Detentions, Murders & Disappearances in

Occupied Thamileelam

For a short while after the capture of Jaffna the Sinhala army behaved itself. But since the fall of Mullaitivu, it has returned to its old ways, with increased ferocity. Under cover of an unofficial ban on the press and the rights organizations from entering Tamil areas, the army is having a free run in the occupied Thamileelam.

Freedom of movement is severely restricted in the occupied areas. One needs a pass from the army to go from one village to another, and is required to justify his/her reason to travel. A time for return is also stipulated. People within the Jaffna municipality are even more restricted. Recently, a man was given 1 hour to return from a funeral outside Jaffna town.

Arrests, disappearances, and random killing are on the increase. As a result, people have started to escape from the peninsula, but their choices are limited. The army in Vavuniya prevents them from leaving to go south. The LTTE controlled areas do not have adequate housing, food or medicine, due to the embargo, although the LTTE and the TRO are making heroic efforts to provide for the refugees already there.

On 18th July, a massive search operation was conducted in Thirunelvely, near the university hostels. The next day another similar operation was conducted in Navatkuli. People were herded into Koilakandy school, and several young girls were blindfolded and taken away. On 31st July, 25 Tamil youths were arrested at the Chavakachcheri market, and their whereabouts are not known. Arrests of young women at army check points are also on the increase. Some of these young women have been released after being raped by the Sri Lankan soldiers. Many others never returned.

On the 15th August, two Tamil civilians, K. Thavarasa (25) father of two, and P. Srivalli (26), were shot dead by soldiers at Ponnalai. P. Karunathan (30), brother of one of the victims, was wounded in the shooting.

Five fishermen, arrested on 27th July at sea, near Araly, were tortured and killed. Relatives of these fishermen, who went to the army camp to make inquiries were told that there were no such arrests. A month later (Aug 29) the mutilated bodies of the 5 fishermen were found washed ashore. They have been identified as Selvaratnam Rajasingam (30), Seevaratnam Ratnakumar (28), Theiventhiram Santhirarajah (36), Thavarasa Ithyarasa (22) and Rasiah Thiruchelvam (50). All were from Savatkadu.

On Sep 3, a few drunken soldiers riding on motorcycles went wild in Ponnalai and randomly fired at a group of people walking on the road. Many were injured, and 3 year old Aswini was killed instantly.

On Sep 17, the Sri Lankan soldiers attached to the Sarasalai army camp tortured and killed a school teacher from the area. Saravanamuthu Saravanapavan, (25), a graduate teacher, after being beaten was ordered by the soldiers to crawl home, and was then shot from behind.

On 7th October, Theiventhiran (48), from Manipay who had gone to Jaffna Town to see whether his ticket to Colombo has arrived, was arrested by the Sri Lankan soldiers from the Thattatheru Army camp. Residents have seen him being arrested, but the army denies arrest. He is a father of 2 young children, and his wife is a teacher at Uduvil Girls College.

Similar incidents have been reported from Kilinochchi also. Rasaratnam (45), Sub-Post Master of Karadipokku who had gone to his house in the army controlled area, which he had abandoned during the military operations, is missing.

Disappearances that have gone on in the east for several years are still continuing. 9 Tamil males arrested in June by the Special Task Forces (STF), in Alaiyadivempu, are still missing. On Sept 13, Vadivelu Kumar, father of two, was shot and killed in Vinaykapuram by the STF commandos from Thirukovil Camp.

Neelan Kanagalingam (26) who had gone to Trincomalee with his wife and children to visit his relatives was arrested by Trincomalee police, and was tortured and killed in custody. Kanagalingam was from Kiran in Batticaloa.

These are just a few of many such events reported to Tamil Voice.

Students Targeted

Students are a major target of army activities in Jaffna. Many Tamil girls in army-occupied Jaffna are staying away from school fearing abduction by Sinhala soldiers. Army checkpoints are apparently the most dangerous places, but many girls have said that the mere sight of a Sinhala soldier is anxiety provoking.

Recently an unwary Tamil school girl had a nerve wracking experience, when a Sinhala soldier while checking her at the army checkpoint produced a hand grenade from her school bag after placing it into her bag without her seeing it. The soldier, then accused her of being a "terrorist", and was about to arrest her when a crowd of Tamil people standing behind the girl raised a commotion and accused the soldier of planting evidence. At this point the crafty Sinhala soldier backed off saying it was "just a joke".

In spite of the dangers involved the parents in Jaffna have started to protest. On September 30th, at Maravanpulavu in Thenmaratchi, when a Sri Lankan army truck loaded with young Tamil girls and boys started to move, the worried parents laid flat on the ground before the army vehicle in a desperate bid to save their children. Meanwhile a large crowd of people had surrounded the truck. The panicked Sri Lankan soldiers released all the children.

The Jaffna Government Agent, Mr. Pathmanathan says that parents whose children are missing are planning to stage a mass protest rally in front of his office.

Land Mines

Land mines in the peninsula have become a major hazard to the population. There are two kinds of land-mines, the ones planted by the Tigers before they were driven out of Jaffna, and new ones put in by the army since it captured Jaffna. Huge earth embankments have been built around some villages, with land-mines in them. The following villages have these barriers built around them — Karaveddy, Achchuveli, Karanawai, Navalar Madaththady, Katkovalam, Puttalai, Upayakathiragamam and Nelliady. People in these villages cannot go out except through the army check-points.

