Violence round up – week ending 1 April

 

● Six construction workers were massacred and three seriously wounded when attackers shot them about 300 meters from the Sri Lankan counter-insurgency STF camp at Mailampaaveli, Batticaloa (see separate story).

 

● The naked body of a youth, bound in barbed wire and with several gunshot wounds and deep, extensive torture marks, was discovered inside bush jungles in an isolated area near Kerudavil, Manthuvil in Thenmaradchy, Jaffna. Mahalingam Thavarajah, 26, was from Vembadi, Vadamaradchy, Jaffna, and was living in Meesalai, North Kodikamam, when he was abducted and killed. He was abducted by the SLA along with three other youths in Meesalai.

 

● Sri Lanka Military High command in Palaly military base announced, using the official military radio, that the curfew across Jaffna district has been extended by three hours to last from 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Previously the designated curfew hours were from 8:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. All areas in Jaffna including Vadamaradchy, Thenmaradchy, Valigamam and Islet regions are to be affected by the new curfew hours. The SLA command warned Jaffna residents that violators of the curfew will be arrested and punished. The SLA usually extends the curfew hours when it moves heavy equipment and weapons to FDLs or when it is preparing for war.

 

● Kanapathi Sivarajah, 35, a day labourer who earned a meagre living doing manual work to support his family, was abducted by armed men from his home and shot dead near a cemetery in Kaithady, Jaffna.

 

● Gunmen shot dead two men and dumped their bodies in Thirunavatkulam, Vavuniya. The victims were identified as Kulasekaranathan Soumian, 32, and Yogarajan Baheerathan, 27.

 

● A SLN sea patrol unit arrested 30 Jaffna residents in Delft seas trying to flee to Tamil Nadu in South India as refugees. After the SLA’s closure of the A9, the only land route to Jaffna, and the resulting scarcity of essential food and medicine, together with the prevailing climate of terror from being abducted, killed, intimidated and harassed by the SLA and its paramilitary collaborators, many in the peninsula have risked their lives on the perilous seas to seek refuge in Tamil Nadu. Fishermen in Delft, for a payment of 15,000 rupees per person, take the fleeing civilians up to the Sri Lanka-India sea boundary where fishermen from Tamil Nadu take over and help them to reach Tamil Nadu shores. Food, medicine and other essential commodities which are hard to find in the peninsula are available in Delft.

 

● Dehiwela Police and SLA soldiers arrested 7 plantation Tamils, including two women, in a sudden cordon and search in Kohuwela, a suburb of Colombo. All the arrested are natives of Nuwara Eliya and Badulla. Tamil employees of hotels and shops in Kohuwela were rigorously questioned before they were arrested.

 

 

● Armed men shot and injured two Tamil persons, including a woman, in the heart of Trincomalee town. The woman was identified as Shanthi Sivamohan, 32, who works in a non-governmental organization.

 

● Gnanapiragasam Weslie, 36, a resident Kerniyadi, a suburb of Trincomalee town, was injured in a shooting in the heart of the eatern port town and succumbed to his injuries the next day. Unidentified men shot him when he was driving a three-wheeler along Old Moor Street. A Tamil young woman, Shanthi Sivamanoharan, 32, was also injured in the incident.

 

● Six youths staying at the St. Antony's Church Welfare Centre in Muthur, Trincomalee, were arrested by SLA. Although the SLA told the parents the youths were being taken for interrogation, the youths remained in custody. They were handed over to Muthur police six days later to be produced before the courts. The SLA had subjected them to severe interrogation during their detention in the Muttur SLA camp. They were identified as Arulnayagam Joseph Jesuthasan, 25, Sebastian Joseph Jebatheepan, 28, Pushparajah Pushpakanthan, 20, Muharasa Murali, 22, Prakash Sripaskaran, 28, and Selvanayagam Amalraj, 25.

 

● Fighter helicopters of the SLAF attacked a Multi Purpose Co-Operative Society lorry and two other lorries belonging to private traders parked near the Puliyangkulam LTTE checkpoint on the A9, north of the Omanthai SLA checkpoint. Following the night mission airstrike by the LTTE on Katunyake airbase, the SLAF has been engaging its bombers and helicopters in late night attacks.

