posted August 07, 2001 10:18 AM         

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alfred Duraiyappah (Former Mayor and MP for Faffna) on 27 July 1975
A Thiagarajh (MP for Vadukkoddai) on 24 April 1981
V Dharmalingam (MP for Manipay) on 2 September 1985
K Alalasundaram (MP for Kopay) 2 September 1985
A Amirthalingam (Leader of the Opposition and TULF) on 13 July 1989
V Yogeshwaran (MP for Jaffna) on 13 July 1989
T Ganeshalingam (Provincial Minister for North & East) on 28 January
1990
Sam Tambimuttu (MP for Batticoloa) and Mrs Tambimuttu on 7 May 1990
V Yogasangari (MP for Batticoloa) on 10 June 1990
A Thangathurai (MP for Trincomalee) on 2 July 1997
Mrs Sarojini Yogeshwaran (Mayoress of Jaffna) on 19 May 1998
S. Shanmuganathan (District MP for Vavunia) on 15 July 1998
P. Sivapalan (Mayor of Faffna) on 11 September 1998
Canagasabai Rajathurai, an EPDP member of the Jaffna on 6 October 1998
Dr Neelan Thiruchelvam (TULF) on 29 July 1999
Atputharaja Nadarajah , EPDP parliamentarian (2 Nov 1999)
Kanapathipillai Navaratnarajah (TELO member of Arayampathi,
Batticaloa) on 7 June 2000

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sinhala Parlimentarians killed by Tamil Tiger Terrorists.........

Ranasinghe Premadasa (President of Sri Lanka) on 1 May 1993
Ranjan Wijeratna (Deputy Minister of Defence) 1992
Lalith Athulathmudali (former President of Oxford Union and Minister
for Education) on 23 April 1994
Gamini Dissanayake (Presidential Candidate and former Senoir Minister)
7 September 1994
C V Goonaratna (Minister for Industries) on 7 June 2000 ;

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

World Leaders killed by Tamil Tiger Terrorists.........

Rajiv Gandhi (Prime Minister of India)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------
Larrikin

posted August 07, 2001 12:08 PM            

www.tamilcanadian.com/news/chronology/chemmani.html

Intact skeleton unearthed at Chemmani

[TamilNet, September 17, 1999 15:57 GMT]

Investigators today dug a place pointed out by the key witness, ex-corporal Somaratna Rajapaksha, west of the Kottukinattady Pillaiyar shrine in Chemmani. A complete skeleton was found here.

It hands were tied up. The forehead of the skeleton's skull was crushed on the left side. A piece of yellow cloth was found under it.

Investigators said the person may have been tortured in the abandoned house near this grave. Ropes were found hanging from its beams. A pair of army boots were also in the house.

Relatives of missing persons who were present at the site wanted to see the piece of yellow cloth but investigators told them that it can be seen next week.

A spot identified by the ex-corporal was then dug on the road to Mulli in the general area of Chemmani. Rajapaksha had told investigators that the SLA had a torture camp opposite this spot. Only cattle bones were found here.

Fiftenn human skeletons have so far been dug up in the Chemmani area by investigators.

posted August 07, 2001 12:09 PM            

[TamilNet, September 17, 1999 15:57 GMT]

Investigators today dug a place pointed out by the key witness, ex-corporal Somaratna Rajapaksha, west of the Kottukinattady Pillaiyar shrine in Chemmani. A complete skeleton was found here.

It hands were tied up. The forehead of the skeleton's skull was crushed on the left side. A piece of yellow cloth was found under it.

Investigators said the person may have been tortured in the abandoned house near this grave. Ropes were found hanging from its beams. A pair of army boots were also in the house.

Relatives of missing persons who were present at the site wanted to see the piece of yellow cloth but investigators told them that it can be seen next week.

A spot identified by the ex-corporal was then dug on the road to Mulli in the general area of Chemmani. Rajapaksha had told investigators that the SLA had a torture camp opposite this spot. Only cattle bones were found here.

Fiftenn human skeletons have so far been dug up in the Chemmani area by investigators.

posted August 07, 2001 12:10 PM            

Revelations by Corporal Rajapakse, the first accused in the rape and murder case of Krishanthi Kumaraswamy, the Jaffna schoolgirl, that there were places in Jaffna where more than 400 dead bodies were buried, have had repercussions in the minds of the Jaffna public, said sources in Jaffna.

Jegan, the Jaffna Organiser of the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) said today, that the statement had created suspicions in the minds of Jaffna citizens that the existence of such clandestine graveyards could be true.

The parents and relatives of the disappeared in Jaffna were especially keen on finding out whether the information was correct, he said.

posted August 07, 2001 12:11 PM            

The NGO Consortium of Jaffna has told the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka's Jaffna office, that not only should unauthorised graves at Chemmani be excavated, but mass graves in other parts of Jaffna too should be opened, said sources in Jaffna.

Expectations of finding the bodies of 'disappeared' have risen in the minds of the public since one of the accused in the Krishanthi Kumaraswamy rape and murder case alleged that there were mass graves at Chemmani, the place where Krishanthi Kumaraswamy's body was found.

Meanwhile, the Mission for Peace and Harmony, which is dominated by Roman Catholic clerics, said that all faiths should come together and appeal to Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga to investigate the matter of the mass graves at Chemmani, said sources.

Related stories:

06.07.1998: TamilNet:
Accused rapist alleges mass graves in Jaffna

05.07.1998: TamilNet:
Amnesty commends sentences, appeals for clemency

Related Features:

posted August 07, 2001 12:12 PM            

By: Cat Eye

The verdict in the Krishanthi Kumaraswamy rape and murder trial was delivered to a packed court house on Friday the 3rd of July 1998 by the three judge bench comprised of Justice Nimal E. Dissanayake, Gamini Abeysekera and Andrew Somawansa. Six of the accused were sentenced to death.

Krishanthi Kumaraswamy was abducted at the Chemmeny check point on her way home from school. She was later raped and murdered. Her mother, Rasamma Kumaraswamy, brother, Pranawan Kumaraswamy and a neighbor. Sidamparam Kiribamurthi who comnenced a search for her were also abudcted and murdered. Eight soldiers and one policeman were accused of the abuction, rape and murder committed on or about the 7th of September 1996. Six of the accused were found guilty of the murders and sentenced to death in High Court No. 3. In accordance with convention all lights were swiched off and Justice Dissanayake wrote out the death sentences, breaking the nib off each pen as the seatences were written. The accused continued to plead 'not guilty' in their final statements before the bench.

While six of the accused were charged with murder, five among them were also charged with the rape of Krishanthi Kumaraswamy and sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment. Three of the accused were further charged with abduction and sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment.

Of the nine accused, one died in custody while the 6th and 8th accused were acquitted. In March 1998 three of the accused staged a dramatic escape from the Colombo High Court. Two of them were later recaptured while the third was tried in absentia.

Women's Lobby
The Krishanthi Kumaraswamy case as it came to be known was brought to trial following a high degree of publicity both locally and internationally. Significantly a large number of women's groups and individual women and men from the South established a 'Vigil Coalition' with public demonstrations and pickets to bring pressure upon the state to conduct and investigation and prosecute the case. When the case was finally brought to trial it was prosecuted by the Additional Solicitor General and a team of three State Councillors among whom was Ms. Prashanthy Mahindarathne. She was specially singled out at Court for her hard work and diligence in prosecuting the case. Women's rights and human rights groups following the case were also impressed by her perseverance in the face of a strong and experienced team of senior defence lawyers.

It is significant that the case was concluded in the relatively short space of 20 months with the conviction of five soldiers and a reserve police constable. This is the first time members of the armed forces and the police have been given maximum sentences for grave human rights violations. It is hoped that this trial and conviction will act as a deterrent to armed forces personnel who have been allowed to act with impunity and have got away with crimes such as rape, abduction, unlawful detention, torture, disappearances and extra judical executions. Cat's Eye welcomes the judgment as an important step forward in the course of justice. However we strongly reiterate that this should be a first step towards serious investigation and prosecution of all armed forces and police personnel accused of human rights violations.

Dead Bodies
Just prior to the sentencing, 1st accused Lance Corporal Somarathna Rajapakse informed the court that there were between 300 and 400 bodies buried around the Chemmeny check point area. He further informed the court that dead bodies were brought to this point from military headquarters each night and soldiers asked to bury them. This is a serious allegation that needs immediate investigation. The number of disappearances in the Jaffna peninsula rose sharply in the period following Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva's visit to the region and the attempt against his life in 1996. The Board of Investigation appointed to look into disappearances in Jaffna during this period and other sources placed the number of disappearances at over 700. The Board of Investigation recommended prosecutions in relation to 25 of them.

The three Commissions appointed to look into disappearances island wide in the post 1988 period submitted their reports to the President this year. It is therefore imparative that theState initiates judicial process in regard to cases highlighted in these reports which can be prosecuted. It is also imperative that independent forensic teams are set up to assist the police and the judiciary in gathering evidence to prosecute these cases successfally. It must also be noted that such high profile cases as the disappearance of 31 school children in Embilipitiya and the Mylanthany massacre in the East are yet to result in convictions. The State must therefore not sit back at ease with this one conviction, important through it is. This trial should be an impetus to continue speedy investigation and prosecution of all cases of human rights violations.

Scapegoating the Small Fry
We are also concerned that the cases being tried to-date are those against the lower ranks of police and military personnel. One of the accused in the Kumaraswamy case alleged the involvement of higher ranked officers in the perpetration of grave human rights violations. Cat's Eye hopes that law enforcement machinery is put in motion to also investigate the chain of command and ensure that all those responsible for human rights violations irrespective of rank or position be tried without fear or favour.

posted August 07, 2001 12:14 PM            

The human rights group, Amnesty International, has urged the Sri Lankan government to set up an independent commission to investigate the disappearance of hundreds of people three years ago after a military offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels.

The Sri Lankan defence ministry has admitted it's been unable to trace more than five- hundred people who went missing in the Jaffna peninsula in 1996.

Amnesty also wants the results of the defence ministry inquiry to be made fully public.

The Sri Lankan military has denied allegations that government troops killed hundreds of Tamils during the offensive and then buried them in mass graves.

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posted August 07, 2001 12:15 PM            

[TamilNet, January 08, 2000 22:10 GMT]

Jaffna's acting Magistrate Mrs S.Ilankovan Saturday stated that a 29 year-old woman Sarathambal of Pungudutivu was raped and murdered, according to the medical report furnished by the Colombo's Judicial Medical Officer.

According to the medical report, there was evidence on the body to show that she had been raped had died due to suffocation caused by stuffing clothes into her mouth.

The Acting Magistrate instructed the Kayts Police to conduct further investigations.

posted August 07, 2001 12:16 PM            

[TamilNet, December 30, 1999 04:53 GMT]

A young woman was gang-raped and murdered by unidentified gunmen near Kannakai Amman Temple in Punguduthivu, an islet off Jaffna peninsula, Tuesday night, residents said. Her body, covered with Palmyrah leaves, was found yesterday morning, about 100 metres from her house, they added.

Sources said the victim, Sarathambal Saravanbavananthakurukal, was in her house with her child and her brother. Around 8 p.m on Tuesday, the gunmen suddenly entered the house, raped the young mother, after forcibly removing her brother from the house.

Residents said the body was found the following morning, with clothes stuffed in her mouth.

The Jaffna Magistrate, R.T.Vignarajah, went to Pungudutivu to hold the magisterial inquest into this death. The victim's body was brought to the Jaffna teaching hospital, Wednesday evening, for further investigations, court sources said.

Meanwhile, Mr.Jegan, District Organizer of the Eelam Peoples' Democratic Party brought this incident to the notice of the Security Forces Commander in Jaffna and Douglas Devananda, the EPDP leader.

A Sri Lanka Naval detachment is based in Pungudutivu. People of the area suspect some Navy personnel were involved in this crime.

[TN/99123002] © TamilNet 1999

Reproduction of this news item is allowed when used without any alteration to the contents and the source, TamilNet, is mentioned.

Recommend this news to a friend:

posted August 07, 2001 12:22 PM            

[TamilNet, February 20, 2000 17:08 GMT]

Fifteen of the 17 human skeletons exhumed from Chemmani graves in Jaffna will be kept for identification by the relatives of the missing. More than 600 persons were reported missing during 1996 and 1997 after the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) troops took control of Jaffna.

The skeletons will be kept at Jaffna Central College from Monday, 21st February 2000, for identification.

2 human skeletons have already been identified, sources said.

Relatives of disappeared persons will be subjected to DNA tests if needed, officials concerned said.

Meanwhile a new High Court for Jaffna district is likely to be declared open during the early part of March, legal sources said.

Mr. K.P.S. Varatharajah, presently District Judge of Trincomalee is to be promoted and appointed as the first High Court Judge of Jaffna, sources added.

posted August 07, 2001 12:23 PM            

[TamilNet, January 12, 2000 15:54 GMT]

Two human skeletons have been recovered from the compound of Vigneswara Vidyalayam (school) in Kuppilan in the Jaffna District said sources. A skeleton was found today by students who were clearing the school compound.

On Tuesday a skeleton was recovered by workers who were digging near the school. The The Chunnakam Police said the skeleton was about five years old and of a male.

The police conduct further investigations. Kuppilan comes under Chunnakam police division.

posted August 07, 2001 12:24 PM            

By S. Rajendran
13 January 2000
Use this version to print

More than 500 villagers staged a demonstration outside the navy camp at Pungudutivu in northern Sri Lanka on December 31 to protest the rape and murder of 20-year-old Saravanabhavananda Kurrukkal Sarathamball, a mother of a four-year-old child. The protestors carried placards accusing member of the armed forces of carrying out the brutal crime.

The demonstration continued for four hours despite harassment and threats by naval personnel and attempts by the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) to placate the protestors by promising to question authorities and demand an inquiry. The EPDP is a partner in the ruling Peoples Alliance coalition and works closely with the armed forces through a system of so-called Citizen Committees.

Four uniformed men abducted Sarathamball, the daughter of a local Hindu priest, from her home on the evening of December 28. Her 18-year-old brother S. Rajasekara Sarma explained in a statement: “She was staying with me at home. Around 8.30pm, four persons in black uniforms entered into our house with arms. They threatened my sister and me. They spoke in colloquial broken Tamil.

“Two of them assaulted me and accused me of false charges. They tied my hands and [covered my] eyes. After this assault they carried me away and put me behind my house... Another two persons carried my sister away to a nearby deserted house and subjected her to sexual violence and then murdered [her].”

Pungudutivu is one of the islands around the Jaffna Peninsula in the north of Sri Lanka that has been under virtual martial law since the Sri Lankan armed forces won back control of the region in bitter fighting against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1995-96.

Despite a military curfew in the area, many local people, on hearing the heart-rending cry of Sarathamball's brother, gathered on the night of the incident. With the help of a kerosene oil lamp, they searched for her but all they could find were some of her clothes.

Her neighbours then went to the nearby navy camp and made a complaint. A navy spokesman turned them away saying: “We don't know anything”. When the search was restarted the following morning, Sarathamball's body was found 20 yards from her house. Her naked body was covered with dry palmyrah leaves.

Local people told a WSWS reporter:

“We organised this demonstration not just to register our protest against this raping and murder, but this has become a matter for self-respect, not only for women, but also for men. That's why we staged this demonstration carrying dry palmyrah leaves. We wanted to show the world the undignified manner in which the human beings in these areas are treated—human beings are considered not worth more than a kaavolai (dry palmyrah leaf).”

They explained that there had previously been many unreported cases of harassment and even sexual violence by security forces. According to the village people, whenever women and girls passed through a military barrier or checkpoint they were subjected to various kinds of dirty antics by the armed forces. They said that some time back military personnel on the island had raped a mute woman. They were concerned that the situation would get worse.

In response to the protests, the EPDP district organiser, V. K. Jegan, was forced to issue a statement condemning the armed forces. “The navy camp is situated 500 yards from where this incident occurred. Further, during the period of curfew nobody else can infiltrate into this area. Therefore this is the work of the naval forces,” he said.

The navy was also compelled to change its previous attitude of complete indifference. The naval commanding officer, Kayts, promised: “We will hold an immediate inquiry... and the people responsible for this will be identified and brought to justice.”

In Colombo, the Information Department of the Peoples Alliance government released a statement saying that President Chandrika Kumaratunga had ordered a full inquiry to “report back to her immediately for deterrent action against the culprits irrespective of the ranks or status.” In the past, such inquiries have been little more than thinly disguised cover-ups.

A magistrate's inquiry was held on January 5. Sarathamball's brother described the nature of his sister's injuries: “When I visited the place where the dead body was lying, it was covered by a blue saree. I removed that and saw... I saw bleeding through her ears. There were number of biting marks all over her body. There were biting marks in her legs too.” He told the magistrate that he was scared of remaining in his own home and was taken by police to stay with his father on the island of Analaitivu.

In the absence of qualified medical personnel in the hospital in Jaffna town, Sarathamball's body was sent to Colombo for a full judicial medical examination. A report issued by the Colombo judicial medical officer on January 9 stated that Sarathamball had been raped and the death had occurred due to suffocation.

In August 1996, army personnel stationed in the Kaithady military camp within the Jaffna municipality arrested a schoolgirl, Krishathi Kumaraswamy, raped her and brutally murdered her along with her mother, brother and a relative. Such acts are part of the climate of fear and intimidation engendered by the Sri Lankan armed forces against Tamils in the north and east of the country.

See Also:
Thousands of Tamils rounded up in security dragnet of Sri Lankan capital
[12 January 2000]
Two Tamil political prisoners killed as Sri Lankan prison guards crush protests
[12 January 2000]
Leading Tamil politician assassinated in Sri Lankan capital
[7 January 2000]
Kumaratunga's narrow election win sets stage for further instability in Sri Lanka
[23 December 1999]

posted August 07, 2001 12:24 PM            

[TamilNet, February 22, 2000 14:37 GMT]

The Jaffna Magistrate Mr. M. Ilancheliyan today ordered the Police to arrest and produce on March 14 police and army personnel wanted in connection with the alleged disappearance of persons.

The Magistrate made this order at the conclusion of today's proceedings in regard to the identification of the remains of disappeared persons exhumed from the Chemmani grave sites.

The Magistrate further announced that this case would be called once a month until the inquiry is completed.

Today, 22 persons traveled to Jaffna Central College in an attempt to identify the remains of the persons exhumed from the Chemmani grave sites.

Related stories:

21.02.2000: TamilNet:
Public seek answers from Chemmani evidence

[TN/2000022205] © TamilNet 2000

Reproduction of this news item is allowed when used without any alteration to the contents and the source, TamilNet, is mentioned.

Recommend this news to a friend:

posted August 07, 2001 12:26 PM            

By: The Island

Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has told the delegation of the UN Working Group (UNWG) on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances presently visiting Sri Lanka that the Kumaratunga administration’s emphasis on the armed forces to distinguish between the LTTE and the Tamil people, to act within the framework of the law and that no persons would be allowed to act with impunity, had resulted in a drastic reduction in the incidence of disappearances in recent years, from the time the Working Group last visited Sri Lanka in 1992.

WITNESS : cop. Rajapakse

The Minister said the only exception to this pattern had been a brief period in mid-1996 in the Jaffna Peninsula, which the Government was deeply concerned about and committed to get to the bottom of, as was evidenced in the efficiency and transparency with which it had pursued the Krishanthi Kumaraswamy case and the Chemmani case.

