The 1990 Batticaloa massacre, also known as the Sathurukondan massacre ( ta, சத்துருக்கொண்டான் படுகொலை), was a
massacre
A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...
of at least 184
minority Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, including infants, from three villages in the
Batticaloa District
Batticaloa District ( ta, மட்டக்களப்பு மாவட்டம் ''Maṭṭakkaḷappu Māvaṭṭam''; si, මඩකලපුව දිස්ත්රික්කය ''maḍakalapūva distrikkaya'') is one of the 25 dist ...
by the
Sri Lankan Army on September 9, 1990.
Although the government instituted two investigations, no one was ever charged.
Background information
During the
British colonial period
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
, approximately 60% of the
civil service jobs were held by the minority Sri Lankan Tamils, who constituted approximately 15% of the population prior to 1948. This was partly due to the availability of Western-style education provided by the
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
American Ceylon Mission,
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
revivalists, and local Catholic missions in the Tamil-dominated
Jaffna peninsula. After gaining independence from Britain in 1948, Sinhalese politicians made the over-representation a political issue. They initiated measures aimed at correcting the over-representation by establishing
ethnic quotas for university entrants. These measures, and a series of
riots and pogroms starting from 1958 that targeted Sri Lankan Tamils and the resultant
mass murder, displacements and refugees, led to the formation of
rebel groups
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
advocating
independence for Sri Lankan Tamils. After the 1983
Black July
Black July ( ta, கறுப்பு யூலை, translit=Kaṟuppu Yūlai; si, කළු ජූලිය, Kalu Juliya) was an anti-Tamil pogrom that occurred in Sri Lanka during July 1983. The pogrom was premeditated,T. Sabaratnam, Pirapa ...
pogrom, full-scale
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
erupted between the government and the rebel groups.
During the course of the civil war there were a number of massacres of civilians,
war rape
Wartime sexual violence is rape or other forms of sexual violence committed by combatants during armed conflict, war, or military occupation often as spoils of war, but sometimes, particularly in ethnic conflict, the phenomenon has broader so ...
s, torture and
enforced disappearances attributed to both the government and allied groups as well as the various rebel formations.
The massacre
The village of
Sathurukondan
Sathurukondan is a village situated in the eastern Batticaloa District of Sri Lanka. It lies clos to the regional capital of Batticaloa. Most of its inhabitants are minority Sri Lankan Tamils
Sri Lankan Tamils ( or ), also known as Ceylon T ...
lies just beyond
Iruthayapuram
Batticaloa ( ta, மட்டக்களப்பு, ''Maṭṭakkaḷappu''; si, මඩකලපුව, ''Maḍakalapuwa'') is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. It is the administrative capital of the B ...
, the northern suburb of
Batticaloa. At 5:30 p.m. on September 9, 1990, armed men in uniform and in civilian clothes came into the area and ordered everyone to come on to the road. They were then marched to the army camp in the vicinity after being told that they would be questioned and released. Most of those who were left in the village that day were elderly, women and the very young.
According to the only survivor, Kanthasamy Krishnakumar (21), in a recording made before leading citizens in Batticaloa:
Krishnakumar who was injured, managed to roll out of sight in the semi-darkness, crept away to a house and asked for water. He then went to his village and stayed in an empty house, and later found his way to his cousin's in Batticaloa town.
The list of victims totaled 184 (38 Sathurukondan, 47 Kokuvil, 37 Panniachchiady and 62 Pillayarady). Of this number, there were 47 children below the age of 10 and several women.
Government investigation
Retired judge K. Palakidnar of the Special Presidential Commission of inquiry appointed by the People's Alliance government described the massacre in detail in his final report. According to the report of the commission of inquiry, 5 infants, 42 children under ten, 85 women and 28 old persons were among the 184 villagers who were murdered. The judge also identified three captains of the Sri Lankan Army: Warnakulasooriya, Herath and Wijenaike as the responsible parties. The judge in his report urged the Sri Lankan President that there is strong evidence for the massacre and that legal action should be taken against the perpetrators. Although indictment levelled against alleged miscreants by the Human Rights Task Force, no action has been taken against the alleged perpetrators. Within the Batticaloa district, during the late 1980s and early 1990s a total of 1,100 civilians disappeared, assumed killed.
See also
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Batticaloa massacre, 1990
Massacres in 1990
September 1990 events in Asia
September 1990 crimes
Attacks on civilians attributed to the Sri Lanka Army
Massacres in Sri Lanka
Mass murder of Sri Lankan Tamils
Sri Lankan government forces attacks in Eelam War II
Terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka in 1990
1990 murders in Sri Lanka