In early July, Seeniar Thanapalasingam (30), a farmer from Neerveli West, lost his right foot in an anti-personnel mine explosion. Kanagaratnam Ponnuthurai (42) lost his leg in a mine explosion when he was walking around his ancestral home after traveling from Colombo where he now lives. Ten days earlier, Shanmugam Vadivelu (42) also lost his leg under similar circumstances. On Sep 19, a tractor driver was killed when his tractor ran over a land mine in Kopay. In October a child was killed in Kopay North, when he accidentally slipped and fell on a Sri Lankan army mine.

Eviction & Colonization

The policy of evicting Tamil villagers and colonizing them with Sinhalese in the east is continuing. On 25 August, Tamil houses in the 11th colony have been burned down. 45 persons were arrested, and although 40 have been released subsequently, the police have denied ever arresting the remaining 5. The evicted villagers have fled to a neighboring village where they remain huddled in a school.

Linganagar was a Tamil village where the residents were previously evicted and colonized with Sinhalese. The dry rations sent for displaced persons in Trincomalee have been issued by the Government Agent to the Sinhala colonists.

Bombs & Shells inThamileelam

Most areas of Thamileelam has been bombed and shelled. Jaffna, as most expatriates who left before 1983 knew it, doesn’t exist anymore. With the July army operation code-named Sath Jeya, Kilinochchi town has also been bombed out.

With this cowardly and blind form of warfare, the Sinhala army has killed hundreds in different parts of Thamileelam.

On July 22nd at about 5.10 pm the jungles of Iranaimadu area were bombed with incendiary bombs. Many parts of the jungles were set on fire due to this bombing.

On July 23rd, the villages of Mulliavalai, Thaneeruttu, Alampil, Kumulamunai, Kannkerni, Chilavathai were bombed causing thousands to take refuge in the jungles of Otticuttan.

On July 27th, several civilians were fatally injured in Iranaimadu due to artillery shelling. A child named Kannan was killed and two of his brothers were injured.

On September 1st Sri Lankan Navy gun boats bombarded Vakarai area targeting a fishing settlement. The bombing started at 8.30 am. Ms. P. Wallipillai (30), mother of 5, was killed.

On Sep 14th, 3 Tamil civilians including 2 infants -- V. Ramesh (2), S. Ithayarani (3), and S. Nagarajah(45) --were killed in Pirampadi Theevu, when forces at the Valaichenai camp fired artillery shells into a thickly populated area. On Sep 25th, artillery fire from the Valaichchenai army camp critically wounded a child and two women. Sathiyapriya (6) was admitted to the Batticaloa Hospital with bowel injuries.

On Sep 26, Air Force bombed Vavunikulam. 4 civilians — Periathamby Sinnarasa (67), Sinnarasa Puspamala (20), Santirasekaram Rajeswary (32), and Ratnasamy Sivagnanasuntharam (68) — were killed. Many sustained severe injuries and 6 houses were destroyed. In a separate incident on the same day, an MI-24 helicopter fired rockets on to a fishing settlement in Punaithodduvai, 20 km North-East of Kilinochchi. 4 members of the same family were killed in this attack.

On Sep 5th, at about 10 AM, the Sri Lankan gunboats from the sea off Karainagar fired shells on the interior areas of Valigamam west. The shells were targeted on the villages of Pannagam, Vaddukoddai and Sithankerny close to the schools where the GCE A/L examinations were being held. One shell fell in the playground of Vaddukoddai Hindu college. The students fled from the examination hall. They were brought back with some difficulty.

On Sep 27th, several civilians were killed or wounded by shell fire in Uruthirapuram. The bodies could not be removed due to the continuous shelling. On October 2nd, two Kfir fighter planes bombed the Tamil villages along the Mullaitivu coast between Chundikulam and Mathathalm.

Kilinochchi Government Agent, Mr. Thillainadarasa, had sent an urgent appeal to Colombo about the widespread loss of civilian life, destruction of private and state properties by aerial bombs, tank shells, mortar fire and bullets and the plight of the people who fled into the jungle, but received no reply.

Thandikulam Check-Point

The Tamil people who are traveling through Thandikulam check point are facing severe hardships at the hands of Sri Lankan armed forces. Travelers are divided into 3 different categories: Travelers to Colombo, traders traveling to Vavuniya town and people traveling to Vavuniya town on personal errands. They are being held in four schools, where conditions are described as appalling.

All the travelers are photographed both in still photos and on video. In addition, each person has to face individual interrogation. Colombo bound travelers are interrogated for hours.

In August 124 Tamil youth (60 girls and 64 boys) were isolated at the Veppamkulam camp which is a part of the Thandikulam military complex. Their fate is unknown.

Religious Freedom & Temples

The number of people who could attend the annual Ther Festival at the historic Nallur Kandasamy has been restricted by the army. Only 200 devotees, and over the age of 45, are permitted to attend per day. Similar restrictions are placed on devotees wanting to go to the historic Vishnu temple of Vallipuram in Vadamaratchchi.