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Australian Federal Police evaluate war crime allegation against former DFAT Staff Dr Palitha Kohana |
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In May the Herald detailed allegations against a dual Australian-Sri Lankan citizen, Palitha Kohona. Dr Kohona, who was an Australian diplomat in the 1980s and is now Sri Lanka's representative to the UN, is accused of sending, via intermediaries, text messages to defeated Tamil Tigers and civilians, telling them they could surrender, unarmed and under a white flag, to troops.About 20 followed the instructions. Witnesses report they were loaded into army trucks. They were later found, shot dead, nearby. Federal police have confirmed they were evaluating the allegations against Dr Kohona "with a view to determining any potential breaches of Australian law".
Dr Kohona has denied the allegations, admitting he sent the messages, but saying they were never a guarantee of safety, only advice on how best to surrender. "I never had the authority to issue orders to troops or to discuss surrender terms of any terrorists, either directly or indirectly," he said.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/sri-lanka-diplomat-accused-of-war-crimes-20111016-1lrmd.html#ixzz1azNeq2og |
