‘Death squad’ brothers poised to win election
On the evening of September 17, 2008, Dilan Jamaldeen was with four friends who piled into a car after a party in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. Only one was seen again.
Dilan’s father was an army veteran from Sri Lanka’s ethnic Sinhalese majority. The family decided, however, to give him his Muslim mother’s maiden name. That choice may have cost the 24-year-old his life.
The young men were snatched by Sri Lanka’s infamous security forces. The only one released alive, after his family paid a ransom, was Sinhalese.
Thousands of Sri Lankans vanished during the 25-year civil war against Tamil Tiger separatists. As the conflict neared its savage climax in 2009, the military death squads stepped up their work. Tamils, Muslims and enemies of the ruling Rajapaksa clan were snatched off the street by armed men and vanished.
Now those accused of running the death squads appear poised for a return to power.
As defence minister for his older brother Mahinda, who was twice president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa oversaw the savage final assault on Tamil positions in 2009, when thousands of civilians were killed in a ‘‘no-fire zone’’. He has denied all allegations.
Gotabaya has stepped forward as a presidential candidate, while Mahinda waits in the wings, ready to step back on stage as his prime minister.
Their campaign has focused on their security credentials. The brothers have seized upon Sri Lanka’s trauma since Islamist suicide bombers struck churches and hotels on Easter Sunday, killing 259 people.
The government of Maithripala Sirisena, the outgoing president, is accused of ignoring repeated intelligence warnings about the bombings.
The Rajapaksas remain favourites, but victory this weekend is not certain. They face a strong late challenge from another scion of Sri Lanka’s bloody dynastic politics. Sajith Premadasa is deputy leader of the ruling party and the son of Ranasinghe Premadasa, the former president assassinated by a Tamil Tiger in 1993.
For families like Dilan Jamaldeen’s, still seeking news of lost loved ones, a return to Rajapaksa government would kill off tentative moves to prosecute military figures for alleged crimes.
‘‘My husband believes our son is dead,’’ Dilan’s mother, Jenifer Weerasinghe said. ‘‘I believe he is still alive. But we are scared that witnesses will retract their statements if the Rajapaksas come back. The case will collapse.’
Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s tenure as defence secretary was marked by accusations of human rights violations, including the murder and abduction of journalists and political opponents. If he is elected, Tamils expect a crackdown on dissent and a turn towards authoritarian rule.
Among Tamils, most of whom are Hindus, and Muslims, there is trepidation at the idea of a Rajapaksa presidency. Gotabaya Rajapaksa has the support of hardline Buddhist nationalist groups accused of stoking religious tensions that have resulted in violence against minorities.
K Ramesh, 40, a native of Jaffna in the largely Tamil northeast, works in Colombo as a driver. He said he feared the worst if Rajapaksa won.
‘‘The military will take over,’’ he said. ‘‘They are already flexing their muscles in anticipation.’’