Sri Lanka: Information on the current activities of a death squad ("vigilante" squad) called the Black Cats
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 November 1992 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | LKA12252 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sri Lanka: Information on the current activities of a death squad ("vigilante" squad) called the Black Cats, 1 November 1992, LKA12252, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abd684.html [accessed 22 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to The Independent, a number of Sri Lankan opposition parties, led by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP),
have called on President Ranasinghe Permadasa and his government to resign, following allegations that some government MPs were operating a death squad. The squad, known as the "[B]lack [C]ats", was alleged to be responsible for killing many SLFP supporters and activists in 1988 and 1989 (11 Apr. 1992).
Attached please find Response to Information Request LKA4185 of 9 February 1990, which refers to the activities of the Black Cats.
Attached please also find nine articles on the activities of death squads ("vigilante" squads) in Sri Lanka which operate under different names including the Black Cats, the Yellow Cats, Green Tigers, the People's Revolutionary Red Army (PRRA) and the Eagles of the Highland.
Additional information on the above subject is currently unavailable to the DIRB.
Reference
The Independent [London]. 11 April 1992. Nadia Bilbassy. "Sri Lankan MPs 'Ran Death Squad'." (NEXIS)
Attachments
The Daily Telegraph. [London]. 28 July 1989. Jeremy Gavron. "Sri Lanka Curfew on Eve of Troops Deadline," pp. 1-2. (NEXIS)
Immigration and Refugee Board Documentation Centre (IRBDC), Ottawa. 9 February 1990. Response to Information Request LKA4185.
The Independent [London]. 11 April 1992. Nadia Bilbassy. "Sri Lankan MPs 'Ran Death Squad'." (NEXIS)
. 8 April 1991. Tim McGirk. "Civil Strife Makes Sri Lanka a Tropical Hell; Tim McGirk in Trincomalee Reflects on the Savagery of an Untidy War," pp. 1-2. (NEXIS)
. 15 October 1990. Christian Rees. "Lonely Vigil for the Loss of Innocents; Christian Rees Talks to Sri Lankan Mothers Who Are United in the Search for Their Missing Sons," pp. 1-3.(NEXIS)
Japan Economic Newswire. 6 July 1990. "Asian News; Charred Bodies Bring Sri Lanka Police Death Count to 181." (NEXIS)
Los Angeles Times. 29 October 1989. Mark Fineman. "Death Squads Tear at Fabric of Sri Lanka," pp. 1-5. (NEXIS)
Reuters. 26 July 1992. "Wanted Policeman Leaves Sri Lanka, Reports Say." (NEXIS)
. 18 September 1989. Jose Katigbak. "Black Cats and Green Tigers Intensify Sri Lankan Violence," pp. 1-2. (NEXIS)
. 31 August 1989. Roger May. "Burning Bodies and Goon Squads Stalk Terrified Sri Lanka," pp. 1-2. (NEXIS)
The Times [London]. 13 May 1992. Jasper Becker. "Sri Lanka Scarred by Black Cat Past." (NEXIS)