The following is the text of statement issued by the Foreign Ministry:

The delegation of the UN Working Group, which is here at the invitation of the Government of Sri Lanka is led by Manfred Nowak, member of the Working Group and Miguel de la Lama, staff of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Chairman of the Working Group, Ivan Tosevski who was scheduled to lead the delegation had to cancel his visit as he had taken ill last week. The UN Working Group established by the Commission on Human Rights consists of 5 members who serve in their individual capacities and is mandated to examine questions on enforced or involuntary disappearances of people. The UN Working Group routinely visits member countries and it previously visited Sri Lanka in 1991 and in 1992 and made recommendations to the Government.

Mr. Nowak pointed out that the purpose of their visit was two-fold: to follow-up on the recommendations given by the Working Group during its last visits in 1991 and 1992 and to identify efforts taken to minimise and resolve the problem of disappearances, as well as to follow up on the latest developments on bringing perpetrators to justice.

Minister Kadirgamar also gave the Working Group a detailed briefing on the approach the Government took on the recent exhumation of the alleged "mass grave" at Chemmani. He pointed out that the government ensured that the investigations were done under full judicial supervision, notwithstanding the intimidation by the LTTE against the judicial personnel in Jaffna. He noted that after the pilot phase of the investigations in June this year when the first two bodies were unearthed, at a meeting to discuss follow-up action, the security authorities had been very emphatic that exhumation should be carried out without any delay. They had stated that the Army had received a bad name from the allegation of ‘mass graves’ and that the Army was very keen to clear its name, and not let its reputation and all the good work they had done be tarnished because of alleged acts of a few. The Minister commanded the sensitivity shown to concerns of human rights by the security forces in recent years.

It was also pointed out that the investigations were carried out in the presence of representatives of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, International Observers representing organisations like Amnesty International, Physicians for Human Rights and the US State Department’s Special Counsel on War Crimes Issues, as well as several representatives from the resident Diplomatic Corp and local NGO’s.

Minister Kadirgamar said the outcome of the investigations which had now been completed, made clear that there was no ‘mass grave’ as suggested by parties that had a vested interest in tarnishing the good name earned by Sri Lanka on human rights issues in recent times. The Minister said he was heartened by the fact that the observers had subsequently publicly aired their satisfaction at the

manner in which the investigations had been carried out in accordance with international standards, and the fact that the local officials involved in the investigations had always been open to their suggestions and comments. He recalled that during his visit to Washington earlier this month, senior State Department officials commenting on the handling of the Chemmani process, had in fact particularly commented Sri Lanka for the exceptional decision to proceed with the investigation despite being in the middle of an armed conflict, and had stated that Sri Lanka should serve as a role model to other countries in this respect. They had noted that this was only the second instance in recent times that such an initiative has been taken, the other being that of the US Government’s own action to do so in Vietnam.

UN Group says SL ranks third in world for disappearances

By Daniel Boekel A visiting United Nations Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disapp-earances said on Thursday that Sri Lanka has had about 12,000-13,000 disappearances since the early eighties ranking third amongst countries that have the most number of disappearances in the world. Ahead of Sri Lanka are Yugoslavia with over 25,000 and Iraq with between 16,000-17,000 disappearances, the group said.

The two-member team, here on invitation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, declared that the present government had been more co-operative in implementing their recommendations than the last, however although the President had earlier agreed to appoint a permanent, independent commission to probe disappearances in the country with powers to hold criminal investigations, she had not yet done so.

Manfred Nowak, a member of the working group told a news conference that about 15,000 death certificates had so far been issued to relatives of those persons gone missing and about 12,000 families had been paid compensation, in accordance to their recommendations. "Many people will still however feel that justice has not been done if there is no permanent commission appointed," he said.

Mr. Nowak explained that death certificates were issued on the presumption that the person missing is dead. He said nevertheless that it was baffling as to how the amount of compensation paid differed according to the rank or job the missing person held. "I can’t understand why there is this differentiation. The suffering by their families is the same no matter what job they held."

Mr. Nowak added that they kept in contact with families of those missing in Jaffna through Non-Government Organisations.

He also said that the team learnt that there have been 486 people been indicted in connection with cases of disappearance, implicated by the first three commissions set up to probe them. The Commissions of Inquiry were not permanent and were set up in early 1995, soon after the present government came into power.

When questioned as to whether there was written evidence in the way of case numbers and such to prove this, he replied "I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of this figure." He said that they had in fact not received the list of case numbers, but had requested the government for this information. "More should be done than has been done to bring perpetrators to justice," he said adding "for that to happen, there should be a more efficient and independent criminal investigation into disappearances in the whole country."

Mr. Nowak, and Miguel de la Lama,, staff of the High Commissioner for Human Rights have been on a visit here since October 24 and are scheduled to leave on Friday. During his visit, he was expected to meet government ministers, the Chief Justice, Attorney General, armed forces chiefs and the Chairman of the Human Rights Commission among others. The main functions of the Working Group, which was established in 1980, are to assist the relatives of disappeared persons in ascertaining their fate and whereabouts and acting as a channel for communication between the families and the governments concerned, Mr. Nowak stressed that their Mandate did not apply to countries engaged in international armed conflict.

Courtesy: The Island - Saturday 30th,1999.

posted August 07, 2001 12:28 PM            

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

July 23rd, 1983 was a worse day for Thamizh in Srilanka! It was sixteen years ago that the Thamizh struggle was propelled to International headlines following riots in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo. The riots lasted for several days and left over 3,000 Thamizhs dead and millions of dollars worth of their property destroyed. The week of July 23rd, 1983, saw some of the worst violence and blood shed ever on the ``island of paradise''. Rather than resist the rioting, the Sri Lankan police, as well as the Buddhist clergy, actively took part in many of the murders. The government refused to condemn the riots and did not even release a statement until after four days of mayhem. The city of Colombo was literally being burnt to the ground, and no one gave a damn. The government had even provided electorial sheets to the rioters, to enable a systematic assault against all Thamizh houses in the city. That week was a time of darkness for justice and humanity. But from the flames of those burning houses, and from the tears of the Thamizh people rose a hope, a hope for freedom. That hope was the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

STATE TERROR: BLACK JULY OF 1983 REVISITED

Another July Passing By

16th anniversary of Black July

Darkness at Noon

'Black July' and after

Never again, the horrors of Black July

Anti Tamil pogrom of '83, The day all hell broke loose ...

The hidden hand in the July '83 riots

Lanka's Day of Shame

Political Violence And The Future Of Democracy In Sri Lanka- Part 1

Political Violence And The Future Of Democracy In Sri Lanka - Part 2

Black July is very much with us!

1983 Black July Resolutions!

Houlocaust of 1983!

1983 and state terrorism!

Diary of a 1983 Survivor!

The Anti Tamil Pogrom of 1983!

July29,the another worse day!

SL government's Response on that riot!

The Security forces' role!

Welicada Massacres!

An Eye Witness of These Incidents!

Detention, Tortune and Murder in Srilanka !

http://www.tamilcanadian.com/eelam/massacres/83/
1983 July Riots!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

July 23rd, 1983 was a worse day for Thamizh in Srilanka! It was sixteen years ago that the Thamizh struggle was propelled to International headlines following riots in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo. The riots lasted for several days and left over 3,000 Thamizhs dead and millions of dollars worth of their property destroyed. The week of July 23rd, 1983, saw some of the worst violence and blood shed ever on the ``island of paradise''. Rather than resist the rioting, the Sri Lankan police, as well as the Buddhist clergy, actively took part in many of the murders. The government refused to condemn the riots and did not even release a statement until after four days of mayhem. The city of Colombo was literally being burnt to the ground, and no one gave a damn. The government had even provided electorial sheets to the rioters, to enable a systematic assault against all Thamizh houses in the city. That week was a time of darkness for justice and humanity. But from the flames of those burning houses, and from the tears of the Thamizh people rose a hope, a hope for freedom. That hope was the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

STATE TERROR: BLACK JULY OF 1983 REVISITED

Another July Passing By

16th anniversary of Black July

Darkness at Noon

'Black July' and after

Never again, the horrors of Black July

Anti Tamil pogrom of '83, The day all hell broke loose ...

The hidden hand in the July '83 riots

Lanka's Day of Shame

Political Violence And The Future Of Democracy In Sri Lanka- Part 1

Political Violence And The Future Of Democracy In Sri Lanka - Part 2

Black July is very much with us!

1983 Black July Resolutions!

Houlocaust of 1983!

1983 and state terrorism!

Diary of a 1983 Survivor!

The Anti Tamil Pogrom of 1983!

July29,the another worse day!

SL government's Response on that riot!

The Security forces' role!

Welicada Massacres!

An Eye Witness of These Incidents!

Detention, Tortune and Murder in Srilanka !

Human Rights Violations Against Tamils in Sri Lanka - A detailed Coverage by TC!

Human Rights - Chronology of Killings

posted August 07, 2001 12:28 PM            

As we may remember, S.A. David was one of the lucky ones who escaped death in the infamous Welikade Prison Massacre where the Sinhala Prison Guards and Sinhala Prisoners massacred more than 50 Tamil detainees held in the Maximum Security Prison. He was one of the fortunate escapees of the Batticaloa jail break, later.

DETENTION, TORTURE and MURDER in SRI LANKA
by S.A. DAVID
Bachelor of Architecture - Melborne, Australia
Diploma in Town Planning - Leeds, London
Under the Buddha Dharma regime of President J.R. Jayawardene in Sri Lanka anyone can be arrested and detained without trial, anyone can be murdered and buried without inquest. Still Sri Lanka is a model democracy of the third world praised and supported by the Capitalist nations of the world led by America and followed by Germany, Japan, Britain and the White Common Wealth and the Arabs. This is a crying shame to the intelligence' and conscience of 20th Century humanity.

Although the Prevention of Terrorism Act laws refer to the whole of Sri Lanka its application has been reserved for the Tamils and particularly the Tamil youth.

Under the PTA of Sri Lanka a person can be detained for periods upto 18 months (renewable by order every three months) if the Minister has reason to believe or suspect that any person is connected with or concerned in any unlawful activity. Unlawful activity includes even pasting posters on walls punishable with death.

There has been ridiculous instances when Judges of Courts have ordered detenus were taken to Remand Prison, their names entered in Prison Registers and then the provisions of the PTA invoked and the detenus brought for torture to Army Camp. Such is the working of Buddha Dharmista in Sri Lanka.

The bitter pill fo PTA has been sugar coated with an apparently humanistic provision to allow appeal within twenty days of arrest to a Board of three members. This is purely to circumvent International Human Rights considerations. Yet in application of this provision diabolical intrigues are observed. In my own case, the appeal form was given on the last date for appeal, twenty days after my arrest but dated ten days ahead. Fraud on a national scale is not outside the capacity of vile Singhala Government.

I was arrested and detained, tortured and nearly murdered under the provisions of this inhuman Act and I wish to place on record my experiences in J.R.Jayawardene's Jails so that posterity may act to save itself from the agony of body and soul I hav endured.

I am now 59 years of age. By dint of sheer honesty, intelligence and hardwork I rose from humble village conditions to work as architect and Town Planner in Sri Lanka, Australia, UK, Nigeria and Kenya. With passing of Singhala Only act in 1956, I resigned my post as architect in Sri Lanka Government and went overseas, as I truly felt there was no honorable place for a Tamil in SriLanka.

The statements of two senior politicians at this time still ring in my ears. Senator Nadeson said, "We have come to parting of the way; let us depart in peace" and Dr. Colvin R. De Silva said, "One Language two Nations." Time has fully vindicated theire foresight.

In 1972, I came back to Sri Lanka to devote myself heart and soul to alleviate the suffering of my people, the Tamils. After intense study by reading and personal observation of many systems around the world in Europe, America, Israel, Africs and Far East I chose the Gandhian model as most suited to the genius and traditions of the soul of my people and proceeded to systematically bring my people to the Gandhian way of life.

Together with Dr. Rajasunderam of Vavuniya, a tireless energetic worker, in five years we had built up a sound network of District Centers throughout the traditional homelands of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Mullaitive, Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Batticaloa. At the time of our arrest, 450 preschools with an average of thirty students each were providing daily milk and triposha and Kindergarten teaching facilities to village children. Twelve model one-acre farms in Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Batticaloa were showing the villagers the simplest safest and quickest way to economic social and cultural revival. Mobile clinics equipped with basic preventive and curative medicine were making regular rounds to outlying villages. A training center was preparing thiry to forty young women, every three months for Gandhian work in their own villages. In addition, Gandhiam with other social service organizations was assisting 5000 refugee families from Tea Estates to settle down to safe life among the traditional Tamil villages. The quality and quantity of Gandhiam work impressed Foreign Aid Organizations and Tamils living overseas so much that we were receiving and operating on an yearly budget of Rs. 5,000,000/-.

All the time we were aware that the Singhala Government was keeping its watchful eye over us. In April 1983 the Government took the decisive step to arrest me and Dr. Rajasundaram.

The charges on which we were arrested as told in the indictment given to us on 22-7-1983, three and a half months after the arrest and solitary confinement, torture of body and mind were:

1. Meeting Uma Maheswaran and not informing the police 2. Meeting Santhathiar and not informing the police 3. Assisting Uma and Santhathiar to escape to India
We could be sentenced to fifteen to twenty years of imprisonment on these charges.
I have experienced partial freedom and enjoyed it. I wanted total freedom for myself and my people. Instead, I was caught up in total bondage. It was hell. Now I realize total freedom could be heaven indeed.

At 11-30 pm on the 7th of April 1983, there was a knock on my door at Room No.9 at the YMCA in Colombo. I answered the door, CID and police officers walked in led by Mr. Punya De Silva, A.S.P. They opened all cupboards, drawers, boxes, seized all documents and ordered me to follow them without any clothes for change. I was taken to the 4th floor at the CID department in the Fort, allowed to sleep on an office table. Next morning, as I sat with fear and confusion, CID officers appeared with grim faces and grinding teeth threatening to dismember me and throw me into the sea. In fairness, I saw compassion in the faces of some officers and one officer had thoughtfully brought me breakfast from his home. I was questioned my Mr. Wijetilleke, CID, who was very polite but another officer was constantly threatening me. He rushed at me with clenched fists, and hit me on the shoulders, ordered me to raise my arms and stand in that position for nearly half an hour. Next day, Mr. Punya De Silva cross-examined me.

At the end of the cross-examination this officer had the courage of his convictions to say, "Mr. David, I have examined hundreds of people connected with terrorism. In your sincerity and self- sacrifice I have no doubt. I may not agree with your ideals but to the end I will respect you as a gentleman." A great load was taken off my head. To my dying day, I will remember with gratitude Mr. Punya De Silva and Mr. Wijetilele who treated me with extreme politeness.

That evening I was told the Minister of Defence had ordered me to be detained in the Army Camp at Panagoda. Mr. Wijetileke took me to Panagoda, handed me over to the Army. Immediately he left, nearly 20 soldiers surrounded me, ordered me into a corner. Someone gave command and a soldier hit me on my chest. I urinated. They ordered me to take off my shirt and trouser. All of them had a hearty laugh at my nudity and there was loud obscene comments. The ordered me to walk out past the soldiers and as I went, they struck me with hands and legs...

Attached is the Part 2 of,

Part-2:

That evening I was told the Minister of Defence had ordered me to be detained in the Army Camp at Panagoda. Mr. Wijetileke took me to Panagoda, handed me over to the Army. Immediately he left, nearly 20 soldiers surrounded me, ordered me into a corner. Someone gave command and a soldier hit me on my chest. I urinated. They ordered me to take off my shirt and trouser. All of them had a hearty laugh at my nudity and there was loud obscene comments. The ordered me to walk out past the soldiers and as I went, they struck me with hands and legs. I was taken to a solitary cell and locked up. In the morning, fellow Tamil detenus distributing brushes for cleaning and pouring tea cheered me up. From then on during the morning and evening inspection Commander Udugampala would threaten to kill me. Soldiers on guard would welcome with leather belt and and razor blades and order me to put my hands raised and rotate. They would scold me in obscene language and curse the Tamils. I was not able to meet a lawyer for a fortnight. Immediately I met Mr. Kumaralingam, Advocate, I told him my experience and requested him not to communicate this with amny one fearing the Army will retaliate. But he sent telegrams with highly exaggerated details to the President, Army and Police Chiefs. In three days, Army got wind of Kumaralingam's complaint and I was put in hand-cuffs for four days and nights continuously. I was not allowed to bathe for two weeks and not allowed any reading materials.

There is some justification for arrest, detention and imprisonment of actual terrorists but among the detenus at Panagoda there were many innocent people.

There was Jayadas, a young man of 24 who had no connection with any rebel group. He had given 50,000/- rupees to an agent to obtain work in the Middle West and the agent to get rid of him, handed him to CID and now he was in detention. He narrowly escaped death at Welikade prison and still is in detention at Batticaloa prison.

There was Balasingam, a man of 50 years nearly blind. He had transported dynamite to dig a well. He was arrested and was in detention. With aid of powerful Singhalese Advocates he was released just before the murders at Welikade prison.

There was Ganeshalingam, aged 26 from Vavuniya. A gun had been thrown into the shop where he was working when he was not there, at Vavuniya by rebels who attacked the Air Force. He was detained and murdered at Welikade prison.

There were many youths who had carried posters. There were youths who attended classes on Marxist Philosophy. There were youths who were taken with books on Eelam, a Separate state for Tamils.

There was Dr. S.A. Dharmalingam, 75 years old who after the savage massacre of the Tamils at Trincomalee by Navy personnel had called the Tamils to defend themselves.

There was Kovai Mahesan, 46 years old, editor of Suthanthiran who was openly advocating Eelam over the past decade.

All were classed as terrorists, detained and tortured, irrespective of age or status, treated worse than condemned criminals.

The extent of the irresponsible and vindictive nature of the arrest and detention of Tamils under the infamous PTA can be gauged from the above accounts.

After Dr. Rajasunderam was brought to the Panagoda camp, the attack on the Tamil detenus became very frequent and more vicious. Almost every other day and whenever he was in the mood, Commander Udugampola would come drunk with a glass of arrack in his hand and open the cells, strip the detenus and assault and kick and curse them. I could hear cries of pain and groans throughout the nights and early mornings and see naked collegues hanging head down from high window bars. I saw naked detenus being chased around the courtyard and being assaulted and kicked by six to eight soldiers with PVC pipes and iron rods in their hands.

One day Commander Udugampola came drunk and opened my cell, ordered me to strip and lie face down on a concrete bench. He ordered three soldiers to trample my back and legs and hit me on my buttocks. They left me exhausted on the bench.

On another day, he came drunk entered my room with shoes in his hand and hit me on my head and face. My lips split and started bleeding. He ordered me to wash, allowed me to sleep naked throughout the night.

In comparison to the torture meted out to the other detenus I must admit I was mildly treated. Dr. Rajasunderam was severly attacked, his left arm dislocated, his ear drums broken and left on several occasions unconscious on the floor. Manickam Thasan and Robert were singled out for ferocious attacks and for weeks after the attack, they would drag themselves to take their meals.

More than the physical torment the psychological torment was the most unbearable. Eelam was the center of all obscenities and every soldier whenever he felt like it, would cast rude remarks about Tamils and Eelam.

