1991 Kokkadichcholai massacre
Encyclopedia
1991 Kokkadichcholai massacre refers to the massacre
s of minority Sri Lankan Tamil civilians in the village Kokkadichcholai
near the eastern province town of Batticaloa
. The massacre happened on June 12, 1991 in which 152
civilians were killed. The Sri Lankan government instituted presidential commission to investigate the massacre. The commission found the commanding officer negligent in controlling his troops and recommended that he be removed from office. The commission also identified 19 members of the Sri Lankan military as responsible for mass murder. In a military tribunal that followed the presidential commission in the capital city of Colombo
, all the 19 charged soldiers were later acquitted.
forms part of the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. Within the Batticaloa district, during the late 1980s and early 1990s a total of 1,100 civilians were disappeared and assumed killed. In the cluster of villages around Kokkadicholai there were two notable massacres, one in 1987
and the 1991 incident.
(LTTE) landmine attack on a Sri Lankan Army
soldiers, number of civilians were greater Kokkadichcholai region were killed. Although the Human Rights agency University Teachers for Human Rights
(UTHR) estimates that over 123 civilians were killed the local government authorities certified to the death of only 32 individuals. Although locals allege that 6 women were also raped, the government officials initially denied the allegations.
west of Batticaloa
city. The dominant ethnic group was the minority Sri Lankan Tamils belonging to the Mukkuvar
caste who were mostly farmers. There was an army camp within the main hamlet that used to be supplied with food via a ferry that was transported by a tractor to the camp. On June 12, 1991 about 12:45 PM an improvised explosive device was detonated under a supply tractor that killed two (2) Sri Lankan Army
soldiers. Following the explosion, more soldiers started moving from Kokkadichcholai to the scene of the explosion. At this army camp, there was also a group of 10 militants who belonged formerly to the paramilitary group Peoples Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE). Some of this group too went with the soldiers towards the scene but they were disarmed by the soldiers. These disarmed paramilitary cadres went back to the village and warned the civilian an attack on them was imminent.
Most able men and some women were able to get away but a group of individuals who couldn’t get away took refuge at a rice processing mill belonging to a one Kurukulasingam. It was estimated that over a hundred (100) people were in this house. It was reported by survivors that a group of soldiers from Kokkadichcholai , entered the mill premises and opened fire. Many inside the mill were killed, and those in the adjoining house injured. Once the soldiers left survivors and onlookers went to the mill to inspect the status of the dead. It was estimated that about 35 people were milling around the premises when another group of another six (6) soldiers thrust the onlookers into the premises and shot them along with the 5 previously injured. The soldiers then attempted to set fire to the corpses. Amongst the dead were old people, women, and children. Later on 17 youngsters were taken from a nearby hamlet called Mudalaikudah to the crater caused by the explosion and killed and their bodies burnt. Number of properties were also burnt as well as property looted. As the army stayed within the camp on the 13th, amongst the early visitors to the massacre site were the rebel LTTE group who took photographic record of the dead corpses. (see pics here).As the sun rose the corpses began to stink, at about 2.00 p.m. the villagers buried most of the corpses.
, Bradman Weerakoon
and local members of parliament one Casinadar, Joseph Pararajasingham
and Karunakaran were brought to the Kokkadichcholai army camp by helicopter. As the army Army maintained that those killed were Tigers and that it was unsafe to go to the villages, the prime minister's party was airlifted back to Batticaloa and taken to the rest house. As the prime minister was unable to meet the affected people, local M.P Joseph Pararajasingham met the people. By June 20 changes were made at the Kokkadichcholai camp by adding new officer was in charge.
According to Human Rights Watch
, in 2002 the then Sri Lankan government authorities appeared more willing than in past years to acknowledge official responsibility for atrocities. On January 31, 2002 Sri Lankan army personnel in Batticaloa publicly acknowledged their role in large-scale massacres of civilians in the east, mentioning notorious attacks in Kokkaddicholai, Sathurukkondaan
, Vanthaarumoolai
, and Batticaloa. In February 2002, the attorney general
reportedly issued indictments against more than six hundred police and armed forces personnel implicated in disappearances
that occurred before 1994, many in connection with counterinsurgency operations against the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
(JVP) organization. On June 28, two soldiers were sentenced to six years in prison and fined Rs. 2,500 (U.S. $27) each for their role in an abduction and murder in 1989.
The independent commission instituted to look into the Kokkadichcholai incident recommended that compensation of some 5.25 million rupees (approximately CDN$ 210,000) to be paid to next of kin of those who were killed (67 were identified) and to people who lost property in the rampage. The commission also recommends prosecution of the soldiers involved.
