posted September 17, 2001 08:29 PM            

The incident came less than a week after hijacked US airliners crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing an estimated 5,000 people in the world's deadliest terror attack.

Sri Lanka's defence ministry said the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which is regarded as one of the world's deadliest guerrilla groups, had staged 19 suicide attacks against the navy alone.

The LTTE's first suicide bombing was staged by a rebel known as Captain Miller who drove a truck packed with explosives into an army camp at Nelliyadi in the Jaffna peninsula on July 5, 1987 killing himself and 39 soldiers.

The LTTE's high-profile attacks against economic targets include the October 1997 suicide truck-bombing of Colombo's twin-tower World Trade Center building a week after the group was designated a "foreign terrorist organisation" by the United States.

The guerrillas have been held responsible for the May 1991 suicide assassination of Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, who had in 1987 ordered Indian troops to disarm Tiger rebels.

Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga herself escaped an suicide assassination attempt in December 1999. However, the president lost her right eye and 26 other people were killed and more than 110 were wounded.

In June this year, the LTTE's clandestine Voice of Tigers radio said 217 suicide bombers known as "Black Tigers" were among some 17,211 of their fighters who have died since the first rebel was killed in November 1982.

The authorities have estimated that more than 60,000 people have been killed over the past three decades as Tamil separatists campaigned for independence.

posted September 17, 2001 11:22 PM         

The bomb devastated the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in the most affluent part of the commercial capital. Authorities fear a number of people remain buried inside buildings that were still smouldering last night while helicopters ferried water in huge containers to pour on flames.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said two suspected Tiger rebels had been arrested. A separate statement said security forces had also seized two bomb-making kits, two automatic rifles with ammunition and two radio sets. A disposable rocket launcher was also found near the scene.

Witnesses said a lorry stopped near the bank at about 10.45am and the driver was confronted by security staff. Suddenly three people jumped out of the vehicle with guns blazing and exploded two bombs. Meanwhile, the lorry reversed into the Central Bank and blew up.

The building is only 150 yards from the palace of President Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. She is rarely in residence, however, because of security fears.

Small stalls outside the bank building which sell newspapers, cigarettes and soft drinks, and often attract crowds, bore the brunt of the explosion and disappeared in the rubble. The blast threw the whole area, packed with pedestrians and vehicles at the time, into chaos.

Other structures, including the 14-storey headquarters of the Ceylinco Group, were engulfed in flames and witnesses reported that lifts fell to the ground and large holes were punched in walls. Firefighters and security officials used cranes and helicopters to rescue workers trapped on upper floors.

One witness reported seeing people rush to the exit of one building, screaming for help. The wounded began to appear everywhere, bloodied and dazed in their office clothes. Many clung for support to walls and railings, which were quickly smeared with blood.

Many victims had been cut by flying shrapnel and glass and the marble staircase of one office building was covered with blood. The windows of the newly built 39-storey World Trade Centre, a symbol of Sri Lanka's economic aspirations, were smashed. The building's twin towers, which dominate the skyline, were still receiving finishing touches from builders. At least a dozen high-rise structures were damaged. The Indian Overseas Bank, which is opposite the Central Bank, was among those badly damaged.

It may be days before the number of dead becomes clear. The injured were taken away in convoys of buses to nearby hospitals. Police said they believed that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were avenging their humiliation when thousands of government troops drove them out of their stronghold in Jaffna City, on the northern Jaffna peninsula, two months ago.

The Tigers are likely to escalate attacks in Colombo and in the government-controlled Eastern Province now that they do not have a homeland to protect.

Anuruddha Ratwatte, the Deputy Defence Minister, said on state television yesterday: "If Velupillai Prabhakaran [the Tamil Tiger chief] thinks that by these acts he can stop our military offensive, he is dreaming. We say quite clearly that these acts will make us even more determined to destroy terrorism."

The economic consequences of the blast for Sri Lanka will be catastrophic, both through direct losses and because of lost tourism and foreign investment.

Rescue operations were hampered by fears that another bomb might be set off, a tactic often used by the Tigers to kill security forces. The city's main army base, which was attacked by the rebels late last year, is a few hundred yards from the site of the explosion.

Security has been intense in the city for several months after the biggest military operation against the Tigers in Jaffna.

posted September 17, 2001 11:25 PM         

Sri Lanka's agony mounts as dozens die in train blasts

FROM CHRISTOPHER THOMAS IN COLOMBO

DOZENS of rush-hour commuters were killed last night and more than 450 injured in explosions on a packed train seven miles south of Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital. The passengers had reboarded minutes earlier after being ordered off for a bomb search.
The blue and red diesel train, which left Colombo at 5.15pm, was standing at the small station of Dehiwela after a soldier became suspicious of a bag. Passengers were milling around on the station while bomb disposal officers hurried to the scene. Before they arrived, however, railway officials instructed the train to move away from the platform and passengers, believing this amounted to the all-clear, boarded again.

Two carriages were blown apart by what are thought to have been separate devices, and part of the station was demolished. A survivor said: "The station was filled with smoke. When it cleared, I saw people fallen all over the station."

The injured, who were found lying amid smouldering debris, were carried in cars, buses and scooter rickshaws through traffic to nearby hospitals, which are ill-equipped for such a disaster.

Last night's initial death tally of at least 67 is expected to rise substantially in coming days. One hospital treating 275 of the injured said last night that at least 70 were fighting for their lives.

It was the first big attack on Colombo by the Tamil Tigers since they tore apart the city centre with a huge lorry bomb six months ago. Several blackened, gutted and windowless tower blocks stand in testimony to the continuing power of the guerrillas to wreck the economy and spread terror.

President Kumaratunga issued a warning to the nation last night that subsidies on essentials would have to be scrapped to pay for the war, and hinted at conscription. "We will have to call on a lot of young people to fight for their country," she said.

This is a disastrous time for Sri Lanka. It became clear yesterday that the Tigers had overrun the strategic Mullai tivu army garrison on the northeastern coast, killing 1,200 personnel ­ the armed forces' greatest loss in the 13-year civil war. Indeed, it is the biggest single loss in any battle in South Asia since the region gained independence half a century ago.

Troops broke through the Tigers' lines yesterday and re-entered the base, but found only bodies after seven days of battle. The troops were combing the camp for possible booby traps.

The garrison had been looted of its substantial arsenal and the Tigers scored such a decisive victory that they were able to bring in tractors to carry away their own dead in carts.

They took away armoured vehicles, artillery pieces, hundreds of rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition. They are also believed to have taken a long-range Russian-built Antonov field gun.

The Tigers are so far admitting to more than 200 dead ­ one of their greatest single losses of the war. Most of those will be from the Jaffna peninsula in the north, the Tamil heartland, which has been under army control since early this year.

The deaths will be "celebrated" by the Tigers in elaborate ceremonies according to tradi tion, souring the mood against government forces in Jaffna, where there were signs that a hearts-and-minds campaign to win over local civilians had been succeeding. Opposition leaders denounced the Gov ernment yesterday for failing to defend the nation, despite vastly increased defence expenditure.

Mullaitivu was not as big as other garrisons in the north, such as Poonaryn and Ele phant Pass, making it a more attractive target.

posted September 17, 2001 11:26 PM         

8 killed in Sri Lankan blast at temple
January 25, 1998
Web posted at: 5:37 a.m. EDT (0537 GMT)
Damage to the temple caused by the truck bomb
KANDY, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Suicide bombers crashed through a gate and set off a truck bomb in front of Sri Lanka's holiest temple Sunday, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens of others, military and police officials said.

Among the dead were the two bombers, authorities said. Hospital officials said about 25 people, including four women police constables and a monk, were injured by the blast.

The attack comes just days before Sri Lanka is to celebrate 50 years of independence from British rule. A number of dignitaries, including Prince Charles of Britain, are expected to attend.

"The feeling is one of outrage. We see it as an attempt to disrupt the celebrations and provoke a backlash. We have to be careful how we tackle the situation," said Harindhanath Dhunuwila, Kandy's mayor.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the early morning blast in the ancient capital of Kandy, about 70 miles (112 km) west of Colombo.

