UPDATE (Sri Lanka): List of 53 extrajudicial killings reported for the month of October

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from reliable sources regarding a list of extrajudicial killings of 53 persons solely for the single month of October 2007 in Sri Lanka. Even though several cases of extrajudicial killings and disappearances have been continuously reported since last year, none of those responsible have been investigated or prosecuted.

Due to the long failure to prosecute the alleged perpetrators and the absence and dysfunction of proper mechanisms that the affected family members are able to seek for redress, cases of extrajudicial killings and disappearances have been reported.

We have previously reported in recent months several lists of persons who have been victims of these continuing killings and disappearances; UA-318-2007, UP-123-2007, UP-117-2007, UP-061-2007 and UA-113-2007.

Please also see the statements concerning the continuing incident of forced abductions and forced disappearances: AS-245-2007, AS-216-2007, AS-214-2007, AS-082-2007, AS-027-2007 and AS-025-2007. (We will soon inform you of cases of disappearances which occurred in October 2007.)

The AHRC is gravely concerned by the extrajudicial killings and disappearances in Sri Lanka. Even though the AHRC informs of the number of cases, these are only based on those cases that are reported. Thus no one knows the exact number in Sri Lanka due to the absence or dysfunction of the mechanism to receive complaints from the victim’s family, investigate the cases received and prosecute those responsible. The AHRC strongly urges the government to establish a field based office with the co-operation of the United Nations Human Rights Council in order to stop these killings and disappearances.

THE LIST OF VICTIMS OF EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS OF 53 PERSONS:

Name (gender) and address of the victim/age/date of incident/district/brief detail of the case

1. Nadarasa Ravi (M) – Velanai Jaffna/ na / 2 October 2007 / Jaffna / While he was in his house at Velanai, Jafffna, an armed group came there and called him by his name. When he came out, they shot him several times then he died.

2. A person (M) – Batticaloa / 41 / 2 October 2007 / Batticaloa / A man aged 41 from Kaththankudy in Batticaloa was shot and killed by an unknown armed group.

3. S. Nirmalanathan (M) – Nallur, Jaffna / 24 / 3 October 2007 / Jaffna / He had a tea boutique near Nachchimar Temple, Jaffna. On that day an unknown armed group came there and shot him inside the tea botique. On the spot he died.

4. S. Sivajikaneshan (M) – Alvai, Vadduwaththai, Vadamaradchi Jaffna / 56 / 3 October 2007 / Jaffna / On the fatal day unidentified gun man entered restaurant and shot him. His restaurant was near Mayakkai Pillaiyar Temple Alvai.

5. Suntharam Jeyaraja (M) – Kamparmalai, Valvettithurai Jaffna / 34 / 4 October 2007 / Jaffna / 
About 3:30am during the time of curfew order; an armed group came there in a vehicle, shot and killed him in his own house.

6. Krishnasamy Palasupramaniyam (M) – Pololy South, Thuraiyamunai Jaffna / 50 / 4 October 2007 / Jaffna / His own address is Puloly South, Thuraiyamunai in Jaffna. On that day he was shot death by an armed group in his own business centre at Manthikai, which is in the High Security Zone. This happened at about 8:30am.

7. Two corpses – Batticaloa / 4 October 2007 / Batticaloa / Two corpses were found near the Siththandy Railway Station at Eravur Batticaloa.

8. One person (M) – Jaffna / na / 4 October 2007 / Jaffna / An army intelligence group (four persons) shot and killed the man by gun at the village of Konavil in Kokuvil at around 6pm. The body is not identified.

9. Two corpses / na / 5 October 2007 / Puththalam / Two corpses were found near the Chilaw sea shore at Puttalam. They were found blind folded and shot.

10. One corpse / na / 6 October 2007 / Colombo / People found one corpse which was thrown in the river in the suburb of Colombo.

11. S. Mahinan (M) – Jaffna / 60 / 7 October 2007 / Colombo / A professor of Mathematics from the University of Jaffna was killed at Kollupiddy, Colombo. The body showed marks of torture.

