131 individuals slain in Jaffna in 2 months

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 September 2006, 15:02 GMT]
Jaffna office of the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC), in a report submitted to it's Colombo Head office this week said 131 individuals have fallen victims for individual killings apart from the deaths caused by shelling and other acts of war. The SLHRC report listed, 87 residents as forcibly disappeared in the months of August and September, 50 in August and 37 until Monday this week. 44 Tamil civilians have been reported missing after arrest by the Sri Lankan armed forces in the months of August and September in Jaffna district.

Of the 44 residents who were missing after arrest by the Sri Lankan Army as reported to the SLHRC by the relatives of the victims, 26 reports were registered in August and 18, so far in September.

13 residents have been forcibly disappeared in September after abduction by the "white van" squad believed to be operated by Sri Lanka Army.

According to the report, 131 residents were killed in the Jaffna peninsula in the months of August and September by extra judicial killings, retaliatory firings after mine explosions. In all, 64 in August and 67 until Monday this week.

Apart from the individual killings, around 40 civilians were reportedly killed in Allaipiddy in artillery shelling in August. So far, 25 deaths have been verified by humanitarian and legal sources. Relatives of 12 more civilian victims have appealed to the Jaffna regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka seeking help to remove the bodies lying inside the houses located in Ward No: 4 of Allaipiddy.

11 civilians were killed in Thenmaradchchy since August 11 following continued SLA artillery shelling and Multi-barrel rocket attacks on civilian centres in the region.

Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse, recently denied the involvement of Sri Lankan forces in the forced disappearances and classified the reports of forced disappearances as "Tamil Tiger propaganda."