Mylanthanai massacre: Difference between revisions
massive copy edit |
XTheBedrockX (talk | contribs) removed Category:Massacres of the Sri Lankan Civil War; added Category:1990s massacres of the Sri Lankan Civil War using HotCat |
||
| (179 intermediate revisions by 44 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Infobox civilian attack |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| title = Mylanthanai massacre |
|||
The '''Mylanthanai massacre''' happened on [[August 9]] [[1992]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://brcslproject.gn.apc.org/slmonitor/March2003/resett.html |
|||
| image = |
|||
|title=Resettlement|accessdate=2006-01-07 |format= |work=Sri Lanka Monitor }}</ref> when 35 minority [[Sri Lankan Tamils]], including 15 children, at [[Mylanthanai]] in [[Batticaloa]] District in [[Sri Lanka]], were killed. [[Sri Lankan Army]] soldiers from an army camp in [[Punanai]] were accused of the crime, but later many were later acquited.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://brcslproject.gn.apc.org/slmonitor/November02/acqui.html|title=Jury finds Mylanthanai massacre accused not guilty|accessdate=2006-01-06 |format= |work=Sri Lanka Monitor }}</ref> |
|||
| caption = |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| location = [[Mylanthanai]], [[Batticaloa]], [[Sri Lanka]] |
|||
| coordinates = |
|||
| target = [[Sri Lankan Tamil]] village residents |
|||
| date = August 9, 1992 |
|||
| time = |
|||
| timezone = +6 GMT |
|||
| type = Armed massacre |
|||
| fatalities = 35 |
|||
| injuries = |
|||
| perps = Sri Lankan Army <ref name="The Lanka Leader 2022">{{cite web | title=Mylanthanai massacre: 30 years on and justice remains a mirage | website=The Lanka Leader | date=20 Aug 2022 | url=https://english.theleader.lk/review/2235-mylanthanai-massacre-30-years-on-and-justice-remains-a-mirage | access-date=12 Apr 2023}}</ref> |
|||
| weapons = Automatics rifles, Knives, axes |
|||
}} |
|||
The '''Mylanthanai massacre''' happened on August 9, 1992 when 35 minority [[Sri Lankan Tamils]], including 14 children, at [[Mylanthanai]] in [[Batticaloa]] District in [[Sri Lanka]], were killed.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/south_asia/2515295.stm|title=Mylanthanai case|access-date=2006-01-08 |work=BBC | date=November 26, 2002}}</ref><ref name="Tamil Guardian 2023">{{cite web | title=Mylanthanai massacre remembered 30 years on | website=Tamil Guardian | date=12 Apr 2023 | url=https://www.tamilguardian.com/content/mylanthanai-massacre-remembered-30-years | access-date=12 Apr 2023}}</ref> |
|||
[[Sri Lankan Army]] soldiers from an army camp in [[Punanai]] were initially accused of the crime,<ref name="sm1/9/07">{{cite web|url=http://brcslproject.gn.apc.org/slmonitor/November02/acqui.html|title=Jury finds Mylanthanai massacre accused not guilty|access-date=2006-01-06|work=Sri Lanka Monitor|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205221829/http://brcslproject.gn.apc.org/slmonitor/November02/acqui.html|archive-date=2012-02-05}}</ref> |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
==Incident== |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
On August 9, 1992 according to the government prosecutor [[Sri Lankan Army]] soldiers attacked the village of Mylanthanai, after the army's commanding officer in [[Jaffna]] was killed along with seven soldiers in a [[landmine]] explosion earlier the same day.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2515295.stm |title=Mylanthanai case|access-date=2007-02-02 |work=BBC | date=November 26, 2002}}</ref> According to the pro-[[LTTE|rebel]] [[Tamilnet]] reporting on the court proceedings, an eye witness Ms Sinnathurai Indrakala, 28 was quoted as saying that the soldiers had used guns, knives and axes to carry out the murders. Children as young as 1 to 15 were amongst the dead.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=7582 |
|||
[[Human Rights]] agencies and relatives of massacre victims expressed shock after 18 soldiers accused in the Mylanthanai case were released on [[November 27]], [[2003]], when the jury returned a "not guilty" verdict. The jury confirmed the decision even after the judge ordered a reconsideration. Observers have expressed fear that the case will encourage impunity among the security forces.[http://brcslproject.gn.apc.org/slmonitor/November02/acqui.html]. |
|||
|title=Woman witness gives evidence|access-date=2007-02-02 |work=Tamilnet }}</ref> |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
The government reaction was swift, according to the Sri Lanka Monitor, a reporting organization in the ongoing [[Sri Lankan Civil War]], a line-up was held at [[Batticaloa]] Magistrate’s Court on April 2, 1993. Survivors of the killings identified 24 soldiers.<ref name="sm1/9/07"/> |
|||
| ⚫ | The [[Attorney General]] at the time transferred the case to [[Polonnaruwa]] District. He then transferred the case again to [[Colombo]] on the grounds of safety for the accused. This arrangement made it difficult for witnesses who were survivors to appear. The indictment was filed in Colombo High Court in September 1999.<ref name="sm1/9/07"/> |
||
More than 30 eyewitnesses came from Batticaloa along with [[coroner]] who conducted most of the autopsies and the presiding regional judge. Eye witness accounts from dead persons were also allowed to be read in the case. After an extensive hearing the case went before the jury. The jury found the soldiers not guilty. The Judge requested the Jury to reconsider the verdict but the jury found the accused soldiers not guilty again. The attorney general turned down the request of the victims representatives to appeal.<ref name="sm1/9/07"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:QpKTays5TB8J:www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWFiles2007.nsf/FilesByRWDocUnidFilename/DBC51E0313E10AB5852572FA006892C6-Full_Report.pdf/%24File/Full_Report.pdf+DBC51E0313E10AB5852572FA006892C6-Full_Report.pdf&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=ca|title= Sri Lanka's Human Rights Crisis |access-date=2007-08-11 }}</ref> |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