One day Dr. Rajasunderam was ordered to walk on all fours hands and legs and bark like a dog. We were very often ordered to carry food on our heads and double up. Another time a youth was ordered to crawl through mud and water around the courtyard. Ingenious ways were devised to destroy self respect and spirit of the detenus.

One of the most unbearable incidents at Panagoda was the sadistic habit of regularly bringing school cadets between ages of 15 to 20 at week ends and allowing them to watch, grin and cast remarks at us as we were ordered to double up and remove our food placed on the floor in front of them. A running commentary on each of us was given by some soldiers to those boys. The Army is perhaps taking care to raise a new generation of Tamil haters to maim and torture Tamils in years to come.

There was a Corporal with morbid curiosity to see nudes. He ordered me one day to undress in my cell. I refused and from that day till I left Panagoda whenever he was on duty he would subject me to mild torture. He would order me to stand on the bench in the cell with hands raised for hours on stretch. He would order me to keep jumping in the cell for hours on end. He would order me to keep turning around for hours. There was no use complaining as complaint will bring more torture. Once I complained against a Corporal, so together with the Sergeant on duty, they handcuffed me to the iron gate of the cell but released me in half an hour on the arrival of the Commander.

During the days I was kept handcuffed for four days and nights continually one cold night my hands and legs became benumbed. I felt numbness creeping towards my chest. I was in mortal panic. Uncontrollable shiver seized me. I was falling away from the concrete bench. All the while the Corporal on duty was calmly watching me, as if he wished me to wriggle to death. I remembered that the compassionate Sergeant was on duty and called out to him. He came, removed the handcuffs, rubbed down my hands and legs brought a blanket and asked me to lie down and sleep. I told him if the Commander came he would punish me and him too. He said the Commander was on leave and not to worry and have a sound sleep as he was in-charge that night.

Attached is the last part (Part-3) of,

Part-3:

...He said the Commander was on leave and not to worry and have a sound sleep as he was in-charge that night.

A very painful yet novel torture remains etched in my mind. When Commmander Udugampola was away, another young commisioned officer came drunk one day, ordered us, about 34 in all, naked into the courtyard. It was a rainy cold night and there was 3 inches of water in the courtyard 30'X60'. He asked us to lie flat on the ground and drag ourselves on our hands and knees up and down the courtyard pool. The officer and the soldiers were highly thrilled at this ingenious method and were rocking with laughter for days after the event.

I heard from other collegues, later at Welikade where I got a chance to talk to others, the detenus had been beaten to death at Kurunagar and Elephant Pass camps. Bottles, iron rods and sticks have been driven into rectums, chilli powder smeared and smoke forced through nostrils and mouth, beaten with iron bars and iron pipes till bleeding, cut with broken bottles, beaten and kicked unconscious, starved for days, forced to eat food with excess salt and kept chained to wall with hands raised for months continuously. Some were in detention for over two hand a half years and undergone torture all these years.

In the midst of all these bodily and mental torture a pure ray of boundless compassion has left an indelible mark on my soul. I experienced to the very limit of its content the compassion of the great Buddha. This is the nature and action of a Singhala Army Sergeant. As the detenus were being beaten and kicked and hanged he would look with tear-filled eyes on us and when all was quiet, open the cells and apply balm and rub down and cover us with warm clothes.

All the sad moments I have gone through are as nothing for this rare meeting and companionship of this great soul. How noble and how great Sri Lanka could have been if its leaders could have had in their soul a hundredth of the compassion in the soul of this Sergeant.

Around the middle of June 1983, the detenus bringing brushes and brooms and tea whispered that we were to be taken to Welikade prison. There will be no more torture. We will have visitors, allowed to talk to others and read books and papers. Generally, there were smiles, sometimes jokes and laughter in the cells after this news. The day of partial deliverance did come on 27-6-1983. We were taken to Welikade prison by a convoy of military trucks, armoured cars and jeeps good enough for a full scale battle. The compassionate Sergeant unable to contain his utter disdain of the Army tactics openly remarked, "I will take these 34 people to Jaffna and bring them back alone in a CTB coach!." This is the measure between truth and falsehood.

At the Welikade prison there was no fear of physical attack. But the condition of food, toilet facilities and sanitation in the cells was primitive. In the first two weeks almost all contracted bowl disease. Some were taken to prison hospital and ill treated by Singhala prison doctors and nurses. The rice was full of stones and food was tasteless and insipid.

Only fifteen minutes was allowed for outdoor exercise. For 23 hours and 45 minutes we were locked up in solitary cells. Ten minutes were allowed for morning abulation and toilet. If we wanted to go to the toilet at any other time we had to shout and beg the jailors to open our gates, which was done with reluctance and some times with rude remarks.

The case against me and Dr. Rajasundaram was taken up in the courts at Buller's Road on 22-7-1983. On this day, Dr. Rajasundaram requested the Judge to transfer us to Remand Prison. The Judge agreed and both were transferred to Youth Ward along with the Reverend Fathers Dr. Dharmalingam, Dr. Jayakularaja, Mr. Nithiananthan and Kovai Mahesan on 23-7-1983.

On 25-7-1983, the Singhala prisoners attacked the detenus in the Chapel Section of the prison and murdered 35 persons along with Thangathurai, Kuttimani and Jegan. From eye-witness accounts of our colleagues, Kuttimani's eyes were gauged out and his blood drunk by his attackers. After killing six Tamils along with Kuttimani in one wing, a boy of 16 years Mylvaganam, had been spared by the attackers and was crouching in a cell. A jail guard spotted him and stabbed him to death.

The 35 dead were heaped in front of the statue of Gautama the Buddha in the yard of the Welikade prison as Minister Atulatmudali so aptly described as a "sacrifice to appease the blood thirsty craving of the Singhala masses." Some who were yet alive raised their heads and called for help but were beaten down to death in the heap.

The attackers then made entry into the other wing through openings in the first floor but the jailors there refused to give the keys and persuaded them to leave. 28 Tamil detenus in this wing were transferred to the ground floor of Youth ward and nine of us were accommodated in the First Floor. All was quiet on the 26th. On the 27th at 2.30 pm there were shouts around the Youth Ward and armed prisoners were scaling over boundary walls and starting to break open gates in the Youth Ward. Nearly 40 prisoners armed with axes, swords, crowbars, iron pipes and wooden logs appeared before our cell and started to break the lock. Dr. Rajasundaram walked up to the door and pleaded with them to spare us as we were not involved in any robberies or murders and as Hindus we did not believe in violence and as Buddhists they should not kill. The door suddenly opened and Dr.Rajasundaram was dragged out and hit with a iron rod on the head. He fell dead among the crowd. THe rest of us broke the chairs and tables in the cell and managed to keep the crowd at bay for half an hour. The Army arrived, threw tear gas bombs and dispersed the crowd. The two soldiers lined up eight of us and were taking aim to shoot us when the Commander called out from below to them to come down. Then the soldiers chased us down and all who escaped death were lined up on the foot path in front of Youth Ward. As we walked out we saw corpses of our collegues around us and we were allowed to live.

We were ordered to run into a mini-van and removed out of prison compound and loaded into Army truck. We were ordered to lie face down on the floor of the truck and few who raised their heads were trampled down by the soldiers. All along the run to Katunayake Airport some soldiers were cursing Tamils and Eelam and using obscene language. We were kept at the Airport till early morning. We were refused even water. We were taken into an Air Force plane and ordered to sit with our heads down till we reached Batticaloa airport. From here, we were taken in an open van to Batticaloa prison. Here, we were received with sympathy and smile. Hot tea was served to us. We felt we had returned to sanity and some measure of safety.

Batticaloa prison by comparison was heaven on earth. We were behind bars, of course, but there was human dignity. In Batticaloa we learned that a maximum security prison was being built in a feverish hurry at Homagama in the Singhala area. With all the nightmarish experience of the past, we could well imagine what hell it would be for the rest of our lives. We resolved to break jail even in face of death and ager meticulous co-ordinated activity from inside and out we broke jail on23-9-1983. We are happy that all political prisoners have escaped from the clutches of the blood thirsty Singhala savages. We have dedicated ourselves, if necessary at the cost of our lives, to free the Tamils from the stranglehold of the Singhala demons.

After missing Uma Maheswaran's group with which I was to escape I was finally traced and brought back to safety by his agents. The ingenuity and the expertise with which they organized and executed my escape is a thrilling episode in the History of the Tamils and I hope some day to relate it in detail so that future generations of Tamils may know that even in the darkest hour there was courage and bravery among the Tamils reaching down to humble homes in villages and jungles of our land.

posted August 07, 2001 12:29 PM            

"Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains" was the opening sentence in the classical work " The Social Contract." by the famous French philosopher and political scientist Jean -Jacques Rousseau (1712-78).

Though more than two centuries have lapsed and mankind is about to enter the twenty-first century, Rousseau's ringing words still hold good as far as Tamil people are concerned. To the three million Tamil Eelam Tamils these words are a grim reminder of their fifty years of slavery under the hegemonic rule of the majority Sinhalese since Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) gained independence from British colonial rule in 1948.

By a series of discriminatory legislative and administrative acts by the Sinhalese dominated parliament in the sphere of language, education, job etc the Tamil people were reduced to de facto and de jure second class citizens in their own country of birth. State sponsored colonization of traditional Tamil Homeland by Sinhalese settlers has drastically changed the demographic composition of the North and East and has driven a wedge as to destroy the territorial contiguity.

Peaceful and entirely non-violent struggle of the Tamil people for their birthrights since 1956 have been reciprocated with naked terrorism by successive Sinhalese governments.

A series of virulent pogroms engineered by the Sinhalese rulers against innocent and defenseless Tamils have killed thousands of Tamils and destroyed property worth billions. The Black July 83 pogrom was unprecedented in scale and intensity and was planned and executed with military precision. Over 3,000 Tamil people were slaughtered by Sinhalese goon squads ably aided and abetted by the Sinhala armed forces.

Since 1983 the Sri Lankan government and its armed forces have declared war on the Tamil people and unleashed military terror in order to subjugate them by force. In order to maintain their oppressive rule over the Tamil people the Sinhala occupation army has committed, and continue to commit, horrendous human rights violations in the form of murder/extra-judicial killings/disappearances/ rape /torture etc with impunity.

posted August 07, 2001 12:31 PM            

Body of Jaffna youth identified

Jaffna The body of a youth found near the Nanthavil Amman temple in Kondavil in Jaffna on Friday was identified by relatives Saturday evening as that of Kutaalam Muraleetharan.
TamilNet
> Feb 17, 2001 State to reconsider indictment on tortured prisoner

Kalutara The state counsel in the Colombo High Court moved Friday for a date to consider withdrawing the indictment on a Jaffna youth who was tortured in detention and is currently being held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) at the remand prison in Kalutara.
TamilNet
> Jan 22, 2001 Jaffna journalist tortured in solitary confinement

Colombo A senior Jaffna journalist held incommunicado by the Sri Lankan Police since 2 January was assaulted with pipes and tortured, Human Rights Commission officials who were permitted to see him this weekend said Monday. The journalist, Mr. Nadarajah Thiruchelvam, had been held handcuffed for 12 days in solitary confinement by the Terrorism Investigation Division of the Police, they said. The police have neither filed any charges against Mr. Thiruchelvam nor have produced him in a court.
TamilNet
> Dec 25, 2000 Bodies of missing civilians found

Jaffna The bodies of eight Tamil civilians, including a five year old child, who were reported 'missing' after being arrested by Sri Lanka Army soldiers on 19 December were unearthed from a grave in Mirusuvil area in the Thenmaradchi Monday, said police and hospital sources in Jaffna.
TamilNet
> Dec 14, 2000 Police tortured say young Jaffna women

Jaffna The Vavuniya High Court last Tuesday discharged two young girls from Jaffna charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), on the ground that the Police had obtained confessions from them under duress. Mariyathas Mary Sharmila,18, of Alvai north and Shanmugam Sharmila, 21, of Sivankoviladi, Madduvil south told the court that they were severely tortured by male Police personnel during their detention.
TamilNet
> Dec 14, 2000 Jaffna student beaten up on suspicion

Jaffna The parents of a Jaffna school boy, Sothiraj Nishanthan,17, alleged Wednesday that their son was abducted and tortured by a person suspected to be an intelligence operative working for the Sri Lanka army. The boy was admitted to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital for treatment with severe contusions on Tuesday 12 december.
TamilNet
> Dec 10, 2000 SLA arrests, beats-up students

Batticaloa Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers arrested four youths from Karuvakerni near Valaichenai in Batticaloa at 3 am today morning and severly beat the youths before releasing them, said village residents.
TamilNet
> Nov 16, 2000 PTA detainee released - confessed under torture

Vavuniya The Vavuniya High Court acquitted Balasingham Illakanakanthan, who had been charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), on the basis that the confession of the accused was obtained under duress whilst in Sri Lanka Army custody. The accused had been in remand for about eighteen months.
TamilNet
> Aug 18, 2000 Mass grave at Killinochchi?

Killinochchi Civilians in the Vanni district at Killinochchi claim to have found over 45 bodies within the precincts of the former army camp at Killinochchi. A large number of the bodies they say have been found in pits within the forward defence localities of the armed forces camp. The army camp at Killinochchi fell to the LTTE in September 1998.
LacNet
> Jul 21, 2000 Sri Lankan general charged

Sri Lanka The Sri Lankan Government has defended a decision to bring charges against a retired army general accused of torturing and murdering left-wing rebels.
BBC
> Jul 21, 2000 Amnesty slams torture under Sri Lanka emergency laws

Sri Lanka COLOMBO, July 21 (AFP) - Torture by government forces in Sri Lanka has become more widespread following the introduction of new emergency laws by President Chandrika Kumaratunga, Amnesty International said.
AFP
> Jul 20, 2000 Court releases tortured Batticaloa youth

Batticaloa The Batticaloa High Court Wednesday released two Tamil youth who had been tortured by the Sri Lankan security forces while in detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
TamilNet
> Jul 19, 2000 Torture, "disappearances" and deaths in custody increase - Amnesty

Sri Lanka An increase in torture, "disappearances" and deaths in custody have been reported in Sri Lanka since new emergency regulations were introduced by the President in May 2000 the Amnesty International said in a report on Sri Lanka released Wednesday.
TamilNet
> Jun 26, 2000 UK ' ignoring Sri Lanka torture'

Sri Lanka A report by a human rights group based in London accuses the UK of ignoring evidence that many Tamil asylum seekers from Sri Lanka have been tortured.
BBC
> Jun 25, 2000 Tamil men reportedly endure rape, torture in Sri Lankan prisons

Sri Lanka PARIS (June 25, 2000 10:31 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - Sexual abuse of Tamil men in Sri Lankan jails is rampant, including rape, electric shocks to the genitals and forced sex acts with prison guards, according to a study published in Saturday's issue of The Lancet, the British medical weekly. S
AFP
> Jun 09, 2000 Healing hands for torture victims

Sri Lanka Torture is a word which sends shivers down our spine and chills our hearts. Most of us don't give much thought to it because it is not part of our lives. But for some it is a reality like sleeping and breathing. A reality they have suffered, which has left them traumatised.
Sunday TImes
> May 20, 2000 SLA shuts down Jaffna paper

Jaffna The Sri Lanka army sealed the Jaffna daily, Uthayan, yesterday. Soldiers who went to the paper's office in Jaffna town last evening locked the building, cut phone lines and took the keys away said a journalist at the paper. The Sri Lankan government declared draconian laws recently granting sweeping powers to specially appointed officials including the authority to close down news papers and printing presses.
TamilNet
> Mar 17, 2000 Sri Lankan police order female "LTTE suspect" to strip publicly at gunpoint

Colombo A particularly outrageous incident in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo last Saturday gives a glimpse of the humiliation, harassment and persecution routinely directed by the security forces against anyone thought to be a member of the country's Tamil minority.
WSWS
> Mar 15, 2000 More skeletons in toilet pits

Kilinochchi Two more skeletons had been found in an abandoned toilet pit at Uthayanagar in Kilinochchi, residents said. Earlier this month at least eight other skeletons were found when people who returned to their abandoned houses while clearing up the premises. Residents said some of the bodies were found with their hand and feet tied. The people of the area had left their houses and fled sometime ago in the face of fighting between troops and the LTTE.
Midweek Mirror
> Feb 02, 2000 Damages for tortured youth

Colombo The High Court in Colombo ordered today the state to pay fifty thousand rupees in compensation to a youth who has been tortured in police custody. The youth, Thambirasa Arudchelvam, 22, who was arrested on May 19, 1999 is currently held as a detainee at the Kalutara Prison.
TamilNet
> Jan 07, 2000 1000 arrests in Colombo

Colombo Over one thousand Tamils were arrested during a massive search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army, Navy, Airforce and Police in Colombo and its suburbs after the enforcing of a curfew from midnight. The curfew was relaxed at 12.30 p.m., one-and-a-half hours earlier than announced.
TamilNet
> Oct 05, 1999 PTA detainee tortured - JMO

Batticaloa Kalithas Selvam, 49, who was detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) had been tortured in the police custody said the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) while testifying at the Batticaloa High Courts yesterday.
TamilNet
> Jul 31, 1999 PTA detainee said tortured

Batticaloa A 22 year old woman who had been tortured in military custody was released on bail yesterday by the Batticaloa courts. Antony Krishnaveni, had been arrested by paramilitary gunmen from the Razeek group whilst on her way to Batticaloa from her village Kaluvankerni before being handed over to the Sri Lanka Army.
TamilNet
> Jun 23, 1999 Batticaloa marks day against torture

Batticaloa The International Day in support of Victims of Torture is to be observed in the eastern town of Batticaloa on June 26 with a cultural pageant. Four organisations are co-ordinating the pageant and public meeting to be held on the same day.
TamilNet
> Jun 01, 1999 Torture prevails despite reforms - Amnesty International

North - East In a news release published today titled, " Torture prevails despite reforms", the human rights pressure group Amnesty International said that "despite several positive steps in recent years, torture continues to mar Sri Lanka's human rights record."
TamilNet
> May 25, 1999 Tortured detainee released

Batticaloa The Eastern High Court Judge Mr.A.N.Ramachandran today discharged an accused charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act when the State Counsel moved that he was withdrawing the case on the instruction of the Attorney General.
TamilNet
> May 16, 1999 Eastern Villagers face terror again

Amparai One hundred and fifty Tamil families at Thiraikerni, a village in the Amparai district, are being terrorised once again by groups of armed masked men who come to the village at night, said sources from the area.
TamilNet
> May 04, 1999 STF accused of assaulting young widow

Batticaloa The Forum for Human Dignity has complained to the Secretary of the Anti-Harassment Committee that a twenty eight year old young Tamil widow had been harassed by some members of the Special Task Force (STF) stationed at Karativu in the Batticaloa district on April 25.
TamilNet
> Apr 30, 1999 Evidence shows detainee was tortured

Trincomalee A surgeon attached to the Trincomalee base hospital told the Eastern High Court that scars found on the body of the accused Tamil youth were consistent with the history given by him that he had been tortured while in custody.
TamilNet
> Mar 17, 1999 Residents express apprehension

Vanni Residents of Iranai Iluppaikulam, which was captured by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) recently, told journalists who visited the area yesterday that they are afraid that "disappearances" will occur as the SLA continues screening for Tiger suspects.
TamilNet
> Mar 12, 1999 Civilians assaulted in retaliation

Valaichenai Twenty five civilians, all youth, including two girls, were admitted to the Valaichenai hospital today for treatment from injuries caused by a group of Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldiers who roamed the villages of Kannankiramam, Kannakipuram, Puthukkudiyiruppu, Vinayakapuram this morning from about 8 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., intimidating and assaulting young people in the area.
TamilNet
> Feb 26, 1999 Vaakarai suffers under SLA restrictions

Vaakarai More than eight thousand Tamils who eke out a living on incomes less than 14.50 US dollars a month in the northern corner of the Batticaloa district may soon face semi famine conditions say aid workers in the east.
TamilNet
> Feb 16, 1999 Dead youth said tortured

Jaffna Anthony Gnanasekaram, who died in the custody of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) at Gurunagar, in Jaffna had been tortured said Prof. Sinnaththamby Veluppillai, in his medical report which he submitted to the Jaffna courts yesterday. The SLA had earlier said that Gnanasekaram committed suicide. The medical report said there were injuries on the youth's body consistent with the results of torture, including burn injuries believed to have been caused by cigarettes.
TamilNet
> Dec 02, 1998 Police accused of torture at inquest

Kalmunai The inquest into the death of Sathasivam Sanjeevan, an 18 year old school student who died in the Sri Lankan Police custody on October 15, was held at the Kalmunai District court on November 26. His father, Vadivel Sathasivam, 42, testifying in the courts said his son had been tortured in police custody.
TamilNet
> Nov 29, 1998 Tortured, raped detainee set free

Batticaloa Ehamparam Dhamayanthi, a young woman of 20 years from Kommanthurai, accused of withholding information about Liberation Tigers and kept in detention for more than 22 months, was found innocent by the Batticaloa High Courts and was released from jail. The Police had filed a case against her under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) when she was arrested by the security forces on the 2nd February 1997, said legal sources in Batticaloa.
TamilNet
> Oct 28, 1998 Torture marks found on body

Jaffna Rasanayakam Uthayakumar, 44, who was arrested by the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) on October 23 at Nayanmarkaddu was handed over to the Jaffna hospital dead this afternoon. Jaffna D.M.O. said that there were indications on Uthayakumar's body that his left foot and right hand had been tied in chains.
TamilNet
> Oct 27, 1998 Four Batticaloa youths abducted

Batticaloa Four Tamil youths were abducted by a group of unidentified armed men in Kalmunai, 37 km south of Batticaloa, yesterday around 4.00 a.m, said human rights sources there.
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> Aug 31, 1998 Torture victim pursued into church

Vavuniya A severely tortured Tamil youth who sought asylum in the Rambaikulam St. Anthony's church in Vavuniya while a mass was in progress was taken away by the Sri Lankan Police who were threatened by his captors - a Tamil paramilitary group operating with the SLA. Rambaikulam is a suburb of Vavuniya town.
TamilNet
> Jul 17, 1998 Two Tamil civilians abducted!