However, a spokesman from the Ministry of Defense blamed the attack on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the main group seeking a homeland for the country's Tamil ethnic minority. Suicide truck bombs are a hallmark of Tamil rebels.

"A suicide squad of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ... crashed through the gate and exploded in front of the Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Tooth," the statement said.

The force of the blast left a crater in front of the temple
Hours after the blast, thousands of angry Sinhalese gathered outside the temple shouting anti-Tamil slogans. The mob then paraded around a lake in the city center and gathered outside another temple where one of the country's four main Buddhist priests lives. Priests apparently managed to calm the mob, and a large security force presence made more violence unlikely.

The LTTE is the largest rebel group in a 15-year civil war that has left an estimated 50,000 dead. The separatists claim that the Tamils have been abused by the country's Sinhalese majority.

Kandy, located in central Sri Lanka, is scheduled to host ceremonies next week to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sri Lankan independence. A government spokesman said Sunday there were no plans to cancel the celebrations.

The United National Party, the country's main opposition party, blamed the government, saying that the celebrations invite trouble.

"The government was baiting the LTTE. ... It was a foolish act," said UNP leader Ranil Wickeremasing.

The Temple of the Tooth is a symbol of Sri Lanka's independence, and houses a tooth that Buddhists believe is a relic of Buddha's, brought from India when Buddhism lost ground to Hinduism there.

Officials said that despite the damage to the building's roof and facade, the tooth, housed in a chamber at the building's center, was unharmed.

Alhough the Tamils are mostly Hindu and the Sinhalese mostly Buddhist, religion has rarely been an important factor in the civil war.

posted September 17, 2001 11:27 PM         

Tourists fall victim to huge blast that bears hallmarks of Tamil Tiger guerrillas, Christopher Thomas writes

Rescue workers carry a victim from the bomb site

Colombo bomb injures Britons

THE centre of Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, was shattered by a huge bomb blast yesterday, killing at least 11 people and injuring more than 150, including seven Britons.
About 30 foreign tourists injured in the blast came mostly from Britain, Japan and France. The Colombo General Hospital said their injuries were mostly minor, and all but one of the Britons were discharged yesterday.

Terrance de Silva, the hospital director, said their injuries were causeed by flying glass splinters. Others kept in hospital were four French citizens and one each from America, Jordan and India.

The Tamil Tigers ­ who have been taking a severe beating in the jungles of northern Sri Lanka ­ denied responsibility, but the attack bears their hallmarks. The Tigers, waging a war for a homeland in the north, are opposed to radical peace plans by the Government.

The bombers shot dead four security guards at the five-star Galadari Hotel and forced their way into the car park with a lorry bomb. They took refuge in Lake House, headquarters of Sri Lanka's state-run newspapers, and intense gunfire echoed around the city for hours. After a six-hour battle, army commandos threw grenades into the building and stormed it. The workers filed out, unharmed, as the sound of explosions and gunfire continued. Four suspected Tiger rebels died. A commando was also killed.

The bomb left a crater 20ft deep, destroyed many cars and smashed windows over a wide area. The car park was filled with rubble and twisted metal. The nearby World Trade Centre twin towers, officially opened by President Bandaranaike Kumaratunga three days earlier, had many of the windows smashed.

A colonial building opposite the Galadari, once the parliament and now the presidential secretariat, had its windows smashed, too. The centre of Colombo was still being rebuilt after a huge explosion in January last year, and yesterday's bomb will further shake the fragile economy. Tourism, a vital source of income, is bound to be affected.

The bomb went off at 7am; the streets were quiet because it was a holiday. The Galadari, like several other expensive hotels in the immediate area, is a playground of Sri Lanka's small, wealthy elite. Mrs Kumaratunga has often criticised the lifestyles of the rich while young soldiers, most of them from poor families, die in their thousands fighting the Tigers.

Her Government had on October 2 unveiled a radical power-sharing plan aimed at ending the strife that has claimed more than 50,000 lives in the past 25 years. The Government had proposed devolving powers to the regions; the north and east of the island, where most Tamils live, would run most of their own affairs with guarantees of non-interference from Colombo. The plan has not received endorsement from the main Opposition, and the Government remains short of the two thirds parliamentary majority to amend the Constitution.

President Kumaratunga condemned the bombing but said she would press ahead with plans to find a political solution to end the ethnic war. "We will not be disturbed from our commitment to bring peace to our country."

posted September 17, 2001 11:29 PM         

Suicide Bomber kills Tamils

The Deranged Tamil woman suicide bomber doing her bit for the "Great Tamil Cause" by killing innocent Tamils
Friday 05, July 1996

School children were also victims of Tiger bomb blast in Jaffna
THE bomb explosion set off by a woman suicide bomber belonging to the LTTE in the heart of Jaffna town on Thursday led to the deaths of 23 and over 60 wounded. Reports said several more who have been receiving treatment in hospitals succumbed to their injuries.

Among the casualties were 13 dead and 59 wounded civilians who included school children. This figure goes on to show the callous disregard the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has for his own people of whom he claims to be the saviour, military analysts said.

Most of these civilian victims had only hours before queued up outside the Building Materials Corporation (BMC) outlet at Stanley Road, Jaffna Town to purchase items, which had become scarce but were nevertheless needed by them to repair and restore their damaged houses.

Military sources said the selection of the target site, which even the most uninitiated in military matters, would have known to be crowded by civilians (given the current situation in Jaffna), was also done by Prabhakaran for maximum effect and publicity. ``Prabhakaran knows only too well the value of publicity, especially in the foreign media. The more bodies that are piled up, the more attention screaming are the headlines''.

``By targeting a Minister and Senior Army Officer, who within a very short time had become popular among the civilians of Jaffna town for his dedication in trying to restore normalcy, the LTTE would also have attempted to create a backlash in the South or at least retaliation by the government troops in Jaffna,'' they said.

However, in spite of many recent provocative attacks, the troops have held their fire, foiling the LTTE's tactics.

In fact if not for an army outrider, who on seeing the woman suicide bomber, took action to prevent her from moving closer to the crowd, the casualties amongst the civilians would have been much more. The outrider and his pillion-rider did so at the cost of their lives.

``The attack clearly shows the hand of terror which Velupillai Prabhakaran is notorious for extending to his own people when they become close to anyone other than his own group,'' the sources said.

Following is the list of dead and wounded civilian victims.

Mr. E. Rajendender J. Rosan JFN
Mr. Rajakulalendram Suduneluma
Unidentified bodies 9 + 2 at the site.
Casualties - JFN Hospital (Ward No. 11, 30, 14)

posted September 18, 2001 07:42 AM            

I kind of like that name...."dildo Visva"

posted September 18, 2001 12:17 PM            

Following is the list of dead and wounded civilian victims.

Mr. E. Rajendender J. Rosan JFN
Mr. Rajakulalendram Suduneluma
Unidentified bodies 9 + 2 at the site.
Casualties - JFN Hospital (Ward No. 11, 30, 14)

posted September 18, 2001 12:22 PM            

The Tamils in this island known as Sri Lanka have been at the receiving end of, firstly, Sinhala terrorism and next, state
terrorism. Today the Tamils have tasted Buddhist terrorism for the first time.

The National Movement against Terrorism (NMAT) and the Sinhala Veera Vidhanaya (SVV) held a joint demonstration on June
2, 1999 (Wednesday). This demonstration took the form of a procession starting from the Mahaweli Centre to Temple Trees and
back. At Temple Trees they were to hand over a memorandum of sorts.

The procession went to an entrance (?)/exit of Temple Trees on Galle Road not knowing that has been, for years, the backdoor
of Temple Trees! So, naturally, there was none to accept the all-important memorandum.

On the way back to Mahaweli Centre, the procession, headed by Sobitha Thero, piqued at not having been able to hand over
the memorandum to the authorities, entered the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC) headquarters' prem- ises, pulled down the
CWC party flag, burnt it and hoisted, instead, the flag of either the NMAT or the SVV. All this was done under the leadership of
Sobitha Thero and in the presence of DIG T.N. de Silva and a number of armed policemen. The procession included many
other Buddhist priests. This incident has surely heralded the advent of Buddhist terrorism.

