SRI LANKA: The death of two girls in Colombo suggests foul play, yet police have quickly registered the case as suicide

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-113-2009
ISSUES: Child rights, Police negligence, Police violence,

Dear friends, 

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has learned that the bodies of two teenage Tamil girls were recently found in a Colombo canal. Police promptly filed the case as one of suicide, despite finding a suicide note with handwriting–according to the parents–of neither girl. There is also reason to suspect that their employers were breaking the law by hiring them to do domestic work while underage. However the parents of the girls report that little was done to investigate their suspicions and they had to request for the bodies to be exhumed and re-examined through the courts. This case again shows how little can be expected of the police by underprivileged civilians in Sri Lanka. 

CASE DETAILS: 

On 15 August 2009 the bodies of two girls were found floating in a canal at Baudhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07. The investigation was carried out by police officers attached to the Cinnamon Garden Police Station. 

Maduveeran Jeewarani, 13, and Lakshamahan Sumadi, 16 were identified as Tamil nationals and permanent residents of Masskelliya, Nuwara Eliya district, and reportedly worked as servants in the houses of two businessmen. The police found a suicide note signed by the girls yet the families of the victims claimed that the handwriting did not match their daughters’; they also noted that the water level in the canal is too low for self-drowning. 

The police registered the case as a suicide and submitted the letter as evidence, refusing to release the details of the post mortem investigation to the families. They did not thoroughly question the employers despite the parents’ suspicions of foul play. 

The victims’ families asked the Magistrate’s court for permission to exhume the bodies, and on 24 August 2009 it was granted. Yet this should not have been necessary. The AHRC is concerned that at best the police at Cinnamon Garden are negligent or inexperienced, and at worst, involved in the cover up of a murder case. 

This case is one of many received by the AHRC revealing the inefficiency of the Sri Lankan police in promptly investigating crimes and taking cases to trial. The lack of faith in law enforcement agencies is taking a toll on the society at large; there is little to deter criminals when victims of crime and their families are too scared or cynical to call in the police. 

This case also highlights the extreme vulnerability of children in the workforce. The AHRC is pleased to hear that the employer of Maduveeran has been arrested and taken to court on charges of using child labour. However we urge greater effort on the part of the Sri Lankan authorities to tackle the issue in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the state signed in July 1999, and which prohibits the economic exploitation of children. 

SUGGESTED ACTION: 

Please write to the officials listed below and call for an immediate, impartial and efficient investigations in to the deaths of Maduveeran Jeewarani and Lakshamahan Sumadi. 

The AHRC has written to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child requesting its intervention in this case. 

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear __________, 

Re: SRI LANKA: The death of two girls in Colombo suggests foul play, yet police have registered the case as suicide 

Names of victims: 
Maduveeran Jeewarani, 13. 
Lakshamahan Sumadi, 16. 
Both Tamil nationals and permanent residents of Masskelliya, Nuwara Eliya district. 
Negligent officials: Police officers attached to the Cinnamon Garden Police Station, Colombo South Division, Colombo Range 

Date of incident: 15 August 2009 
Place of incident: Baudhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07, Colombo district 

I am writing to express my concern at the lack of thorough investigation into the deaths of two teenage Tamil girls, aged 13 and 16, recently found floating in a canal at Baudhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07. 

I have been informed that Cinnamon Garden police hastily filed the case as suicide, despite finding a suicide note which the parents claim was not in the handwriting of either girl, and despite the low water levels in the canal, which would make drowning unlikely. There is also reason to suspect that the girls’ employers were breaking the law by hiring them to do domestic work. 

The parents of the dead girls report that little is being done to investigate their suspicions, and that police will not release the result of the post mortems. This case again seems to show how little can be expected of the police by underprivileged civilians in Sri Lanka. 

The victims’ families resorted to asking the Magistrate’s court themselves for permission to exhume the bodies, and this was granted on 24 August 2009; the results are pending. Yet this should not have been necessary. I amconcerned that at best the police at Cinnamon Garden are negligent or inexperienced, and at worst, involved in the cover up of a murder case. 

This case is one of many that reveal the inefficiency of the Sri Lankan police in promptly investigating crimes and taking cases to trial, and the lack of faith in law enforcement agencies is taking a toll on the society at large. There is little to deter criminals when victims of crime and their families are too scared or cynical to call in the police. 

This case also highlights the extreme vulnerability of children in the workforce. I am pleased to hear that the employer of Maduveeran has been arrested and taken to court on charges of using child labour. However I urge greater efforts on the part of the Sri Lankan authorities to tackle the issue in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the state signed in July 1999, and the economic exploitation of children is prohibited along with any other activities which are harmful to their physical, mental, spiritual or social development. 

I expect nothing less than an immediate, impartial and efficient investigation into the deaths of these two girls in accordance with the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code of Sri Lanka. 

Yours sincerely, 

—————- 

PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO: 

1.Mr. Jayantha Wickramaratne, 
Inspector General of Police (IGP), 
New Secretariat, Colombo 1, 
Fax: +94 11 2 440440/327877; 
E-mail: igp@police.lk 

2. Mr. Mohan Peiris 
Attorney General 
Attorney General’s Department 
Colombo 12 
SRI LANKA 
Fax: +94 11 2 436421 

3. Secretary, National Police Commission, 
3rd Floor, Rotunda Towers, 109 Galle Road 
Colombo 03, Sri Lanka. 
Tel: +94 11 2 395310, 
Fax: +94 11 2 395867 
E-mail: npcgen@sltnet.lk or polcom@sltnet.lk 

4. Secretary, Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, 
No 108 Barnes Place 
Colombo 07 
SRI LANKA 
Tel: +94 11 2 694 925 / 673 806 
Fax: +94 11 2 694 924 / 696 470 
E-mail: sechrc@sltnet.lk 

5. Deputy Inspector General of Police(Colombo South) 
Police Headquartes, 
New Secretariat, Colombo 1, 
Sri Lanka 
Fax and tel: +94 11-2431428 

Thank you. 

Urgent Appeals Programme 
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrchk.org) 

Document Type : Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID : AHRC-UAC-113-2009
Countries : Sri Lanka,
Issues : Child rights, Police negligence, Police violence,