Sixty-seven people were killed and twenty-nine abducted by armed men, while sixty-eight were reported missing in the Jaffna peninsula during the period from January to March 2007, according to a report by the Jaffna SLHRC.
Though complaints had been made about these human rights violations to the law enforcing authorities in the peninsula, no one had been arrested by the authorities in connection any of the complaints, the human rights body said.
The killings and abductions were carried out during curfew hours in the nights, as well as in broad day light by armed men in white van, gunmen in military uniforms and men on motorcycles.
The following particulars are found in the report compiled by the human rights organisation in Jaffna:
● Armed men killed 20 people in January, 8 in February and 39 in March, making a total of 67.
● Gunmen in white vans, SLA soldiers and SLA-backed paramilitaries abducted 10 civilians in January and 19 in March, altogether 29.
● A total of 68 civilians, 20 in January, 31 in February and 17 in March, have been reported missing. These persons went missing after leaving their homes on personal errands or business related travel inside the peninsula.
● More than 18 persons have sought safety through SLHRC Jaffna office, complaining that they feared being killed by the Sri Lankan military forces and the paramilitary personnel operating with them in the Jaffna peninsula.
● Two bodies of persons shot and killed between January and March remain unidentified in the Jaffna Teaching hospital mortuary.
The report, which does not include any statistics from Sri Lanka’s armed forces, was compiled from data registered with the SLHRC and the media in the peninsula.