As everyone knows, the CWC is a workers' organisation exclusively comprising hill-country Tamils.

It is significant, sinister, surprising and sordid that the national media, electronic and print, English and vernacular, have chosen
to soft-pedal and play down this incident. The daily newspapers had hardly anything on this incident. The Sunday newspapers
completely sidelined this issue. Some of the weekend newspapers are usually full of the NMAT, the SVV, the National Joint
Committee, the Sinhala Commission, etc. Why have they all been silent on this matter when they are always so full of the LTTE
and its artocities?

Why this silence?

Have all these people been silent because Sobitha Thero and other members of the Sangha Ratna are involved? Is it because
they recognise the advent of Buddhist terrorism? Is it the `apey man' syndrome and let us not let down our side? Is it plain
discrimination - if it concerns Tamils, let us bash them up; if it concerns the Sinhalese, let us keep quiet? Is it simply, that the
Sinhala quarter is shy and want to hang its head in shame? Or is it that might is right? Where are all the right thinking persons who
write to the papers regularly about the unreasonableness of the Tamils?

Anyway, let the international community, at least who are unaccountably mesmerised today by some of the things that are done
in this island and also by some personalities in this country, take serious note of this incident if they are to be taken seriously by
us.

A few years ago, the ultra Sinhala nationalists and the upholders of the Buddhist faith created a din and hullabaloo that Dr.
Stanley J. Tambiah should have written a book about Buddhism Betrayed and should have had on the cover of the book, a
picture of Sobitha Thero flexing his muscles. Has not the recent incident vindicated Tambiah hundred per cent, both about the
book and about its cover picture? How prophetic Stanley Tambiah has been. Three hearty cheers for Tambiah!

Sobitha Thero and his band of followers who are Buddhist monks have now entered the political arena in a big way. From now
onwards, such Buddhist monks cannot expect to be treated with reverence or in any special way. They must be treated like any
ordinary politician who receives brickbats and I, for one, will look upon them just like that.

Where did law and order go on this occasion? All what was done was under the very nose of the DIG. Did this DIG act impotent
because of what happened to SSP Pujitha Jayasundera? Facts reveal offences not only under the Penal Come but also under
the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

If Kumar Ponnambalam say or does, something there is a public outcry for his flesh and blood by Buddhist Sinhalese. But if
Sobitha Thero they goes against the law, there is stony silence. One law for Ponnambalam and another for Sobitha Thero? In
the face of such crass discrimination, can the Sinhalese and Tamils live together?

What are these organisations - the National Movement Against Terrorism and the National Joint Committee? To call
themselves `national', can these organisations point out to one Tamil or Moor or Burgher in these organisations? Can they say
that these organisations are `national' in that they are nationwide? If not, why this dishonesty? Would it not be more honest to call
these organisations simply the Sinhala Movement Against Terrorism and the Sinhala Joint Committee?

`Tamil Terrorism'

Actually, it will be more appropriate to call the NMAT the Sinhala Movement Against Terrorism because in its "National Plan of
Action Against Terrorism which they put out six months ago, they refer to `Tamil terrorism' in its very first line. All this while,
vociferous Sinhalese would refer to `Tiger terrorism'. But now, `Tamil terrorism'.

Many Tamils have discussed the NMAT and SVV with me in the very recent past with special reference to what these two
organisations, in particular, stand for. I have told them thank God for such organisations because it is such organisations that
justify the necessity for the separate state of Tamil Eelam.

The foolish NMAT, while time and again referring to `Tamil Terrorism', also says that there is a "need to distinguish between the
Tamil community and the Tamil Tiger movement". What muddle-headness!

Let me put the record straight, here and now. The Tamils have long since ceased to look upon themselves either as a
`community' or as a `minority'. They Tamils of the north and east are a ` nation' and that must be understood finally and by all
and sundry.

I was amused to read the assertion in NMAT's high-faluting national plan where it meekly says "the fact that the Sinhalese as
whole are not a racist community have (sic) been amply proved since 1983" and proceeds to mention events which have not
provoked the Sinhalese.

Racist before 1983?

This proves a number of points. Firstly, that the Sinhalese were racists before 1983. Secondly, for the new brand of Sinhalese
nationalists, the history of this island starts only at 1983 because it is only after that date that they have been on their best
behaviour, and thirdly, if the Sinhalese have remained good boys after 1983 it has been due to the fact that the LTTE have also
come to Colombo. Remember Black Friday (Tiger Friday) in late July 1983, when the whole of Colombo was running
helter-skelter?

What is equally amusing is that the NMAT also refers to "innocent Tamils". No Tamil is going to be taken in by these crocodile
tears. What is this SVV that was formed only a couple of months ago? One of the positions of this organisation is that this
blessed island is Sinhala land and Buddhist country! Naturally there is a fight to rescue Tamil Eelam before it, too, is dragged
into the moire.

All these various Sinhalese organisations take the position that there is no Tamil problem but only a terrorist problem and that
once terrorism is wiped out by military action everything is tickety-boo and nothing further needs be done. So it was hilarious to
me to see the representatives of these Sinhalese organisations accepting some draft proposals for either a new constitution or
for amendment of the present constitution prepared by the Sinhala Commission.

More than a new constitution or other amendments to the present constitution is the need to have the Sixth Amendment to the
Constitution, which makes it an offence to espouse separation, repealed immediately. This draconian piece of unheard-of
legislation was passed in 1983 when no Tamil member of Parliament was present either during its debate or at voting time. It
was made law when one party had a five-sixths majority of members in parliament.

After it came on to the statute book, there was an outcry from all sections of the Tamils that it must be removed. There is no
country in the world that has any legislation such as this. The Sixth Amendment violates basic fundamental and human rights. It
violates the freedoms of speech, association, assembly and expression.

Sixth amendment

A provision such as the Sixth Amendment will not prevent the break-up of a country if that country has to break up. There is no
sanctity in seeing that a country does not break up. Massive countries have broken up during the past decade. The order of the
day is for countries to break up. There is no sanctity in clinging on to one another if we Sinhalese and Tamils cannot live
together. People live together only on the basis of equality. Master and slave never could live together.

It is my position that if the Tamils are to live with self-respect and dignity, they can do so only in the separate state of Tamil
Eelam. This is my fervent opinion and I must be allowed to freely express my opinion without the threat of imprisonment. For
one's physical body can be subject to imprisonment, but one's mind cannot be tampered with. Only a third grade and barbaric
country would want to muzzle an individual's free expression of his belief.

posted September 18, 2001 12:24 PM            

Hello there.. I just have a few massacred incidents done by
Srilankan government and its forces to the state minority
Tamils.. I will keep updating this page as the incidents
currenly increases.... thanks..

Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism Act!
Arbitary Killings in Sept 1990 - Dec 1990!

Srilankan State Massacres on Students!

A 5 yr girl killed by SL troops!!
Sinhala soldiers gang raped a 6yr old girl!!
Civilians Killed in Operation Jeyasukuru!!
A Review in 1996!!
NagarKoil School Massacres!!
Kirishanthy!!
Rajani!!
Thenuka!!

Srilankan Massacres on Public!!

8 Tamil Civilians Killed by SL forces!
Priest protest over church bombing
9 Tamil Civilians Killed in another Church Bombings
Human Rights Violations in Batticaloa!
4 Tamil Civilians Killed!
Attack on Hospital - 8 people killed on a day!
Tamil Deaths and Injuries Increase in June!
A Tamil Mother was raped and killed by SL forces!
Sri Lankan massacred Servivor Identified Soldiers!
SL Tropps Raped and Killed a 4 chileren's mother- AI report!
Raped 2 other Tamils - AI report!
6 Civilians were bombed in Mullaitivu!
75 Civilians were killed during O.L.F!
Chaththurukkondan Massacres!
Navali Church Massacres!
Naachchikuda Massacres!
Kilali Lagoon Massacres!
Kumarapuram Massacres!
21 Tamil Civilians' Bodies were Dumbed in Colombo Lake!!
More Tamils' Bodies in Colombo Lake!
Rapes in Batticolo!
Welicada Massacres!
HURT Report!

