Human Rights in Sri Lanka - Abuses By The Government

Abuses By The Government

1990

The Eastern province of Sri Lanka was taken over by Sri Lankan Forces after heavy fighting in 1990. Even after government forces moved in early 1990 large number of disappearance and extrajudicial execution were continued. By October 1990, 3,000 people were estimated to have been killed or to have disappeared in Amparai district. Further Many of the disappeared people were believed to have been killed as a result of extrajudicial execution. Likewise in Batticaloa another 1,500 people were reported to have disappeared. The LTTE terrorists continued to kill innocent people in the Eastern Province. They killed Muslims gathered in two mosques, for Friday prayers. Also more than 700 unarmed policemen were murdered, cold blood. A bus full of Buddhist monks were killed at Aranthalawa. However, the true perpetrators of the disappearances are yet to be determined, with the Sri Lankan government and the rebels both accusing each other.

2000

The European Union also condemned Sri Lankan security forces in the year 2000 concerning human rights, after fighting displaced 12,000 civilians.

The US State Department has stated that "The civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of the security forces, although some members of the security forces committed serious human right abuses".

Shooting of Tamil media workers Sahathevan Nilakshan, also spelt Sahadevan Nilakshan was a minority Sri Lankan Tamil student journalist and the head of the Chaalaram magazine. Sahadevan was shot dead inside his house during nighttime curfew in an area heavily guarded by the Sri Lankan Army. Sahadevan was part of a series of killing of Tamil media workers particularly those seen supporting the Tamil nationalist cause as Chaalaram magazine for which he worked was linked to the Federation of Jaffna District Students was seen supporting Tamil nationalism. It was seen as part of the intimidation of Tamil media.

2009 During the final stages of Eelam War IV, the population of Tamil Eelam was forced into a small pocket in Northern Jaffna, both by the advance of Government forces as well as the LTTE not letting them leave. To beat back the Tamil Forces, the SLA used heavy artillery shells, rounds capable of destroying entire bunkers. As the civilian population retreated further inwards towards the coast, UN aid workers accompanied the civilians, distributing food and building bunkers. The UN convoys, which contained thousands of peoples, gave their coordinates to both LTTE and SLA officials, who both promised not to fire on the convoys. However, as the Convoys were pulling away, they came under extremely heavy bombardment. Thousands upon thousands of peoples died in these brutal bombardments, and many UN and IRIC aid workers were killed in the bombardments. According to witnesses, the bombardments were undeniably from SLA artillery shells, as people could see the rounds coming from the government side. When UN officials sent pleas to the SLA to stop the bombardment, the SLA didn't listen, and continued with the bombardment. One Convoy, convoy 11, retreated to a hospital that was in the no fire zone. Here, people thought they could have refugee, but as nightfall came, the hospital was bombed. Many patients, doctors, and UN aid workers were killed in this incident as well. The SLA bombed these peoples because the SLA was supposedly trying to kill any LTTE cadre in the area, although the majority of the LTTE troops were on the front lines fighting. When the Sri Lankan Government was asked about the bombardment, it told the press that it had not bombarded any civilians. It went as far as to show pictures of the very hospital that was mentioned earlier, entirely fine without any walls blown out or blood splattered on the ground. It denied any journalists from visiting the sites of the bombardments.