Nedunkerni Two civilians who went to inspect their abandoned homes in army occupied Nedunkerni on July 12 were abducted by the Sinhala army stationed there. Vairamuthu Gopalakrishnan (31) and Shanmugarasa Jeyachandiran (22) are the two civilians who have disappeared.
LTTE press release
> Jun 26, 1998 Torture - Sri Lanka's 20 Year Record

Sri Lanka 26 June 1998 is the International Day against Torture - so declared by the General Assembly of the United Nations.
TamilNation
> Jun 25, 1998 Army tortures Tamils in Vavuniya

Vavuniya Three Tamil residents who went to the shrub jungles of Puthur to hunt for food have been arrested and severely tortured by the occupying Sinhalese armed forces. The civilians - Kasinathan Gunalingam, Varithamby Ponnampalam, and Francispillai Angelo - all from Kunchukulam were arrested on June 25 and taken to the Sinhala army camp in Vavuniya where they were mercilessly tortured. They were released after the intervention of the Red cross society.
LTTE press release
> May 20, 1998 Amnesty International joins Committee against Torture call for end of impunity for torturers

Sri Lanka Amnesty International today welcomed the United Nation's (UN) Committee against Torture recommendation that the Sri Lankan Government take firmer action to bring to justice perpetrators of torture.
Amnesty
> May 20, 1998 Sri Lanka compelled to acknowledge torture is a problem

Sri Lanka "Amnesty International joins Committee against Torture call for end of impunity for torturers. Amnesty International today welcomed the United Nation's (UN) Committee against Torture recommendation that the Sri Lankan Government take firmer action to bring to justice perpetrators of torture.
Amnesty
> Apr 28, 1998 Search operation, 1 civilian killed in East

Akkaraipattu Fifty five civilians were arrested in a cordon and search operation in Akkaraipattu market in the Amparai district today. All were taken to the Amparai police station for further interrogation, said sources in Amparai.
TamilNet, April 28, 1998
> Apr 27, 1998 Torture victim attempts suicide

Chullipuram Maayur Nagarajah (17) who was beaten and severely tortured at the Chullipuram Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp, 12 km West from Jaffna, attempted to commit suicide last evening at his parents home fearing that the SLA was going to detain and torture him again, said sources in Jaffna.
TamilNet, April 27, 1998
> Mar 18, 1998 Parents of the Missing die of grief

Jaffna The Missing Persons Guardian's Association of Jaffna (MPGA-J) states that the number of parents who die out of grief for their children who were arrested by the SLA and are still missing is on the increase in the Jaffna peninsula.
TamilNet, March 18, 1998
> Mar 09, 1998 Police torture suspected in detainee's death

Batticaloa A person who was arrested by the Sri Lankan Police yesterday in Batticaloa was found dead in his cell. Sources in the eastern town said there is reason to suspect Police torture was the reason for the death.
TamilNet, March 19, 1998
> Feb 06, 1998 71 Tamil civilians registered missing - red cross

Mullaitivu A Red Cross report says 71 Tamil civilians were registered missing since last year, after they were arrested by the Sri Lankan army in occupied parts of Mullaitivu district, close to the A9 trunk road. Although this is the official number registered, the actual number of missing could be far more, a Red Cross official said.
TamilNet
> Jan 23, 1998 Two Tamils Taken away by SL army disappeared

Vavuniya Two Tamils arrested and taken away by the Sinhalese army from the military-run Poomthoddam detention centre in Vavuniya on 23 January have disappeared. The two - Tharmalingam Balasingam (22) and Kathirgamathaby Senthilnathan (23) - had been travelling from Vannni when they were detained at the camp. Relatives fear they have been killed by the military as the army has denied taking them away when asked by politicians who took the case up on behalf of the missing persons' relatives.
TamilNet
> Nov 10, 1997 ds

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TamilCanadian
> Nov 04, 1997 Tamil man dies in police custody

Colombo Seevarathnam Sivarasa who was arrested in Vavuniya and detained at the Mt. Lavinia Police station in Colombo in connection with the discovery of weapons allegedly belonging to the LTTE in Ratmalana died last night in the Colombo general hospital. He was admitted to the general hospital by the Sri Lankan Police.
TamilNet
> Oct 09, 1997 More Kilinochchi disappearances

Kilinochchi At least twenty two Tamil civilians who returned to inspect their homes which they had fled ahead of a Sri Lankan army offensive disappeared in areas just outside positions held by the army. Their homes were in Santhapuram, Vasanthapuram, Murikandy and Selvapuram. They are believed to have been arrested and disappeared by Sri Lankan troops, as they have never been seen since. Their relatives lodged appeals with the ICRC in Mallavi.
Local Press
> Oct 1997 Torture of Tamil in custody proved in Supreme Court

Sri Lanka "The Supreme Court awarded in October Rs 100,000 compensation in a fundamental rights case of Tamil trader Ratnasabapathy Mohanadas who was detained and tortured by the security forces. The case illustrates the difficulties Tamils face in Colombo, NGOs say.
British Refugee Council
> Sep 28, 1997 Insult Added To Injury For Tamil Torture Victim

Colombo A Tamil man who underwent severe torture at the hands of Sinhalese police was ordered by a Sinhalese magistrate to be kept in jail under the government's draconian prevention of terrorism act. 23-year old A. Sureshkumar who travelled to Colombo in order to go abroad for a job was arrested by Bambalapitiya police on 11 September. He was taken into custody where he was severely beaten with iron rods by three Sinhalese police officials -- Sergeant Tharmapala and constables Jegath and Veerakon. Mr. Sureshkumar then had his testicles crushed before the three officials hung him upside down in a remand room and beat the soles of his feet to tatters. The injured man was taken to court on a stretcher four days after this, where the Sinhalese magistrate ordered him to be kept in jail under the prevention of terrorism act. It was only after the supreme court heard Mr. Sureshkumar's fundamental rights appeal that he was released. No order has been made against the police or magistrate concerned
TamilCanadian
> Sep 16, 1997 Headless body found near army camp

Siththandy The headless body of a Tamil man arrested earlier by the Sinhala military during a routine round-up as been found 200 yards from the Siththandy army camp. S. Chinnadurai was twenty-six years old with two children. He was a resident of Siththandy (Batticaloa).
-
> Jul 31, 1997 Two Tamil men abducted by Sinhala Army

Kandawalai Two displaced Tamil men who were living in Kandawalai have disappeared after going to Kompady to cut sticks for building cottages. Balasingam Manoharan and Murugesu Nadarajah are presumed abducted by Sinhala soldiers of the Elephant Pass army camp.
TamilNet
> Jul 1997 Arrests & torture of Tamils - continuing impunity

Sri Lanka "...Over 50 Tamils were taken into custody in the Pettah commercial district on 3 June. A British Tamil couple were arrested near the President’s “Temple Trees” residence on 11 June. ...
British Refugee Council
> May 10, 1997 "Police made me drink my own blood" - Torture victim

Vavuniya A Tamil man presently in a Colombo jail is filing for wrongful arrest after undergoing excessive torture at various Sinhala police stations. He was arrested in November while staying at a Vavuniya hotel.
TamilNet
> May 10, 1997 "Police Made Me Drink My Own Blood" - Torture Victim

Colombo A Tamil man presently in a Colombo jail is filing for wrongful arrest after undergoing excessive torture at various Sinhala police stations. He was arrested in November while staying at a Vavuniya hotel. Local police beat him on the head with iron rods then kicked him in the face as he squirmed on the ground. He was then ordered to drink the blood that poured from his nose and mouth. A month later Rajendran Mahendran - who is 33 - was transferred to Borella police station (Colombo) where the torture continued. Officers squeezed his testicles in an iron device and denied him treatment even as pus leaked from his ears. He was later taken to Colombo magistrates court where he was remanded for an indefinite period. Mahendran is a father of three from Karainagar. He says not even the scant legal formalities relating to arrest and detention under the country's draconian emergency regulations was observed. Sri Lanka claims that Tamils are treated as equals in law.
TamilCanadian
> May 1997 Mass arrests & torture of Tamils in Colombo

Colombo ...In late May the Human Rights Task Force (HRTF) recorded over 810 Tamil detentions in Colombo and Kalutara prisons and at the police headquarters. Colombo human rights agency the Movement for Inter-Racial Justice and Equality (MIRJE) says that cordon and search, random arrests and house-to-house searches take place almost every day. According to MIRJE many more Tamils are currently held in police stations.
(British Refugee Council
> Apr 1997 Mass arrests & torture of Tamils in Colombo...

Colombo In late May the Human Rights Task Force (HRTF) recorded over 810 Tamil detentions in Colombo and Kalutara prisons and at the police headquarters. Colombo human rights agency the Movement for Inter-Racial Justice and Equality (MIRJE) says that cordon and search, random arrests and house-to-house searches take place almost every day. According to MIRJE many more Tamils are currently held in police stations.
British Refugee Council
> Feb 10, 1997 Youth Tortured To Death

Thenmaradchy A young Tamil man has been found beaten to death after torture at the hands of the Sinhala army occupying Thenmaradchy. The death of Vijayanar (29) has caused deep anxiety and distress among the Tamil residents of his home town, Meesalai. Relations between civilians and the Sri Lankan army in the occupied territories are becoming more and more strained as cases of abuse, torture and murder of innocent boys and girls escalate.
TamilCanadian
> Feb 06, 1997 A Tamil tortured to death

Thenmaradchy A young Tamil man has been found beaten to death after torture at the hands of the Sinhala army occupying Thenmaradchy. The death of Vijayanar (29) has caused deep anxiety and distress among the Tamil residents of his home town, Meesalai. Relations between civilians and the Sri Lankan army in the occupied territories are becoming more and more strained as cases of abuse, torture and murder of innocent boys and girls escalate.
TamilNet
> Nov 1996 Police powers romote torture says Colombo Judge

Tamil Eelam "Supreme Court Judge P Ramanathan says despitejudicial orders against law-enforcement off cers, torture in police stations continues unabated. Police have powers to record statements, investigate and pros- ecute offenders. The concentration of powers allow the police to take short-cuts by torture in custody, says Mr Ramanathan.
British Refugee Council
> Aug 14, 1996 HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION AT A CRITICAL JUNCTURE

Sri Lanka Two years since it came to power, the People's Alliance government continues to tolerate human rights violations while refusing to take the crucial steps needed to ensure that human rights protection becomes a reality in Sri Lanka, Amnesty International said today.
Amnesty
> 1996 Torture remained a serious problem

Sri Lanka "Torture remained a serious problem.. Members of the security forces continued to torture and mistreat detainees and other prisoners, both male and female, particularly during interrogation.
US report
> Jun 29, 1995 Floating Bodies in Welihinda Thotupola: 6 Killed

Welihinda Thotupola Six bodies of tortured and disfigured males was found floating near Welihinda Thotupola in the Maha Oya - Alawwa (North West Province). One of the bodies was identified as 24 year old Naresh Rajadadurai. On 26th June Naresh Rajadadurai left his work place, a video shop in Wellawatte, at 8.15pm and was on his way home at Sri Saranankara Road, Dehiwela within the Colombo city limits. He was stopped on the way, in front of a hotel, forced into a white van and taken away by unidentified persons.
Tamil Times July 15th 1995
> Jun 19, 1995 Floating Bodies in Panadura side of Bolgoda Lake: 5 killed!

Bolgoda - Colombo Five bodies were found on 19h June 1995. All the victims had been starved as no traces of food was found in their stomachs. All five of the victims had both his arms and legs bound together with rope before being drowned.
Tamil Times July 15th 1995
> Jun 10, 1995 Floating Bodies in Piliyandala side of Bolgoda Lake : 3 killed!

Bolgoda Lake - Colombo Three bodies were found on 10th June. All the victims had been starved as no traces of food was found in their stomachs. Two had been strangled to death - one had a cloth stuffed in his mouth. before they were dumped in the lake. One of the victims had both his arms and legs bound together with rope before being drowned.
Tamil Times July 15th 1995
> May 23, 1995 Extra judicial killings of Tamils at the Jeyanthipuram camp

Jeyanthipuram "The (extra judicial) execution (of 4 Tamils) at the Jeyanthipuram camp is one of the most horrific in a growing list of abuses by the Sri Lanka security forces in the town and surrounding villages...
Amnesty
> 1995 Sinhala Army compels Tamil civilians to act as human mine detectors

Batticaloa "The Batticaloa (Tamil) civilians are being used as Claymore mine detectors by the (Sri Lanka) forces. The farmers in the Vantharamulla area are being forced to walk ahead of the soldiers and sometimes even asked to dig with bare hands for buried mines, the Batticaloa TULF M.P. K.Thuraisingham told the 'Sunday Leader'.
Sunday Leader
> Aug 09, 1992 Mailanthannaii massacre: 32 Tamils Killed!

Mailanthannaii, Batticaloa A group of unidentified, armed men attacked the Tamil village of Mailanthannaii in Batticaloa district in the early hours of 9 August 1992. Twenty one Tamil people were either shot or hacked to death in the village. Nine other civilians bodies were recovered from the jungles around the village later in the day.
Tamil Nation- 15 September 1992; p4.
> 1991 TAMIL DETAINEES SYSTEMATICALLY TORTURED- AMNESTY 1991

Sri Lanka ''(During 1991) Hundreds of people were extra judicially executed and several hundred disappeared. Torture of detainees was common... In the east of the country suspected LTTE members were seized, abducted and killed by men in plain clothes who were believed to be connected with the security forces. Victims bodies were left in public places often in a mutiliated state.
Amnesty
> Dec 25, 1990 15 Tamil refugees were killed

Clappenberg, Trincomalee The Tamil refugees from the Clappenberg, Trincomalee refugee camp were taken away by the Sri Lankan army. Their fate is not known. They are presumed dead.
Local Media
> Dec 07, 1990 A Tamil student was killed

Kaluthavalai, Batticoloa A student named M.Pakirathan aged 14 was taken by the army to camp in Kaluthavalai, Batticoloa. He is presumed dead.
Local Media
> Oct 30, 1990 30 tamil civilians were killed

Kallady etal, Batticoloa In the villages, Kallady, Aryampathy, Thalankuda, Kirankulam, Puthikutiyiruppu, Army and Muslim homeguards rounded up the villages and took the Tamil men to Arayampathy army camp. The men were tortured and brutally murdered. Their bodies were burnt with the tires put over them.
Local Media
> Oct 01, 1990 A body of Tamil man washed ashore

Thirukovil, Amparai One dead body of a Tamil man washed ashore on the coastal area near Thirukovil army camp in the Amparai district.
Local Media
> Sep 26, 1990 50 Tamil civilians were arrested by SL Army and disappeared

Thambiluvil, Amparai Sri Lankan Army surrounded the village, Thambiluvil in Amparai district and took away the peasants. They had disappeared without any trace.
Local Media
> Sep 24, 1990 4 Tamil civilians were arrested by Army and disappeared

Ayyathimalai, Batticoloa 4 Tamil civilians were arrested by Sri Lankan Army and disappeared without any trace.
Local Media
> Sep 21, 1990 25 Tamil civilians arrested by special Task Forces disappeared

Karaitheevu, Batticoloa 25 Tamil civilians arrested by special Task Force personnel disappeared without any trace in Karaitheevu
Local Media
> Sep 04, 1990 2 Tamil youths tortured and killed

Pallikudiyiruppu 2 Tamil youths from Pallikudiyiruppu refugee camp were taken by Sri Lankan Army to Thoppur camp, tortured and killed. The youths were identified as Pathinikunjan, aged 18 and Kalirasa Sellan, aged 22.
Local Media
> Aug 02, 1989 India's My Lai - the Valvettiturai Massacre

Valvettiturai On 2 August 1989, the so called Indian Peace Keeping Force deliberately killed over 50 Tamil civilians in Valvettiturai in the Jaffna Peninsula in a massacre that was later described as India's Mylai.
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> Jan 19, 1986 Iruthayapuram Massacre: 24 Tamil civilians were killed!