Srilankan State Massacres in Western Countries!

posted September 18, 2001 12:25 PM            

The details of the school children who have been killed by aerial bombing on the Nagarkoil Central School in the Jaffna Peninsula
by the Sri Lankan Air Force Pucara bomber planes on 22-09-1995.

21 of the 25 children died have been identified.

posted September 18, 2001 12:27 PM            

***************NAVALY CHURCH BOMBING*******************

ICRC COMMUNICATION TO THE PRESS
Communication to the press No.95/30
11 July 1995

SRI LANKA: DISPLACED CIVILIANS KILLED IN AIR STRIKE

Geneva (ICRC). On 9 July the Sri Lankan armed forces launched a large-scale military offensive
against the positions of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) north of the city of Jaffna.
The operation, involving intensive artillery shelling and air strikes, immediately forced tens of
thousands of civilians to leav the area. Many of the displaced sought shelter in churches and
tenples, including several hundred people who took refuge in the Church of St. Peter and Paul
Navaly.

According to eye-witness accounts, this church and several adjacent buildings were hit by further
air force strikes at 4.30 p.m the same day. During the attack 65 people were killed and 150
wounded, including women and children. That evening and into the night Sri Lanka Red Cross staff evacuated most of the wounded
by ambulance to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. Delegates of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) present the next
morning at the scene of the attack noted the widespread damage and measured the extent of the tragedy: many of the bodies had
not yet been removed from the rubble.

Deeply concerned by the series of the violent acts that have claimed innocent civilians, the ICRC calls on the parties involved to
respect civilian lives, property and places of refuge. It also urges them to respect the protected zone around the Jaffna Teaching
Hospital and to refrain from attacking any other medical facilities.

INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS

Names and Details of those identified bodies of the innocent tamil civilians who were killed during the military offensive of the Sri
Lankan armed forces on 9th July 95, at the Catholic church, where the tamils have taken refuge.

Name of the dead Person
Gender
Age
Address
Mrs.N.Annaladsumy
female
57
110 BrownRd. Jaffna
Mrs.S.Gunamany
female
57
Kopulam,Sandilipay North
Mrs.N.Vasanthamalar
female
32
Kalaiyady, Pandaththarippu
Mrs.R.Pushparany
female
36
Kalaiyady, Pandaththarippu
Mrs.P.Balayogini
female
35
Kantharodai, Chunnakam
Miss.P.Balavalli
female
13
Kantharodai, Chunnakam
Mr.S.Selvaratnam
male
46
Nedunkulam Rd, Colombogam
Mrs.T.Pushparani
female
34
Kaddudai, Manipay
Mrs.S.Parasakthy
female
29
Chulipuram West, Chulipuram
Mr.S.Shanmuganathan
male
25
Chulipuram West, Chulipuram
Miss.Kemalatha
female
27
Navaly North, Manipay
Mas.S.Pratheesh
male
16
Navaly North, Manipay
Mr.S.Kandasamy
male
43
Thellipallai
Mr.P.Ketheeswara
male
17
Vellantheru, Jaffna
Miss.R.Chithra
female
15
Navaly South, Manipay
Mrs.S.Rasammah
female
71
Sankaraththai, Vaddukkoddai
Mrs.N.Thevaranjini
female
24
Navaly East, Manipay
Mr.P.Kalyanapillai
male
60
4th Cross St, Jaffna
Mr.T.Jesuthaasan
male
21
Main St., Jaffna
Mrs.S.Rasammah
male
50
Chulipuram, Thelpuram
Mr.P.Uthayakumar
male
35
Nitsaman,Chankanai
Mas.U.Satheeshkumar
male
13
Nitsaman,Chankanai
Miss.U.Ushanthini
female
12
Nitsaman,Chankanai
Mr.P.Nagamuththu
male
75
Nitsaman,Chankanai
Mas.Jegatheesan Jeevadas
male
17
Navaly South, Manipay
Mrs.A.Yogeswary
female
35
General Hospital, Jaffna
Mr.K.Thurairajah
male
55
Black Road, Chankanai
Mrs.K.Anjanadevi
female
36
Kaddudai, manipay
Mrs.K.Kamaladevi
female
45
Navaly East, Manipay
Mas.Vethushan
male
12
Vellantheru, Jaffna
Mr.A.Gunaratnam
male
40
Vellantheru, Jaffna
Mrs.K.Rahini
female
35
Vellantheru, Jaffna
Miss.Dharshini
female
14
Vellantheru, Jaffna
Mas.Piranavan
male
05
Vellantheru, Jaffna
Mr.Lucas Jude Mohan
male
23
Navaly South, Manipay
Mrs.K.Savithiri
female
45
Navaly East, Manipay
Mr.V.Vanniyasingam
male
57
Navaly North, Manipay
Mr.N.Chiththrabala
male
50
Chullipuram West, Chullipuram
Mrs.P.Langeswary
female
24
Chullipuram West, Chullipuram
Miss.P.Mathivathana
female
12
Chullipuram West, Chullipuram
Miss.C.Thaceswary
female
17
Chullipuram West, Chullipuram
Miss.S.Jeyabalini
female
19
Chullipuram West, Chullipuram
Mas.Pirahatheepan
male
07
Chullipuram West, Chullipuram
Mr.N.Gopalakrishnan
male
29
Chullipuram West, Chullipuram
Mas.K.Kajanthan
male
09
Chullipuram West, Chullipuram
Mas.V.Jeyanthan
male
04
Chullipuram West, Chullipuram
Mr.S.Mahendran
male
29
Chullipuram West, Chullipuram
Mas.S.Piratheepan
male
13
Kuhanthiram valavu, manipay
Mrs.S.Saraswathy
female
72
Navaly South, Manipay
Mas.K.Kailrajah
male
09
Murugan kovilady, Navaly
Miss.K.Vinoba
female
05
Murugan kovilady, Navaly
Mr.C.Nagaratnam
male
60
Murugan kovilady, Navaly
Miss.R.Thanushala
female
05
131 Mount Carmal Rd, Gurunagar, Jaffna
Mrs.R.Sasikala
female
02
kandy Road, Chavakachcheri
Mr.S.Rajadurai
male
35
Navaly South, Manipay
Mrs.R.Maheswary
female
34
Navaly South, Manipay
Mas.R.Chandrakanthan
male
13
Navaly South, Manipay
Miss.P.Sutha
female
11
Navaly South, Manipay
Mr.V.Satkunarajah
male
30
Navaly South, Manipay
Mr.P.Selvaratnam
male
60
Navaly South, Manipay
Miss.T.Thuvarakadevi
female
21
Madaththady, Tholpuram
Mas.T.Nareshkumar
male
11
Navaly South, Manipay
Mr.M.Thiruchchelvam
male
54
Valanpuram, Colombothurai
Mrs.S.Maheswary
female
27
Tholpuram Centre, Chullipuram
Mr.H.Sithamparam
male
72
Tholpuram Centre, Chullipuram
Mr.P.Uthayarajah
male
22
Navaly South, Manipay
Mr.P.Indrakumar
male
15
Chulipuram West, Chulipuram
Miss.K.Thevachelvi
female
10
kaddupulam, Chulipuram
Mrs.V.Liladevi
female
35
5th Cross Street, Colombothurai
Mr.S.Jeyaseelan
male
40
Navalar Street, Navanthurai
Mrs.K.Navaladchumy
female
42
Illayathamby Tea Room, Manipay
Mr.K.Thevakulasingam
male
36
Sivan kovilady, Thirunelveli
Mas.A.Yogeswaran
female
16
Kapiranjoy Camp, Chunnakam
Mr.M.Pararajasingam
male
42
Kaddudai, Manipay
Mr.G.Saththiyananthan
male
63
no.14, Kalaipulavarveethy, Jaffna
Mas.S.Gopikan
male
13
Uduvil, Chunnakam
Miss.N.Jeyatha
female
25
Uyarapulam, Anaicoddai
Mas.N.Thevaganesh
male
15
Uyarapulam, Anaicoddai
Miss.V.Abirami
female
10
Uyarapulam, Anaicoddai
Mrs.K.Maheswari
female
55
Thavady North, Kokuvil
Mr.T.Thiyagarajah
male
59
General Hospital, Jaffna
Mr.T.Anantharajah
male
34
General Hospital, Jaffna
Mr.T.Kulasingam
male
70
Uduvil West, Chunnakam
Mr.SivaBalasubramaniam
male
50
Petnathy Road, Kokuvil
Mr.S.Thevar
male
50
Petnathy Road, Kokuvil
Child of Thevar
female
10
Petnathy Road, Kokuvil
Child of Thevar
female
07
Petnathy Road, Kokuvil
Child of Thevar
female
05
Petnathy Road, Kokuvil
Miss.S.Anjanathevy
female
27
135, 3rd Cross St, Jaffna
Mas.K.Vasikaran
male
10
Tholpuram, Chulipuram
Mas.B.Ananda Alagan
male
16
Tholpuram, Chulipuram
Mr.P.Ravi
male
20
Vannarappannai, Jaffna
Miss.T.Sujeeva
female
17
Navaly South, Manipay
Mas.P.Krishnakumar
male
01
Vadaliadaippu, Pandaththarippu
Mas.R.Rajamohan
male
16
Araly South, Vaddukkodai
Mr.N.Narayanasingam
male
50
Araly South, Vaddukkodai
Mrs.S.Rasammah
female
57
Nitchamam, Chankanai
Mrs.M.Sarasu
female
75
Nitchamam, Chankanai
Mr.M.Ponnambalam
male
40
Navaly East, Manipay
Mrs.S.Ratnapoopathy
female
66
200 Kasturiar Rd., Jaffna
Mrs.I.Pawalam
female
70
Pannakam, Chankanai
Mrs.S.Suseeladevi
female
43
ICRC Jaffna
Mrs.V.Sellammah
female
34
Kaaduppulam, Chulipuram
Mr.Veerasingam
male
43
Muthaliyar kovilady, Manipay
Mr.S.Jeyabalan
male
50
Pulawar veethy, Kalviyangkaadu
Mr.N.Saravanamuththu
male
60
Kaddudai, Manipay
Mr.K.Pathmanathan
male
24
Near Ponnammah Mill Jaffna
Mrs.K.Revathy
female
36
Murugan kovilady, Navaly

