A labourer in Colombo revealed a horrifying eyewitness testimony of Sinhala soldiers burying the bodies of 35 Tamil prisoners that were killed during the 1983 anti-Tamil program that saw 1000’s of Tamils massacred in Sri Lanka.
Aneez Thuwan, a labourer working for the Colombo Municipal Council said he witnessed Sri Lankan military soldiers dig two 10x10x10 graves and dump 35 blood soaked bodies into the graves. The next day a further 18 bodies were brought and dumped into a similar grave at the back of the cemetery., reports Ceylon Today.
One of those massacred in the prison was a prominent Tamil militant, who made the following statement before being sentenced to death and life in prison.
After hearing his sentence in court, Kuttimani said,
"We are fighters belonging to an organization that is struggling to liberate our people. To those noble souls who keep practicing terrorism, we have something to say. Did you not get frightened of terrorism when hundreds of Tamils got massacred in cold blood, when racist hate spread like fire in this country of yours?
"Did terrorism mean nothing to you when Tamil women were raped? When our cultural treasures were set on fire? When hundreds of Tamil homes were looted?"
"Why, in 1977 alone 400 Tamils lost their lives, reddening the sky above with their splattered blood. Did you not see any terrorism then?"
"It is only when a few policemen are killed in Tamil Eelam, and a few million rupees bank money robbed, that terrorism strikes you in the face... But my fervent prayer is that innocent Sinhalese people should not have to reap what power hungry Sinhalese politicians have sown."
"These tribulations are a boon bestowed by God to purify us. The final victory is ours."
Black July 1983 remembered (23 Jul 2015)
30 years ago today- Tamil prisoners massacred at Welikada (25 Jul 2013)
Aneez Thuwan, a labourer working for the Colombo Municipal Council said he witnessed Sri Lankan military soldiers dig two 10x10x10 graves and dump 35 blood soaked bodies into the graves. The next day a further 18 bodies were brought and dumped into a similar grave at the back of the cemetery., reports Ceylon Today.
One of those massacred in the prison was a prominent Tamil militant, who made the following statement before being sentenced to death and life in prison.
After hearing his sentence in court, Kuttimani said,
"We are fighters belonging to an organization that is struggling to liberate our people. To those noble souls who keep practicing terrorism, we have something to say. Did you not get frightened of terrorism when hundreds of Tamils got massacred in cold blood, when racist hate spread like fire in this country of yours?
"Did terrorism mean nothing to you when Tamil women were raped? When our cultural treasures were set on fire? When hundreds of Tamil homes were looted?"
"Why, in 1977 alone 400 Tamils lost their lives, reddening the sky above with their splattered blood. Did you not see any terrorism then?"
"It is only when a few policemen are killed in Tamil Eelam, and a few million rupees bank money robbed, that terrorism strikes you in the face... But my fervent prayer is that innocent Sinhalese people should not have to reap what power hungry Sinhalese politicians have sown."
"These tribulations are a boon bestowed by God to purify us. The final victory is ours."
Black July 1983 remembered (23 Jul 2015)
30 years ago today- Tamil prisoners massacred at Welikada (25 Jul 2013)