Jagath Dias. Srilankan ambassador in Germany
A suspected war criminal who allegedly played a key role in the slaughter of 40,000 civilians in Sri Lanka has landed a cushy job at the United Nations -- with full diplomatic immunity.
Human-rights groups are outraged that Shavendra Silva, 46, a top ex-military commander, was named Sri Lanka's deputy permanent UN representative in August, after which he moved to New York.
His arrival came a year after his troops defied international pleas and shelled a no-fire zone packed with women, children and elderly refugees, according to observers.
Silva also stands accused of mowing down a group of separatist political leaders who agreed to surrender and were waving white flags when they were shot.
"It's a slap in the face," said an investigator familiar with Silva, who last year oversaw the final months of a brutal 26-year civil war against Tamil separatists on the island nation off India's southeastern tip.
The war started in 1983 after the Tamils, a Hindu ethnic minority, were denied power by the ruling Sinhalese, Buddhists, and formed a violent resistance group, the Tamil Tigers.
"Thousands were killed or starved. There were massive human-rights violations and he's the No. 1 suspect," said the investigator, a human-rights group expert who asked not to be identified.
"And they send this guy here? There's no one other than him in the mission who was involved in this."
Silva claims 11,000 friends on Facebook. The barrel-chested former major general also maintains his own site, shavendrasilva.com, filled with photos of himself in combat garb and a list of his battlefield successes.
He works from an office at the Sri Lankan mission on Third Avenue.
Kilde: NY post
Savendra Silva was accused for the killings of senior members from the Tamil Eelam Liberation tigers who came to surrender at the final Vanni war, holding white flags. He was also estimated as the first suspected person for violating human rights in regard to the brutal murders of ten thousand civilians. In this situation, the “New York Times” queried in its article, why the United Nation Organization couldn’t appoint some other person to this designation which was pointed out by the Inner City Press yesterday from Ban Ki Moon’s Additional media spokesperson, at the United Nation Organization’s journalist’s conference.
The Inner City Press further queried, when will the expert panel appointed by United Nation Organization’s Secretary in regard to the war crimes in Sri Lanka will call the first accused for war crimes, Savendra Silva for inquiry. While replying to this the Additional Media spokesperson of UN Organization’s General Secretary Ban Ki Moon, said, Savendra Silva is a employee of the Sri Lankan government, hence this question should be asked from Sri lankan government was mentioned by him.
He further said, the information about the Expert Panel of Ban Ki Moon cannot be briefed time to time, and the expert panel will submit its report to Ban Ki Moon, and at that time, the issues could be made aware was mentioned by him. Meanwhile the Inner City Press questioned from the spokesperson, when will be the final report will be published by the Expert panel, in reply he said, after the expert panel’s ample information are received, the contents will be published was mentioned by the spokesperson.
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