COLOMBO: Twelve burning bullet riddled bodies found close to a famed Sri Lankan temple on Saturday morning were among those of over 50 persons killed in the ongoing violence in the country in the last 24hours. (PTI places the toll at least 58 killed.)
According to official sources the 12 bodies were found near the Kelaniya Raja Maha Viharaya on the outskirts of Colombo. It was a few miles away from here that 21 bodies were recovered on Friday morning. Official sources were not able to confirm the killing or identify the assassins.
In other incidents, a reserve woman police constable was killed in Western Gampaha and five subversives were shot dead by the police in the same area on Friday.
In the Wester Kegalle district three persons were taken away by unidentified persons and shot dead on Friday. In North Central Kurunegala a bank manager and in Puttalam in the same district, an employee of the Bank of Ceylon ‘were gunned down by subversives..
A military spokesman also re Ported that five Tamil militants Were killed and three IPKF jawans injured in Northern Jaffna on Friday in a confrontation.
Over 200 persons were killed in violence related incidents this past week as security forces continued With their counter subversive Operations, and vigilante groups engaged in reprisal killings.
With the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expected in the island on Monday people expect the killings, specially by vigilante groups, to scale down.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 3, 1989
