1990 massacre of Sri Lankan Police officers
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1990 massacre of Sri Lankan Police officers | |
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Part of the LTTE |
A
Background
Indian intervention
According to the
Breakdown of peace talks
Meanwhile, a Sri Lankan government delegation led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Preceding events
During this time, the Army was confined to the military camps. No action was taken against any of the LTTE activities for fear that peace talks would break down. But tension began to escalate by late May 1990. The army found that LTTE had constructed bunkers, dug trenches, and implemented other defense measures closer to the camps. But the Defense Ministry had instructed the Army to keep mute.[dubious ]
Thandikulam incident
On 7 June 1990, a vehicle carrying Army personnel from Vavuniya to Mullaitivu was fired at by the LTTE. One soldier died and nine were injured. But the Defense Ministry instructed to take no action.[dubious ]
Massacre
On 11 June 1990, at about 6:00 a.m., LTTE surrounded the Batticaloa police station and abducted 3 policemen. About an hour later, around 250 armed LTTE cadres occupied the police station. Then the
LTTE ordered all police stations in Eastern Province to be vacated by 2:30 p.m. or face the consequences. The inspector general of Police, Ernest Perera, also instructed the police officers to surrender, at the request of President Ranasinghe Premadasa.[1][4] Police officers laid down their arms after being promised safe conduct and subsequent release.
Then the Sinhalese officers were sent to the Army or Air Force camps while Tamil officers were accommodated at schools. Meanwhile, the LTTE abducted 899 officers. About 125 were able to escape. Prisoners were taken to the Vinayagapuram and Trincomalee jungles.[5] Once they had arrived, the LTTE cadres lined up the officers, tied their hands behind their backs and shot them dead. In all, 600 to 774 police officers died.[2]
But not all the officers complied at once.
In Kalmunai, LTTE also fired at an Army convoy, killing ten Army soldiers. It was reported that 324 police officers who died were Sinhalese and Muslim. All of them were taken to the Tirukovil jungles by the LTTE and shot. It was later found out that these police officers were massacred using the weapons that R. Premadasa had clandestinely given the LTTE.
Aftermath
Sri Lanka's chief peace negotiator Minister Shahul Hameed's attempts to rescue the officers in detention went in vain. This massacre officially put an end to the ceasefire between the government and the LTTE. On 18 June 1990, the Minister of Defence
At the time of this massacre, LTTE's peace delegation comprising Jude – an LTTE communication specialist – and two military wing cadres were at
The massacre provoked revenge riots in the Gal Oya valley, instigated by policemen. 26 Tamils were killed by Sinhalese mobs.[9]
See also
Further reading
- ISBN 955-8093-00-9
- ISBN 955-8093-00-9
- ISBN 955-97130-0-0
- Seneviratne, Tassie. (2011). Human Rights & Policing – Reminiscences of My Police Days
- Gunasekara, S.L. (4 November 2003). The Wages of Sin, ISBN 955-8552-01-1
- Gunasekara, S.L. (1996). Tigers moderates and pandora's package, ISBN 955-8552-01-1
- Senanayake, P.M. (2010). "Sri Lanka- The War Fuelled by 'Peace'"
References
- ^ a b "Recalling the saddest day in Lankan Police history". Lanka Newspapers. 2011. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ a b "Killing of 774 policemen". Rivira. 2011. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ a b Rajasingham, K. T. (2002). "Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 44: Eelam war – again". Asia Times. Archived from the original on 17 September 2002. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Staff (2011). "There are 600 plus (murdered) Police officers inside the one you see today". Daily News. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
- UTHR. UTHR. 2001. Archivedfrom the original on 12 November 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2007.
- ^ Seneviratne, SSP Tassie (2011). "'The Saddest Day in Police History'". Sunday Observer. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
- ^ a b c "Sri Lanka: The Untold Story, Chapter 44: Eelam war – again". Lanka Newspapers. 2011. Archived from the original on 17 September 2002. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Staff (2011). "Police honour slain comrades of 1990 massacre". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2011.
- ^ "The East: Report from the Times of London JP Pogrom 1 by James Pringle". uthr.org. UTHR-J. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
External links