Investigate eastern graves - TULF MP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 April 1999, 18:21 GMT]
Mr.Joseph Pararajasingham, MP for Batticaloa, called on the government today to investigate and excavate mass grave sites in the east where the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has allgedly massacred and buried hundreds of civilians, including children.

While speaking on a bill to bring Sugathadasa stadium under a special authority in the Sri Lankan Parliament today, Mr.Pararajasingham said it is suspected that the 148 youth who were taken by the SLA from the Vanthaarumoolai university refugee camp on September 5, 1990 were massacared and buried at Navalady, 35 kilometres north of Batticaloa, near Valaichenai.

The Navalady area is now an army camp under the 23-2 brigade.

The MP said that it is also believed that the 191 civilians, including 35 children below 10 and many pregnant women, who were arrested by the SLA from the villages of Saththurukkondaan, Panichchaiyadi, Pillaiyaaradi and Kokkuvil, a cluster of villages on the northern outskirts of Batticaloa town, were massacred, burnt and buried in the place where the Saththurukkondaan army camp stands today.

Mr.Pararajasingham told the Parliament that it is the duty of the government to investigate this and take steps to excavate the mass grave sites at Navalady and Saththurukkondaan.

Related Articles:
28.01.99   SLA death squad spreads terror
10.12.97   A luxury they cannot afford