Iruthayapuram More than 24 Tamil civilians were killed by the Sri Lankan ruthless forces in the little, quite village, Iruthayapuram. This terror incident took in a respond to an attack carried out by Tamil militants to SL forces which killed two policemen!
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> Dec 30, 1985 AMNESTY REFUTES SRI LANKA'S DENIAL OF TORTURE - DECEMBER 1985

Sri Lanka Amnesty International today, 30 December 1985 announced that it had called on the Sri Lankan Government to act urgently to stop torture by government forces.
Amnesty
> Oct 1985 AMNESTY FILE ON SRI LANKA'S TORTURE - OCTOBER 1985

Sri Lanka Allegations that torture occurs in Sri Lanka have long been of concern to AI. Over the past five years, however, the organization has received consistent reports, many in the form of sworn affidavits, which lead it to conclude that the practice is widespread and persistent Torture is used particularly against political detainees, some of whom have died as a result, and also against criminal suspects. The following types of torture have been reported to AI:
Amnesty
> Apr 14, 1985 Torture and murder by the Sri Lanka Special Task Force

Sri Lanka " The (Sri Lanka) Special Task Force of police commandos was created last year and trained by British experts who are former members of the (British) Special Air Services (SAS)...
London Sunday Observer
> Apr 14, 1985 Torture and murder by the Sri Lanka Special Task Forces

Jaffna Mahendra Kesivapillai, a second year science student from Jaffna University, told me nails were driven into his heels to force him to confess. Chilli powder was rubbed into sensitive parts of his body and he was hung up by his handcuffed wrists for upto eight hours a day in his prison cell...
Sunday Observer,
> Apr 09, 1984 50 Tamil people were killed

Jaffna The Government Agent for Jaffna estimated that 50 people died between April 9 and 12 and that 'hardly any of those killed by the army were linked with the guerrilla campaign for more Tamil minority autonomy. During this period, emergency regulations, which permitted police to bury casualties without postmortem or inquest were in effect and the identity of those killed was never established.
Local Media

posted August 07, 2001 12:33 PM            

http://www.tamilcanadian.com/eelam/hrights/html/Rape.html

Woman raped by STF soldier

Batticaloa A woman was raped by a Special Task Force (STF) elite soldier at Cheddipaalayam in the eastern Batticaloa on Monday police and hospital sources said. The victim, a mother of two, was admitted to Batticaloa hospital.
TamilNet
> Jul 12, 2000 Seven charged in Hamilitta case

Mannar The police filed charge-sheets against seven Sri Lanka Army soldiers at the Mannar courts Tuesday, who allegedly raped and murdered a young woman, Ida Hamalitta, at Pallimunai in Mannar in July 1999. The police investigators submitted a list of witness and seven productions in support of the charges, legal sources in the north-western town said.
TamilNet
> Jul 06, 2000 MP reads out raped woman's letter

Batticaloa Speaking on the extension of the emergency in Parliament Thursday, Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) MP for Batticaloa Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham read out a letter written to the Sri Lanka's National Human Rights Commission by a seventy year old woman of Neervely in Jaffna who was raped and robbed by Sri Lankan army personnel on May 31.
TamilNet
> Jun 25, 2000 Tamil men reportedly endure rape, torture in Sri Lankan prisons

Sri Lanka PARIS (June 25, 2000 10:31 a.m. EDT http://www.nandotimes.com) - Sexual abuse of Tamil men in Sri Lankan jails is rampant, including rape, electric shocks to the genitals and forced sex acts with prison guards, according to a study published in Saturday's issue of The Lancet, the British medical weekly. S
AFP
> Jun 09, 2000 Male Tamil detainees raped - report

Sri Lanka At least 1 in 5 male Tamil detainees in Sri Lanka have suffered sexual abuse, including rape, according to The Lancet, the British medical weekly. "We believe that sexual abuse of Tamil men in detention is common in Sri Lanka," a report by the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture published in The Lancet said, adding that the number of victims "is probably higher [than 20%] as some will not have reported it."
TamilNet
> Mar 16, 2000 SLA rape, murder suspects remanded

Mannar Mannar Acting Magistrate, Caius Feldano, remanded yesterday two Sri Lankan Army personnel in connection with the rape and murder of a 21-year-old Tamil woman, Ida Hamalitta, in Pallimunai in north western Mannar on 11 July, last year.
TamilNet
> Mar 14, 2000 UN worry over Sri Lanka rapes

Sri Lanka The United Nations rapporteur on violence against women has called on the Sri Lankan government to prosecute soldiers who have been accused of raping and murdering women and girls.
BBC
> Jan 06, 2000 BRUTAL GANG-RAPE AND MURDER OF YOUNG WOMAN BY SRI LANKA NAVY

Jaffna On the evening of Tuesday 28th December 1999, Sarathambal Saravanbavananthakurukal, of a Hindu Brahmin family, was forcibly dragged from her home, in Pungudutivu, near Jaffna Peninsula, by Sri Lankan Navy soldiers. They then gang-raped and murdered her in cold blood. The body of the 29 year-old mother was found the following morning, under leaves, not far from her home near Kannaki Amman Temple.
Collection
> Dec 31, 1999 Young mother gang-raped and murdered

Jaffna A young woman was gang-raped and murdered by unidentified gunmen near Kannakai Amman Temple in Punguduthivu, an islet off Jaffna peninsula, Tuesday night, residents said. Her body, covered with Palmyrah leaves, was found yesterday morning, about 100 metres from her house, they added.
TamilNet
> Dec 14, 1999 Schoolgirl raped

Colombo A group of 5, including a Sri Lanka Army deserter, sexually assaulted a 13 year old school girl, in Mawanella about 55 km, east of Colombo on the Kandy road, said sources.
TamilNet
> Dec 14, 1999 Schoolgirl raped

Colombo A group of 5, including a Sri Lanka Army deserter, sexually assaulted a 13 year old school girl, in Mawanella about 55 km, east of Colombo on the Kandy road, said sources.
TamilNet
> Dec 05, 1999 Young mother gang-raped and murdered

- A young woman was gang-raped and murdered by unidentified gunmen near Kannakai Amman Temple in Punguduthivu, an islet off Jaffna peninsula, Tuesday night, residents said. Her body, covered with Palmyrah leaves, was found yesterday morning, about 100 metres from her house, they added.
TamilNet
> Oct 03, 1999 Widowed mother gang raped in Varani

Varani Rajeswary Krishnarajah, 35, mother of three was gang raped by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers at Vaalaithottam, a farming hamlet in Varani in the Thenmaradchi Division of the Jaffna Peninsula on Wednesday, September 29, according to a complaint made by Rajeswary with the Police.
TamilNet
> Sep 09, 1999 Chemmani: alleged rape victim's body found

Chemmani Three human skeletons, including one suspected to be that of a woman allegedly raped and beaten to death by a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officer, were found today in a grave pointed out by ex-corporal Somaratna Rajapaksha, the key witness in the investigation into the mass graves at Chemmani and Ariyalai near Jaffna.
TamilNet
> Aug 08, 1999 ARREST AND IMPRISONMENT

Batticaloa In Batticaloa a girl was raped and killed by the defence forces and the culprits were arrested like in many other cases that happened in the North East. In the south many disappearances were investigated and culprits were also given punishment legally, that made many people happy.
Thinamurasu
> Feb 14, 1999 Woman raped by army personnel

Anuradhapura The Sri Lankan Police said that a 20 year old woman who was waiting at a bus stop in Anuradhapura in the north central province was kidnapped and raped by men, including two members of the Sri Lankan Army personnel, yesterday around 9 p.m.
TamilNet
> Dec 11, 1998 Young girl escapes death to give evidence

Kilaly "On the day of the incident three soldiers entered our house. One of the soldiers asked us to get into one of the rooms. He placed the gun on our heads, threatened to kill us if we made any noise, and asked for our names. He then put the lamp out and emptied the bullets on us," said the 16-year old girl, Sinnarasa Vinodhini, while giving evidence to the Human Rights Commission on December 10th.
TamilNet
> Dec 03, 1998 Rape victim gives evidence

Batticaloa The inquest in to the rape of Sivasothy Krishnapillai, 31, allegedly by three Special Task Force (STF) personnel, in Mandoor, Batticaloa district on December 31 1996, was held at the Batticaloa District court on November 30.
TamilNet
> Nov 29, 1998 Tortured, raped detainee set free

Batticaloa Ehamparam Dhamayanthi, a young woman of 20 years from Kommanthurai, accused of withholding information about Liberation Tigers and kept in detention for more than 22 months, was found innocent by the Batticaloa High Courts and was released from jail. The Police had filed a case against her under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) when she was arrested by the security forces on the 2nd February 1997, said legal sources in Batticaloa.
TamilNet
> Oct 17, 1998 Navy sailors rape teenager

Jaffna Three Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) personnel abducted and raped 16 year old school girl from Arasady road in Vaddukoddai, 9 km. north.west of Jaffna centre, on Saturday October 17 around 9.30 p.m, said sources there.
TamilNet
> Oct 06, 1998 Twelve year old girl raped

Chavakachcheri A twelve year old girl, returning from school, was sexually assaulted by a Sri Lankan Army (SLA) soldier in Sangathaanai in Chavakachcheri, east of Jaffna, last Friday said sources there. The girl, Pushpamalar, has been admitted to the Jaffna Hospital. The soldier is said to be a former deserter who had re-joined the army accepting the Sri Lankan government's amnesty.
TamilNet
> Jul 16, 1998 Bodies of two Tamil women found in Jaffna

Jaffna Bodies of two Tamil women have been found in a decomposed state in Jaffna. Postmortem report reveal that the two women were tortured and raped before being killed by the Sinhala army. The body of Nagalingam Pavani (46) was found in Thirunelveli while the body of the other women was found in the coast of Crow Island, off Jaffna town.
LTTE press release
> May 07, 1998 SL soldiers kill mentally ill woman who resisted rape

Mannar Sri Lankan armed forces last Thursday shot dead a Tamil mental patient after she resisted their attempts to sexually abuse her. The killings took place on 30 April in Nochchikulam (Mannar) after the 36 year old woman accidentally strayed near an army checkpost and then resisted soldiers' attempts to rape her. The woman was well-known by the local military and public to be a mental patient.
TamilNet
> Apr 15, 1998 A girl allegedly raped by a Police

Jaffna A girl who was allegedly raped by a Police constable was admitted to the Jaffna hospital by Sri Lankan Police at Kopay this afternoon around 3.40 p.m. The girl, Sri Balakumar Ajanthana, 17, of No.386, Kandy Road Ariyalai in Jaffna town, alleged that a Police constable had forcibly raped her which had caused heavy bleeding from the vagina.
TamilNet, April 15, 1998
> Mar 16, 1998 Rape of Deaf & Dumb Girl

Meesaalai The deaf and dumb girl, S. Selvarani 28, was on her way to visit a friend on her bicyle when she had been stopped by a group of SLA soldiers who had gagged and bound her and had then gang raped her.
Collection
> Mar 15, 1998 Constable caught molesting a pregnant woman

Jaffna A Sri Lankan Police constable who attempted to rape a 3 month pregnant woman in Thinneveli in Jaffna last night around 8.30 p.m. was caught and severely assaulted by a group of local civilians.
TamilNet, March 16, 1998
> Dec 25, 1997 Young girls accosted by CID officer

Vavuniya A young girl, identified as Kandhaiah Amudha of Vidaththalthivu in Mannar, who was allegedly raped by a Sri Lankan Police intelligence operative in vavuniya town yesterday retracted her statement to the Police this afternoon.
TamilNet, December 26, 1997
> Nov 24, 1997 Tamil mother killed in army shelling

Kilinochchi Sri Lankan forces on Thursday fired artillery from Kilinochchi town at the Tamil village of Unionkulam. The mother of four was killed when shells landed on her head. Two children close by were also severely injured. The woman's name was Thayanadevi Saravanaperumal. Sri Lankan armed forces at Kilinochchi are said to be regularly firing artillery at surrounding Tamil settlements.
TamilNet
> Nov 23, 1997 Sri Lanka continues to use Rape as a Weapon of Terror

Tamil Eelam "Observers say that the Sri Lankan government's programme of winning the "hearts and minds" of the Tamil people in the occupied Northern peninsula is in serious trouble as the Sri Lankan military continues to use rape as a weapon of terror.
Sams
> Oct 29, 1997 Girl attempts suicide after rape

Jaffna A girl who was abducted and found the next day near her house tied up and unconscious in Nayanmarkaddu in Jaffna recently was admitted to hospital on Wednesday Oct.29 after attempting to commit suicide by consuming a large quantity of kerosene.
TamilNet
> Oct 28, 1997 40 year old woman raped

Manthikai A forty year old woman who had been abducted and raped allegedly by soldiers of the SLA, was admitted to the Manthikai hospital yesterday with injuries and multiple lesions.
TamilNet
> Oct 16, 1997 A Tamil woman is raped and murdered by sinhalese police

Amparai A 49-year old Tamil woman, Thankanayaki, has been raped and murdered in Amparai by Sinhalese police and homeguards. In an exclusive interview to the press, her son said the Sinhalese security forces butchered her private parts after gang-raping her. Such instances of rape and brutality by Sinhalese forces occupying the island's eastern Tamil province are not uncommon. It will be recalled that a Tamil mother of four, Koneswary, was gang-raped raped and killed by Sinhalese police on 18 May. After that rape, police inserted a grenade into her genitals and blew her up.
TamilNet
> Sep 05, 1997 6-Year Old Girl Gang-Raped By Jaffna Soldiers

Jaffna Sinhalese soldiers have gang-raped a six-year old Tamil girl at an army checkpoint in Atchuveli (Jaffna). The rape was so violent that the girl is currently fighting for her life in Jaffna teaching hospital. Six-year old Palanthi was stopped on her way to school by soldiers of the Kathiripai military checkpoint. She was then dragged into the confines of the checkpoint and raped by one soldier after another, leaving her with severe physical injuries. This is the second incident of its kind within a few months. Recently a twelve-year old girl from the same area was raped in a similar manner by Sri Lankan soldiers. Parents of school children in Jaffna have been compelled to chaperone their children to school and back every day to avoid such happenings.
TamilCanadian
> Jul 19, 1997 Volunteer Teacher Gang-Raped By Soldiers - Jaffna

Jaffna A 20-year old volunteer teacher, Krishnapillai Santhirakala, was gang-raped by Sinhala soldiers as she walked from her workplace to her home in Karanavai (Vadamaradchy). This is a pattern emerging in army-occupied Tamil areas where local girls are brutally raped in retaliation for refusing marriage offers from members of the armed forces. Sri Lanka's commanding officers have not responded to local people's protests about such incidents.
TamilCanadian
> Jul 17, 1997 Tamil school girl raped

Araly South A Tamil school girl in Araly South (occupied Jaffna) on her way to a leading Jaffna school was dragged by two Sinhala soldiers to a secluded spot where she was beaten senseless and raped. The 17-year old girl is currently in Jaffna teaching hospital with severe injuries.
TamilNet
> Jul 17, 1997 Tamil School Girl Raped

Jaffna A Tamil school girl in Araly South (occupied Jaffna) on her way to a leading Jaffna school was dragged by two Sinhala soldiers to a secluded spot where she was beaten senseless and raped. The 17-year old girl is currently in Jaffna teaching hospital with severe injuries.
TamilCanadian
> May 17, 1997 SL Tropps Raped and Killed a 4 chileren's mother

Batticoloa Murugesupillai Koneswary, a mother of four children, was killed at her home in 11th Colony village by a grenade being thrown at her genitals on the evening of 17 May. Reportedly only her two-year-old child was present when the attackers entered her house. Her husband and three older children were not at home.
Amnesty
> Mar 17, 1997 Amnesty reports on rape of Tamil widow and her sister by four Sinhala soldiers

Batticaloa " Velan Rasamma (34) Velan Vasantha (28) Velan Rasamma, a widow, and her sister, Velan Vasantha, were allegedly raped by four soldiers at their home in Mayilampaveli Colony, Batticaloa district, on 17 March 1997. The soldiers, from the Mayilampaveli army camp, reportedly forced their way into their home around 11pm and took the women outside. There, they raped them repeatedly.
Amnesty
> Jan 11, 1997 150 Tamil women and children raped

Tamil Eelam " Human rights activists claim more than 150 women, mostly minority Tamils, were raped by police and armed forces personnel last year.
South China Morning Post
> Jan 11, 1997 150 raped by law enforcers last year, say rights groups

Tamil Eelam Human rights activists claim more than 150 women, mostly minority Tamils, were raped by police and armed forces personnel last year.
South China Morning Post
> Jan 09, 1997 Tamil mother and daughter raped and other Tamil civilians killed

Batticaloa "Three Tamil women, including a mother and daughter, were raped at their home by soldiers on 9 January at Thiyavattavan in Batticaloa District. Two soldiers were taken into custody a week later by police.
Collection
> Jan 04, 1997 Commandos Rape Married Woman

Batticaloa Sri Lankan commandos of the Mansoor Tileworks army camp (Batticaloa) have raped and caused grievous injury to a Tamil woman carrying food to her husband. She was on her way to a paddy field where her husband was working when Sri Lankan STF troops intercepted her, raped her at gun-point then beat her viciously about the body. She is currently undergoing treatment at Batticaloa hospital.
TamilCanadian
> Jan 02, 1997 More Rapes - Stf Discipline Breaking Down

Batticaloa Sri Lankan soldiers have violently raped three Tamil women in Batticaloa. At 3am (January 2nd) troops broke into a Tamil house where a mother, daughter and woman relative were sleeping. The rapes took place at gun-point. Neighbours later admitted all three to Valaichenai hospital. The soldiers are members of the STF, the so-called elite force of the Sri Lankan army. Rapes by the STF are said to be occurring on a regular basis in Sri Lankan-occupied areas. Last week, two incidents were reported in Mandoor, fuelling anxieties that military discipline in occupied territory is rapidly breaking down, especially in Batticaloa. Local Tamil women live in terror of the STF whose recent record of indiscipline is staggering.
TamilCanadian
> 1997 Over 150 Tamil women were raped in a year - NGO

Tamil Eelam There have been over 150 cases of reported rape and sexual assault by Sri Lanka army during the past year.
Liberation
> Nov 12, 1996 Child Rape by Sri Lanka Army

Atchuvely Selverajah Theenuka is a 10 year old Tamil I-Iindu girl, living in Pathmeni, Atchuvely on the Jaffna Peninsula. A Sth grade student, she was on her way to school last Tuesday (l2th November 96). At 8.15, she was abducted by Sri Lankan soldiers and taken to the Sri Lankan army's Puttur V.C. camp. There, she was stripped and raped repeatedly by Sinhala soldiers. When they had finished, the soldiers released
HURT
> Nov 12, 1996 A 10 year old girl Thenuka was raped!