posted September 18, 2001 12:28 PM            

Following is the terrifying testimony provided by the witnesses to the enquiry commission about the massacre of the Tamils in the
Saththurukkondan Army Camp.

During the President's Enquiry commission's hearings on those missing, conducted under retired judge Gopala Krishnar a
Kanthasamy Krishnakumar aged 27, the sole survivor of the massacre testified as follows:

"On the 10 of September 1990, Tamil civilians from Batticaloa, Saththurukkondan, Panichchaiyady, Kokkuvil, Pillaiyarady were
taken to the Army camp for interrogation. I was the only survivor of that 185 civilians taken there. We were stabbed with sharp
knives including a one and a half year old child, children and women.

He also testified that " On the above said day at around five thirty in the evening Army men both in civil and military clothing came
and told that the officer in charge of the Camp wanted us to come to the camp for enquiry and so they took us."

CHILDREN AND WOMEN BARBARICALLY MURDERED:
" Elderly, Women, children and even babies were taken to the Saththrukkondan Bois town Army camp. After that four of us were
taken to the back side of the camp and blindfolded and our mouth was stuffed with a cloth as well. Later they laid us on a wood
brick and suddenly they started stabbing us with sharp knives. I laid there as if I was dead. I head voices of agony and pain I can't
even describe, all around me.

After every thing was all over I slowly opened my eyes and saw butchered bodies all around me. I then crawled my way through
the dead bodies and hide myself among small shrubs. It was around three clock in the morning at that time. After exiting from that
hell I came to the village and I was admitted to the hospital for treatment. The army was at this point in time was in search of me
after having heard of my escape. I was handed over to the Rev. Miller for protection by the Batticaloa Peace Committee. I lost my
whole family in this incident. I am the only survivor."

NIGHT FILLED WITH SHOUTS AND CRIES:

During the testimony Kanthiah Sivakkolunthu (37) said that:
" I am the principal at the Kathaiyakkan thivu school. On that day at around 11 in the morning a man wearing a red half sleeved T-
shirt was going in a bicycle. He was new to the village and had a knife on the handle of the cycle. I immediately sensed that
something was wrong and took my wife and children in a cycle to the Saththurukkondan colony. At that time, I saw Armed
personnel both in civil and military clothing taking many civilians including women, children and elderly. We stayed the day at the
Saththurukkondan colony. The army camp was situated a thousand meters from my house. I heard cries of distress, shouts for help
of women and children trough out the night. We also heard gun shots being fired and also saw a huge fire as well.

Next day morning I went to my uncle's house. I couldn't see my uncle, aunt, nephew, niece or any of the children. All I saw was
some splattered small shoes of the children. In this massacre one and a half year old SUBOSHINI, three year old THULASI,
seven years old SULOCHANA were lost. I heard that all of them were taken to the Army camp and were butchered. Even the
bodies have been burnt. Some kids who had gone near the camp later for rearing the cattle have said that they had seen many skulls
and bones."

During the hearings, a Vairamuththu Ariyavadivel (22) testified as follows:
" On that day I had taken shelter in the jungle fearing the military. Since I thought that the Army won't harm children I had left my
siblings, SOTHIVADIVEL (7), SHARMILA (9) at our house. They are also missing since the day of the massacre.I heard a lot of
cries for help and mercy and a lot of shots being fired all through out the night on that day.

STRANDED ALONE HAVING LOST MY WHOLE FAMILY:

" My two son-in-laws were killed by the army only two months before the Saththurukkondan massacre. After that in the
Saththurukkondan massacre I lost my wife, three daughters and seven grand children including a one year old one. I lost my whole
family, eleven members all together to the army."
This was the tearful and emotional testimony given by
Ganapathippillai Arunachalam aged 73.
RETURNED AS WE COULD NOT HEAR THOSE CRIES OF OUR LOVED ONES:

During his testimony Retired Electricity Foreman
AUGUSTINEPILLAI PHILIPPILLAI (73) said:
"'Our grandson, Vijayakumar (8) was staying with us and had gone to play outside on that day. As he was missing for some time
we went in search of him and we saw many people being taken by the Army and among them was my grandson. Sensing the
situation me and my wife hid ourselves."

At this point the judge asked "How many were taken by the Army?"
Witness: Among the crowd, 19 of my own close relatives were there. After coming to know those who were taken had not
returned I along with my wife went near the camp searching them. It was around seven in the evening. We heard the women crying,
pleading for mercy and children shouting and crying in distress and pain. We could not hear those voices after that and so we came
back." Judge: Did the International committee of Red Cross went and saw what happened?

Witness: They were not allowed to see. Later the Bishop talked to the Brigadier and went there with the members of the Citizen's
committee, Sebamalai Geevaratnam and Singarasa to see what happened. Sivarasa later told that he saw his wife's slippers and that
of many children's and babies'.

During the testimony another witness Kanthasamy Nagaratnam (39) said:
" 16 of my family members were taken on that day to the camp by the Army. On that day when the Army came, only women and
children were mostly at home. The men had taken refuge in the forest. At around 5.30 Army took all those who were at home.
After some time a lot of voices of distress and pain were heard from the Army camp.
E.Vairamuththu (62) while testifying said that:
" My wife told me that if the Army came they will only take the men therefore you hide your self. I will stay in the house, they won't
take women. But I lost my wife who had saved me as they had taken her to the camp. After the Army left I went near the camp in
search of her but I only heard people crying."

