Compensation delay for Kanjirankuda victims decried

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 April 2003, 17:44 GMT]
Relatives of the 7 Tamil civilians shot dead by the commandos of the Special Task Force, an elite wing of the Sri Lankan armed forces, during a public protest in Kanjirankudah, 84 kilometres south of Batticaloa, on 9 October 2002 have not received any compensation, said Batticaloa district parliamentarian Chandra Nehru.

Expressing his concern, in a letter to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the MP said, "Your promise of providing the victims' relatives due compensation was highly publicized by the press at the time of the incident. I regret that you have yet to fulfil your assurances.

"When I met you two months ago as part of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) delegation I reminded you of the compensation promised to victims' families whose lives have been ruined by the actions of the security forces. In addition I have also written to you several letters on this matter. No action has been taken on this issue yet," the MP complained.

"Muslim people in Valaichenai who were affected by violence in June last year received prompt compensation. Later, muslims who were injured in Mutur also have been allocated compensation.

"The secondary treatment being afforded to Tamil people even during this climate of peace is highly regrettable and will not be conducive to promoting a positive climate within the Tamil community to continue to support the peace process.

"I appeal to you to look into this matter urgently and to ensure that the promised compensation reaches the Tamil victims of violence," said the MP in concluding his letter.

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