PSNI organised meeting with Sri Lanka

military adviser after Tamil massacre

FOI request confirms talks but lawyers say no minutes exist of meeting as campaigners blast
'being kept in the dark'
Duncan McCausland was called on to adise !ri "ankans# $hotograph% $& &rchie
Henry McDonald' Ireland correspondent
Friday ( &ugust )*+,
$olice in -orthern Ireland organised a meeting between .ritish officials and a !ri
"ankan military adiser a month after the massacre of tens of thousands of /amil
ciilians in !ri "anka' it has emerged 0 but no minutes were taken about what was
discussed#
/he -orthern Ireland $olicing .oard' which scrutinises the running of the $olice
!erice of -orthern Ireland' has confirmed that it arranged the talks between the
Foreign Office and the !ri "ankan defence forces representatie with a iew to the
$!-I becoming 1critical friends1 of the country's security forces#
2oernment lawyers hae confirmed in a freedom of information request that no
minutes exist of the meeting at the policing board headquarters in .elfast on +( 3une
)**4' shortly after !ri "anka's military allegedly killed tens of thousands of people in a
final offensie against the /amil /igers#
5esearcher $hil Miller' from the pressure group Corporate 6atch' who submitted the
FOI request' told the 2uardian% 16e are being kept in the dark about what went on at
this .elfast meeting# Did .ritain raise any concerns about !ri "anka's massacres of
/amils before it let the $!-I continue its role as 'critical friends' with Colombo71
/he FCO says the only information it holds on the )**4 meeting is a single sentence'
noting that its official agreed in adance for the $!-I to offer further assistance to !ri
"anka# /he $!-I officers continued to work with !ri "anka' een after the 8-
concluded that at least 9*'*** /amil ciilians were killed in the final months of the
conflict# :undreds of thousands of suriors were then interned in camps#
One of the $!-I officers called to gie adice to the !ri "ankans was the assistant
chief constable' Duncan McCausland# :e had preiously co;written a report for the
&mericans in Iraq' adocating the creation of .elfast;style 1peace walls1 to separate
rial sectarian communities in .aghdad#
& policing board spokesman said countless oerseas delegations traelled to .elfast
to discuss police;related issues with the $!-I# 1/he board regularly receied isits and
delegations from across the world to share the experiences of policing change in
-orthern Ireland and lessons learnt in terms of independent oersight and
accountability for the $!-I#
1/he meeting on +( 3une )**4 was reported to the policing board meeting on ) 3uly
)**4 as part of chairman's business and the minutes are published on the board's
website# !uch isits receied a standard presentation' which coers the roles and
responsibilities of the board as the accountability authority of the $!-I' and as such
minutes are not considered a necessity#1
<asmine &hmed' from 5ights 6atch 8=' said% 1/he .ritish public has a right to know
the nature and extent of 8= goernment cooperation with and support to the !ri
"ankan goernment during a period of brutal iolence and seere human
rights abuses against the /amil population#
1&ny information about this meeting must be disclosed so that the public can be
assured of the nature of the inolement of 8= police forces# It is inconceiable that no
records were kept of the contents of this meeting and we call on the goernment to
disclose such information#1
"ast weekend it emerged that >'?** !ri "ankan police officers' including some senior
commanders' had receied training from the !cottish $olice College @!$CA since
)**9#
$olicing in -orthern Ireland through the /roubles' particularly towards its endgame in
the late +4(*s and early +44*s' is studied as a template for counter;insurgency
methods across the world# Following the inasion of Iraq in )**> a number of former
senior 5oyal 8lster Constabulary officers were recruited to adise the post;!addam
goernment on how to police diided communities and build up an intelligence system
to counter terrorism#
58C !pecial .ranch eterans and other senior commanders were paid handsomely
not only for adising the Iraqi goernment about how to police the !unni;!hia
communal schism on the streets but also on methods of agent recruitment within
insurgent groups#
Posted by Thavam