Since the 2005 Christmas Eve murder in the Cathedral in Batticaloa by the renegade Karuna faction aided by State security forces; the TRO workers also had been on their hit list.  The strategy was to intimidate and frighten the Tamil community in the East in particular.  To a large extent these forces have sadly achieved their sadistic goal.  The people of the east are scared stiff and gagged!

It was in early January these above TRO workers were abducted.  Nothing is been heard of them since that fateful day.  No one knows whether these TRO employees are alive or dead.  Many appeals went to the President of Sri Lanka.  No response was forthcoming.  Violence has escalated. Extra judicial killings, abductions, rapes, and disappearances have increased primarily in the North East Tamil territories.  People in power — so called guardians of ‘security’ and democracy – None wants to address the issue of state terror!  The peace talks seem to have fallen by the way-side.

The Western nations have had much experience in dealing with abductions of civilians and humanitarian workers in the recent years.  Many Tamils strongly feel the Sri Lanka Government (SLG) has knowledge of the fate of these TRO workers.  The Tamils wonder whether these Western nations would come forward, purely on humanitarian and moral grounds, to exerting pressure on the SLG for the release of these helpless SEVEN hard working bread winners. 

Canadian Conservative Government recently proscribed the Tamil Tigers.  That was seen as a negative reaction especially by the Tamil Canadians.   However questions were again raised as to why the Canadian Government has chosen to remain silent when the weapon of terror is unleashed against Tamil civilians by the State security forces?  Tamil Canadians are pleading that the Canadian High commission in Colombo would exert pressure on the SLG in order for them to release information concerning these abducted SEVEN HUMAN BEINGS.

Should the Geneva Talks were to take place in the near future this writer would like to urge the LTTE Chief Peace negotiator, Thiru Palacingham to put forward the abduction of TRO Humanitarian workers matter as a pre-eminent condition (among other human rights breaches) for peace talks.  This urgent matter no doubt, yet again “exposes” not only the duplicity of the SLG but also the shady activities of the State terror machinery alongside the quisling forces.

The Tamils are eagerly awaiting the safe return of these SEVEN TRO workers.

By:  Chandi Sinnathurai.

April 18, 2006.

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Fr B J Alexander, Conscience Appeal, London, UK - An Open Letter to Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation, 11 June 2006

To: Mr K P Regi, Executive Director TRO, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sunday 11 June 2006 Re: 7 Human Beings Dear Mr Regi, I am writing to you about a matter that has received much media-attention in the beginning of this year. It is about the involuntary disappearance of 7 TRO workers. As it happens in Sri Lanka when other murders, abductions, rapes and even killings of innocent infants and children have begun to take place at a rapid pace, obviously this matter, however serious it might be, “appears” to have been put on the back-burner – certainly not forgotten. There were reports during Tamil Tigers’ operation in the east that the van in which these TRO workers have traveled on the day of abduction was found abandoned in an interior Camp of the quisling ‘Renegade Faction’. It was also reported that this camp was found in the middle of Sri Lanka Armed Forces Camps. Unfortunately this heroic action was not to be a successful rescue mission. The TRO also tried its best to exert pressure on the Sri Lanka Government but nothing is been confirmed up to date as to whether these following humanitarian workers are dead or alive: 1) Thanuskody Premini 2) Kasinathar Ganeshalingam 3) Kathirkama Thangarasa 4) Shanmuganathan Sujendram 5) Thambiraja Vasantharajan 6) Kailayapillai Ravindran 7) Arunesarasa Satheesharan We have NOT forgotten these precious human beings, who we are told are bread winners of their poor families. We wonder whether TRO could inform the international media as to any new developments as to the search of these persons. It is our desire that the conscience of the international community and its corporate media has to be challenged and convicted in order for them to open their eyes to the plight of innocent Tamils. To that end we pray that you would kindly execute action. We shall with prayer eagerly await the release of the above 7 TRO workers. Yours truly, [Mr Regi being the Executive Director, in my observation, failed to show any leadership regarding this painful episode. These were TRO workers and it should have been the preeminent item in the mind of a chief executive - and naturally it should have been the uppermost duty of the chief executive to directly deal with such a grave humanitarian crisis in higher circles, and to deal in person with the mass media - rather to have delegated this sensitive matter to others in the organisation.] [One has to be deeply grateful to SatYendra Nadesan's Tamil Nation for the way in which a systematic appeal was launched regarding this crisis] A poem by Thaya Thiagarajah 24 September 2000 - 'I wrote this poem to let people know the agony of the prison life our people face here.' Why? Tied Up Tried out Dusty ground Walls around No window panes Firm steel gates Stinking toilet Electric shocks Tight padlock What a habitat! Empty stomach Sore buttock Broken limbs Swollen lips Unquenched thirst Uncovered breast Clothing minimum Torture the maximum Head bloody What a body! Nocturnal nightmares Diurnal Flashbacks Darkest despair Speechless 'aphasia' Immeasurable oppression Unattended depression Unrevealed dreams Unspoken wants Aimless goal! What a soul! Innocent imprisoned Under laws unwritten Charges unproved Trials unheard Plight of a prisoner Beckons you for ever Compassionate hearts Make haste Pay heed Let her be free.