Tamils demand International presence in massacre probe

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 November 2000, 02:18 GMT]
Tamil people of Trincomalee has sent a memorandum to the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) this evening requesting him to take immediate steps to inform the Sri Lankan government to include representatives from United Nations, Amnesty International, European Union and Commonwealth Secretariat to investigate the massacre of 29 Tamil detainees at Bindunuwewa Rehabilitation Center, Bandarawela, last month.

The UN Secretary General has been asked to ensure that the perpetrators of the crime be punished on the findings of such commission into the Bandarawela massacre.

The memorandum with over ten thousand signatures of Tamil people in Trincomalee was handed over to the Chief Representative of the UNHCR in Trincomalee Ms Alexandira Morelli and to the Representative of the UNICEF Base office in Trincomalee, Ms Gabriela Elroy.

The Principal of Trincomalee St.Mary's Convent Rev Sister Theresa Ranee, Principal of Methodist Girls' College, Ms K.Ponnambalam, Attoney-at-law, Mr.K.Vinajagasothy and human rights activist Mr.Kasinathar Sivapalan handed over the memorandum to the UNHCR and UNICEF representatives at the office of the UNHCR in Trincomalee this evening.

The memorandum included details of the prison massacres that took place in the island since 1983. In 1983, 55 Tamil prisoners were massacred in the maximum-security Welikada prison. Later, in an attack on Tamil prisoners in Mahara and Kalutara prisons several detainees were killed and many others were wounded. Last month 29 Tamil detainees were massacred at Bandarawela-Bindunuwewe rehabilitation camp.