While testifying about the Saththurukkondan massacre Rasaiyah Ratnaiya (45) of Panichchaiyadi said:
"On the day of the massacre about 60 Army personnel came at around 5.30 armed with guns and butcher knives. I took refuge in a
small palmarah plant. The Army then took my mother, father and three children. I was thinking that they would be released after
interrogation but even after eight they were not and so I went in search of them near the camp. I heard a lot of people crying in pain
and agony that I got scared and returned home.

BRIGADIER REFUSES TO SPEAK ABOUT THE INCIDENT
In the continued enquiry Batticaloa's Peace committee President and retired Government Agent S. Arunagirinathan testified as
follows:

"After coming to know of this incident we recorded the testimony of the sole survivor KANDASAMY KRISHNAKUMAR. We
still have the audio recording. Later we brought this atrocity to the attention of the Batticaloa Brigadier SENAVIRATNA. But he
refused even to see us. Rest of the higher ranking Army officers also refused to talk to us about this incident.

NO ONE WAS ARRESTED:
During his testimony the then Officer-in-Charge of the camp, Captain. Gamini Varnakula Sooriya said "On that day no search or
arrest was conducted by us". He also reiterated that none of his men even ventured out of the camp on the day of the massacre.

posted September 18, 2001 12:28 PM            

By NIRESH ELIATAMBY
Associated Press Writer

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) Sri Lankan helicopters fired on a group of Tamil refugees, killing 16 civilians,
Tamil rebels said today. The army put the number of dead at 30, and said they were all rebels.

The military initially denied the attack, but reversed itself late today, saying the gunships assaulted a rebel
base at Nachchikuda, 160 miles north of Colombo, on Sunday. It said 30 Tamil guerrillas died and many
were wounded.

However, Tamil rebels said 16 civilians died in the attack and 60 were wounded. They said the attack
targeted a refugee camp the guerrillas control at Nachchikuda.

A report in the Tamil-language Veerakesari newspaper quoted travelers as saying the weekend attack killed
eight civilians.
It is impossible to confirm reports from the war-torn north, which has no telephone lines. The government
has prohibited visits by journalists for a year.
Tamil guerrillas have been fighting for a homeland in northern and eastern Sri Lanka since 1983, claiming the
Sinhalese majority discriminates against the Tamil minority. More than 40,000 people have been killed.

The Government officers issued the names of those who died in the Helicopter attack. Almost all of them
were people displaced from the coastal areas of Jaffna who were temporarily living in Nachchikuda and were
engaged in fishing. 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 the Government officers are :

Name
Gender
Age
Originally From
Julian Delin
Baby Boy
6 Month
Gurunagar
Kanthasamy Senthilkumar
Child
09
Koddady
Kanagasingam Tharsini
Child
10
Anaikoddai
Anton Mary Amalini
Child
12
Maniyan Thoddam
Anton Jegadeepa
Child
12
Navanthurai
Antonipillai Lawrencestayn
Child
15
Anaikoddai
Zavier Consal
Child
15
Navanthurai
Mahendiran Yalini
Girl
18
Navanthurai
Ponnambalam Selvarasa
Boy
18
Maniyan Thoddam
Soosaipillai Amalotpararani
Girl
21
Mathagal
Victor Lucia
Girl
23
Gurunagar
Mariathas Edlisiar
Male
30
Gurunagar
Alphons Packianathan
Male
48
Mathagal
Zavier Gnanamani
Female
52
Gurunagar
Velan Arumugan
Male
60
Nachchikudda
Thavasi Velayi
Female
68
Koddady

12 year old girl describes the tragic death of a 2 year old baby.
Sathiaverni a 12 year old girl from Aruhuveli described the tragic death of a 2 year old baby who was killed
by an artillery shell when the Sri Lankan armed forces launched a shell attack on Thenmaratchi and
Vadamaratchi on 16-03-1996. She said when the shells fell on our compound, we ran further away and laid
down on the ground to take cover. I spotted my aunt's daughter Kalpana - a 2 year old baby standing away
from us unaware of the terrific danger she was in. I got up and started running towards her desperately to
grab her to safety when a shell fell very close to her and exploded. When the smoke cleared we looked for
her and found that she was dead. I was trembling. My hand was cut by a shrapnel from another shell that fell
close by.

TamilNet.
18.04,1996

The following letter was writtwn to the Presedent of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Kumarathinge and appeared in Sri
Lankan Sunday Times on 14. April 1996. By Rev.Dr.S.J.Emmanuel, Vicar General for Jaffna.
An open letter to President

Seventeen innocent civilians, mostly children and aged, killed on the spot. Sixty seriously wounded and many
houses damaged by fire in the early hours of Saturday morning of March 16. This was the planned retaliatory
attach of the SriLankan Air Force on a sleeping village. For the third time in recent months, your Armed
Forces have attacked this coastal village of Naachchikudah merely under a non-confirmed suspicion that
some Sea Tigers were operating from that coast and without the least regard for the mass of poor refugees
there.

They executed this disaster with their two newly-acquired Ml 24 helicopters flying over Mulankavil around
4.50 am and firing rockets (sideways ) into the fishing village Naachchikudah. This least known village, lying
50 km west of Killinochchi became known mostly after the historic exodus of poor fishing families from
Passayoor, Gurunagar, Navanthurai, Navali and Mathagal of the Jaffna district on October 30. They sought
refuge in a coastal village so as to continue their survival with fishing - the one and only profession they know
for their lively hood. This massacre of the innocents, as we have come to experience, within a few hours of
the incident will most probably be 'explained away' by the Sri Lankan Forces in their now well known
characteristic fashion. Well, that has been done all along in the case of a long series of massacres during the
last forty years! None of these have been in any way compensated - neither houses built nor funeral expenses
paid nor even apologies extended. Yet acknowledging you as Head of a Government proclaiming to seek a
peaceful solution to the ethnic issue and as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces sent to liberate the
Tamil people from the Tigers. I think it is still our duty to place before you the glaring facts of the incident
and ask a pertinent question from you.

On Friday 15.3.1996, it was reported that the Sri Lankan Navy had an encounter with some Sea Tigers off
the Pallimunai (Mannar) sea, and while chasing the Tigers, the Navy had hit a sea-mine on the way and had
lost eight of their personnel in the blast. No sane person will find fault if the Navy had chased the Tigers and
at attacked them with all their might. But what did they do? They resorted hours later to one of the worst and
cowardly acts of firing rockets on a sleeping village of refugees! We can understand civilians getting caught in
an exchange of fire between fighting forces, but not a retaliation of this nature.

The Tamil parties in Colombo might ask you for a commission of inquiry (not dare for any compensation)
and the government, which appears to solve problems by just appointing commission after commission, might
readily appoint just a one man commission, if possible of a soldier,

But we are not asking for any such thing, but plead with you for a convincing reply for the following
questions:

* How is your Government going to bring to an end this spiral of violence which has been started many years
ago by the previous governments ?

*How are you justifying such cowardly retaliation of the Forces as part of your attempts for Peace?

posted September 18, 2001 12:29 PM            

Tamil Eelam.
20 April 1996
PRESS RELEASE
Sri Lankan government embarks on a military solution, Military offensive code named 'Riviresa Two'
launched In an attempt to deny a political solution to the Tamil people and driven by their ambitions to
capture Tamil Lands and to subjugate the Tamils, the Sri Lankan Government yesterday launched a new
military offensive to capture the Tamil homelands of Thenmaratchi and Vadamaratchi. The Government also
gagged the International and Local press by refusing them permission to visit the Tamil areas where the
Government has declared a war.

Yesterday the Sri Lankan armed forces while cowardly firing heavy barrages of artillery shells on thickly
populated Tamil areas, advanced by mid day to the village of Madduvil near Chavakachcheri in
Thenmaratchi, where the LTTE forces stopped their advance any further.

As part of their programme to soften up the area prior to their advance, the Sri Lankan armed forces
stationed at the Palali and Elephant pass camps fired artillery shells after artillery shells throughout the day,
without any break on the thickly populated areas of Thenmaratchi and Vadamaratchi. In Thenmaratchi,
artillery shells rained down on the villages of Madduvil, Kanakanpuliyadi, Sarasalai, Kalvayal and Katkuvil
which are all close to the town of Chavakachcheri. In Vadamaratchi, the Sri Lankan armed forces directed
their artillery shells on the heavily populated villages of Thikkam, Valvettiturai, Puraporukki. 10 Tamil
civilians were killed and 30 civilians were wounded by the Sri Lankan artillery shells and aerial bombardment.
Their details are supplied at the end of this report.

