TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS – TCHR/CTDH LAW AND ORDER, JUDICIARY FAIL AND IMPUNITY PREVAILS IN SRI LANKA JUSTICE DELAYED, JUSTICE DENIED (Salient violations - many more to be added) Justice denied Month/Year Type of violation No action 1948 On 15 November 1948 Citizenship Act and the laws of disenfranchisement were enacted and adopted, the Tamils of Indian origin Tamils in the hill country (plantation Tamils) were deprived of selecting their representatives to the Parliament. More than a million plantation Tamil workers were rendered stateless. Case ignored 1956 On 5th June 1956, about 300 Tamil volunteers along with Tamil parliamentarians staged a sit down Police turn a Satyagraha (peaceful protest) on the Galle Face Green, in front of the Sri Lanka Parliament, against blind eye to this the 'Sinhala Only' Bill introduced by (Prime Minister) Bandaranaike. Satyagrahis were beaten up some riot. No inquiry; Tamil Satyagrahis were thrown into Beira Lake near the Parliament by the Sinhalese thugs. The riots no-one punished against the Tamil community was instigated by the government and actively supported by the Sinhalese organisations and Bhikkus (Buddhist priests). Killed 150 Raped 20 Injured 300 Displaced 3000 No action taken 1957 26 July an agreement known as “Banda Chelva” pact was signed between Bandaranayke and ---------- Chevanayagam. This agreement was based on a quasi federal system devolving certain powers to the Tamils in the North East provinces. 1958 In April the “Banda-Chelva” pact was unilaterally abrogated by the Prime Minister Bandaranaike due to vehement protests staged, Buddhist clergy and Sinhala political leadership. Police turn a Anti-Tamil pogrom broke out in the island. Many Tamils were massacred and million of rupees worth of blind eye to this properties belonging to the Tamils looted and destroyed. Over 35000Tamil refugees were relocated from riot. Sinhalese areas were relocated from Sinhalese areas to Tamil areas in the North. Perpetrators not punished On 25 May, in the government sugar-cane plantation at Polonnaruwa and Hingurakgoda, the Sinhala thugs assaulted the Tamil labourers remorselessly. The Sinhala thugs set fire to the sugar canes and burnt or hacked to death 500 Tamils in Polonnaruwa and Hingurakgoda. Violence spread to the Southern part of the island wherever the Tamils live. The passing cars and trains were stopped by mobs and the Tamil were butchered, houses were burnt with people inside and there was widespread looting. 1958 Killed 355 Raped 100 Injured 350 Displaced 35000 No action taken 1960 Arrested 60 Raped 15 Injured 200 -do- 1 TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS – TCHR/CTDH LAW AND ORDER, JUDICIARY FAIL AND IMPUNITY PREVAILS IN SRI LANKA Justice denied Month/Year Type of violation No action 1961 Non-violent civil disobedience campaign was launched by the Federal Party in Jaffna. No inquiry The government reacted violently by sending Police and military forces to Jaffna to suppress the agitation. No arrests Non-violent (Satyagrahis) demonstrators were attacked by Sri Lanka army in Jaffna. Many Tamil politicians were arrested. Anti-Tamil pogrom broke out in areas where Sinhalese were in a majority. 1972 Denial of equal University education (Standardization) to the Tamil students. No action taken Arrested 37 Injured 18 -do- 1973 Arrested 35 Injured 24 -do- 1974 On 10 January, Police unleashed an unprovoked violent attack on those attending the prestigious Commission “4th World Tamil Research Conference” in Jaffna, leaving nine innocent civilians dead. appointed. Perpetrators Arrested 2 Killed 9 Injured 15 not punished Outcome nothing 1977 In July, Tamil United Liberation Front-TULF, won overwhelmingly at the Parliamentary election giving them a mandate to establish the “Right to Self-determination” of Tamil Eelam in the North East. The TULF People's became the major opposition party in the parliament. Anti-Tamil pogrom occurred immediately mandate ignored after elections in the areas where Sinhalese were in the majority killing hundreds of Tamils. Arrested 45 Killed 150 Raped 90 Injured 35 Displaced 150000 No action taken 1979 Arrested 150 Disappeared 22 Killed 13 Raped 13 Injured 15 -do- 1981 In June, Increased military repression in the North. The Jaffna Public Library was burnt down by the Sri Lankan armed forces, allegedly under the direction of two senior government ministers, No inquiry Gamini Dissanayake and Cyril Matthew. 