report, according to The Island. “ACF was looking more for their comfort and convenience than that of the safety and security of their workers.”
The Commission recommended that ACF pay ten years’ salary to the victims’ family as compensation.
The investigation into the deaths was headed by retired judge Nissanka Udalagama. Initially, 11 senior foreign diplomats and dignitaries were appointed to supervise, but they quit in April 2008, saying the investigation did not meet minimum standards.
