2006 Trincomalee massacre of NGO workers
Encyclopedia
The 2006 Trincomalee massacre of NGO workers, also known as the Muttur massacre, took place on August 4 or 5, 2006, when 17 employees of the French
INGO
Action Against Hunger
(known internationally as Action Contre la Faim, or ACF) were shot at close range in the city of Muttur, Sri Lanka
, close to Trincomalee
. The victims included sixteen minority Sri Lankan Tamils and one Sri Lankan Muslim.
suspect that the Sri Lankan Army
was responsible for the killings. According to the SLMM,
The head of the Mission, the retired Swedish
Colonel Ulf Henricsson, was quoted as saying that this was
) that, invited by the president, have the mandate to observe the investigations of the Commission of Inquiry. Among the countries that nominated an Eminent Person (EP) were Australia.
Sri Lankan Government's investigation is still on as to who killed these NGO workers. The Government of Australia
extended forensic expertise to assist in the investigation.
of ACF staff. UTHR names one member of the Sri Lankan Home Guard (now the Civil Defence Force) and two Police Constables based in the Muthur Police Station as perpetrators, but adds that several Sri Lanka Navy Special Forces were part of the group that entered the ACF compound and remained passive as the ACF staff were murdered.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
INGO
International nongovernmental organization
The World Bank defines a non-governmental organization as "private organizations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor, protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development"...
Action Against Hunger
Action Against Hunger
Action Against Hunger is an international humanitarian organization with a focus on ending world hunger. Action Against Hunger specializes in responding to emergency situations of war, conflict, and natural disaster...
(known internationally as Action Contre la Faim, or ACF) were shot at close range in the city of Muttur, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, close to Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
. The victims included sixteen minority Sri Lankan Tamils and one Sri Lankan Muslim.
Incident
When the bodies were discovered the town of Muttur had come under the control of the government forces. There was fierce fighting between government forces and rebel LTTE forces the previous week prior to the discovery of the bodies.SLMM
The Sri Lankan government denied responsibility but the Sri Lanka Monitoring MissionSri Lanka Monitoring Mission
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission was established on 22 February 2002 under the terms of a ceasefire agreement signed by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, as a body that would monitor the ceasefire and enquire into reported violations of the ceasefire agreement...
suspect that the 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...
was responsible for the killings. According to the SLMM,
The head of the Mission, the retired Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
Colonel Ulf Henricsson, was quoted as saying that this was
Investigation
Under increasing pressure to investigate this incident by the international community, Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse in September 2006 announced the formation of a Commission of Inquiry with a mandate to look into 15 specified alleged violations, including the Muttur massacre of ACF staff. With the dubious track record of previous Commissions of Inquiry in mind, a group of bilateral donors negotiated for the formation of a group of International Independent Eminent Persons (IIGEPIIGEP
The International Independent Group of Eminent Persons, abbreviated to IIGEP, was a group of individuals nominated by international donor countries and the government of Sri Lanka, vested with a wide mandate to observe all investigations and inquiries conducted by and on behalf of the Commission of...
) that, invited by the president, have the mandate to observe the investigations of the Commission of Inquiry. Among the countries that nominated an Eminent Person (EP) were Australia.
Sri Lankan Government's investigation is still on as to who killed these NGO workers. The Government of Australia
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
extended forensic expertise to assist in the investigation.
UTHR Report
On April 1, 2008, the Organisation "University Teachers for Human Rights", which is run by former teachers at the Jaffna University who are known to be openly critical both of the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka, released their "Special Report #30", which exclusively deals with the massacreMassacre
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...
of ACF staff. UTHR names one member of the Sri Lankan Home Guard (now the Civil Defence Force) and two Police Constables based in the Muthur Police Station as perpetrators, but adds that several Sri Lanka Navy Special Forces were part of the group that entered the ACF compound and remained passive as the ACF staff were murdered.
See also
- List of massacres in Sri Lanka
- List of attacks attributed to Sri Lankan government forces
- List of attacks attributed to the LTTE