 

● SLA soldiers extended a fishing ban in Vadamaradchy north, affecting more than 4 000 fishing families living along the coastal villages from Valvettiththurai in Vadamarachchy North to Manatkadu in Vadamarachchy East. SLN gunboats fired at fishing crafts in the seas off Jaffna and chased away the fishermen. The armed forces manning checkpoints and bunkers along the coastal area too fired at the fishermen engaged in fishing without any prior warning.

 

● Armed men in a white van abducted Suvaikeenpillai Vayooran alias Balachandran, 39, a father of 6 from Pasaiyoor in Jaffna.

 

● Gunmen in a white van abducted Francis Segar Amilton, 16, of Koiyathottam in Jaffna town from his house.

 

● Sinnathamby Shanmugalingam, 35, a family man from Poonari Madam in Kokuvil was reported missing after going to his neighbouring village of Nachchimarkovilady.

 

● Sinnakandu Jegaseelan, 27, the owner of a cycle repair shop on Main street, Jaffna, was reported missing after going to the SLA civil administrative office at Colombuthurai to obtain permission to leave Jaffna.

 

● Jeyarasa Jeyatheleepan, 19, a student was reported missing after leaving his house at Colombuthurai on personal errands.

 

● SLA troopers took away a youth staying at Kambarmalai in Vadamardcy, according to local residents.

 

 

● M. K. Sivajilingam, a TNA parliamentarian for the Jaffna district, was interrogated by Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) for nearly 10 hours for alleged links with the Liberation Tigers. The TID accused the MP of alleged involvement in procuring a vehicle for the LTTE. Sivajilingam said that Colombo is planning to interrogate other TNA MPs with similar concocted false accusations with the intention of suppressing dissent and stopping the MPs from highlighting the human rights abuses of the government. He added that Colombo may be planning to arrest him under false charges when he returns to the TID for further interrogation.

 

● Police recovered the body of a labourer in front of Peoples' Bank, V. C. road, Valaichenai, Batticaloa. Vinayagamoorthy Vijayanathan, 30, a father of and a resident of Shanmugalingam Road, Karuvakerny, in Valaichenai, had left home to buy provisions in Valaichenai town the previous afternoon and failed to return. Relatives said he was abducted and then killed.

 

● Unidentified persons triggered a claymore device at Parayanalankulam in Vavuniya killing five SLA troopers travelling in a tractor.

 

● A young IDP was killed by a stray bullet believed to be fired by the SLA at Manatkadu in Vadamarachchy East, Jaffna. G. Manoharan, 24, from Mantkadu, succumbed to his injuries at hospital. He had been displaced by 2004 tsunami and was staying in the Transit camp when the bullet hit him. The SLA and SLN had been conducting joint military exercises in the coastal areas of Vadamarachchy, including the populated Manatkadu and other villages.

 

● Two armed men on a motorbike followed a family man cycling along Palaly road at Punnalikaduvan, Valigamam, Jaffna, and shot him. N. Krishnarajah, 38, of Old Police Station Road in Chunnakam remained unattended on the roadside until he was taken to hospital in a critical condition by local residents. The incident occurred within the SLA HSZ close to Palaly SLA main base.

 

● Two armed men on a motorbike assaulted an elderly man, held a pistol to his head, and robbed nearly half a million rupees off him on Stanley Road in Jaffna town, within the SLA HSZ. R. K. Sellathurai, 68, of Masiapitty in Sandilipay, Valigamam, was admitted to hospital. Stanley road lies close to Subash and Gnanams hotels where Jaffna SLA 51-2 brigade has its head quarters. One end of Stanley Road is sealed off for public use and guarded by SLA troopers 24 hours a day.

 

● Dehiwala Police took eleven Tamil civilians, including two women, into custody in a sudden cordon and search operation in Kohuwela, a suburb of Colombo. All of the arrested are natives of the NorthEast, and had been staying with relatives and friends. They were detained and questioned to find out the reason for their stay in Kohuwela.

 

● Two Tamil youths were taken into custody by the SLA in a cordon and search operation at Eechantivu, a Tamil village in Kinniya, Trincomalee. They have been identified as Sellathurai Gnanasegaram, 27, and Pirapaharan Jeyenthiran, 23.