An accurate assessment of the dead and injured cannot be made as the artillery shells have been falling every
where. Dead bodies are found on the road unattended, while people are fleeing in panic. The Doctors and
nurses and staff have left the Chavakachcheri hospital because the area came under intense artillery fire. The
patients who were warded in the hospital also have left for safer areas.

Tens of thousands of Tamil civilians have started fleeing their homes to avoid getting massacred by the
advancing Sinhala dominated Sri Lankan army. The Tamil civilians who lived in west Thenmaratchi areas
and along the coastal belts of Vadamaratchi have been severely battered by this Sri Lankan military assault. A
major part of the Tamil population of Thenmaratchchi West have now shifted towards the centre of
Thenmaratchchi in their attempt to flee to Vanni, while a huge number of Tamils - a number not seen ever
before even during the time of the Sri Lankan offensive on Valigamam during October-December 1995, have
already reached the shores of Kilali in the process of fleeing to the relative safety of the Vanni the Tamil
mainland.

CIVILIAN CASUALTY LIST

KILLED (Only five were identified so far out of the ten people who were
killed) :

NAME
GENDER
AGE
PLACE
Sinnaththambi Sinnammah
female
62
Peraporikki
Kunasingam Pumathevy
female
-
-
Sivasuri Senthuran
male
19
Thikkam
Angajetselvi
female
20
Sarasalai
S. Jokeswari
female
32
Sarasalai

WOUNDED :

NAME
GENDER
AGE
PLACE
Santhalingam Santhakumar
male
29
Kommanthurai
Kanthavanam Suntharalingam
male
60
Thikkam
Rasakumar
male
09
Sivankoviladi, V.V.T
Murukan Nadesan
male
-
-
Mahalingam Indra
female
40
Puraporikki
Ganeswari
female
40
Puthuvalavu, V.V.T
Mohanathas Mahalingam
male
-
Puraporikki
Kanakaratnam Mathi
male
20
Madduvil South
Valipuram Singarasa
male
51
Madduvil South
Kunarasa Kunaratnam
male
22
Madduvil South
Thampirasa Saraswathy
female
44
Madduvil South
Kathiresan Sorna
male
18
Sarasalai South
Nadarasa Alageswary
female
32
Alvai West
Jegatheesvari
female
25
Thikkam
Puspakumari
female
25
-
Subramaniam Kandipan
male
18
Madduvil North
N. Thavakumar
male
40
Manipay
A. Ravikumar
male
27
Madduvil
Selvarani
female
36
Madduvil
E. Annusa
female
-
Kanakampuliyadi, Madduvil
Murkan
male
65
Kanakampuliyadi, Madduvil
S. Vithusan
male
08
Kanakampuliyadi, Madduvil
S. Thevappillai
male
30
Kanakampuliyadi, Madduvil
Atputhamalar
male
44
Kanakampuliyadi, Madduvil
Menaka
female
15
Kanakampuliyadi, Madduvil
Sayantha
female
-
Kanakampuliyadi, Madduvil
M. Suntharesan
male
18
Kanakampuliyadi, Madduvil
Maline
female
19
Chavakachcheri
Punaka
female
22
Chavakachcheri
Kanaka
female
15
Chavakachcheri

posted September 18, 2001 12:29 PM            

April, 1996

Peace Brigades Internationals (PBI) field-workers returned to Trincomalee District in March, nearly four months after
our 'exploratory' journey. Our conclusions from the previous trip had suggested various important areas of work that
simply would not be done without PBI support. However, contacts had also expressed very clearly that the project
would need to make a firm commitment to Trincomalee before any NGOs or activists would begin petitioning for
international monitoring or accompaniment. With team-size about to increase to five in April and six by the end of
May, we could finally make such a commitment. The purpose of last month's trip was primarily to lay the foundations
for a much more regular presence in Trincomalee, and to more clearly identify the needs of the NGO community.

Massacre at Kumarapuram

The dominant theme in all of our discussions was the recent massacre at Kumarapuram, in southern Trincomalee
district. As we reported last month, on the 11th of February, men in military uniforms entered the village shouting
"Demala kattiya maranuwa" (death to the Tamils). They killed at least 24 civilians, including 7 children under the age of
12, and wounded 26 more. Villagers who survived the attack were initially very willing to identify the men involved as
members of the Sri Lankan Army attached to various nearby camps. According to Mr. Thangathurai, MP for the
area, the soldiers carried out the attack in retaliation after two of their comrades were ambushed by cadres of the
separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). A report by the University Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR)
further indicates that the divisional army commander may have actually ordered the massacre, having allegedly told his
troops, "kudu karanda" (make it dust).

Government Response

While originally denying any security forces' involvement in this incident, the government was quick to condemn the
massacre and launch a full military inquiry. Sri Lankan activists promptly complained that the local population would
not willingly speak to army investigators. However, the official committee of inquiry was able to gather enough
evidence to recommend that soldiers from the camps involved be produced in court for an identification parade, and
that anyone identified should be subject to the full penalties allowed by civil law. In early March, eight soldiers were
identified in court and placed under remand. Two weeks later, on 27 March, the suspects were again produced in the
Muttur court as required by law. At the suggestion of lawyers from the Movement for Inter Racial Justice and
Equality, PBI team-members attended court on the 27th to observe the proceedings.

There are varying assessments of the government's response to the Kumarapuram incident, with most contacts
indicating some degree of dissatisfaction. Everyone is clearly pleased with the immediacy of the government's response
to the massacre, and that those who actually took part in the killings will be produced in a civilian court. However,
many are disappointed that the soldiers who stood guard or even watched the massacre will likely go free, and that the
commander who allegedly ordered the attack will simply be transferred to a different area, if he is 'punished' at all.

Local sources also complain that cases against some of the eight who were identified from the lineup may eventually
fail as witnesses lose the necessary confidence to continue involvement in the proceedings. Area residents noted the
increased army presence throughout Muttur town on the day of the identification parade, as well as two weeks later
when the accused appeared in court. This included an armored personnel carrier almost immediately outside the
courthouse. Whether or not it was intended to do so, the unusual army presence reportedly led some potential
witnesses to remain quiet at the line-up, and may drive some to withdraw their testimony. Area contacts suggest that
security precautions for the accused and for high-ranking security forces personnel involved in the case must be more
carefully balanced against the security needs of the witnesses.

The Kumarapuram incident has had ramifications both for PBI work in the Trincomalee area and for the efforts of
many local and national organizations. Although this massacre highlighted the crisis situation developing in the East, the
UTHR report suggests that activists would have noticed the clear deterioration of the human rights situation in conflict
areas long ago if they had watched more carefully.

The report goes on to point to a long series of smaller incidents that had taken place in the area prior to the massacre,
all of which had received little if any attention. Lack of effective response to the previous abuses may have been one of
the many ground conditions that allowed the latest atrocity to take place. Strong immediate reaction to even small,
apparently random incidents may help to diminish the risk of major abuses taking place in the future. Many now realize
that national and international organizations must provide a greater level of support for civilians and NGOs in the East.

Organized Human Rights Monitoring

In order to do all of this, national organizations recognize the need to establish more direct lines of communication with
groups in the conflict areas to facilitate the rapid reporting of incidents on an ongoing basis. Most of our contacts in
Trincomalee also see the need for a more organized human rights monitoring effort in the district. Unfortunately, almost
no one expressed willingness to be directly involved in gathering reports or communicating the information to
Colombo, let alone in actually taking the responsibility to launch such an effort. A wide range of concerns were raised,
most notably security issues and the lack of consistent support from outside of the district.

The Peace Brigades team realizes that, if such a monitoring committee is to be formed, both national and international
organizations must be involved from the start, offering support if not guidance. We have clearly expressed our
willingness to support this effort in any way allowed by our mandate and our resources.

