COLOMBO: At least 166 Tamil civilians including women and children were massacred Thursday by rampaging Sri Lankan security forces in eastern Batticaloa Security forces went on a rampage in eastern Sri Lanka after two soldiers were blown in a landmine explosion set off by the LTTE militants in the Kokadicholai area Tamil leaders charged Thursday.

People were mercilessly shot and hacked to death said Parasingham Joseph member of Parliament belonging to the moderate Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) from Batticaloa.

The TULF leader told PTI that he had sent a telegram to the president asking for his immediate intervention and institution of a commission of inquiry to go into the worst massacre by the security forces.

Survivors of villages of Kokkadi cholai Mahiladitivu and Munnakadu who had taken refuge in Batticaloa town vacated their villages early Thursday morning.

While a senior defence ministry official confirmed the incident Bradman Weerakoon advisor to the president on international affairs said the government was inquiring into the complaints of the Tamil leaders The Tamil parties put the toll anything between 135 to 170 he said.

Military officials in Colombo while confirming the incident said they were still awaiting details

Member of Parliament Suresh’ Prema chandran belonging to the EPRLF said at least 47 Tamil civilians mostly teachers and students were massacred

Sixteen more civilians were killed in areas around Kokkadicholai while at least 40 houses were completely burnt he said adding that a large number of people were believed to have been burnt alive.

Prema chandran charged that the army was not allowing Red Cross and other NGO officials involved in relief work to visit the area.

It was for the first time that such a large scale retaliatory massacre had taken place in the Tamil majority northeast though there were several incidents of bodies of Tamil youths suspected to have been killed by the forces being found in Batticaloa district last month

During the crackdown on the extremists of the Janata Vimukti Peramuna (JVP) in the Sinhalese majority areas of southern parts of the Island during 1989-90 a large number of suspected JVP activists and their sympathizers were killed in retaliation by alleged vigilante groups.

The opposition aed J VP activists and their sympathizers were killed in retaliation by alleged vigilante groups.

The opposition and human rights organizations charged that the government forces: were either directly involved in these ‘so called vigilante killings or they were sponsored by the government an allegation vehemently denied by the authorities.

Article extracted from this publication >> June 21, 1991