HELA URUMAYA SEEKS LEGAL ACTION AGAINST MANNAR BISHOP

The Jathika Hela Urumaya yesterday urged the authorities to take legal action against Mannar Bishop Rayappu Joseph who has allegedly told the US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues in the Office of Global Criminal Justice Stephen Rapp that the Sri Lankan Army had used chemical weapons against Northern civilians during the last phase of the war.

JHU spokesman Nishantha Sri Warnasinha in a media statement said that the Mannar Bishop during a meeting he had with Ambassador Rapp, had told that civilians fleeing Mullaitivu had informed him that the Sri Lankan Army had attacked Northern citizens living in Mullaitivu Vellamulliwaikkal with chemi-

The Mannar Bishop had told Ambassador Rapp that civilians fleeing Mullaitivu had informed him that the Sri Lankan Army had attacked Northern citizens living in Mullaitivu Vellamulliwaikkal with chemical weapons

cal weapons during the last phase of the war.

“This is not the first time that Bishop Joseph has made such proLTTE remarks. And neither is this the first time he has accused the Sri Lankan Army with such false statements. But so far he has not commented about the LTTE using Northern citizens as human shields during the war? Besides he cannot be ignorant about the fact that the LTTE launched several chemical attacks against the Sri Lankan army and Northern citizens during the time of the war,” the statement said.

He condemned statements made by Bishop Joseph against the Sri Lankan Security Forces and the government while stating that the JHU could not accept Bishop Joseph’s alleged war crime allegations against the Sri Lankan government while claiming that the Mannar Bishop always supported the concept of a Tamil Eelam.