Protests over police massacre

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
More than 3500 people demonstrated this morning in the premises of the Puthukkudiyiruppu church against the massacre of fifteen youth yesterday in the village of Pokkuruni near Thambalagamam in the Trincomalee district. The death toll of the massacre was seven according to reports reaching Trincomalee town last morning.

However residents confirmed that fifteen young boys had been massacred by the Policemen and homeguards in the area.

The demonstrators demanded that the homeguards and the Policemen should be investigated forthwith and be transferred out of Thambalagamam.

The bodies of the 15 boys who were massacred yesterday were handed over to their parents and relatives today. The Sri Lankan Police in Trincomalee said that they are investigating the masscare.

Thambalagamam is an ancient Tamil village south west of Trincomalee. It has been surrounded since the eighties by state backed Sinhala settlements and encroachments.

Its once thriving population has dwindled and become much impoverished due to sytematic illtreatment by the Sri Lankan security forces since 1990.

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