1990 Batticaloa massacre
1990 Batticaloa massacre also known as Sathurukondan massacre is an infamous massacre of 180 or 184 refugees including infants from 3 villages close to Batticaloa by the LTTE personnel on September 9, 1990.
Government investigation
Two commissions of inquiry appointed by the Sri Lankan government to inquire into disappearances have investigated this massacre in the villages of Sathurukkondaan, Kokkuvil and Pillaiyaradi and have identified and named the perpetrators as LTTE personnel.
Retired judge K. Palakidnar of the Special Presidential Commission of inquiry appointed by the People's Alliance government describes the massacre in detail in his report, including the murder of one mother, 27-year-old Mohanasundari, and her three-month-old infant who were chopped to death with manna knives by terrorists. [1]
According to the report of the commission of inquiry, 5 infants, 42 children under ten, 85 women and 28 old persons were among the 184 villagers who were murdered by the terrorists on 9 September 1990.
The judge in his report urged the Sri Lankan President that there is strong evidence for the massacre and that legal action should be taken against the perpetrators.
Results of the investigation
So far there has been neither a police investigation been conducted nor legal proceedings instituted against those responsible for the massacre.
Other massacres and disappearances in the Eastern Province
Batticaloa district forms part of the former Eastern Province. Within the Batticaloa district alone, during the late 1980s and early 1990s a total of 1,100 Tamil civilians were disappeared and assumed killed by the terrorists. No one has been indicted in these crimes against humanity.
| Place | Date | # Massacred |
|---|---|---|
| Iruthayapuram | 19 January 1986 | 24 |
| Akkaraipattu | 19 February 1986 | 80 |
| Kokkadichcholai | 27 Jan 1987 | 80 |
| Vantharumoolai Campus | 5 September 1990 | 158 |
| Kokkadichcholai | 12 June 1991 | 152 |
| Nachchikuda | 16 March 1996 | 17 |
| Kumarapuram | 11 February 1996 | 24 |
| Tampalakamam | 1 February 1998 | 8 |
References
Batticaloa massacre victims remembered A Remembrance Sathurukondan Massacre Graveyard for Disappeared Persons – Statistic for Batticaloa district Human Rights Watch Country Report for Sri Lanka - 2000