95,000 volumes of books including numerous culturally No arrests important and irreplaceable manuscripts and the buildings were totally destroyed by arson. Perpetrators The Jaffna city market, the office of the Tamils daily newspaper “Eelanadu”, the office of the not punished political party TULF were burnt down by the Sri Lanka security forces. An anti-Tamil pogrom broke out in the island. Many Tamils were killed and looting of the Tamils properties were widespread. Arrested 200 Disappeared 4 Killed 35 Raped 50 Injured 37 Displaced 5000 No action taken 2 TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS – TCHR/CTDH LAW AND ORDER, JUDICIARY FAIL AND IMPUNITY PREVAILS IN SRI LANKA Justice denied Month/Year Type of violation No action 1982 Arrested 300 Killed 47 Raped 45 Injured 22 No action taken 1983 Major anti-Tamil pogrom took place in July all over the island with the buoyed up support of the No inquiry government. Thousands of Tamils fled the country and went to India and to Western countries. No arrests Billions rupees worth of Tamils properties was looted and destroyed by the Sinhala rioters. Perpetrators Between 27-28 July, 53 Tamil political prisoners were massacred inside the walls of the not punished Welikadai prison in Colombo by the Sinhala inmates. Arrested 1425 Disappeared 571 Killed 6000 Raped 750 Injured 3383 Displaced 250000 No action taken 1984 On 28 March, busy market town of Chunnakam in the Jaffna peninsula, Sri Lankan Air force personnel No inquiry opened fire killing 22 and injuring many. No arrests On 11 August, 16 Tamil male passengers on their way to Colombo were killed by the Army in civil dress. Perpetrators On 2nd December, 27 Tamils from Cheddikulam and Chemamadu were killed by the Army. not punished Arrested 8257 Disappeared 203 Killed 872 Raped 214 Injured 1720 No action taken 1985 On 9th April, 75 civilians were shot dead by the Sri Lanka army in Valvettithurai. No inquiry On 15 May, "Kumuthini" a passenger ferry between the island of Delft and Punguduthivu, via Nainathivu No arrests was stopped at mid-sea by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel, and the Navy personnel got into the ferry Perpetrators and cut to death 36 passengers, including women and children. not punished On 17th May, 60 young Tamils were killed in Thambiluvil by STF -do- On 31st May, 37 Tamil youths were killed by the security forces went on a rampage in Thanganagar, -do- Kiliveddy in Trincomalee. On 16th August, more than 200 Tamil people were killed in Vavuniya by the Army who went on the rampage -do- On 16 November, the Special Task Force arrived at Bar road in Batticaloa and shot dead nine Tamil civilians. -do- Looted and burned 15 shops and several houses. On 18 September, 46 Tamil refugees were killed in Jaffna by the security forces -do- On 27 November, Sri Lankan soldiers and Home Guards entered four adjoining villages of -do- Sampoor in the Trincomalee and killed 22 Tamil civilians and burnt down 165 homes. On 27 November, in a search operation by the Security force, 24 Tamil fishermen shot dead and many missing -do- in the coastal village of Mandur in Batticaloa. Arrested 3616 Disappeared 246 Killed 777 Raped 399 Injured 1372 Displaced 1000 No action taken 3 TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS – TCHR/CTDH LAW AND ORDER, JUDICIARY FAIL AND IMPUNITY PREVAILS IN SRI LANKA Justice denied Month/Year Type of violation No action 1986 On 19 January, more than 24 Tamil civilians were killed by the security forces in Iruthayapuram No inquiry On 25 January, the Army soldiers fired indiscriminately at about 75 passengers waiting to board a train at Kilinochchi No arrests railway station. In this incident 12 civilians including women and children killed by the soldiers. Perpetrators On 19 February, Special Task Force rounded up 60 Tamil farm workers in a paddy field and shot them all not punished at Udumpankulam in Amparai district. -do- On 19 February, 80 mainly Tamil farm workers were killed and their bodies burned in remote spot near the town -do- of Akkaraipattu Amparai district. On 20 March, 16 Tamil villagers were killed by the Sri Lankan army in a cordon and search operation -do- in Eeddimurichchan, Nedunkerni. Many houses were burnt and shops were looted. On 10 June, 35 fishermen from Gurunagar, Jaffna who went for fishing in a boat named "Thuya Oli" were shot dead -do- by the Sri Lanka Navy. On 20 June, 36 refugees from Gurunagar, Jaffna on a boat bound to India were shot at by Sri Lankan Navy -do- at Nachchikudah, Mannar. On 26 June, 16 civilians in Sambaltivu, Trincomalee were killed in search operation by the Sri Lankan army -do- On 28 June, 8 civilians were tied to trees and executed tin the course of a cordon and search operation in Paranthan -do- by the Sri Lankan soldiers. On 28 June, thirty four Tamil civilians, including women were found hacked to dead in the jungle near -do- Thampalakamam in Trincomalee district. The victims were abducted and hacked to dead by Home Guards -do- On 13 July, Sri Lankan soldiers who launched a cordon and search operation in Adampan, Mannar, killed 48 Tamil and Muslim. On 16 July, 44 Tamil civilians, mostly refugees, were deliberately shot and killed by the Sri Lanka army in the villages -do- of Peruveli and Manalchenai in the Trincomalee district. On 17 July, 10 passengers who were travelling in a bus were killed when a Sri Lankan helicopter opend fire at the -do- bus in Thanduvan in Mullaitivu district.