Sri Lanka: 1) Alleged human rights abuses, i.e. prolonged detention and/or torture by Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka; 2) Map indicating location of Cheddikulam village; 3) Information on military operations/guerilla activities in the Cheddikulam area during February 1989
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1989 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | LKA1306 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sri Lanka: 1) Alleged human rights abuses, i.e. prolonged detention and/or torture by Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka; 2) Map indicating location of Cheddikulam village; 3) Information on military operations/guerilla activities in the Cheddikulam area during February 1989, 1 June 1989, LKA1306, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab1c70.html [accessed 3 November 2019] |
| 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. |
1) The IRBDC does not have any information available at this time regarding judicial proceedings or court martials against members of the IPKF for allegations of prolonged detention or torture. Recently, a research officer with the IRBDC spoke with Amnesty International in Toronto regarding allegations of rape committed by the IPKF. The refugee coordinator informed the IRBDC that there have been trials held for Indian soldiers accused of rape. The fact that these trials were publicly acknowledged by the Indian government highlights the magnitude of the discipline problem within the IPKF.
On the topic of judicial proceedings, an Indian newspaper reported in July 1988 that 2500 people were being detained by the IPKF in the northern and eastern provinces, and a writ of habeas corpus has gone unanswered. Amnesty International further reported in May 1989 that under both the Emergency Regulations and the Prevention of Terrorism Act, long-term detention without charge or trial was permitted. [Amnesty International, Sri Lanka: Continuing Human Rights Violations, (London: Amnesty International Secretariat, 1989), p. 3.] This report also claimed that under these regulations, detainees have commonly been kept incommunicado for long periods of time and subjected to torture. [Ibid.] As of 12 January, 1989, 251 people remained in custody under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. [Ibid., p. 4.]
Regarding torture by the IPKF, the Amnesty International report states that the organization receives numerous reports that detainees are frequently beaten by members of the IPKF and that some detainees have apparently died of torture while in custody. [Ibid., p. 13.] The latest event detailed in the attached excerpts from the Amnesty International report occurred 19 January 1989.
2) Please find attached a section of Hildebrand's travel map of Sri Lanka. Cheddikulam is located in the centre of this section, at the upper right corner of the shaded area indicating the Wilpattu National Park.
3) A report monitored by the Foreign Broadcast Information Service of the U.S. Government notes that a massacre of Sinhalese villagers had taken place in the district of Anuradhuapura on 11 February 1989. ["LTTE Denies Involvement in Village "Massacre"", Foreign Broadcast Information Service - Near East & South Asia, 14 February 1989, p. 57.] Another article carried in the same edition noted that in response to the attack, a massive cordon and search operation had been launched by the security forces. ["LTTE "Terrorists" Kill 30 Sinhalese Villagers", Foreign Broadcast Information Service - Near East & South Asia, 14 February 1989, p. 57.] The area mentioned in these articles is in the vicinity of Cheddikulam. Also, the dense jungles around Vavuniya continue to be a major hide-out for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the main armed Tamil militant group.
ATTACHMENTS
Foreign Broadcast Information Service - Near East & South Asia, 14 February 1989. 57.
Amnesty International. Sri Lanka: Continuing Human Rights Violations. London: Amnesty International Secretariat, 1989. 3-5, 13..
Section from Hildebrand's Travel Map of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) and Maldive Islands. Federal Republic of Germany: Karto+Grafik Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, no date given.