12. A person (M) / na / 8 October 2007 / Jaffna / At about 6pm, a Military Intelligence Group coming by a motor bike shot and killed him. The body was not identified.

13. Kathirkamar Ravichsanthiran (M), Father of Ravichsanthiran (no. 14) – Vavuniya / 50 / 10 October 2007 / Vavuniya  
14. Ravichsanthiran (M), Son of Kathirkamar (no. 13) – Vavuniya / 20 / 10 October 2007 / Vavuniya
[A father (no. 13) and his son (no 14) were killed by an unknown gang at Kanesapuram Vavuniya within 15 minutes interval]

15. A youth (M) / na / 10 October 2007 / Colombo / While he was walking on the road in Colombo Habour area at about 9:30am, an unknown group came there by a motor car and shot him and escaped. He was mortally wounded and immediately was taken to the Colombo National Hospital by the people who were resent there but died.

16. A person (M) / app. 35 / 12 October 2007 / Jaffna / At about 9:30am he was shot and killed by Sri Lankan Army near the Jaffna Kurunagar Water Tank.

17. A person (M) / 58 / 12 October 2007 / Jaffna / He was murdered by an unknown armed group at VAlvettithurai in Jaffna.

18. Jeyarajah Kanthasamy (M) – Batticaloa / 20 / 15 October 2007 / Batticaloa / He went to Santhivei, Batticaloa to meet his relations. On his way back home he was shot and killed by an unknown armed group.

19. M. Uvais (M) / na / 15 October 2007 / Batticaloa / He was running a trade center on main street of Akkaraipattu Amparai. At around 7:30pm, an armed group by a motor bike shot him and killed him.

20. Two persons (M) – Moothur Trincomalee / na / 16 October 2007 / Trincomalee / They were shot and killed in Narayanapuram Moothur in Trincomalee.

21. Kanapathippillai Pathmanathan (M) – 10th Word Pungudutheevu Jaffna / 52 / 17 October 2007 / Jaffna / He had a trade center at Punkudutheevu in Jaffna. When he was in his shop, Sri Lankan Intelligence group on three motor bikes and entered the shop pretending to buy things. They unexpectedly shot him and killed.

22. A person (M) / na / 17 October 2007 / Trincomalee / He was shot and killed by unknown persons at Kiliveddy in Trincomalee.

23. P. Kumarasuwamy (M) / 57 / 18 October 2007 / Vavuniya / He, the village headman, was shot and killed by an unknown armed group at Goods Shed road, Thonikkal, Vavuniya.

24. Jebamalai Jesuthasan (M) / 55 / 18 October 2007 / Mannar  
25. Maximus Milaxsini (F) / 15 / 18 October 2007 / Mannar
26. Maximus Dilaxsan (M) / 11 / 18 October 2007 / Mannar
[While three members of one family (no. 24, 25 and 26) were going to India as asylum seekers by boat at Pesalai Mannar, Sri Lankan navy shot and killed all of them]

27. Sithamparam (M) – Eravur Batticaloa / 55 / 19 October 2007 / Batticaloa / Para Military group shot and killed him at Eravur Batticaloa.

28. Piratheepan Sivarasa (M) – Veeramunai Amparai / 29 / 19 October 2007 / Amparai / He went to his friend’s house in Veeramunai Amparai. On the way, he was shot and killed by gun men who came cycling.

29. Jeyarasa Thavaruban (M) – Ealalai North Jaffna / 21 / 19 October 2007 / Jaffna / He was a student of Kokuvil Hindu College in Jaffna. He was shot and killed near his home Ealalai in Jaffna by the Army.

30. A person (M) / 60 / 19 October 2007 / Amparai / He was killed and his body showed marks of torture at Karaitheevu in Amparai. He was placed in the Karaitheevu hospital for the identification

31. Kannautham Peethamparam (M) – Vantharumoolai Batticalao / 55 / 20 October 2007 / Batticaloa / He was sleeping in his home with his three children. At about 1am an unknown armed group came and shot him and killed. His wife reported it to Eravur police station.

