"The
continuing conflict in northern and eastern Sri Lanka
exacted a heavy price from the civilian population.
The police and armed forces continued to kill non
combatant Tamils... Of particular concern were
reprisal killings by the security forces and reports
that Tamil suspects taken into custody were shot or
tortured to death and their bodies disposed of in
secret. By the end of 1987, over 680 Tamils had
reportedly 'disappeared' since 1983 and no substantive
attempts had been made by the government what had
happened to them." - Amnesty International
Annual Report, 1988 for period January to December
1987
"…Operation Liberation commenced on May 26
[1987], ended on May 31, and resulted in over 1,000
deaths and 2,000 arrests in Vadamaradchy on its
'liberation from the LTTE'. On the last day of the
offensive I was arrested from one of the 16 temples
specified as havens by the Forces in a notice dropped
from the air across Vadamaradchy. We, the captives,
were chained and shipped to a makeshift detention camp
in Galle, though our destination, according to our
papers, was to be the notorious Boosa Detention Camp.
Later, we came to know that Boosa was already full.
We were confined to a warehouse turned into a detention
camp, adjacent to the port of Galle, about 200 metres
long, and 20 metres wide. There were 6 latrines,
outside the camp. At a time 6 detainees would be led
out at gun point to spend 6 minutes in the latrines.
Most of us had no option other than defecating and
urinating into a gutter deep inside the camp. The
gutter overflowed. We wallowed in our own faeces and
urine that flowed from the gutter, under our feet,
towards the centre of the camp which teemed with worms
and flies, vomit and spittle. There were no baths. None
of us had bathed or changed for days. Both the camp and
the inmates stank.
The camp was packed to capacity. The detainees were
split into over 50 groups, with 50 in each, each headed
by one of its members. I headed group 52. A barbed-wire
fence divided the head and the body of the
camp…." - S. Velupillai from Vadamaradchy
region in the Lanka Guardian, Colombo, Oct.1, 1993;
p.20