 

 

● Eight civilians, including four children, were killed when the SLA fired mortars from Murakkoddaanchaenai SLA camp towards Siththaandi 3rd division. One of the wounded succumbed to injuries at Batticaloa hospital. Two 2-year-old girls and 2 boys under 18 were among the victims. Three of the children were from a single family. Six shells were fired towards the civilian settlement and eight houses were damaged. The mortar attack on the civilian settlement followed a LTTE raid on SLA positions in the area on 21 March. There were no LTTE units firing mortars from Siththaandi towards SLA positions.

 

Nallam Thavamani, 30, her daughter Nallam Niroja, 2, three children from a single family – Perinparajah Ranjitha, 2, Perinparajah Sasikumar, 15, and Perinparajah Vasanthakumar, 18 – and Alagaiah Vijalaluxmy, 42, Nagamani Thambithurai, 42, and Ilayathambi Sinnaththurai, 50, were killed straight away. The name of the wounded person who died in hospital was not released.

 

● Two civilians arrested by the armed forces at Alankerny in Kinniya during a cordon and search remained in custody, with no word of their whereabouts.

 

 

● LTTE forces thwarted a pre-dawn attempt by SLA troopers and paramilitary cadres of the Karuna Group from Chenkalady Black Bridge SLA camp in Batticaloa to advance into Koduvamadu area in LTTE held territory. The LTTE recovered the bodies of two paramilitary members and eight T-56 rifles. The four injured paramilitary cadres – identified as Thutchan, Varman, Nesan and Thevikan – were rushed to hospital. The SLA and the Karuna Group personnel withdrew to their camps following the failed attempt.

 

● The SLA in Batticaloa launched MBRL fire from their camps towards LTTE held territories in Batticaloa, forcing government offices and schools to close. The SLA launched MBRL fire from the 23rd Brigade in Batticaloa, Sathurukondan, Mylambaveli, Kommanthurai, Murakottanchenai, Kumburumoolai and Valaichenai brigade camps. More than 80% of residents in LTTE areas have already been displaced by the unrelenting artillery and mortar fire launched by the SLA. Their properties have been badly damaged by the shelling.

 

● Armed men shot dead an elderly couple at their house, 300 meters from Palaly Road in the HSZ that is always guarded by SLA troopers. Vairamuthu Sivaganeshathasan, 59, a trader and his wife Sarojini Sivaganeshathasan, 53, were killed, but their grandson, Sivakumar Kapilan, 9, escaped injury. As there were no near neighbours, Kapilan spent the whole night crying beside his grandparents' bodies. Villagers became aware of the killings only when he came out at dawn. A van and lorry belonging to the trader, who is said to be a millionaire, were found in his compound.

 

● Sinnaththurai Rajendra, 34, of Ilanthaikkulam road, Kolumbuththurai who went to Jaffna city on 25 March, was reported missing by relatives.

 

● Gunasegaram Kunaharan, 19, from Bharathy road, Chankanai East, who went to buy provisions, disappeared on 3 March, his relatives said in a complaint lodged at the SLHRC in Jaffna.

 

● A young family man from Kankuveli in Muthur, Tricnomalee, was abducted by two persons on a motorbike. They blindfolded Munusamy Kalirasa, 34, and took him on the motorbike towards Thehiyaththakandiya, a neighbouring Sinhala village.

 

 

● Two SLA troopers and four Eelam Peoples' Democratic Party (EPDP) members were killed at Kommanthurai SLA camp in Batticaloa when explosives in a tractor blew up when the troopers opened fire as the driver of the tractor failed to stop on orders. Two SLA troopers, two policemen and five civilians were injured.

 

M. A. Piriya Banda, 23, of Methirigiriya, and Punchi Banda, 34, of Polanaruwa were identified as the SLA troopers killed. The EPDP members killed were Velautham Thayaparan, 25, of Thimilaitheevu, Sachithananthan Vigneswaran, 25 of Kommanthurai and Kovinthan Mathanarajah,12, of Kommanthurai, all three from Batticaloa district. Yamuna, 42 and Sinthuja, 03 were the two civilians injured.

 

Following the explosion, SLA launched heavy rocket fire on LTTE held territories. Almost 90% of the EPDP office located near Komanthurai SLA camp was damaged in the blast while the army commander's office suffered minor damages.

