TRO [Tamil Rehabilitation Organization] categorically condemns the killing of Rev. Fr. Nicholaspillai Packiyaranjith, Manner Coordinator for the International Humanitarian Organisation Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), by an alleged Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) on 26 September 2007 at approximately 3.00 PM at Kalvilaan on the Vellankulam Road near Thunukkai while he was engaged in providing humanitarian relief assistance to the recent IDPs in the Manner. This is the 59th killing of a humanitarian relief working in Sri Lanka since September 2005 (see full list below) alleged to be carried out by the Sri Lanka Security Forces or paramilitaries affiliated with them. These killings of humanitarian workers appear to be aimed at limiting or ending the humanitarian work that local and international NGOs are engaged in and creating a climate of fear within the humanitarian community and the IDPs that they serve.
If this situation prevails any longer, there is a real danger of the affected populations being deprived of any and all assistance from humanitarian organizations and being subjected to untold sufferings. This may be the goal of the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) but it is against international Humanitarian and Human Rights Law and must be condemned by the international community.
We appeal to the international community and all humanitarian and human rights organizations to raise awareness of the current situation in Sri Lanka and to prevail upon the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure the safety of humanitarian organizations and their staff and to allow access to all affected population.
Abductions and killings of humanitarian workers in 2005-2007 |
Source: Law & Society Trust (Sri Lanka) & TRO [1] |
|
Date |
Place, District |
Organization |
Names |
Age |
Type of attack |
1 |
28-Sep-05 |
Batticaloa |
Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) |
Thambyappa Vellaiuthapillai |
70 |
Machine gun and grenade attack on TRO Batticaloa Office |
2 |
11-Jan-06 |
Point Pedro, Jaffna |
Danish Demining Group (DDG) |
T. Tharmasiri |
28 |
Abducted - presumed dead |
3 |
N. Kandeepan |
30 |
Abducted - presumed dead |
4 |
29-Jan-06 |
Welikanda / Batticaloa |
Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) |
Kasinathar Ganeshalingam |
52 |
Abducted - presumed dead |
5 |
Kathirkamar Thangarasa |
43 |
Abducted - presumed dead |
6 |
30-Jan-06 |
Thanushkodi Premini |
25 |
Abducted - presumed dead |
7 |
Shanmuganathan Sujendran |
|
Abducted - presumed dead |
8 |
Thambiraja Vasantharajan |
|
Abducted - presumed dead |
9 |
Kailasapillai Ravindran |
25 |
Abducted - presumed dead |
10 |
Arulthavarasa Satheesharan |
|
Abducted - presumed dead |
11 |
04-Feb-06 |
Jaffna |
HALO Trust |
Gunaratnam Logithas |
23 |
Abducted - presumed dead |
12 |
17-Feb-06 |
Batticaloa |
Mines Advisory Group (MAG) |
Parameswaran |
|
Abducted - presumed dead |
13 |
09-Apr-06 |
Jaffna |
HUDEC – Caritas Jaffna |
Shanmugaratnam Pathmanathan |
55 |
Killed – Claymore, suspected to have targeted a SLA convoy |
14 |
HUDEC – Caritas Jaffna |
Chelvendra Pradeepkumar |
29 |
Killed – Claymore, suspected to have targeted a SLA convoy |
15 |
16-May-06 |
Vavuniya |
Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) |
Jeyaruban Gnanapragasam |
|
Killed |
16 |
26-May-06 |
