Kalmunai massacre

Kalmunai massacre
Location Eastern Province, Sri Lanka
Date 20 June 1990
Target Unarmed Sri Lanka Police officers and civilians
Deaths 160-250
Perpetrators Sri Lanka Army

The Kalmunai massacre refers to a series of mass killings that occurred in June 1990 in Kalmunai, a municipality within the Ampara District of Sri Lanka's Eastern Province. The massacre of civilians was allegedly carried out by the Sri Lankan Army in retaliation for an earlier massacre of Sri Lankan police officers. The University Teachers for Human Rights, a human rights organization, put the number of dead in the second massacre at 250, while a local Member of Parliament claimed that at least 160 people were killed.[1][2][3][4][5]

Civilian massacre

After the LTTE massacred the police officers on 11 June 1990, the town of Kalmunai was allegedly subjected to intense shelling by the Army. As a result, the LTTE had to withdraw from the town. Subsequently, the massacre began on 20 June 1990.[2] One account claimed that Sri Lankan Army personnel took position at Kalmunai Rest House junction where Tamil civilians were allegedly kidnapped. The abducted were then allegedly burned behind the shops of Muslim businessmen. While the death toll is disputed, a member of Sri Lanka's parliament alleged that more than 160 people were killed.[1] However, the UTHR said that the number of people who died or disappeared was in excess 1,000 and alleged that over 250 were killed.[2][3] It further alleged that this massacre was the "largest bout of slaughter a single town in the island had witnessed in such a short time".

Later attacks

On 27 June 1990, 75 people were allegedly rounded by the Sri Lankan Army and later burned and a further 27 headless bodies washed ashore Kalmunai beach. In all, the UTHR allege that 7,000 people were killed in June.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY". Asia Times. Asia Times. 2001. Retrieved 26 October 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 "CHAPTER 2". UTHR. UTHR. 2001. Retrieved 26 October 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 "THE EAST : LOOKING BACK". UTHR. UTHR. 2001. Retrieved 26 October 2007.
  4. ↑ "Human rights and The Issues of War and Peace". UTHR. UTHR. 2001. Retrieved 26 October 2007.
  5. ↑ Sri Lanka: The Northeast: Human rights violations in a context of armed conflict

Further reading

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