Atchuvely Selverajah Theenuka is a 10 year old Tamil Hindu girl, living in Pathmeni, Atchuvely on the Jaffna Peninsula. A 5th grade student, she was on her way to school last Tuesday (12th November 96). At 8.15, she was abducted by Sri Lankan soldiers and taken to the Sri Lankan army's Puttur V.C. camp. There, she was stripped and raped repeatedly by Sinhala soldiers. When they had finished, the soldiers released the child.
HURT
> Nov 1996 Gang Rapes by Sinhala Occupying Army Multiply

- "A young Tamil woman detained along with thousands of other Tamils in Vavuniya has died after being violently gang-raped by eight Sinhala soldiers guarding the camp.
TamilNet
> Nov 1996 A number of women have been sexually abused

Vanni "Vanni MP S Shanmugnathan says a n umber of women at the Poonthottam school camp have been sexually abused by the police. A woman who was raped has been admitted to the Vavuniya hospital. Pregnant women have been denied access to the hospital and one woman has died in labour"
(British Refugee Council Publication, Sri Lanka Monitor, November 1996)
(British Refugee
> Oct 1996 Rapes and Murders in Occupied Jaffna

Jaffna "Allegations of ill-treatment of women and extra-judicial executions are also being made against the security forces. Reports say that three women were raped by soldiers at their home in Manthuvil on 1 August." British Refugee Council Publication, Sri Lanka Monitor, August 1996
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> Sep 30, 1996 A young woman was raped

Urumpirai North "On Sep 30 at about 3.20 PM Velauthapillai Rajani, 22, from Urumpirai North was arrested in Kondavil-Urumpirai Road by the Sri Lankan army. This arrest was seen by several people. Rajani, who was planning to leave to Canada, went to see her relatives in Kondavil to say good-bye. On her way she was stopped by the Sri Lankan soldiers manning the Kondavil checkpoint and was dragged into a house where two elderly people were living. The soldiers chased the two occupants out of the house and Rajani was raped. Her naked body was found later in the compound."
Local Media
> Sep 10, 1996 A 55 years old woman was gang-raped

Thirunelvely On Sep 10, a 55 year old woman employed in the Thirunelvely Co-operative Milk Society was gang-raped by Sri Lankan Army personnel.
Local Media
> Sep 08, 1996 A Tamil girl was harassed by Sri Lankan soldiers

Jaffna Vasuki, a young Tamil girl living in Kilner Lane was harassed by Sri Lankan soldiers from the army camp next to her house. On Sep 8, Vasuki was watching TV at her home between 11 PM and 12 PM at night when 4 Sri Lankan soldiers in civil dress and 2 soldiers in army uniform came into her house and tried to take her away by force. She and her neighbors raised cries and the soldiers fled with Vasuki's National Identity card.
Local Media
> Sep 07, 1996 Krishanthy Kumarswamy: A student and 3 others raped and killed!

Jaffna Krishanthy Kumaraswamy (18) who was returning home after sitting her GCE (A/L) examination at Chundikuli Girls High School was last seen at 11.30am at Kaithady checkpoint in Jaffna. She never made it home. Her mother, brother (Pranavan - 16) and family friend (Mr Kirupakaran - 35) who became concerned went in search of Krishanthy. They too disappeared.
Collection
> Sep 1996 Amnesty appeals for several rapes

Tamil Eelam "Amnesty International has documented several cases of rape by members of the security forces. Because many women are reluctant to give testimony about their treatment by the security forces, Amnesty International believes that these testimonies represent only a fraction of a widespread pattern of human rights violations.
Amnesty
> Mar 07, 1996 A 45-year-old woman was raped by soldiers

Thiyavedduwan On 7 March 1996, a 45-year-old woman was raped by soldiers at Thiyavedduwan checkpoint. Her husband was beaten with rifle butts. Both were admitted to Valaichchenai hospital. Following a complaint by several people of Thiyavedduwan at Valaichchenai army camp, an identification parade was held and the soldiers were identified and taken into custody by the military police. It is not known whether any further action has been taken against them." (Amnesty International Report, September 1996)
Amnesty
> Feb 11, 1996 Kumarapuram Massacres: 24 civilians killed!

Kumarapuram Sri-Lankan troops from the 57th mile post near kilivetti massacred 24 Tamil civilians and severely injured 28 others following the killing of two of their colleagues in combat with the LTTE. Four succumbed to their injuries and later died in hospital. One of those killed was a heavily pregnant woman. 17 year old A. Thanalakshmi was gang raped by soldiers before being killed. Among those killed were seven children under the age of 12, the youngest being 3 years old. Troops had prevented the injured from being taken away for medical treatment until 9.30 the following morning.
Collection
> 1996 150 Tamils raped by Sinhala 'law enforcers' in 1996

- Human rights activists claim more than 150 women, mostly minority Tamils, were raped by police and armed forces personnel last year. In the past few months the nation has been outraged by a series of sex offences, followed in some instances by the death or disappearance of victims. Security forces are allegedly behind the incidents, which are widespread in the war-ravaged north and east.
South China Morning Post
> Aug 1995 A Tamil woman was raped

Trincomalee In August 1995 Lakshmi Pillai was raped at her home in Trincomalee by two army informants in front of her two sons. The motive may have been revenge as she had spoken out about being raped before at Plantain Point army camp in August 1993. The informants were arrested but later released on bail pending trial.
Local Media
> Jun 12, 1991 Kokaddicholai massacre: 82 Tamils were killed

Batticaloa District. This massacre took place in the villages of Kokaddicholai, Mahiladai Teevu and Muthalai Kuddah in the Batticaloa District. Nearly 450 houses were looted and burnt. Some were burnt alive by the rampaging armed forces of the Sri Lankan Government. Many were barbarously clubbed and hacked to death.
-
> Sep 11, 1990 3 Tamil civilians killed

Pullumalai 3 Tamil civilians killed by the Sri Lankan army in the area of Pullumalai. Another five Tamil girls were raped by them. In naother incident on the same day in Thalankodai 2 Tamil civilians shot dead by the army.
Local Media
> Sep 05, 1990 Five Tamil girls were raped and killed

Pullumalai Five Tamil girls were abducted by the army, raped and killed. Their bodies were later found in a well. Another six civilians from the same villagers were arrested by the Sri Lankan army on teh same day, three of them later escaped, other three were shot dead.
Local Media
> Sep 05, 1990 Five Tamil girls were raped and killed

Pullumalai Five Tamil girls were abducted by the army, raped and killed. Their bodies were later found in a well. Another six civilians from the same villagers were arrested by the Sri Lankan army on teh same day, three of them later escaped, other three were shot dead.
Local Media
> Aug 17, 1990 14 Tamil civilians were killed!

Muthur In a small village in the area of Muthur, 14 people were shot and killed. 3 women among them were raped by the Sri Lankan soldiers and then killed by the military.
Local Media
> Sep 11, 1984 Sixteen Tamils were killed and 10 injured

Vavuniya A long distance coach was hijacked near Vavuniya, while on its way from Colombo to Jaffna, by Sri Lankan security armed forces. The coach was driven to a lonely spot on the Mannar Road, where the women and children were chased into the jungle, and the men were shot at as they attempted to flee. Sixteen Tamils were killed and 10 were injured.
-

posted August 07, 2001 12:34 PM            

Akkaraipattu Massacre: more than 90 Tamil civilians were killed!

posted August 07, 2001 12:38 PM            

http://www.tamilcanadian.com/eelam/hrights/html/Children.html
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> Nov 05, 2000 Shelling kills child, injures 12

Batticaloa A two-year old child was killed and twelve others were wounded, five of them seriously when Sri Lanka Army and Police shelled the villages of Ramespuram and Sunkankerny north of Batticaloa Sunday evening residents said. Thirteen houses were also damaged in the shelling.
TamilNet
> Sep 15, 2000 Jaffna children suffer trauma

Jaffna The most worrying aspect of the fighting for local people in Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna peninsula is the traumatic effect it has on children.
BBC
> May 2000 Women and Children - Human Rights Situation in the Tamil Homeland

Tamil Eelam There are about 19,100 widows in the Jaffna Peninsula and most are distressed by difficulties they face providing for their families. There is no programme to assist them. Recent statistics gathered by a fact finding committee in Trincomalee state that there are 6,000 war widows living in the Trincomalee district alone. In the East there are more than 8,500 widows in total, 70% of whom are between 18 and 21 years old. Their situation is often desperate and if their husbands were the sole breadwinners they are now driven to extreme poverty.
TamilCanadian
> Feb 27, 1999 SLA fire kills child

Valaichenai A four year old child was killed when the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) opened fire indiscriminately towards the village of Vinayakapuram, near Valaichenai, 32 kilometers north of Batticaloa in the early hours of the morning today.
TamilNet
> Dec 08, 1998 SLA fire kills two children

Kilaly A three month old infant and his fifteen year old brother were killed allegedly when the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) opened fire in a house at Kilaly, southeast of Jaffna last night said hospital sources in the north.
Sams
> Dec 02, 1998 Boy killed in Police shelling

Kaluthvalai A ten year old boy, Vivekanantharasa, was killed and two others were wounded when the Special Task Force (STF), of the Sri Lankan Police fired mortars from Paddiruppu bridge and Kaluthvalai in the east of the island, towards areas not under their control.
TamilNet
> Oct 17, 1998 Navy sailors rape teenager

Jaffna Three Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) personnel abducted and raped 16 year old school girl from Arasady road in Vaddukoddai, 9 km. north.west of Jaffna centre, on Saturday October 17 around 9.30 p.m, said sources there.
TamilNet
> Oct 09, 1998 'Jayasikurui' affects 15000 school children - union

Vanni At least 70 schools in the Vanni region have been either destroyed or closed down due to the Sri Lanka Army (SLA)'s ongoing 'Operation Jayasikurui', said the teachers union in Karathuraippattu, Kilinochchi district.
TamilNet
> Jul 08, 1998 Child die in hospital due to lack of medicine

Mullaitivu An eight-year old boy, M Kiriraj, bitten by a dog yesterday died of rabies in Puthukudiyiruppu hospital (Mullaitivu) as there was no anti-rabies vaccine available. Few days earlier, another Tamil baby, 3-year old Sujeevan from near by Sivanagar, also died of rabies after being bitten by a dog. The Sinhalese government since 1990 has banned food and medicine to the Tamil region.
LTTE press release
> May 08, 1998 SLA recruiting children - Opposition leader

Sri Lanka "The security forces are campaigning in schools, to encourage 15 year old school children to join the army. When I comment on this, they call me a traitor. If it is so, is Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar also a traitor, who is campaigning in foreign countries saying that LTTE is recruiting children to their forces?", asked Opposition Leader Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe in the parliament yesterday.
TamilNet, May 08, 1998
> Mar 27, 1998 Tamil boy stabbed with broken bottle in south

Moratuwa Sinhalese hooligans have stabbed to death a 15-year old Tamil boy using a broken bottle. The Tamil boy - Thiruchelvam - was working in Moratuwa (in the Sinhalese south) when he was attacked after being called a "baby Tamil Tiger". The dead boy originally came from the Nanu Oya area in the hill country.
TamilNet
> Mar 17, 1998 Six-year old girl shot dead after being asked to run

Kiran The Sinhalese army in Kiran (Batticaloa) has gunned down a 6-year old Tamil girl who had been held in their custody. Sinhalese soldiers asked her and other detained Tamils to run away from the camp, as though they had been released, but then opened fire as they ran. Peethamparam Sasikala is the dead girl.
TamilNet
> Mar 11, 1998 Child killed in SLA's retaliatory fire

Batticaloa A six year old child was killed and a man was wounded at Kiran, 20 km north of Batticaloa around 10.00 a.m. yesterday, when the Sri Lankan Army (SLA), opened up mortar and small arms fire from Paalathadi camp near the Valaichenai lagoon in retaliation to shelling by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said sources in Valaichenai.
TamilNet, March 12, 1998
> Feb 01, 1998 Amnesty deplores killing of 8 Tamil civilians by Government forces

Tampalakamam The recent report that eight Tamil civilians, including three teenagers , were deliberately shot at close range by police and home guards at Tampalakamam on 1 February is deplorable, Amnesty International declared.
Amnesty
> Jan 27, 1998 SL Army opens fire on Tamil civilians boat and kills two

Jaffna Occupying Sinhalese armed forces Saturday opened fire on a civilian boat off Jaffna's coast, killing a 12-year old Tamil boy and an elderly man of 52.
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> Nov 30, 1997 Police fire hits Vavuniya civilians

Vavuniya One child was killed and two others were wounded when Sri Lankan police opened fire indiscriminately in a suburb of Vavuniya town at around 6.00pm today. The incident occurred at the Madasami Koiladi in Vairavapuliyankulam.
TamilNet
> Oct 12, 1997 60,000 Tamil Children In Vanni Denied Right To School

Vanni Sinhalese military activities in Tamil Eelam are devastating the lives of thousands of Tamil children. The Sinhalese government denies the entry of medicines to Vanni, it blocks the transport of properly nutritious food to children and it conducts military operations which have displaced youngsters in their tens of thousands.
TamilCanadian
> Sep 05, 1997 6-Year Old Girl Gang-Raped By Jaffna Soldiers

Jaffna Sinhalese soldiers have gang-raped a six-year old Tamil girl at an army checkpoint in Atchuveli (Jaffna). The rape was so violent that the girl is currently fighting for her life in Jaffna teaching hospital. Six-year old Palanthi was stopped on her way to school by soldiers of the Kathiripai military checkpoint. She was then dragged into the confines of the checkpoint and raped by one soldier after another, leaving her with severe physical injuries. This is the second incident of its kind within a few months. Recently a twelve-year old girl from the same area was raped in a similar manner by Sri Lankan soldiers. Parents of school children in Jaffna have been compelled to chaperone their children to school and back every day to avoid such happenings.
TamilCanadian
> Sep 02, 1997 Father and baby killed in fierce shelling

Muthuaiyankaddu A Tamil man (Vinasithamby Sathasivam, 38) and his 2-year old daughter (Sathasivam Kokila) died after being hit directly by falling shells. The girl died instantly, the father later in Puthukudiyiruppu hospital. This took place on the Tamil village of Muthuaiyankaddu.
TamilNet
> Sep 01, 1997 Father And Baby Daughter Killed In Government Shelling

Nedunkerni At 2:30 am today, Nedunkerni-based Sinhalese troops launched a fierce artillery attack on the Tamil village of Muthuaiyankaddu, causing havoc among its sleeping residents. A Tamil man (Vinasithamby Sathasivam, 38) and his 2-year old daughter (Sathasivam Kokila) died after being hit directly by falling shells. The girl died instantly, the father later in Puthukudiyiruppu hospital. The 3-year old son of the man (Sathasivam Ketheesvaran) is in a critical condition in hospital along with a cousin (Nallaiyah Thavachelvan, 16) who is also critical. This artillery attack, like many others before it, was a deliberate strike at civilians. The government is trying to terrorise ordinary people to break their will to resist Sinhala occupation.
TamilCanadian
> Aug 28, 1997 Five-year old girl killed

Olumadu A Tamil girl of five was among two people killed yesterday morning when Sri Lanka's Jaya Sikurui forces heavily shelled the Vanni town of Olumadu, levelling most buildings and driving residents in panic to other areas.
TamilNet
> Aug 28, 1997 Five-Year Old Girl Killed In Fierce Shelling Of Olumadu

Olumadu A Tamil girl of five was among two people killed yesterday morning when Sri Lanka's Jaya Sikurui forces heavily shelled the Vanni town of Olumadu, levelling most buildings and driving residents in panic to other areas. Olumadu is far away from the theatre of Sri Lanka's military operations, which means the army shells were deliberately fired to harass and uproot civilians.
TamilCanadian
> Aug 06, 1997 Baby and three civilians shot dead by army

Batticaloa One of the Sri Lankan-hired Tamil mercenary groups has shot dead 4 Tamil civilians including a small baby in Senkalady (Batticaloa). The two and a half year old baby -- Sasitharan -- and his mother -- Kovinthamma (57) -- died together. Kanesan (38) and Sivaskathy (17) were the other victims.
TamilNet
> Jul 08, 1997 A Tamil boy killed in revenge attack

Amparai Armed Sinhala homeguards have killed a 14-year old Tamil boy in Amparai in revenge for an attack on troopers by LTTE forces. Troops entered the area's central camp settlements and fired on innocent civilians killing Rasalingam Sivakumar on the spot.
TamilNet
> Jul 03, 1997 Tamil school bombed, two children critical

Mankulam Low-flying Sri Lankan Kfir jets struck at a Tamil school in Munrumurippu Palapani (Mankulam) yesterday.
TamilNet
> Jul 02, 1997 Tamil School Bombed - Two Children Critical

Mankulam Low-flying Sri Lankan Kfir jets struck at a Tamil school in Munrumurippu Palapani (Mankulam) today. Bombs and rockets blasted the building which was also housing displaced people. The attack which took place at 7.30 am has critically injured two Tamil girls. One girl is Muniandy Nirmalaranee, the other has not yet been identified. The incident resembles one which occurred during the government's recent operation to occupy Jaffna. On that occasion dozens of school children were killed at a place called Nargakoil and foreign aid workers on the ground confirmed the tragedy. Sri Lanka continues such assaults on civilians with impunity.
TamilCanadian
> Jun 25, 1997 A hindu temple damages - 6 children injured

Mankindimalai Six Tamil children - the youngest 12 years - are seriously injured after army shelling of a Hindu temple on Monday. The artillery attack came at 8.15 in the evening while the children were engaged in devotions. Sri Lanka's assault was launched from its military camps at Mankindimalai and targeted at Kumulamunai Kottukinattady Nagathambiran temple. The temple itself was badly damaged. The children injured are: Koinath (male, 12); S. Piratheepan (male, 16); Pirahalathan (male, 14); Sasikumar (male, 16); Vijitha (female, 16); Menaka (female, 18).
TamilNet
> Jun 1997 Sri Lanka army shells refugee camp in Batticaloa - killed civilians

Batticaloa - A shell fired at the Peithlai refugee camp killed 15 year-old Nadarasa Premavathy in mid-June. Indiscriminate shelling by security forces has caused many deaths. In a letter to President Kumaratunge, Batticaloa MP K Thurairajasingham says that the Army shelled Puthukudyiruppu on 2 June following a LTTE attack in Karuvakerni, killing a woman, injuring 18 others and damaging 50 houses.
British Refugee Council
> May 15, 1997 Nedunkerni shelling: 5 killed

Nedunkerni The Sri Lankan army fired artillery shells into Nedunkerni town from its base in Manal Aru, killing five Tamil civilians on 15 May 1997. Three of the dead are children of whom two were sisters Vithusa, 3 and Nivetha, 2. A third sister, Ajantha,10 was injured. Vithusa was decapitated by a shell. Another child from a neighbouring house was the third killed. P. Supathira, who was pregnant, died in hospital from severe abdominal injuries. 22-year old V. Priyatharsini was also killed. Several people were wounded and admitted to Puthukudiyiruppu hospital. Nedunkerni was filling with Tamil civilians displaced by an ongoing Sri Lankan army operation in the region.
TamilCanadian
> May 15, 1997 5 Civilians (3 Children) Killed In Nedunkerni

Nedunkerni Army shelling from Manal Aru (Weli Oya) in the East has so far killed 5 Tamil civilians in Nedunkerni. Three of the dead are children, and two of these were sisters. A pregnant woman - P. Supathira - is also among the dead. Shrapnel ripped open her stomach and she later died in hospital from her wounds. Meanwhile, the mother of the two dead sisters - Vithusa (3) and Nivetha (2) - is inconsolable. Eye-witnesses say Vithusa's head was blasted 10 yards away from the rest of her body. Her older sister - Ajantha (10) - was also injured but is thankfully now out of danger. A child from a neighbouring house was another of those killed, together with a 22-year old, V. Priyatharsini. Many more residents have been admitted to Puthukudiyiruppu hospital suffering grievous injuries.
TamilCanadian
> Mar 13, 1997 6 Tamil refugees killed in shelling

Valaichchenai Six Tamil refugees huddled inside the Valaichchenai refugee camp in Batticaloa have been struck and killed by shellfire from Valaichchenai police station.
TamilNet
> Feb 23, 1997 SLA killed 3 Tamil civilians, injured another 6

Puttur Sri Lankan soldiers rounded up Tamil residents of Annamar Koilady (Puttur) and assaulted them with iron rods and rifle butts then opened fire on nine of them, killing 3 and injuring 6. The youngest of those killed was 14, while three women were among the badly injured. They have been admitted to Jaffna hospital with severe gunshot wounds. The brutal assault on these civilians happened soon after the LTTE intercepted an army unit on patrol in the area, killing two soldiers.
TamilNet
> Feb 05, 1997 Army shelling kills a boy and another civilian

Batticaloa Sri Lankan artillery shells fired from Mavadivempu army camp (Batticaloa) have killed an 11-year old Tamil boy, Karuppaiyah Sriskumar. A middle-aged man, Sadadcharam Perinparajan, also died. Three others critically injured are from the same family :- M. Rebecca (a 2-year old baby girl), M. Ruban (5), and M. Thayapathy (26). The following six people were also badly wounded :- A. Vigendran (38), S. Selvam (68), M. Sinnamma (70), T. Thevakumar (21), K. Kapirmani (45) and P. Veluppillai (40).
TamilNet
> Jan 11, 1997 150 Tamil women and children raped

Tamil Eelam " Human rights activists claim more than 150 women, mostly minority Tamils, were raped by police and armed forces personnel last year.
South China Morning Post
> Jan 04, 1997 A family bombed by Sri Lankan Army

Samanthiaru Sri Lankan army shells targeting the Tamil village of Samanthiaru have killed an entire family. Residents of the Batticaloa village say indiscriminate artillery fire was launched from Vuvunathivu army camp creating mayhem and panic. The Sri Lankan army seems to have stepped up its bombing of Tamil residential villages in recent months. The unfortunate victims of this incident were a recently married couple and their first child. Their names were Krishanapillai Pavalasingam (25), Pama (25) and Jeevitha (1).
News from Tamil Eelam
> Nov 12, 1996 Child Rape by Sri Lanka Army

Atchuvely Selverajah Theenuka is a 10 year old Tamil I-Iindu girl, living in Pathmeni, Atchuvely on the Jaffna Peninsula. A Sth grade student, she was on her way to school last Tuesday (l2th November 96). At 8.15, she was abducted by Sri Lankan soldiers and taken to the Sri Lankan army's Puttur V.C. camp. There, she was stripped and raped repeatedly by Sinhala soldiers. When they had finished, the soldiers released
HURT
> Nov 12, 1996 A 10 year old girl Thenuka was raped!

