Vijayakala Maheswaran, the UNP parliamentarian and State Minister for Women’s and Children’s Affairs, has remarked that identifying and slaughtering LTTE cadres would not be questioned.
Speaking at a presidential scheme event at the Karaichchi Divisional Secretariat in Kilinochchi on Sunday, the minister spoke at length on the importance of keeping the current ‘good-governance’ government in power and said the previous regime had killed children and the elderly, and should not be allowed to return to power by the international community.
“If they are LTTE, then identify and slaughter them, we won’t come to question that,” Ms Maheswaran said. “But you have killed innocent civilians.”
Among the end-of-war atrocities for which Tamils seek accountability are the violations the Sri Lankan state committed against captured and surrendered LTTE cadres and officials, including sexual violence, enforced disappearances and summary executions.
Ms Maheswaran’s comments come at a time when ‘rehabilitated’ former LTTE cadres have reported a heightened level of questioning and harassment from state and military intelligence.