Police arrested 21 people in Amparai and Batticaloa districts between January and June and 13 are still missing. Local organisations have complained to the ICRC. On 2 October, Sritharan Mehala was shot dead by unidentified persons at her home in Thirukovil, 16 miles south-east of Amparai town.
In September, the identification parades relating to the Central Camp incident in 1997 were completed. In this incident on 23 September 1997, police and Home Guards murdered five Tamil civilians and burned 66 houses on Fourth Colony village in Amparai’s Central Camp area. Over 100 policemen were involved in 52 identification parades and three were identified by the villagers. Lawyers say many policemen and Home Guards involved in the attack did not appear in the identification parades.
In Batticaloa District, the Army carried out a house-to-house search in Mankerni, eight miles north-west of Valaichenai on 15 September. In a similar operation on an earlier occasion, the villagers were photographed and ordered not to allow outsiders into the village. The people are extremely concerned that such operations are continuing although a ceasefire is in force.
The road in front of Mylambaveli Army camp on Batticaloa-Trincomalee A15 highway was opened to the public on 7 September, after seven years. The military checkpoints in Valaichenai and Murakottanchenai on the road have already been removed.
Over 5,000 people staged a demonstration on 10 September, demanding full opening of the Valaichenai-Colombo road. Part of the road near Valaichenai police station remained closed to the public for several years. Some people smashed and burned the police checkpoint. Later, police agreed to keep the road open between 6am and 10pm.
In September, Batticaloa people observed the 12th anniversary of the several massacres. Black flags were flown over shops and houses. The Army took 158 people from the refugee camp at Vantharumoolai on 5 September 1990 into custody. They all disappeared. Four days later, the Army shot dead 117 people at Sathurukondan. No enquiry has been conducted into these incidents.
In Trincomalee District, the LTTE took into custody seven soldiers who entered Tiger territory. They are alleged to have had fire arms in breach of the ceasefire agreement. The LTTE is demanding the release of two cadre arrested by police a week earlier.