• Massacre in Trincomalee:
  Sinhala hoodlums attack and kill Tamils, 12/15 April 2006

The Sinhalese thugs who hacked and burnt Tamils on Wednesday, 12 April  in Trincomalee were brought in Sri Lanka army trucks from outside and held ready for the signal before they went on rampage, sources from Trincomalee reveal. As soon as the bomb blast at the central market area was heard, the Sinhala thugs were released from the trucks to swing their machetes in the midst of Tamils, a radio in Sri Lanka said.12 were killed and more than 45 injured, 15 seriously, the report says.

Even after the curfew was declared, the Sinhala thugs were seen, weapons in hand, roaming the streets, the report from Colombo says.  With the murder of Maa Manithar Vigneswaran last week, many more Army and Navy personnel were brought into Trincomalee for his funeral on Tuesday. . For the culprits involved with his murder escaping and the thugs involved with the carnage on Wednesday in Trincomalee, going free is not possible without the connivance of the armed forces. These have taken place in Government Controlled area. Riot police arriving at the scene waited till the thugs on Wednesday had caused sufficient damage. No one has been arrested as yet regarding the carnage on Wednesday. Regional leaders of the JVP were seen in the company of the thugs when the attack was taking place.

The government of Sri Lanka has confirmed that 56 Tamils were seriously wounded in the day's attack. Government speaks of only 3 deaths. But hospital sources in Trincomalee have confirmed 12 Tamils were killed. Sri Lankan Radios and Televisions have not said a word. 20 Tamil shops have been burnt down completely. Sri Lanka Government Forces were seen assisting the Sinhala Rioters and helped them with fuel cans to set shops on fire. Tamils were seen fleeing the town.Under the protection of the curfew, the Sinhala thugs were escorted out of the town to escape arrest. There is black smoke still hovering over the town.

The SLMM in Colombo has confirmed serious trouble and riots in Trincomalee. The SLMM officers in Trincomalee had not been able to go to the spot because of the violent appearance of the riotous situation. The Sri Lankan Security Force instigated mob violence, Sinhala thugs ran amok the streets of Trincomalee gloating in butchering, shooting and attacking Tamils. It appears there was a bomb explosion on the Main Street in Trincomalee around 4.00 pm., and a Sri Lankan army trooper had died in it. This had sparked off the Sinhala thugs to take the law into their hands and with the support of the Sri Lanka army and navy they ran riot.

Rohan Abeywardena , Deputy IGP  issued a statement that the situation is under control.
 

Dusk to dawn curfew has been enforced in Trincomalee town and its suburbs Varothianagar, Kanniya, Mihindupura Friday evening following the escalation of violence that erupted in Mihindapura, a suburb about five km off Trincomalee on Trincomalee-Anuradhapura road as a group of persons attacked houses of Tamil residents in the area following the discovery of a body of Sinhalese youth Nissanka who was reported missing from Thursday. The Police rushed more personnel to Mihindapura and other areas in Kanniya village where also several houses are reported burnt down by unruly mobs. Initial reports said a Hindu Nadesar temple and an NGO office, Aham, were burnt down in Mihindapura.
Tamil residents have started fleeing from suburbs seeking refuge in the adjoining areas, civil sources said.

Navy bowzers were seen on Friday evening taking water to the affected areas, residents said.Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian immediately brought this situation to the notice of the Deputy Inspector General of Police (east region), sources said.

The office of the Trincomalee District Youth Development Aham (TDYDA), a non-governmental organization was also attacked and motorbikes and other materials in the office were also burnt in the violence. Several houses and a prominent Hindu temple in the area were also attacked, sources said.

"If the genocide attacks by State armed forces with the connivance of Sinhalese hoodlums continue in the Trincomalee district we would be forced to take steps to safeguard the lives and properties of innocent Tamil people in the district and that would lead to undesirable serious consequence on the current peace process," warned Mr.S.Elilan, LTTE district political head in a statement on the afresh violence against Tamil people in the suburbs of Trincomalee town since Friday afternoon.
"We took up arms at a time when the State armed forces unleashed violence and genocide attacks on Tamil people in the northeast. The government troops with connivance of Sinhalese thugs have again started unleashing violence against Tamils during the peacetime.," said Mr.Elilan.