Kalviyankadu, Batticaloa |
North East Irrigated Agriculture Project (NEIAP) |
Ratnam Ratnaraja |
48 |
Killed |
17 |
02-Jul-06 |
Valachenai, Batticaloa |
Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) |
Krishnapillai Kamalanathan |
26 |
Abducted & released |
18 |
08-Jul-06 |
Polikandy, Vadamaradchy, Jaffna |
Mason in a Tsunami Housing Scheme funded by FORUT |
Rasiah Muraleeswaran |
42 |
Killed |
19 |
05-Aug-06 |
Mutur, Trincomalee |
Action Contra La Faim (ACF) |
Kokilavathani |
29 |
Killed |
20 |
Romila |
25 |
Killed |
21 |
Kavitha |
27 |
Killed |
22 |
Kovarthani |
28 |
Killed |
23 |
A.L.Mohammed Jawffar |
31 |
Killed |
24 |
Sritharan |
36 |
Killed |
25 |
Kodeeswaran |
31 |
Killed |
26 |
Jaseelan |
27 |
Killed |
27 |
Ganesh |
54 |
Killed |
28 |
Narmathan |
24 |
Killed |
29 |
Ketheswaran |
36 |
Killed |
30 |
Rishikesan |
27 |
Killed |
31 |
Muralitharan |
34 |
Killed |
32 |
Arulrajah |
24 |
Killed |
33 |
Pratheepan |
24 |
Killed |
34 |
Koneswaran |
24 |
Killed |
35 |
Anantharajah |
32 |
Killed |
36 |
20-Aug-06 |
Cheddikulam, Vavuniya |
Sri Lanka Red Cross Society |
Nagarasa Thavaranjitham |
23 |
Killed |
37 |
24-Aug-06 |
Thirukkovil, Ampara |
UNOPS |
P. Jestly Julian |
|
Killed |
38 |
01-Sep-06 |
Karavedyy, Jaffna |
Sewalanka |
Sathiyamoorthey Selvaroopan |
25 |
Killed |
39 |
12-Sep-06 |
Nilaveli Road, Trincomalee |
World Concern |
Ragunathan Ramalingam |
31 |
Killed |
40 |
17-Nov-06 |
Jaffna |
HALO Trust |
Charles Huston Ravindran |
30 |
Abducted - presumed dead |
41 |
23-Nov-06 |
Kalmunai, Ampara |
Terre des Hommes |
Sabaratnam Rubesh |
31 |
Killed |
42 |
04-Jan-07 |
Jaffna |
HALO Trust |
Subramaniam Parameswaran |
|
Abducted - presumed dead |
43 |
09-Feb-07 |
Jaffna |
HALO Trust |
Nagarasa Narenthiran |
27 |
Abducted - presumed dead |
44 |
09-Feb-07 |
Jaffna |
HALO Trust |
C. Rajendran |
35 |
Abducted - presumed dead |
45 |
24-Mar-07 |
Mannar |
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) |
Muthuraja Aruleswaran |
|
Killed BY Sri Lanka Army – Deep Penetration Unit Claymore Mine Attack |
46 |
01-Apr-07 |
Mailampaaveli, Batticaloa |
Village of Hope |
W. Chandrasiri |
|
Killed |
47 |
01-Apr-07 |
T. M. Dhanapala |
|
Killed |
48 |
01-Apr-07 |
W. Dhanapala |
18 |
Killed |
49 |
01-Apr-07 |
T. Wijekoon |
|
Killed |
50 |
01-Apr-07 |
L.M. Dayananda Kapporal |
|
Killed |
51 |
01-Apr-07 |
Maduranga Kapporal |
|
Killed |
52 |
02-Jun-07 |
Colombo / Ratnapura |
Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRC) |
S. Shanmuganathan |
|
Abducted and killed – shot |
53 |
K. Chandramohan |
20 |
Killed |
54 |
19-Jun-07 |
Jaffna |
Danish Demining Group (DDG) |
Sivarasa Vimalarasa |
|
Abducted - presumed dead |
55 |
18-Jul-07 |
Jaffna |
Sivalingam Prabakaran |
34 |
Abducted - presumed dead |
56 |
23-Jul-07 |
Jaffna |
Danish Refugee Council |
Arumainayagam Alloysius |
26 |
Killed |
57 |
06-Aug-07 |
Trincomalee |
Methodist Community Organization for Refugees (UMCOR) |
Mohamed Zavahir Mohamed |
|
Abducted - presumed dead |
58 |
20-Aug-07 |
Kasthooriar Road, Jaffna |
Danish Demining Group (DDG) |
Sivasamy Sritharan |
31 |
Killed |
59 |
26-Sept-07 |
Kalvilaan: Mankulam - Vellaakulam Road |
Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) |
Rev. Fr. Nicholaspillai Packiyaranjith |
40 |
Killed BY Sri Lanka Army – Deep Penetration Unit Claymore Mine Attack |
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