Outside Presence in Border Areas

Another impact of the Kumarapuram incident was the stronger call for a regular international presence in Trinco
district, especially in outstations to the south along the Batticaloa border. A handful of international development
agencies work and travel throughout the district, but there are a number of places to which they simply do not go. Due
to the difficulties associated with visits to 'uncleared' or border areas, both national and international groups are
hesitant to begin new projects in places where regular fighting is a distinct possibility. As a result, villagers from these
areas are isolated from simple outside contact. When crisis situations develop, they have no way to communicate their
difficulties, and they thus become fairly easy targets of abuse from all sides. Local NGO field-workers believe that a
regular international presence in the border villages could markedly improve the situation and ease tensions. Team
members have received a request to visit Kumarapuram with a local activist on our next trip to Trincomalee. He
believes that the village will remain at risk for quite some time, and that our occasional presence will decrease the
possibility of future incidents.

Petitions for accompaniment on visits to 'high risk areas' would also help to improve villagers' access to information,
supplies, and medical services, all of which have been restricted due to the war. For Trincomalee based NGOs,
international accompaniment is nothing new. Due to security risks and regular harassment, several Sri Lankan
organizations have stopped traveling alone to the border areas. Instead, local organizations regularly travel together
with international groups when they do work in nearby villages. However, the international NGOs do not work in
every village that needs attention.

A handful of local activists have asked for PBI escorts on our next trip to Trinco so that they may renew contact with
some places that have had very little attention, some of which haven't been visited regularly for years. The NGOs hope
that our accompaniment may help to ease future access to these areas and lay the foundations for them to once again
travel on their own.

posted September 18, 2001 12:30 PM            

In addition to the events recorded above there were 2 violent massacres in teh Welikade prison in Colombo during which 53 Tamil
prisoners, arrested on suspicion of terrorist activity, were killed. In addition to other prisoners, there were also in teh gaol at this
time 73 Tamil political prisoners who had been arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. These people had been detained
originally in army custody at Panagoda Army Camp, but recently had been transferred to the Welikade prison.

The Prevention of Terrorism Act gives wide powers of detention without trial, and has been severly criticised for the lack of
protection which it provides for those held under its provisions.

In the massacre which occurred on July 25th all of the prisoners held in B3 and D3 were massacred and killed. PRISON
SLAUGHTER:

On July 25, 1983 the Sinhala prisoners attacked the detainees in the Chapel Section of the prison and murdered 35 persons among
whom were Kuttimany, Jegan and Thangathurai. From eye witness accoutns, Kuttimany's eyes were gouged and his blood drunk
by his attackers. After killing six Tamils including Kuttimany in one wing, the attackers killed 29 Tamils in the other wing. A boy of
16 years, Mylvaganam, had been spared by teh attackers, and was crouching in a cell. A jail guard spotted him and stabbed him to
death.

The 35 dead were heaped infront of the statue of Gautama Budha in the yard of Welikade prison, as Minister Athulathmudali so
aptly described as a sacrfice to appease the blood thirsty cravings of the Sinhala demons'.

Some who were yet alive raised their heads and called for help but were beated down to death in the heap.

The attackers then made entry into the otehr wing through openings in teh first floor but the jailers there refused to give the keys and
persuaded them to leave.

SECOND MASSACRE:

28 Tamil detainees in this wing were transferred to the ground floor of the Youth Ward and nine of us were accomadated on the
First Floor. All was quiet on the 26th. On the 27th at 2:30 pm there was shouting around Youth Ward and armed prisoners scaled
boundary walls and started to break opne gates in the youth Ward. Nearly 40 prisoners armed with axes, swords, crowbars, iron
pipes and wooden legs appeared before our door 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 Budhists they should not kill. The door suddenly opened and Dr. Rajasundaram was dragged out and hit with an iron rod on
teh head. He fell among the crowd. The rest of us broke the chairs and tables and managed to keep the crowd at bay for half an
hour. The army arrived through tear gas bombs and dispersed the crowd. Then the 2 soldiers lined up 8 of us and were taking
aimto shoot 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 the youth Ward. AS we walked out, we saw corpses of our colleagues
around us and we heard prisoners shouting that it was a pity we were allowed to live.

We were ordered to run into a mini-van and removed out of the prison compound and loaded into an army truck. We were odered
to lie dace down on the floor of the trcuk and a few who raised their heads were trampled down by teh soldiers. All along the way
to Katunayake Airport some soldiers kept cursing the Tamils and Eelam and using obscene language. We were kept at the airport
until early morning. We were refused even water. We were then taken into an Air force plane, ordered to sit with our heads down
until we reached Batticaloa Airport. From there we were taken in an open van to Batticaloa prison. We felt we had returned to
sanity and some measure of safety."

- Mr. S.A. David, the president of the Ghandiyam movement.

posted September 18, 2001 12:30 PM            

08/15 0435 Sri Lanka-Bodies

By NIRESH ELIATAMBY
Associated Press Writer
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) -- Three decomposed bodies weighted down with rocks were fished out of a lake near the
Parliament building, the latest in a series of grisly findings in the capital, police said today.

Nineteen bodies have been found in Colombo and its suburbs since May. Some of the victims were mutilated, while some were
found with their hands tied, police said. Most had bags of rocks tied around their necks.

Authorities say five of the victims could be minority Tamils. Human rights activists have recently reported "disappearances" of
Tamils who have been taken into police custody.

Police have not identified any of the naked corpses recovered Monday from Diyawanna Lake. Officials refuse to speculate on who
killed the men, who died either by strangulation or drowning. They were 35- to 40-years-old.

The bodies, discovered by parliamentary police who patrol the lake, had apparently been in the water for three days, and were
partially eaten by scavenging animals.

The appearance of the bodies follows a report by the human rights group Amnesty International that expressed concern over police
treatment of Tamils. Tamil rebels, who claim discrimination by the Sinhalese majority, have been fighting the government for an
independent homeland since 1983.

"Since mid-April there have been continuing reports of arbitrary arrests of hundreds of Tamil people, particularly in the east and in
Colombo. Amnesty International has also received reports of `disappearances' and extra-judicial executions," the report said.

Thousands of Tamils have been detained by police in the capital since April 19, when Tamil rebels broke off a truce and peace
talks with the government and renewed fighting.

Police have denied they had anything to do with the Tamil deaths. Most of those detained were released as soon as they could
prove their identity, authorities say.

Sri Lanka Cops Find More Dead

AP 15 Aug 95 4:40 EDT V0684
Sri Lanka Cops Find More Dead

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) -- Three decomposed bodies weighted down with rocks were fished out of a lake near the
Parliament building, the latest in a series of grisly findings in the capital, police said Tuesday.

Nineteen bodies have been found in Colombo and its suburbs since May. Some of the victims were mutilated, while some were
found with their hands tied, police said. Most had bags of rocks tied around their necks.

Authorities say five of the victims could be minority Tamils. Human rights activists have recently reported "disappearances" of
Tamils who have been taken into police custody.

Police have not identified any of the naked corpses recovered Monday from Diyawanna Lake. Officials refuse to speculate on who
killed the men, who died either by strangulation or drowning. They were 35- to 40-years-old.

The bodies, discovered by parliamentary police who patrol the lake, had apparently been in the water for three days, and were
partially eaten by scavenging animals.

The appearance of the bodies follows a report by the human rights group Amnesty International that expressed concern over police
treatment of Tamils. Tamil rebels, who claim discrimination by the Sinhalese majority, have been fighting the government for an
independent homeland since 1983.

"Since mid-April there have been continuing reports of arbitrary arrests of hundreds of Tamil people, particularly in the east and in
Colombo. Amnesty International has also received reports of 'disappearances' and extra-judicial executions," the report said.

Thousands of Tamils have been detained by police in the capital since April 19, when Tamil rebels broke off a truce and peace
talks with the government and renewed fighting.

Police have denied they had anything to do with the Tamil deaths. Most of those detained were released as soon as they could
prove their identity, authorities say.