 

● A youth on motorbike threw a hand grenade at a group of Sri Lanka police officers on road patrol in Arayamapthy, Kathankudy, Batticaloa, injuring two policemen. Sergeants Karunaratne, 36, and Veerasinghe, 33, were the two police personnel injured. The police opened fire but the youth escaped unhurt.

 

● Exchange of heavy mortar and artillery fire and MBRL fire occurred between the LSA and LTTE along the FDLs from Muhamalai to Kilali in Jaffna. Beginning Monday night, the firing continued until Tuesday evening. The SLA launched mortar and artillery fire from Thenmaradchy south, west, Kokilakandy and Thanankilappu areas towards LTTE held positions. Hundreds of fishermen fishing in the Jaffna lagoon narrowly escaped when shells fell and exploded in the lagoon.

 

● A youth from Navalar Road, Jaffna, disappeared after being stopped at Arasady Junction in Nallur for interrogation by SLA soldiers. Lakshumanan Nishanthan, 23, a businessman, was travelling towards Nallur in his van when he was stopped at the checkpoint. Local witnesses saw the van being driven by another driver without Nishanthan about an hour later. Relatives said SLA officials admitted they were holding Nishanthan and had told them he would be released after questioning, but they have not had any additional details on his whereabouts, and fear for his safety. His van was found abandoned about a hundred metres from the checkpoint.

 

● Two armed men on a motorbike shot dead a minibus driver who was having tea at a cafe on Jaffna-Kachcheri road behind Jaffna Secretariat. L. Chandranath, 23, was rushed to hospital where he succumbed to his wounds. Chandranath, who had earlier functioned as the time-keeper for private buses in Jaffna town, was working as the driver of a minibus plying between Jaffna town and Kachcheri area. He was having tea while his minibus waited for passengers near the cafe.

 

● Two members of the Socialist Equality Party, Nadaraja Nimaleswaran, 27, of Velanai in the Jaffna Islets, and his friend, Yuganathan Mathivathanan, 23, disappeared on 22 March their way to Punkuduthivu, according to a complaint filed with the Jaffna SLHRC by their relatives.

 

 

● The SLA and SLN conducted war rehearsals from Palaly military base to Kankesanthurai naval base, suggesting an imminent escalation of conflict between the LTTE and Sri Lanka Armed Forces in the north. The exercises also took place in the seas of Valvettithurai, Myliddy and Kankesanthurai and the adjoining coastal areas, lasting for more than an hour.

 

● Armed men on motorbike shot dead a family man while he was eating at a food stall opposite Jaffna college, Vaddukodai. The killers, entering the food stall pretending to be normal customers, opened fire on Murgesu Sangarapillai, 45, from Karainagar. Sangarapillai, on his way to Jaffna town from his home in Karainagar on his motorbike and had stopped midway to have breakfast at the food stall.

 

● An employee of Jaffna Municipal Council, shot and injured by SLA troopers in front of the Jaffna SLHRC in an earlier incident, sought safety. SLHRC officials took steps to place Mr. Baskaran, a resident of Sirupitty, Vadamaradchy east, under the protective custody of Jaffna prison after he surrendered at their offices fearing for his life. After the shooting, Baskaran had gone home, but on being continuously threatened at Sirupitty and scared of being killed by the SLA, he sought refuge at the SLHRC.

 

● Sri Lanka Police took two Tamils, one woman and one man, into custody in Seeduwa, near Colombo, in cordon and search operations following the air strike on Katunayake air base by the LTTE. One of the arrested is a native of Jaffna and the other is from Batticaloa.

 

 

 

● Three troopers from Kanthuvil STF were injured when unidentified men attacked a road patrol unit at Sankaman on the border of Amparai district. Two of the attackers were killed when the STF retaliated. Amparai police claimed that the two youths are LTTE cadres and they recovered their bodies following the search after the exchange of gunfire. The police also claimed that a T-56 rifle and two magazine rounds were recovered from the bodies of the two youths.

 

 

● Gopalapillai Illankumaran, 27, a family man, went missing without a trace after he left to his spouse's house in Nunavil Chavakachcheri from his mother's residence in Vellanai, an islet of Jaffna. Illankumaran had recently come from Vanni with identity documents showing his Vanni address and SLA troopers checking him on his way to Jaffna may have abducted him, his family members claimed. Many, coming from the islets on personal errands to Jaffna town, have gone missing, according to media reports.