"Curfew has been imposed in Trincomalee town and its suburbs after houses and properties of Tamil people have been burnt down and destroyed by thugs with the assistance of government troops. During the curfew time we receive reports that thugs with the assistance of the government troops are entering the houses of Tamils and attack them. This cannot be condoned by us any more," said Mr.Elilan.
 

Violence erupted in the suburbs of Trincomalee when thugs armed with knives and clubs started attacking Tamil residents and set fire to their houses and properties following the killing of a Sinhalese youth.

About forty Tamil families thereafter had fled from the area and sought refuge in another suburb, Peeliaydi of Kanniya village.

Several Tamil families of Linganagar had sought refuge in Palaiyootu Church premises on Friday night on receipt of information that a group of thugs had gathered near the area to attack them, sources said.

Residents of Varothyanagar in Uppuveli police division also sought refuge Friday night through fear, the sources said.
 

Full text of the press release follows:

The Parliamentary Group of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) urgently met today in Colombo to consider the grave situation prevailing in the Northeast, and especially in the Trincomalee District.

Despite the agreement reached at Geneva between the GOSL and the LTTE regarding the need to disarm the paramilitary groups functioning with the GOSL armed forces, no action whatsoever has been taken in this regard up to date. Instead many Tamil civilians residing in the Northeast, including Mr.V.Vigneswaran, the chairman of the Trincomalee Tamil People’s Forum, have been ruthlessly killed by these paramilitary groups. That the GOSL’s Military Intelligence is also involved with these paramilitary groups in well known. The continuing violent incidents of this nature are the cause for the present tense situation.

Like the July 1983 genocidal pogrom against the Tamils, the current violence against the Tamil speaking people has been unleashed in Trincomalee with the connivance of the SL Navy. The SL Navy had brought Sinhalese mobs by the truck loads to the heart of the Trincomalee Town, who in turn began murdering, and causing grievous hurt to Tamil speaking people, whilst setting on fire and destroying Tamil commercial centres. That the SL navy orchestrated these incidents is clear. We wish to point out, that the Jaffna District TNA Parliamentarian Hon.N.Raviraj was severely attacked and his vehicle badly damaged by Sinhala mobs at Abeyapura in Trincomalee at about 5.30pm in the presence of the SL Navy officers on 11/04/2006. The TNA condemns in the strongest possible terms these types of State Terror that is being unleashed on the Tamil speaking people.

The TNA considers that these continuous acts of State Terror are being unleashed on the Tamil speaking people, with the specific objective of terrorizing the Tamil speaking people into fleeing the Trincomalee District with the intention of ethnically cleansing the District of Tamils.

We fear that these incidents orchestrated by the government will have serious repercussion for the upcoming Geneva talks. We call upon the International Community to strongly condemn these acts of State Terror against the Tamil speaking people. Further, the TNA urges the GOSL to take immediate steps to desist from such acts.

The TNA wishes to express its deepest condolences to the victims’ families and prays for the speedy recovery of all the injured.

MAVAI S. SENATHIRAJAH M.P.
(On behalf of the TNA Parliamentary Group)

Temporary Shelter materials and other items for required for immediate relief for IDPs from Trinco Riots 

TRO is making an “URGENT APPEAL” for monetary assistance for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who have been displaced beginning 12 April 2006 in the Trincomalee Town and District due to anti-Tamil rioting.  Thus far TRO and Local NGOO are caring for 998 families which have been displaced to IDP camps due to the fear of being targeted in the continuing communal violence.  The security situation continues to deteriorate and more individuals are displaced every day.  Some of these families are staying in the homes of friends and relatives and thus not being counted or provided with relief. 

Many of these IDPs have had their homes and businesses burned to the ground and had to leave with only the items they could carry, often this was only the clothes on their backs. TRO is making this URGENT APPEAL due to the lack of any response from the authorities and humanitarian agencies.  Funds are urgently required to purchase tents, food, and non-food relief (kitchen items, clothes, sleeping mats… etc) 

Camps details: 

 For More Information or support contact:

Arjunan Ethirveerasingam
Media Spokesperson
Sri Lanka Mobile: +94 77 674 6594