You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
<strong>Lest</strong> we forget – Massacres of Tamils 1956 2002<br />
anyone what happened. Another army ordered that she be cut. I don’t know what<br />
they did - but I heard no sounds thereafter. Then he left.<br />
I could not bear to be there. I kept hearing awful noises of people being tortured. As<br />
I was thinking what I was going to do – the army returned with weapons and killed<br />
anyone who was breathing or making a slight noise.<br />
They put oil or it may have been kerosene on everyone and burnt them. The fire<br />
jumped to my legs. I tried to pat the fire out but couldn’t. I could not stand up or lift<br />
my leg. Eventually I lifted my head up with my hands and managed to crawl into the<br />
room where they had taken the girl.<br />
I just sat there thinking for some time. I could hear all the plane sounds. I saw the<br />
ladies sari just on the floor. I tore it in half. I tied it on my head and covered my<br />
face and neck. Outside the fire was burning above my head. There were arms, legs<br />
and heads everywhere. But I had to keep going. So I just climbed over all of them<br />
and left.”<br />
68. Saththurukkondan massacre 09.09.1990<br />
There, the women were raped, and their<br />
breasts were cut off. 68 children, among<br />
them five babies were also tortured and<br />
murdered. 205 people were killed in this<br />
massacre.<br />
Only one man, 21 year old Kanthasamy<br />
Krishnakumar escaped being killed and<br />
informed the others about what has<br />
happened.<br />
Saththurukondan is a village in Batticaloa district.<br />
Sathurukoddan is not very far from Batticaloa town. This<br />
village comprises Pannichaiaddy, Pillayarady and Oorani.<br />
On the 10.09.1990, military arrested several people and<br />
took them to the military camp. Among those arrested<br />
were 85 women and many children. The arrested people<br />
were taken to the Sri Lanka army camp at the<br />
Saththurukondan.<br />
At an inquiry into the massacre, the Officer in Charge of the camp, Captain Gamini<br />
Varnakula Sooriya said “On that day no search or arrest was conducted by us.” He<br />
also reiterated that none of his men even ventured out of the camp on the day of the<br />
massacre. The military also threatened and forced the President of Citizens<br />
Committee, Arunakirinathan, to sign an affidavit saying no such incident took<br />
place. Arunakirinathan resigned from his pots following this forced affidavit.<br />
Mrs. SS lost 35 blood relations, almost her entire family. Her account of the<br />
massacre is as follows,<br />
Report by NESOHR,<br />
Information Collected by SNE<br />
55