Atchuvely Selverajah Theenuka is a 10 year old Tamil Hindu girl, living in Pathmeni, Atchuvely on the Jaffna Peninsula. A 5th grade student, she was on her way to school last Tuesday (12th November 96). At 8.15, she was abducted by Sri Lankan soldiers and taken to the Sri Lankan army's Puttur V.C. camp. There, she was stripped and raped repeatedly by Sinhala soldiers. When they had finished, the soldiers released the child.
HURT
> Jul 24, 1996 7 Tamil civilians killed another 20 injured

Mallavi, Vanni At least 7 civilians including a 3 year old child and women were killed and more than 20 people injured when the Sri Lankan Air Force bomebrs bombed the heavily populated Mallavi junction in vanni.
Local Media
> Apr 20, 1996 Sri Lanka Kfir jets kill Tamil civilians in Jaffna peninsula

Jaffna peninsula On 20 April 1996, Sri Lankan Kfir jets bombed Muhammalai in the Jaffna peninsula. Ramasamy Aruljayanthy lost her father, her older sister and her niece in the attack. This is a translation of her account of the attack.
TamilNet
> Mar 16, 1996 Seventeen Tamil civilians, mostly children killed

Nachchikuda Seventeen Tamil civilians, mostly children and the aged were killed by Sri Lanka helicopter gunships on 16 March 1996 in the village of Nachchikuda in the East. About sixty were seriously injured. The affected people had earlier fled Jaffna when their homes came under military attack during the time the Sri Lankan armed forces launched a military offensive to capture Jaffna from October 1995 to December 1995. Particulars of the 16 killed, released by official sources in Nachchikuda were:
AP
> Feb 11, 1996 Kumarapuram Massacres: 24 civilians killed!

Kumarapuram Sri-Lankan troops from the 57th mile post near kilivetti massacred 24 Tamil civilians and severely injured 28 others following the killing of two of their colleagues in combat with the LTTE. Four succumbed to their injuries and later died in hospital. One of those killed was a heavily pregnant woman. 17 year old A. Thanalakshmi was gang raped by soldiers before being killed. Among those killed were seven children under the age of 12, the youngest being 3 years old. Troops had prevented the injured from being taken away for medical treatment until 9.30 the following morning.
Collection
> Sep 22, 1995 Nagerkoil School bombed 25 school goinghildren were among 71 Tamil civilians killed.

Nagerkoil On 22 September Nagerkoil Central School in the Jaffna peninsula was bombed. The intensified aerial bombing and shelling by Sri Lankan government forces came about within hours of the government's imposition of Press Censorship midnight September 21. The bombing of the school happened at12.50 p.m. during the school's lunch break when several of the school children were gathered under a shade tree in the school compound. 25 school going children were among 40 Tamil civilians killed on the spot. Twelve were six and seven year olds. Nearly 200 others were injured, most of them students in the same school. Elsewhere in the area, 15 other civilians were also killed in the course of the same bombing raids. The scene of the attack was visited by the International Red Cross. Pieces of human flesh were strewn around the area including the tree branches, making identification impossible. The total death toll later increased to 71.
Collection
> May 06, 1995 Army fired indiscriminately into Tamil village says Amnesty

Pulmodai "Five Muslim civilians, including a 2 year old child, 1 10 year old child, a 23 year old woman, a 56 year old man and a 70 year old woman, were killed when members of the army stationed at Pulmodai retaliated against local civilians on 6 May 1995. A local member of parliament alleges that the retaliation occurred several hours after an attack by the LTTE during the night on a sentry point at Arafath Nagar, Pulmodai. In the LTTE attack, 5 soldiers were killed. According to a statement issued by the operational headquarters of the Ministry of Defence in Colombo, quoted in the Island newspaper of 8 May 1995, four civilians had been 'caught in the crossfire'.
Amnesty
> Jun 12, 1991 Kokaddicholai massacre: 82 Tamils were killed

Batticaloa District. This massacre took place in the villages of Kokaddicholai, Mahiladai Teevu and Muthalai Kuddah in the Batticaloa District. Nearly 450 houses were looted and burnt. Some were burnt alive by the rampaging armed forces of the Sri Lankan Government. Many were barbarously clubbed and hacked to death.
-
> Oct 16, 1990 At least 7 people killed

Semmalai, Mullaitivu At 4a.m 7 refugee boats set out from Thiriyai in Trincomalee to Mullaitivu in the north. The boats were attacked by Naval gun boats. One refugee boat drowned. 4 men, 2 women and a small boy died. One man has escaped by swimming to the shore. The fate of other 6 boats are not known.
Local Media
> Oct 13, 1990 3 Tamil people were killed, 5 injured

Uddupiddi, Jaffna At 12 Noon, a bomber plane dropped bombs on udupiddy junction. The killed civilians are 1.Thanabalasingam Thanaraja, age 8 from urikadu.2. nadaraja Kumararaja age 13 from udupiddy.3. Mohanarasa, age 15 from Udupiddy, 5 seriously injured.
Local Media
> Oct 07, 1990 52 Tamil civilians were killed

Vantharumulai, Amparai At least 52 Tamil civilians including several women and children were killed by Sri Lankan military personnel in Vantharumulai, Amparai. 40 dead bodies of men and women were found inside the wells in the area around Vantharumulai University refugee camp. Those who went to their villages from the refugee camp to see their houses and have bath have been killed and thrown into the wells. The bodies had deep wounds inflicted by knives. The bodies of young women bore the marks of been raped. After the refugees evacuated the Vandarumulai University refugee camp, 12 dead bodies of Tamil civilians were found inside the University premises.
Local Media
> Sep 24, 1990 16 Tamil civilians were hacked to death

Puthukudirupu, Batticoloa 16 Tamil civilians including children and women were hacked to death by STF(Special Task Force) commandoes along with Muslim homeguards in Puthukudirupu, Batticoloa. Another at least 17 people were injured.
Local Media
> Sep 14, 1990 One Tamil youth killed

Thopur, Moothur Motor shell fired from the Trincomalee army camp fell inside the Pallikudiyiruppu refugee camp. Vairamuththu Malar, 12 year old girl died. 3 injured.
Local Media
> Aug 18, 1990 20 Tamil civilians were killed

Sorikalmunai 20 Tamil civilians were killed in this village by Muslim home guards. Tem of them were shot and killed. Another ten were children below the age of 5 months killed in a brutal manner. Their heads were smashed to a Temple wall. These killings were carried out by Muslim homeguards.
Local Media
> Aug 18, 1990 91 Tamil civilians were massacred

Veeramunai Sinhala homeguards supported by the Sri lankan soldiers entered into this village and massacred 91 Tamil civilians, which includes several children under the age of 15 and women. More than 125 people were injured in this brutual incident.
Local Media
> Jan 25, 1986 Kilinochchi railway station massacre - 12 killed

Kilinochchi At least twelve Tamil civilians were shot and killed and several others injured on 25 January 1986 as Sri Lankan soldiers fired indiscriminately at about 75 passengers waiting to biard a train at Kilinochchi railway station. The dead included four women and two children.
Source: TIC - Extrajudicial and Arbitrary killings, Jan 1987; p33

TIC
> Jan 05, 1985 Sri Lankan troops killed 8 Tamils

Mannar Sri Lankan troops killed 8 Tamils outside of a Vankalar Catholic church, near the town of Mannar. The parish priest was also killed as he attempted to open the chapel doors.Thereafter, soldiers broke into the chapel, reportedly killing two boys, ages 12 and 14, who had been living with the priest.
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> Apr 03, 1983 A 4 year old child and another civilian killed

Eravur A Tamil child four years old and a man of 45 were both killed after Eravur police went on a rampage firing mortars and bullets at surrounding Tamil villages. The attack on these innocent Tamils was in revenge for an earlier LTTE strike against security forces. The killed were identified as Pathmanathan Sanjeevan (aged 45) Thambapillai Jayadevi (aged 4)
TamilNet

posted August 07, 2001 12:40 PM            

http://www.tamilcanadian.com/eelam/hrights/html/Disappearance.html

Over 18,000 arrested under ER, PTA in 2000

Sri Lanka More than 18000 persons, mostly Tamils, were arrested under the draconian Emergency Regulations (ER) and the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) last year said a senior human rights worker in Colombo Wednesday. "The press in Colombo reported 13514 arrests under the ER and PTA from January to November 2000. More than forty percent of the arrests under the ER and PTA are not reported by the press here.
TamilNet
> Jan 13, 2001 Mannar citizens’ committee lists killed, missing

Mannar Thirty two civilians were killed due to the actions of the Sri Lankan security forces while twelve were reported missing in Mannar from January to December 2000 according to statistics released Saturday by the Citizens’ Committee for the district. The Committee said that hundred and forty three civilians were arrested by the Sri Lankan security forces in this period and that only 70 of these have been released so far.
TamilNet
> Jan 04, 2001 152 arrested, 73 missing in Jaffna in 2000

Jaffna Seventy three civilians were reported missing in the Jaffna peninsula from January to September in 2000 according to a report put out by the Human Rights Commission in Jaffna Thursday. The report said that 152 persons were arrested by the Sri Lankan security forces during this period. Four hundred and twenty one civilians were wounded and hundred and thirty one were killed in Jaffna last year due to the war, the report adds. Of these 156 were wounded and 26 were killed in the month of May alone according to the HRC report.
TamilNet
> Oct 27, 2000 Amnesty concerned over new "disappearances"

Sri Lanka The Amnesty International Thursday issued a statement expressing its concern for safety of two Tamil youths who were arrested by the Sri Lanka Army soldiers earlier this month in Vavuniya.
TamilNet
> Oct 02, 2000 Protest in eastern Sri Lanka to mark the "disappearance" of army detainees

Batticaloa A hartal—a full-day strike coupled with the closure of shops—took place on September 5 in the Batticaloa district in the east of Sri Lanka to mark the anniversary of the “disappearance” of 174 people seized by armed forces at the Eastern University refugee camp in 1990.
WSWS
> Oct 02, 2000 Protest in eastern Sri Lanka to mark the "disappearance" of army detainees

Batticoloa A hartal—a full-day strike coupled with the closure of shops—took place on September 5 in the Batticaloa district in the east of Sri Lanka to mark the anniversary of the “disappearance” of 174 people seized by armed forces at the Eastern University refugee camp in 1990.
WSWS
> Aug 31, 2000 "General deterioration in human rights" - Amnesty

Sri Lanka In a letter sent to the President of Sri Lanka Thursday, Amnesty International urged investigations into an increasing number of "disappearances" reported over the last two weeks in northern Sri Lanka. "These "disappearances" have taken place in the context of a general deterioration in human rights following the introduction of emergency regulations in May 2000," Amnesty said.
TamilNet
> Aug 31, 2000 "Disappearances" on the rise

Sri Lanka In a letter sent to the President of Sri Lanka today, Amnesty International urged investigations into an increasing number of "disappearances" reported over the last two weeks in northern Sri Lanka.
AI
> Aug 29, 2000 Bodies of missing villagers found

Batticaloa Bodies of two villagers who were reported 'missing' after they went to collect fire-wood in the jungles of Maya Oya, about 45 km south-west of Batticaloa town, on 22 August were recovered in decomposed state on Monday said sources.
TamilNet
> Aug 22, 2000 Amnesty concerned over new "disappearances"

Sri Lanka Amnesty International said Monday it was concerned for two Tamil men who have been reported "disappeared" after being arrested by Sri Lanka Army soldiers in Vavuniya this month.
TamilNet
> Jul 19, 2000 Torture, "disappearances" and deaths in custody increase - Amnesty

Sri Lanka An increase in torture, "disappearances" and deaths in custody have been reported in Sri Lanka since new emergency regulations were introduced by the President in May 2000 the Amnesty International said in a report on Sri Lanka released Wednesday.
TamilNet
> Jul 07, 2000 Disappearance in Mannar

Mannar Arumugam Ramanathan (30) from the Thotavelli village in Mannar, who went to Mannar town to repair his water pump on the 1st of July, has not returned home, said his mother Arumugam Valliammai in a complaint filed with the Citizen's Committee in Mannar.
TamilNet
> Jul 06, 2000 Unable to trace disappeared -HRC, AI

Vavuniya The Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Vavuniya has not been able to find the whereabouts of 17 people who have been reported 'missing' or arrested by the Sri Lankan security forces during the first six months of this year, said Mr.Sreetharan, the chairman of the Commission. He said HRC received 303 complaints during the period. Meanwhile human rights organisation, the Amnesty International (AI), issued a press release Wednesday expressing its concern over the safety of Thambiah Wijayakumar, 24, who was arrested on 22 June in Vavuniya.
TamilNet
> Jun 29, 2000 HRC investigates disappearances

Sri Lanka Four young men have been reported missing according to complaints made by their relatives with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Vavuniya. The Chairman of the Human Rights Commission in Vavuniya, Mr. Sreetharan said they were trying to trace the whereabouts of the missing persons.
TamilNet
> Jan 22, 2000 2000 arrested in Colombo search

Colombo More than 2000 Tamils were arrested in a massive cordon and search operation in Kolonnawa, a suburb of Colombo, and in Gampaha district, today. The combined operation by the Sri Lanka Army and Police began in the early hours of the morning after enforcing a ten-hour curfew.
TamilNet
> Jan 12, 2000 Hundreds of Tamils rounded up in security dragnet of Sri Lankan capital

Colombo Hundreds of Tamils were rounded up last week in a security sweep through the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo last Friday following a suicide bomb attack outside the Prime Minister's office and the assassination of a leading Tamil politician, Kumar Ponnambalam, on January 5.
WSWS
> Jan 06, 2000 Youth missing after arrest

Batticaloa A 22 year old youth arrested by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers from the Valaichenai Harbour View camp has been reported 'missing' according to his parents. SLA officials, when contacted by Batticaloa parliamentarian Mr.Pararajasingham, has denied the arrest of the youth.
TamilNet
> Dec 31, 1999 Fate of half Jaffna's missing unknown: NHRC

Jaffna The fate of about 50 percent of the 147 persons, who were reported missing to National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the Jaffna Dsitrict, in 1999,are not known, according to human rights sources in the northern town.
TamilNet
> Dec 08, 1999 4 boys missing in Jaffna

Jaffna Four schoolboys have been reported 'missing' by their parents in the Thenmaradchi Division of the Jaffna Peninsula, said sources. The parents have informed the Human Rights Commission and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials, the sources said. According to HRC sources the students are from Kachchai road of Kodikamam. Thangamailan Mayooran,17, G.C.E (A/L) is a student at the Chavakachcheri Hindu College. The other three, Velnayagam Maran,Sinnathamby Mathiyalakan, Thambirasa Latheeswaran, are students of Thirunavukkarasu Maha Vidyalayam.
TamilNet
> Dec 05, 1999 Report of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances

Sri Lanka STATISTICAL SUMMARY
Tamil Sangam
> Dec 04, 1999 Report on Jaffna disappearances

Jaffna The Sri Lankan Government said today that in the final analysis regarding complaints of disappearances in the Jaffna peninsula, 16 people were ascertained as dead, 201 were found in prisons and there was no evidence at all in respect of 174, even to commence inquiries.
TamilNet
> Nov 26, 1999 Missing 'cannot be traced'

Jaffna Letters of regret from Defense Ministry officials have been sent to 355 parents and relatives of persons who disappeared in the Jaffna district after the Sri Lanka Army (SLA)'s operation to capture the northern peninsula in 1995, human rights sources said.
TamilNet
> Oct 09, 1999 Three Tamils from border village missing

Ampara Three Tamil villagers were reported missing in the south-eastern Ampara districts after being arrested by Sinhala homeguards yesterday, human rights sources said.
TamilNet
> Mar 17, 1999 Residents express apprehension

Vanni Residents of Iranai Iluppaikulam, which was captured by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) recently, told journalists who visited the area yesterday that they are afraid that "disappearances" will occur as the SLA continues screening for Tiger suspects.
TamilNet
> Feb 09, 1999 Fishermen shot, refugee disappears

Batticaloa The Forum for Dignity has brought to the notice of the Anti-Harassment Committee the disappearance of a displaced person residing at Valaichchenai refugee camp. In a letter to the Secretary of the government appointed committee, the Secretary of the Forum for Dignity said that on 27 February 1999, three persons namely Vaithilingam Paramanathan, Sinnathamby Sivasubramaniam and Joseph Marcellin went to the Vadamunai Road pond, which is at the border of Batticaloa to catch fish.
TamilNet
> Jan 05, 1999 Disappearances continue in Jaffna

Jaffna An official from the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna said that 201 people were arrested during the last year. In 67 of the cases the relatives of the detained were not given any confirmation of the arrest. These arrests were made by both the security forces and the Eelam People's Democratic Party. Four of the sixty have been confirmed dead, the official added. Meanwhile, Sinnathamby Thavarajah, from Nallur in Jaffna, has been reported missing since new years day. His relatives said that he went to Chavakachcheri and did not return home. They have made an entry at the HRC.
TamilNet
> Nov 07, 1998 Disappearances recur in Jaffna

Jaffna Human rights sources in Jaffna said today that there has been a recent increase in the incidence of arrest and detention of youths.
TamilNet
> Oct 27, 1998 Four Batticaloa youths abducted

Batticaloa Four Tamil youths were abducted by a group of unidentified armed men in Kalmunai, 37 km south of Batticaloa, yesterday around 4.00 a.m, said human rights sources there.
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> Oct 06, 1998 Disappearances may be reprisals

Chenkalady Twenty four Tamils are reported missing in the village of Koppaveli, 30 kilometers north west of Batticaloa from the early hours of the morning today said Divisional Secretary (DS) of Chenkalady.
TamilNet
> Sep 10, 1998 Two people missing after arrest

Colombo "My family is very poor, and my husband, Poopalapillai (41), used to work for daily wages, until he left for Saudi Arabia two months ago for a better paid job. I wouldn't have sent my son to Colombo if I knew his fate would be like this", says 35 year old Arulampikai, a mother of three, after failing to find the whereabouts of her son, Poopalapillai Suthakaran (18).
TamilNet
> Jul 17, 1998 Two Tamil civilians abducted!

