Govt. officials involved in massacre -TULF

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 October 2000, 14:23 GMT]
The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Thursday alleged that the authorities at the Bindunuwewa detention center were involved in the massacre on Wednesday in which at least 29 Tamil inmates were brutally killed. A statement issued by Mr.R.Sampanthan, Secretary General of the party said "the manner in which the attack has been carried out is clearly suggestive of collaboration between officials at the camp and persons outside the camp who have planned and prepared to carry out the attack."

The text of the statement follows:

"The manner in which the attack has been carried out is clearly suggestive of collaboration between officials at the camp and persons outside the camp who have planned and prepared to carry out the attack.

"Eventually a mob armed with dangerous weapons has carried out the attack. No efforts have been made to resist the attack to provide protection to the detainees. This strongly supports the view that there was collaboration between officials at the camp and the outsiders who planned the attack.

"The security forces arrived at the camp only after the attackers had left. One needs to know why the security forces could not arrive at the camp earlier and repulse the attackers.

"It is a severe indictment on the country's capacity to provide protection to all its citizens, that Tamil detainees held under Government custody for the purpose of rehabilitation should be massacred in this manner.

"The least that can be done is to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into all the circumstances relating to this inhuman attack and to bring the offenders before the law. Sadly our experience is that while condemnation and assurances of impartial investigation are easily forthcoming, the end result is that no tangible action is taken and the offenders carry on with a sense of impunity.

"The TULF severely condemns the brutal attack on Tamil detainees at the rehabilitation camp at Bindunuwewa, Bandarawela in which 25 detainees have been killed and very many others grievously injured. The condition of many of the injured persons is said to be serious.

"The TULF also strongly urges that substantial compensation be paid by Government to the families of those who have been killed, and to those who have been injured while in the Government custody."