Met Police probe into UK mercenaries in Sri Lanka passes scoping exercise
Published Date: 15/11/2020 (Sunday)
THE Metropolitan police has completed a scoping exercise into allegations that British mercenaries committed war crimes during the conflict in Sri Lanka in the 1980s.
Detectives from the Met's war crimes team are now proceeding with a full investigation. The rare move comes after the Tamil Information Centre (TIC) in London sent a detailed dossier of evidence to the police last month.
TIC provided copies of declassified Foreign Office files and other evidence about a mercenary company, Keenie Meenie Services (KMS), which worked for Sri Lanka's military during the 1980s.
KMS personnel are alleged to have flown helicopter gunships that were involved in attacks on Tamil civilians. The company's staff also trained Sri Lankan paramilitaries and commandos, as well as giving operational advice at the highest level, throughout a period of repeated atrocities against Tamils.
Anuraj Sinna, a director of the Tamil Information Centre, said: “War Crimes committed by the Sri Lankan state, ably assisted by British mercenaries caused death, displacement and massive suffering to the Tamil people. All of those who committed those war crimes should be brought to justice. We hope that this investigation is the first step to ultimately a successful prosecution.”
Paul Heron, a solicitor at the Public Interest Law Centre, which is representing TIC, said: “This is the first investigation that we know of into British mercenaries operating overseas and alleged to have committed war crimes. KMS was involved in covert activities across the planet, from Nicaragua to Sri Lanka.
“Our clients are appalled by the activities of these mercenaries and the tacit approval given to them by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.”
Earlier this year, TIC also sent a complaint about KMS to the United Nation's Working Group on Mercenaries.
The issue came to light in January when journalist Phil Miller published a book about the company, Keenie Meenie: The British Mercenaries Who Got Away With War Crimes.