Human rights agencies and relatives of victims expressed shock after 18 soldiers accused in the Mylanthanai case were released on 27 November.<ref name="sm1/9/07"/> A local Human Rights agency [[UTHR]] considered the jury's verdict unfair and reported that about the lack of expression of concern over the verdict among the international community.<ref>[http://www.uthr.org/SpecialReports/spreport16.htm#_Toc35700799 The Human Rights Task: Accountability First]</ref> |
|||
According to ''Northeastern Herald'', although the constitution provides room for appalling such cases, the [[Attorney General]] refused to appeal the verdict citing convention.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tamilcanadian.com/page.php?cat=323&id=1479 |
|||
|title=AG refuses to appeal the verdict|access-date=2006-01-07 |work=Northeastern Herald }}</ref> |
|||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
* [[List of attacks on civilians attributed to Sri Lankan government forces]] |
|||
*[[Tampalakamam massacre]] |
|||
*[[Mannar massacre]] |
|||
*[[Allaipiddy massacre]] |
|||
== References == |
== References == |
||
{{Reflist}} |
|||
<div class= |
|||
"references-small"> |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
<references/></div> |
|||
{{coord missing|Sri Lanka}} |
|||
==External link== |
|||
*[http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=7261 Mylanthanai massacre commerated] |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
*[http://www.tamilcanadian.com/page.php?cat=323&id=1479 AG refuses to apeal] |
|||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Attacks on civilians attributed to the Sri Lanka Army]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:1990s massacres of the Sri Lankan Civil War]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Massacres in 1992]] |
||
[[Category:Sri Lankan |
[[Category:Mass murder of Sri Lankan Tamils]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Sri Lankan government forces attacks in Eelam War II]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka in 1992]] |
||
| ⚫ | |||
{{SriLanka-stub}} |
|||
Latest revision as of 16:59, 7 January 2024
| Mylanthanai massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Mylanthanai, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka |
| Date | August 9, 1992 (+6 GMT) |
| Target | Sri Lankan Tamil village residents |
Attack type | Armed massacre |
| Weapons | Automatics rifles, Knives, axes |
| Deaths | 35 |
| Perpetrators | Sri Lankan Army [1] |
The Mylanthanai massacre happened on August 9, 1992 when 35 minority Sri Lankan Tamils, including 14 children, at Mylanthanai in Batticaloa District in Sri Lanka, were killed.[2][3]
Sri Lankan Army soldiers from an army camp in Punanai were initially accused of the crime,[4] but they were acquitted by the unanimous verdict of a jury in Colombo.[5]
Incident[edit]
On August 9, 1992 according to the government prosecutor Sri Lankan Army soldiers attacked the village of Mylanthanai, after the army's commanding officer in Jaffna was killed along with seven soldiers in a landmine explosion earlier the same day.[6] According to the pro-rebel Tamilnet reporting on the court proceedings, an eye witness Ms Sinnathurai Indrakala, 28 was quoted as saying that the soldiers had used guns, knives and axes to carry out the murders. Children as young as 1 to 15 were amongst the dead.[7]
Government investigation[edit]
The government reaction was swift, according to the Sri Lanka Monitor, a reporting organization in the ongoing Sri Lankan Civil War, a line-up was held at Batticaloa Magistrate’s Court on April 2, 1993. Survivors of the killings identified 24 soldiers.[4]
The Attorney General at the time transferred the case to Polonnaruwa District. He then transferred the case again to Colombo on the grounds of safety for the accused. This arrangement made it difficult for witnesses who were survivors to appear. The indictment was filed in Colombo High Court in September 1999.[4]
More than 30 eyewitnesses came from Batticaloa along with coroner who conducted most of the autopsies and the presiding regional judge. Eye witness accounts from dead persons were also allowed to be read in the case. After an extensive hearing the case went before the jury. The jury found the soldiers not guilty. The Judge requested the Jury to reconsider the verdict but the jury found the accused soldiers not guilty again. The attorney general turned down the request of the victims representatives to appeal.[4][8]
Controversy over acquittal[edit]
Human rights agencies and relatives of victims expressed shock after 18 soldiers accused in the Mylanthanai case were released on 27 November.[4] A local Human Rights agency UTHR considered the jury's verdict unfair and reported that about the lack of expression of concern over the verdict among the international community.[9]
According to Northeastern Herald, although the constitution provides room for appalling such cases, the Attorney General refused to appeal the verdict citing convention.[10]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Mylanthanai massacre: 30 years on and justice remains a mirage". The Lanka Leader. 20 Aug 2022. Retrieved 12 Apr 2023.
- ^ "Mylanthanai case". BBC. November 26, 2002. Retrieved 2006-01-08.
- ^ "Mylanthanai massacre remembered 30 years on". Tamil Guardian. 12 Apr 2023. Retrieved 12 Apr 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Jury finds Mylanthanai massacre accused not guilty". Sri Lanka Monitor. Archived from the original on 2012-02-05. Retrieved 2006-01-06.
- ^ "Human Rights accountability, first". UTHR. Retrieved 2006-01-07.
- ^ "Mylanthanai case". BBC. November 26, 2002. Retrieved 2007-02-02.
- ^ "Woman witness gives evidence". Tamilnet. Retrieved 2007-02-02.
- ^ "Sri Lanka's Human Rights Crisis". Retrieved 2007-08-11.
- ^ The Human Rights Task: Accountability First
- ^ "AG refuses to appeal the verdict". Northeastern Herald. Retrieved 2006-01-07.
