25.6.2008

The Government officially announced on the 13th June 2008 that investigations will be conducted into the massacre of 401 police officers on 11-06-1990 in Ampara, Trincomalee and Batticaloa areas on the request made by the affected families.

With this announcement by the Government, more and more members of the families of victims have made requests to the Defence Secretary to initiate the inquiry. They have pointed out that they did not receive any compensation nor have any legal documents confirming the deaths issued nor any formal inquiry held nor any responsible person was punished. In spite of the requests made by the members of the families for an inquiry, from the then Government, they fell on deaf ears.

This incident took place in the aftermath of the treaty signed with the LTTE by the then Government led by the late President R. Premadasa when the present Opposition Leader Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe was the Leader of the House and a powerful Minister. Further, the then Government ordered them to lay down arms and surrender to terrorists with the result the police officers were assassinated in the most brutal manner.

Under this treaty, the UNP Government supplied the LTTE with funds, weapons and military equipment. This is one of the charges mentioned in the impeachment motion moved by a group of the Members of Parliament in the Government party against the President R. Premadasa. The LTTE used the very weapons provided by the Government to assassinate the Police Officers. The question asked by the families is who ordered the Police Officers to lay down their arms and surrender to the LTTE. Considering the request made by the members of the affected families the Defence Secretary has requested His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksa to appoint a Presidential Commission to make a full scale investigation in to the massacre and to rectify the injustice done to them.

Courtesy : MCNC