In 2001 the army accepted responsibility for the large scale massacre at the hamlet of Kokkadicholai. A military tribunal found the commanding officer guilty of failure to control his troops and illegal disposal of the bodies, and he was dismissed from service. The other 19 soldiers under trial were acquitted but nevertheless sent to the front lines in the north of the country as a punishment. A number of organizations have expressed regret over this decision
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
s of minority Sri Lankan Tamil civilians in the village Kokkadichcholai
Kokkadichcholai
Kokkadichcholai is a village in Batticaloa District within the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.-Geography:It is located west of the provincial town of Batticaloa across from the lagoon that separates the Batticaloa district's hinterland from the populated coastal area...
near the eastern province town of Batticaloa
Batticaloa
Batticaloa is a city in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. It is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. It is on the east coast, south by south east of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island.-Etymology:...
. The massacre happened on June 12, 1991 in which 152
civilians were killed. The Sri Lankan government instituted presidential commission to investigate the massacre. The commission found the commanding officer negligent in controlling his troops and recommended that he be removed from office. The commission also identified 19 members of the Sri Lankan military as responsible for mass murder. In a military tribunal that followed the presidential commission in the capital city of Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, all the 19 charged soldiers were later acquitted.
Background information
Batticaloa districtBatticaloa District
Batticaloa district is one of the 25 administrative districts of Sri Lanka. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The headquarters is located in Batticaloa town...
forms part of the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. Within the Batticaloa district, during the late 1980s and early 1990s a total of 1,100 civilians were disappeared and assumed killed. In the cluster of villages around Kokkadicholai there were two notable massacres, one in 1987
Prawn farm massacre
The Prawn farm massacre, also known as the 1987 Kokkadichcholai massacre, took place on January 27, 1987 in the village of Kokkadichcholai, Sri Lanka...
and the 1991 incident.
1991 massacre
On the 12 June 1991 following a rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil EelamLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
(LTTE) landmine attack on a Sri Lankan Army
Sri Lankan Army
The Sri Lanka Army is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is responsible for land-based military and humanitarian operations. Established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, it was renamed when Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972...
soldiers, number of civilians were greater Kokkadichcholai region were killed. Although the Human Rights agency University Teachers for Human Rights
University Teachers for Human Rights
For the figure in Norse mythology, see UrðrThe University Teachers for Human Rights or UTHR was formed in 1988 at the University of Jaffna, Jaffna in Sri Lanka as part of the national organization University Teachers for Human Rights. Its public activities as a constituent part of university life...
(UTHR) estimates that over 123 civilians were killed the local government authorities certified to the death of only 32 individuals. Although locals allege that 6 women were also raped, the government officials initially denied the allegations.
The incident
Kokkadicholai is in reality a collection of number of hamlets close to the lagoonBatticaloa Lagoon
Batticaloa Lagoon is a very large estuarine lagoon in Batticaloa District, eastern Sri Lanka. The city of Batticaloa is located on land between the lagoon and the Indian Ocean.Batticaloa district is flourished with three lagoons, such Batticaloa lagoon, Valaichchenai Lagoon and Vakari Lagoon. Among...
west of Batticaloa
Batticaloa
Batticaloa is a city in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. It is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. It is on the east coast, south by south east of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island.-Etymology:...
city. The dominant ethnic group was the minority Sri Lankan Tamils belonging to the Mukkuvar
Mukkuvar
Mukkuvar also Mukkuva are a social group or caste primarily a fishing community, living in the coastal districts of Kerala, south Tamil Nadu in India and also in Sri Lanka. It is a community that has differing ethnic identities based on the state or country of domicile...
caste who were mostly farmers. There was an army camp within the main hamlet that used to be supplied with food via a ferry that was transported by a tractor to the camp. On June 12, 1991 about 12:45 PM an improvised explosive device was detonated under a supply tractor that killed two (2) Sri Lankan Army
Sri Lankan Army
The Sri Lanka Army is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is responsible for land-based military and humanitarian operations. Established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, it was renamed when Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972...
soldiers. Following the explosion, more soldiers started moving from Kokkadichcholai to the scene of the explosion. At this army camp, there was also a group of 10 militants who belonged formerly to the paramilitary group Peoples Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE). Some of this group too went with the soldiers towards the scene but they were disarmed by the soldiers. These disarmed paramilitary cadres went back to the village and warned the civilian an attack on them was imminent.
