Mylanthanai massacre
Encyclopedia
The Mylanthanai massacre happened on August 9, 1992 when 35 minority Sri Lankan Tamils, including 14 children, at Mylanthanai
in Batticaloa
District in Sri Lanka
, were killed.
Sri Lankan Army
soldiers from an army camp in Punanai
were initially accused of the crime,
but they were acquitted by the unanimous verdict of a jury
in Colombo
.
soldiers attacked the village of Mylanthanai, after the army's commanding officer in Jaffna
was killed along with seven soldiers in a landmine explosion earlier the same day. According to the pro-rebel Tamilnet
reporting on the court proceedings, an eye witness Ms Sinnathurai Indrakala, 28 was quoted as saying,that the soldiers had used guns, knives and axes to carry out the murders. Children as young as 1 to 15 were amongst the dead.
, a line-up was held at Batticaloa
Magistrate’s Court on April 2, 1993. Survivors of the killings identified 24 soldiers.
The Attorney General
at the time transferred the case to Polonnaruwa
District. He then transferred the case again to Colombo
on the grounds of safety for the accused. This arrangement made it difficult for witnesses who were survivors to appear. The indictment was filed in Colombo High Court in September 1999.
More than 30 eye witnesses came from Batticalao along with coroner
who conducted most of the autopsies and the presiding regional judge. Eye witness accounts from dead persons were also allowed to be read in the case. After an extensive hearing the case went before the jury. The jury found the soldiers not guilty. The Judge requested the Jury to reconsider the verdict but the jury found the accused soldiers not guilty again. The attorney general turned down the request of the victims representatives to appeal.
According to Northeastern Herald, although the constitution provides room for appalling such cases, the Attorney General
refused to appeal the verdict citing convention.
Mylanthanai
Mylanthanai was a minority Sri Lankan Tamil populated village in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka in the Batticaloa district. As part of the Sri Lankan civil war, people from the village were displaced in 1990 and again after a Mylanthanai massacre in August 1992.They had taken refuge in...
in Batticaloa
Batticaloa
Batticaloa is a city in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. It is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. It is on the east coast, south by south east of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island.-Etymology:...
District in 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...
, were killed.
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...
soldiers from an army camp in Punanai
Punanai
Punanai is a small hamlet in Sri Lanka, made famous in 1920 by a man-eating leopard. This is reflected in the book titled "The Man-Eater of Punanai - A Journey of discovery to the jungles of old Ceylon" , by Christopher Ondaatje- External links :...
were initially accused of the crime,
but they were acquitted by the unanimous verdict of a jury
Jury
A jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
.
Incident
On August 9, 1992 according to the government prosecutor Sri Lankan ArmySri 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...
soldiers attacked the village of Mylanthanai, after the army's commanding officer in Jaffna
Jaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
was killed along with seven soldiers in a landmine explosion earlier the same day. According to the pro-rebel Tamilnet
Tamilnet
TamilNet is a news website that provides news and feature articles on current affairs in Sri Lanka, specifically related to the erstwhile Sri Lankan Civil War...
reporting on the court proceedings, an eye witness Ms Sinnathurai Indrakala, 28 was quoted as saying,that the soldiers had used guns, knives and axes to carry out the murders. Children as young as 1 to 15 were amongst the dead.
Government investigation
The government reaction was swift, according to the Sri Lanka Monitor, a reporting organization in the ongoing Sri Lankan Civil WarSri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
, a line-up was held at Batticaloa
Batticaloa
Batticaloa is a city in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka. It is the seat of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka. It is on the east coast, south by south east of Trincomalee, and is situated on an island.-Etymology:...
Magistrate’s Court on April 2, 1993. Survivors of the killings identified 24 soldiers.
The Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
at the time transferred the case to Polonnaruwa
Polonnaruwa
The second most ancient of Sri Lanka's kingdoms, was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 AD to reunite the country once more under a local leader.-History:While Vijayabahu's victory and shifting of Kingdoms to the more strategic Polonnaruwa...
District. He then transferred the case again to Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
on the grounds of safety for the accused. This arrangement made it difficult for witnesses who were survivors to appear. The indictment was filed in Colombo High Court in September 1999.
More than 30 eye witnesses came from Batticalao along with coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
who conducted most of the autopsies and the presiding regional judge. Eye witness accounts from dead persons were also allowed to be read in the case. After an extensive hearing the case went before the jury. The jury found the soldiers not guilty. The Judge requested the Jury to reconsider the verdict but the jury found the accused soldiers not guilty again. The attorney general turned down the request of the victims representatives to appeal.
Controversy over acquittal
Human rights agencies and relatives of victims expressed shock after 18 soldiers accused in the Mylanthanai case were released on 27 November. A local Human Rights agency UTHR considered the jury's verdict unfair and reported that about the lack of expression of concern over the verdict among the international community.According to Northeastern Herald, although the constitution provides room for appalling such cases, the Attorney General
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
refused to appeal the verdict citing convention.
See also
- List of massacres in Sri Lanka
- List of attacks attributed to Sri Lankan government forces
- List of attacks attributed to the LTTE