Tamils kill more than 100 people

Press, 8 October 1987, Page 6

Tamils kill more than 100 people

NZPA-Reuter Colombo Tamil militants killed more than 100 people in a STsrtuSfS&Sj night, a military spokesvictims were passengers in a train from Battlcaloa to Colombo who were shot and hacked to death. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam also massacred 25 Sinhalese, including women and children, at the village of Eravur and killed 17 people in attacks ; on homes in nearby BattL caloa city. He said the Tigers raided two fishing villages. They burnt Sinhalese houses and killed 19 people in one village and two in the second. ’ Police said the Tigers also stormed a Sinhalese village near Vavuntya, in the north of the country, and shot four men dead. Tamil sources said the Tigers* leadership had given orders to members to kill or drive away all Sinhalese from the northern and eastern provinces, which they claim as a Tamil homeland., The Tigers launched the wave of killings after a number of their members committed suicide on - Monday while in Government custody. They first retaliated by murdering eight soldiers held captive by them since March, then followed up with attacks

me nonh ana east * a a military on J2Z “StT tremely tragic, volatile and dangerous. Tension is daranaike, told the assembly. “What are the Indian peacekeeping forces doing?** he. asked. “Why are they not acting to stop the vtoience?" Mr Bandarahalke said the Sri Lankan army appeared to be helpless. “Are the Indians pre- c venting local troops from getting out of barracks and restoring order?** he asked. After the mass suicide on Monday, the Tigers said they no longer had to keep a ceasefire brought into force by a peace pact between India and Sri Lanka aimed at ending the four-year guerrilla - war for a separate Tamil homeland. ‘ ’ In New Delhi, a government official said yester- v day that India was determined to see that the y pact’s provisions were V adhered to.