Most able men and some women were able to get away but a group of individuals who couldn’t get away took refuge at a rice processing mill belonging to a one Kurukulasingam. It was estimated that over a hundred (100) people were in this house. It was reported by survivors that a group of soldiers from Kokkadichcholai , entered the mill premises and opened fire. Many inside the mill were killed, and those in the adjoining house injured. Once the soldiers left survivors and onlookers went to the mill to inspect the status of the dead. It was estimated that about 35 people were milling around the premises when another group of another six (6) soldiers thrust the onlookers into the premises and shot them along with the 5 previously injured. The soldiers then attempted to set fire to the corpses. Amongst the dead were old people, women, and children. Later on 17 youngsters were taken from a nearby hamlet called Mudalaikudah to the crater caused by the explosion and killed and their bodies burnt. Number of properties were also burnt as well as property looted. As the army stayed within the camp on the 13th, amongst the early visitors to the massacre site were the rebel LTTE group who took photographic record of the dead corpses. (see pics here).As the sun rose the corpses began to stink, at about 2.00 p.m. the villagers buried most of the corpses.
Government reaction
On June 16 an official party including the Prime MinisterPrime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
, Bradman Weerakoon
Bradman Weerakoon
Deshamanya Robin Bradman Weerakoon CCS is a retired senior bureaucrat of the Sri Lankan government. Bradman Weerakoon has the unique distinction of serving nine Sri Lankan heads of state in a career spanning across half a century....
and local members of parliament one Casinadar, Joseph Pararajasingham
Joseph Pararajasingham
Joseph Pararajasingham was a Sri Lankan Member of Parliament and a poet who was known for his pro-Tamil Tiger views and advocacy of human rights...
and Karunakaran were brought to the Kokkadichcholai army camp by helicopter. As the army Army maintained that those killed were Tigers and that it was unsafe to go to the villages, the prime minister's party was airlifted back to Batticaloa and taken to the rest house. As the prime minister was unable to meet the affected people, local M.P Joseph Pararajasingham met the people. By June 20 changes were made at the Kokkadichcholai camp by adding new officer was in charge.
Casualty estimates and rape allegations
According to UTHR, the number of victims according to leading local citizens following a house to house check, 67 bodies were identified and buried and a further 56 were missing (a total of 123). Most of the missing persons are presumed dead and cannot be identified, because like the seventeen burnt in the mine crater, they had been mostly burnt to ashes. The rice mill had the largest number of bodies 43 although the then government maintained only 32 were killed. Also the locals allege that at least six (6) women including two (2) sisters were raped although the government denied it.Government investigation
After international community began to put more pressure on Sri Lanka for its human rights record, the government instituted an independent Commission of Inquiry into a massacre by soldiers at Kokkadichcholai in the east in June 1991 - the first inquiry of its kind ever held in Sri Lanka.According to Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, in 2002 the then Sri Lankan government authorities appeared more willing than in past years to acknowledge official responsibility for atrocities. On January 31, 2002 Sri Lankan army personnel in Batticaloa publicly acknowledged their role in large-scale massacres of civilians in the east, mentioning notorious attacks in Kokkaddicholai, Sathurukkondaan
1990 Batticaloa massacre
1990 Batticaloa massacre also known as Sathurukondan massacre is a massacre of at least 184 minority Sri Lankan Tamil refugees including infants from 3 villages in the Batticaloa District by the Sri Lankan Army personnel on September 9, 1990...
, Vanthaarumoolai
Eastern University massacre
Eastern University massacre also known as Vantharamulai campus massacre refers to the arrest and subsequent mass murder of 158 minority Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who had taken refuge in the Eastern University campus close to the city Batticalo of on September 5, 1990. A witness identified the...
, and Batticaloa. In February 2002, the attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
reportedly issued indictments against more than six hundred police and armed forces personnel implicated in disappearances
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
that occurred before 1994, many in connection with counterinsurgency operations against the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
The Janathā Vimukthi Peramuṇa is a Marxist-Leninist, Communist political party in Sri Lanka. The party was involved in two armed uprisings against the ruling governments in 1971 and 1987-89...
(JVP) organization. On June 28, two soldiers were sentenced to six years in prison and fined Rs. 2,500 (U.S. $27) each for their role in an abduction and murder in 1989.
The independent commission instituted to look into the Kokkadichcholai incident recommended that compensation of some 5.25 million rupees (approximately CDN$ 210,000) to be paid to next of kin of those who were killed (67 were identified) and to people who lost property in the rampage. The commission also recommends prosecution of the soldiers involved.
In 2001 the army accepted responsibility for the large scale massacre at the hamlet of Kokkadicholai. A military tribunal found the commanding officer guilty of failure to control his troops and illegal disposal of the bodies, and he was dismissed from service. The other 19 soldiers under trial were acquitted but nevertheless sent to the front lines in the north of the country as a punishment. A number of organizations have expressed regret over this decision
See also
- List of massacres in Sri Lanka
- List of attacks attributed to Sri Lankan government forces
- List of attacks attributed to the LTTE