Nedunkerni Two civilians who went to inspect their abandoned homes in army occupied Nedunkerni on July 12 were abducted by the Sinhala army stationed there. Vairamuthu Gopalakrishnan (31) and Shanmugarasa Jeyachandiran (22) are the two civilians who have disappeared.
LTTE press release
> May 30, 1998 Missing persons found dead

Mannar Three bodies of the four civilians who were reported missing since May 24 in Murunkan in the Mannar district have been found the Murunkan Police informed the Mannar District judge today.
TamilNet, May 30, 1998
> Apr 23, 1998 Investigations into more than 700 "disappearances" should be made public - AI

Sri Lanka Investigations into more than 700 "disappearances" should be made public The Government of Sri Lanka should promptly make public and disseminate widely the findings of an investigation into more than 700 "disappearances" reported in 1996 in Jaffna, northeast Sri Lanka, which the investigation panel presented to President Chandrika Kumaratunga yesterday, Amnesty International urged today.
Amnesty
> Apr 22, 1998 Amnesty campaigns against 'disappearance' of children

Batticaloa Amnesty International in its "South Asia:Action for Children" campaign launched on 22 April 1998, campaigned against the 'disappearance' of children after being detained by Sri Lanka's security forces. The campaign statement declared:
Amnesty
> Apr 09, 1998 Youths missing after arrest

Koyilporatheevu Five youths were taken into custody by home guards at Koyilporatheevu, 25 km north-west Batticaloa on March 31, while they were catching hares in the paddy fields and shrubs in the area, said sources in Batticaloa. The five youths, who are from Aliyarvattai in the 35th Colony of the Gal Oya scheme, were arrested when they crossed into the village of 36th Colony.
TamilNet, April 09, 1998
> Apr 06, 1998 Body of fisherman washed ashore another two missing

Mullaithivu The body of one of the four fishermen who were reported missing yesterday following an attack by the Sri Lankan Navy in the seas off the Mullaithivu coast was washed ashore today. He was identified as Muththu Ranganathan,32, displaced from Aliyawalai on Jaffna's south eastern coast and the father of five children. His body was washed ashore around 9 a.m. this morning according to reports from Mullaithivu.
TamilNet, April 06, 1998
> Apr 02, 1998 13,000 disappearances in 7 years: MP

Eastern Province "Thirteen thousand people have disappeared in the Eastern Province since 1990. There are 8,500 widows in the East of whom 70% are between 18 and 21 years [old]. There are 6000 orphans," said Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) MP Joseph Pararajasingham at a meeting held this week at the Ramakrishna Mission in Colombo organised by the Past Pupils of Northeast District Schools Organisation.
TamilNet
> Apr 02, 1998 13,000 disappearances in 7 years: MP

Eastern Province "Thirteen thousand people have disappeared in the Eastern Province since 1990. There are 8,500 widows in the East of whom 70% are between 18 and 21 years [old]. There are 6000 orphans," said Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) MP Joseph Pararajasingham at a meeting held this week at the Ramakrishna Mission in Colombo organised by the Past Pupils of Northeast District Schools Organisation.
TamilNet
> Mar 18, 1998 Parents of the Missing die of grief

Jaffna The Missing Persons Guardian's Association of Jaffna (MPGA-J) states that the number of parents who die out of grief for their children who were arrested by the SLA and are still missing is on the increase in the Jaffna peninsula.
TamilNet, March 18, 1998
> Mar 11, 1998 Amnesty appeals yet again on further Tamil 'disappearances'

Vavuniya Amnesty International issued the following appeal for the following the disappearances of the below four Tamil men:
Amnesty
> Feb 06, 1998 71 Tamil civilians registered missing - red cross

Mullaitivu A Red Cross report says 71 Tamil civilians were registered missing since last year, after they were arrested by the Sri Lankan army in occupied parts of Mullaitivu district, close to the A9 trunk road. Although this is the official number registered, the actual number of missing could be far more, a Red Cross official said.
TamilNet
> Jan 23, 1998 Two Tamils Taken away by SL army disappeared

Vavuniya Two Tamils arrested and taken away by the Sinhalese army from the military-run Poomthoddam detention centre in Vavuniya on 23 January have disappeared. The two - Tharmalingam Balasingam (22) and Kathirgamathaby Senthilnathan (23) - had been travelling from Vannni when they were detained at the camp. Relatives fear they have been killed by the military as the army has denied taking them away when asked by politicians who took the case up on behalf of the missing persons' relatives.
TamilNet
> 1998 Parents protest to Human Rights Commision

Jaffna Parents of 23 persons who disappeared after they were arrested by the army in villages in the Thenmaradchi Division of the Jaffna Peninsula in July last year, lodged their complaints with the Human Rights Commission in Jaffna town yesterday.
TamilNet, January 13, 1998
> Dec 10, 1997 Satyagraha at Nallur temple

Nallur The Missing Persons' Guardian Association of Jaffna (MPGA-J)went on its token satyagraha protest at the Nallur Kandasamy temple today.
TamilNet, December 10, 1997
> Dec 10, 1997 Asian Human Rights Commission reports on protests against disappearances...

Colombo "A protest rally and picketing was held in front of the main railway station in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, on International Human Rights Day, 10 December 1997, to bring to the attention of the public and the government the disappearances issue. The fate of about 600 people who disappeared from Jaffna Peninsula in recent times is unknown. The general suspicion is that they were killed after their arrests. The protest was supported by the Nava Lanka Samasamja Party and a government Member of Parliament, Vasudeva Nanayakkara.
Human Rights Solidarity
> Dec 1997 Disappearances in the North follow the pattern set earlier in the South...

Sri Lanka The 'disappearnce' of Tamils in the North followed the pattern set by previous Sri Lanka government in suppressing the rebellion in the South. The Asian Human Rights Commission commented in December 1997 that though 16,742 cases of disaapearances in the South had been established, the present Government had taken no action yet.
Human Rights Solidarity
> Nov 27, 1997 Continuing spectre of "disappearances" in Sri Lanka - Amnesty

Jaffna "An Amnesty International delegation which visited Sri Lanka recently has concluded that of the 600-odd people who have "disappeared" in the last 18 months after their arrest by the security forces, nearly all have died as a result of torture or been deliberately killed in detention....
Amnesty
> Nov 18, 1997 Appeal to ICRC over disappeared

Jaffna The organisation for the arrested and the disappeared in Jaffna will hand over a petition today to the Sri Lanka desk head of the International Committee for the Red Cross who is currently on a duty tour in Sri Lankan.
TamilNet
> Nov 14, 1997 protest fast in Jaffna

Jaffna A protest fast by the organisation for the arrested and the missing in Jaffna was successfully concluded this evening in the Perumal Kovil grounds. The satyagraha was addressed by Somasundara Paramacharya Swamikal - a Hindu priest. About five hundred people attended the protest fast.
Local Media
> Oct 25, 1997 Biggest ever search operation in Colombo

Colombo A massive combined security forces operation was launched in the city and suburbs of Colombo in the early hours of the morning today. The Sri Lankan army, Navy, Airforce and Police completely sealed all entrances to the city by 1.00 am.
TamilNet
> Oct 10, 1997 Navy Stalks Tamil Fishermen, 8 Missing

- Fast-attack Sinhalese naval craft moved in and attacked unarmed Tamil fishermen of Mullaitivu's fishing villages leaving them no chance of escape. In the incident, 8 fishermen have gone missing, 5 fishing boats were deliberately set ablaze by the Sinhalese attackers and 20 more boats were damaged.
TamilCanadian
> Oct 09, 1997 22 Tamil civilians go missing within 7-days

Kilinochchi Since 2 October, 22 Tamil civilians who went to recover belongings from their former homes in parts of Kilinochchi (in places just outside areas of Sinhalese army occupation) have been abducted by Sinhalese troops and not been seen since. The victims are from Santhapuram, Selvapuram, Vasanthapuram and Murikandy. The next of kin of these victims have appealed for help from the ICRC at its Mallavi office.
TamilNet
> Oct 09, 1997 More Kilinochchi disappearances

Kilinochchi At least twenty two Tamil civilians who returned to inspect their homes which they had fled ahead of a Sri Lankan army offensive disappeared in areas just outside positions held by the army. Their homes were in Santhapuram, Vasanthapuram, Murikandy and Selvapuram. They are believed to have been arrested and disappeared by Sri Lankan troops, as they have never been seen since. Their relatives lodged appeals with the ICRC in Mallavi.
Local Press
> Sep 28, 1997 Relatives of Jaffna's 'disappeared' protest

Jaffna Parents and relatives of Tamil civilians who have 'disappeared' in Sri Lankan army custody staged a protest on Sunday in the premises of Jaffna's St. James Church, and vowed to continue their struggle for justice. Several hundred Tamils have disappeared after being arrested by the Sri Lankan army, which captured the Jaffna peninsula in early 1996.
TamilNet
> Sep 22, 1997 500 Jaffna Tamil women stage sympolic fast

Jaffna The Women's Union of Jaffna - formed to trace the whereabouts of 750 Tamil civilians who disappeared after military arrest - have expressed grief and dismay that the Sri Lankan government does not intend carrying out legal proceedings against military offenders.
TamilNet
> Sep 16, 1997 Headless body found near army camp

Siththandy The headless body of a Tamil man arrested earlier by the Sinhala military during a routine round-up as been found 200 yards from the Siththandy army camp. S. Chinnadurai was twenty-six years old with two children. He was a resident of Siththandy (Batticaloa).
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> Sep 03, 1997 Justice will not be done unless commissions of inquiry into past violations are made public

Sri Lanka The Government of Sri Lanka should make public the reports of the three commissions of inquiry into past human rights violations, Amnesty International said as the commissions handed over their final reports to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga today.
Amnesty
> Aug 30, 1997 122 people killed in Kilinochchi in 2 months!

Kilinochchi The Confederation of People's Organisations, based in Vanni, compiled a list of 122 Tamil civilians who had been murdered by Sri Lankan troops operating in the vicinity of Kilinochchi town and its surroundings.
Local Media
> Aug 29, 1997 Disturbing number of disappearances says UN Special Rapporteur

Sri Lanka "A disturbing number of people have disappeared during Sri Lanka's 14-year war against Tamil separatists, a senior United Nations (UN) official said on Friday. ``There is still a very painful and difficult human rights issue in northern Jaffna peninsula,'' said Bacre Waly Ndiaye, the UN's Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.
Reuters
> Aug 10, 1997 5 people disappeared in Murasumoddai

Murasumoddai Five Tamil civilians who went to inspect their former homes in Murasumoddai, Kilinochchi (which they had fled when the Sri Lankan army captured the area) disappeared. They had returned to recover their belongings from their homes. Relatives who went in search of them say they found their bicycles and some of their clothing. The five civilians have not been seen since and the families are uncertain if they are prisoners of the Sri Lankan army or dead.
TamilCanadian
> Jul 12, 1997 Navy attacks fishing boats: 10 Tamils Killed!

off Mullaitivu coast Fast Attack Craft (FACs) of the Sri Lankan Navy approached and attacked a group of fishing boats off the Mullaitivu coast. The fishermen abandoned their boats and nets and swam back to the shore. At least 10 Tamil fishermen went missing during the attack.
TamilCanadian
> Jun 11, 1997 Parents of the disappeared appeal to the president

Tamil Eelam Hundreds of Tamil parents of children recently 'disappeared' by Sinhala armed forces in Jaffna have sent a strong letter to Sinhala president Chandrika Kumaratunga, asking to meet her face to face.
TamilNet
> May 1997 Fate of 656 Tamils who 'disappeared' in 1996 not yet known but Tamils continue to 'disappear'

Jaffna "TAMIL MP A Thangathurai told Parliament in early May that disappearances in Jaffna are continuing and called for urgent government action to end growing fear and uncertainty among the peninsula’s population.
British Refugee
> Apr 20, 1997 Amnesty Urgent Action Appeal on continuing "disappearances"

Rukam "Kandiah Sivakumar, aged 20 Kanagasabai Ravichandran, aged 20
Kandiah Sivakumar and Kanagasabai Ravichandran, two firewood sellers from Rukam village, have been reported 'disappeared' after they were taken into custody by the army near the Black Bridge, Chenkalady, Batticaloa district on 20 April 1997.
Amnesty
> Apr 11, 1997 HIGHEST NUMBER OF “DISAPPEARANCES” REPORTED SINCE 1990

Sri Lanka The level of “disappearances” in Sri Lanka has hit a new high, Amnesty International warned as the United Nations Commission on Human Rights examined the country's human rights record.
Amnesty
> Apr 11, 1997 Amnesty warns that "disappearances" in Sri Lanka highest since 1990

Sri Lanka "The level of "disappearances" in Sri Lanka has hit a new high, Amnesty International warned as the United Nations Commission on Human Rights examined the country's human rights record.
Amnesty
> Mar 15, 1997 '650 Jaffna Disappearences' - Human Rights Force Admits

Jaffna An official of the government's own Human Rights Task Force (HRTF), Nalinda Indathissa, has acknowledged the 'disappearance' of at least 650 Tamils from army-controlled Jaffna. While the HRTF remains a token body set up chiefly to assuage the international community, and though it has itself come in for severe criticism from international bodies for its gross ineffectiveness, its admission of so many hundreds of army-related disappearances ought to be an eye-opener about the scale of harassment Tamils are facing in their own land.
TamilCanadian
> Feb 15, 1997 Pathmini's agonising ordeal - a 'disappearance' case study

Chavakachcheri Marwaan Macan-Markar reported in the Sinhala owned Sri Lanka Sunday Leader on February 15, 1998: "Pathmini was pregnant at the time with her second son. The nine soldiers who visited her house in Chavakachcheri had come in search of a man named 'Sresberan'. They took her husband 'Sreskeran' for he had a name that sounded close to the one they were looking for.....
Sunday Leader
> 1997 Tamil M.P. Joseph Pararajasingham on Human Rights Violations in Batticaloa

Batticaloa Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, Member of Parliament & Leader of the TULF Parliamentary Group in a written appeal to the United States in August 1997 declared:
TamilCanadian
> Dec 01, 1996 "Justice has fled the entire system"

Sri Lanka The country looked forward to an end to the anarchy and state sponsored counter- anarchy that came to be the hallmark of Lankan politics and society in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
Sunday Leader
> Aug 14, 1996 HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION AT A CRITICAL JUNCTURE

Sri Lanka Two years since it came to power, the People's Alliance government continues to tolerate human rights violations while refusing to take the crucial steps needed to ensure that human rights protection becomes a reality in Sri Lanka, Amnesty International said today.
Amnesty
> 1996 More than 600 Tamils disappeared in 18 months in Jaffna - AI

Jaffna An Amnesty International delegation which visited Sri Lanka recently has concluded that of the 600-odd people who have "disappeared" in the last 18 months after their arrest by the security forces, nearly all have died as a result of torture or been deliberately killed in detention.
Amnesty
> Aug 03, 1992 18 Tamils Disappeared in Karadiyanaru

Karadiyanaru Sri Lankan army troops arrested 26 Tamil farmers working in their fields in the Karadiyanaru area on 3 August 1992. Six if them were later admitted to Batticaloa hospital with gunshot wounds, two escaped with minor injuries from SLA custody. The whereabouts of the other 18 are not known. The SLA arrested the farmers following a confrontation between its troops and Tamil guerrillas in Karadiyanaru in which 14 soldiers are said to have been killed.
Tamil Nation- 15 Feb. 1992; p3.
> Dec 25, 1990 15 Tamil refugees were killed

Clappenberg, Trincomalee The Tamil refugees from the Clappenberg, Trincomalee refugee camp were taken away by the Sri Lankan army. Their fate is not known. They are presumed dead.
Local Media
> Dec 14, 1990 4 Tamil civilians killed

Valaichenai, Batticoloa TELO members tortured 4 Tamil villagers and handed them over to Sri Lankan army in Valaichenai, Batticoloa. They have disappeared without any trace. It is presumed that they are dead.
Local Media
> Sep 26, 1990 50 Tamil civilians were arrested by SL Army and disappeared

Thambiluvil, Amparai Sri Lankan Army surrounded the village, Thambiluvil in Amparai district and took away the peasants. They had disappeared without any trace.
Local Media
> Sep 24, 1990 4 Tamil civilians were arrested by Army and disappeared

Ayyathimalai, Batticoloa 4 Tamil civilians were arrested by Sri Lankan Army and disappeared without any trace.
Local Media
> Sep 21, 1990 25 Tamil civilians arrested by special Task Forces disappeared

Karaitheevu, Batticoloa 25 Tamil civilians arrested by special Task Force personnel disappeared without any trace in Karaitheevu
Local Media
> 1990 Hundreds of Tamils 'Disappear' after detention by Sri Lanka

Tamil Eelam "Hundreds of people in northeastern Sri Lanka have reportedly 'disappeared' after being detained by Sri Lankan security forces since 21 June 1990. Bodies, some of which have been identified as those of prisoners, have been dumped in several places. In Kalmunai, over 70 people were reportedly detained and then 'disappeared' after the soldiers reclaimed the town from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam... Over 30 bodies were dumped in a burnt out shop in Kalmunai, including the body of 23 year old Chandrikumar, who had been earlier taken by the security forces.. In Vavuniya on the 13th or 14th June, government forces reportedly shot and killed defenceless civilians... about 15 bodies were found on the road... hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes as fighting intensified: in early August there were over 300,000 refugees in Jaffna District alone, and fears of food shortages".
Source: Amnesty International Report, 10 July 1990

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> 1987 680 Tamils disappeared - AI

Tamil Eelam "The continuing conflict in northern and eastern Sri Lanka exacted a heavy price from the civilian population. The police and armed forces continued to kill non combatant Tamils... Of particular concern were reprisal killings by the security forces and reports that Tamil suspects taken into custody were shot or tortured to death and their bodies disposed of in secret. By the end of 1987, over 680 Tamils had reportedly 'disappeared' since 1983 and no substantive attempts had been made by the government what had happened to them."
Amnesty International Annual Report, 1988 for period January to December 1987
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> Nov 11, 1986 Periya Pullumumalai massacre: 23 killed, 21 disappeared

Periya Pullumumalai At least 20 Tamil civilians were shot and killed and several houses and shops were set on fire when security forces went on a rampage on 11 November 1986 at Periya Pullumumalai, a village in the eastern Batticaloa district.
TIC