Army refutes allegations of sexual exploitation

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) today denied the allegations made by former President Chandrika Kumaratunga that the country’s Tamil war widows continue to face widespread sexual exploitation by members of the armed forces. 

“The Army Headquarters has noted with dismay a recent statement, alleged to have been made by the head of an ethnic reconciliation body on sexual exploitation and abuses of Tamil women by the Army in the post war scenario.” 

“The Army categorically denies the same as a baseless allegation,” the Army Media Division said in a statement.

In 2010, civil administration was firmly established in the North and the Army withdrew from all forms of civil administration, it said.

Since then, the Army has not been involved in administration concerning civilians, and the question of sexual exploitation and abuses during the said process does not hence arise, the statement added.

“Regrettably, the author of this statement has made unsubstantiated and baseless assertions without specifying any incident of sexual exploitation or abuse.”

The statement added:

“The Army wishes to place on record that it has a Zero Tolerance Policy on sexual abuses as evidenced in Premawathi Manamperi case in 1971, Krishanthi Kumaraswamy case and Rajini Vellaydunpillai case that took place during the period 1995-2005. In all these instances, the Army fully cooperated with the civil court cases against the accused who were on trial, resulting in death penalty.”

“In line with this principle, the Army always takes stern action on Army personnel against whom ex facie cases have been and discharged summarily from the Army despite acquittal/pending action in civil courts. It shall continue to pursue this policy.”

“At a time when the Government is genuinely committed to the Rule of Law and Reconciliation, baseless assertions of this nature would only jeopardize the reconciliation process.”