32. Two persons (Both are Males) – Vantharumoolai Batticaloa / 20 and 24 / 20 October 2007 / Amparai / They were shot and killed by unknown persons at Sammanthurai in Amparai.

33. Jeevaratnam Rajan (M) – Karaitheevu Batticaloa / 26 / 21 October 2007 / Batticaloa / 
34. Kanapathippillai Saththiyaseelan (M) – Karaitheevu Batticaloa / 26 / 21 October 2007
[Both (no. 33 and 34) were recovered in front of the Addaipalam Mariyamman Temple at Sammanthurai Amparai. The public in that area alleged that unknown paramilitary of Sri Lankan Army kidnapped them and killed]

35. A person (M) – Jaffna / 74 / 21 October 2007 /Jaffna / He was shot and killed in Thenmaradchi Jaffna.

36. Sivasupramaniyam (M) – Kaithady Jaffna / 59 / 22 October 2007 / Jaffna / He was recovered with the wound by a knife at Kaithady area, Thenmaradsi in Jaffna. It is said that he was kidnapped by an unknown persons on previous day.

37. Ratnasamy Premasiry (M) – Thevanagar Trincomalee / na / 22 October 2007 / Trincomalee / When he carries fire wood on his cart, the cart went over the land mine. He died of explosion of the mine.

38. Selvamani Krisdeen Janarthanan (M) – Nallur Jaffna / 25 / 23 October 2007 / Jaffna / At about 9:10am an unknown group with guns shot and killed him on the side of the Kanthasamy Temple in Nallur in the Jaffna Point pedro road.

39. Selvanathan Parimalam Ranji (F) – Periyamadu Mannar / 20 / 25 October 2007 / Mannar 
40. The infant of no 39 / na / 25 October 2007 / Mannar
41. Jeyapalasingam Kowsalya (F) – Periyamadu Mannar / 10 / 25 October 2007 / Mannar 
42. Somasuntharam Jeyapalasingam (M) – Periyamadu Mannar / 61 / 25 October 2007 / Mannar
[The people numbering from 39 to 42 were displaced by the military operation and were staying in the Periyamadu refugee’s camp. When the Sri Lankan military base attacked a Shell Gas at Thallady in Mannar, the Shells fell on the refugee camp and killed them]

43. A dead body (M) – Amparai / na / 25 October 2007 / Amparai / his body was recovered in the sea shore at Kathankudy in Amparai

44. Palani Selvarasa (M) / na / 25 October 2007 / Jaffna / His body was recovered with the wounds of the gun shot by the side of the Kokuvil Hindu College. His body was handed over to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. His identity card revealed his name.

45. Two dead bodies (Both are Males) / na / 25 October 2007 / Jaffna / They were recovered with the sounds of gun shot at Kilaly area in Jaffna. They were handed over to the Jaffna teaching hospital

46. Kanagarasa Partheepan (M) – Kokkuvil East Vithanaiyar Veethy Jaffna / na / 26 October 2007 / Jaffna / He was a media personnel and shot and killed by an armed group inside the municipality boundary, near the Brown road of Jaffna.

47. Sanmuganathan Pageerathanathan (M) – Naranthani North Thanthonreeswarar Kovilady / 28 / 28 October 2007 / Jaffna / He was shot and killed by unknown gun men group in Naranthanai north Jaffna after getting him from his house. He was working in the Denis Land mines group.

48. Kunaratnam Ilanko (M) – Koththiyapulvu Batticaloa / 37 / 30 October 2007 / Batticaloa / He is a father of four children. At around 7:30pm he was abducted by Vavunatheevu police in previous day and recovered death with the wounds of the gun shot by the side of the Koththiyapulavu Kali Kovilady.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the concerned authorities below, asking them to thoroughly and impartially investigate each of these cases. The victims’ families and relatives must also be actively involved and properly informed in this process. The authorities must also ensure that appropriate assistance and remedies are afforded to them accordingly.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER