Black July
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Black July is the commonly used name for the pogroms starting in Sri Lanka on July 23, 1983. It is estimated that 1,000[1] Tamil people were killed, tens of thousands of houses were destroyed, and a wave of Sri Lankan Tamils left for other countries. The riots occurred following a deadly ambush by the organization known as Tamil militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam which killed 15 Sri Lanka Army soldiers.
Black July is generally seen as the start of full-scale armed conflict between Tamil separatists and the Sinhalese-dominated government of Sri Lanka
Background
The impetus for violent conflict between the Tamil minority and the Sinhalese majority began when the British Colonialists favored the Tamils for administrative, educational, and economic control of Sri Lanka due to their policy of divide and conquer. With the 1956 Sinhala Only Act which initially restricted the fair use of Tamil and English languages. Protests against this policy by the Tamils was met with mob violence that eventually snowballed into the 1958 riots.
Throughout the 1960s protests and state repression against protests created further animosity. In 1971 the Standardisation policy and other restrictive measures towards Tamil students regarding affirmative action for Muslim and Sinhalese students motivated many Tamil students into Tamil militant groups. Police action against these nascent rebel groups in the Jaffna and Batticalo regions created further distrust between Tamil civilians and the state.
There was also a series of notable ethnic riots known as the 1977 riots following the United National Party coming to power in 1977.[5] In 1981 the renowned public library in Jaffna was burnt down by a violent mob. Until 1983 there were similar incidents of low level violence between the government and the mushrooming Tamil militant groups with a significant number of murders, disappearances and cases of torture attributed to both sides.
Throughout the 1960s protests and state repression against protests created further animosity. In 1971 the Standardisation policy and other restrictive measures towards Tamil students regarding affirmative action for Muslim and Sinhalese students motivated many Tamil students into Tamil militant groups. Police action against these nascent rebel groups in the Jaffna and Batticalo regions created further distrust between Tamil civilians and the state.
There was also a series of notable ethnic riots known as the 1977 riots following the United National Party coming to power in 1977.[5] In 1981 the renowned public library in Jaffna was burnt down by a violent mob. Until 1983 there were similar incidents of low level violence between the government and the mushrooming Tamil militant groups with a significant number of murders, disappearances and cases of torture attributed to both sides.
Events of July 1983
The events dubbed Black July began after members of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (the Tamil Tigers or the LTTE) organization ambushed a military convoy in the North of Sri Lanka on the evening of July 23, 1983 outside the town of Jaffna in the North of Sri Lanka. Initially, a remote controlled Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was detonated beneath the jeep that was leading the convoy injuring at least two soldiers on board. As soldiers traveling in a truck which was following the jeep dismounted to help their colleagues, they were ambushed by a group of Tamil Tiger fighters, who fired at them with automatic weapons and hurled grenades at them. In the insuring clashes, one officer and 12 soldiers were killed, while two more were fatally wounded, bringing the total death toll to 15.[6] Kittu, a regional commander of the LTTE later admitted to planning and carrying out the ambush.
In order to avoid a violent backlash from the population due to the ambush, the government decided to quietly bury the 15 soldiers at the Kanatte cemetery in Colombo. They would therefore be going against standard procedure where the fallen members of the armed forces were buried in their home villages. On the 24th of July, the day the 15 servicemen were to be buried, some Sinhalese civilians who had gathered at the cemetery, angered by news of the ambush, which was magnified by wild rumor, formed mobs and started killing Tamils and looting and burning their properties in retribution for what happened. While a number of Tamils fled the city, the majority of Sinhalese tried to save the lives and properties of Tamils despite the activities of the gangs. Many Tamils were sheltered in Sinhalese houses during following days.
The government declared an emergency curfew in Colombo on the evening of the 24th, however the Police were unwilling, or unable to enforce the curfew due to the extremely violent nature of the rioting. The Army was then called in to help the Police.
The violence continued the next day however, and began to spread all across the country engulfing areas with sizeable Tamil populations, including Kandy (where curfew was declared at 6 p.m), Matale, Nawalapitiya, Badulla and Nuwara Eliya. Vehicles on the streets were burnt, and Tamil people were dragged from cars and beaten or hacked to death with knives and axes.[15] Fire-engines were also driven away by the mobs.
One of the most notorious single massacres of the riotstook place at the Welikada high security prison on July 25. 37 Tamil prisoners, most of them detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, were killed by Sinhlase prisoners using knives and clubs. Survivors claimed that the prison officers allowed the keys to fall into the hand of the Sinhalese prisoners, while at the subsequent inquest, the prison officers claimed the keys were stolen from them.A second massacre at the prison took place on July 28, in which a further 15 prisoners were killed.
The curfew was extended nationwide on July 26 as a precautionary measure, as there were more outbreaks of violence against Tamils in areas where various ethnic groups lived together. By the evening of the 26th, the mob violence began to slack off, as the police and army patrolled the street in large numbers and began to take action against the rioters. The soldiers killed in the Jaffna ambush were quietly buried during the night curfew.[20] The daytime curfew was lifted in Colombo the next day, although sporadic violence continued in other parts of the country over the next few days, mainly in response to rumors that "kotiyas" (i.e. Tamil Tiger) were coming to attack the city.
Brief rioting broke out on the 29th, after which police shot dead 15 rioters. A 24-hour curfew was imposed on the capital, and the security forces were able to regain control of the c
In order to avoid a violent backlash from the population due to the ambush, the government decided to quietly bury the 15 soldiers at the Kanatte cemetery in Colombo. They would therefore be going against standard procedure where the fallen members of the armed forces were buried in their home villages. On the 24th of July, the day the 15 servicemen were to be buried, some Sinhalese civilians who had gathered at the cemetery, angered by news of the ambush, which was magnified by wild rumor, formed mobs and started killing Tamils and looting and burning their properties in retribution for what happened. While a number of Tamils fled the city, the majority of Sinhalese tried to save the lives and properties of Tamils despite the activities of the gangs. Many Tamils were sheltered in Sinhalese houses during following days.
The government declared an emergency curfew in Colombo on the evening of the 24th, however the Police were unwilling, or unable to enforce the curfew due to the extremely violent nature of the rioting. The Army was then called in to help the Police.
The violence continued the next day however, and began to spread all across the country engulfing areas with sizeable Tamil populations, including Kandy (where curfew was declared at 6 p.m), Matale, Nawalapitiya, Badulla and Nuwara Eliya. Vehicles on the streets were burnt, and Tamil people were dragged from cars and beaten or hacked to death with knives and axes.[15] Fire-engines were also driven away by the mobs.
One of the most notorious single massacres of the riotstook place at the Welikada high security prison on July 25. 37 Tamil prisoners, most of them detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, were killed by Sinhlase prisoners using knives and clubs. Survivors claimed that the prison officers allowed the keys to fall into the hand of the Sinhalese prisoners, while at the subsequent inquest, the prison officers claimed the keys were stolen from them.A second massacre at the prison took place on July 28, in which a further 15 prisoners were killed.
The curfew was extended nationwide on July 26 as a precautionary measure, as there were more outbreaks of violence against Tamils in areas where various ethnic groups lived together. By the evening of the 26th, the mob violence began to slack off, as the police and army patrolled the street in large numbers and began to take action against the rioters. The soldiers killed in the Jaffna ambush were quietly buried during the night curfew.[20] The daytime curfew was lifted in Colombo the next day, although sporadic violence continued in other parts of the country over the next few days, mainly in response to rumors that "kotiyas" (i.e. Tamil Tiger) were coming to attack the city.
Brief rioting broke out on the 29th, after which police shot dead 15 rioters. A 24-hour curfew was imposed on the capital, and the security forces were able to regain control of the c
Government's actions
There was a growing tension between the Sinhala and Tamil communities of Sri Lanka, even before the actual riots, and with the formation of militant Tamil groups, there was a rising anti-Tamil sentiment among the Sinhalese majority.
Although it started as a spontaneous reaction by Sinhalese mobs gathered at the Colombo Cemetery where the bodies of the soldiers were to be buried, elements associated with the ruling United National Party (UNP) may have been involved in the organization of the riots.
Also, during the early stages of riots, the local police officers and military stood by doing nothing.
By July 26, however, police and the army were out in the streets taking actions against the mobs and most of the violence died out. The government extended the curfew to prevent violence from spreading to other parts of the country. A brief span of rioting broke out on July 29 when police shot dead 15 Sinhalese looters.
Even though some Tamil politicians accused the ruling UNP for not taking appropriate actions to prevent the riots, the government in fact took vital counter measures from the very early stages to combat rioters and safeguard the Tamil community. Curfew was enforced immediately after the riots broke out. The attacks, according the government, were carefully organized and government properties such as trains, buildings and buses were the initial targets.
Prime Minister Ranasingha Premadasa formed a committee to organize shelter and feeding for an estimated 20,000 homeless Tamils in Colombo. These temporary shelters were situated at five school buildings and an aircraft hangar. These shelters, better known as Welfare Centers to the public, were protected by the army soldiers and not a single act of violence nor any discrimination towards Tamils were reported inside them. It should be also noted that the number of refugees increased to around 50,000 and the Government even took measures to send Tamils to north by ships.
Although it started as a spontaneous reaction by Sinhalese mobs gathered at the Colombo Cemetery where the bodies of the soldiers were to be buried, elements associated with the ruling United National Party (UNP) may have been involved in the organization of the riots.
Also, during the early stages of riots, the local police officers and military stood by doing nothing.
By July 26, however, police and the army were out in the streets taking actions against the mobs and most of the violence died out. The government extended the curfew to prevent violence from spreading to other parts of the country. A brief span of rioting broke out on July 29 when police shot dead 15 Sinhalese looters.
Even though some Tamil politicians accused the ruling UNP for not taking appropriate actions to prevent the riots, the government in fact took vital counter measures from the very early stages to combat rioters and safeguard the Tamil community. Curfew was enforced immediately after the riots broke out. The attacks, according the government, were carefully organized and government properties such as trains, buildings and buses were the initial targets.
Prime Minister Ranasingha Premadasa formed a committee to organize shelter and feeding for an estimated 20,000 homeless Tamils in Colombo. These temporary shelters were situated at five school buildings and an aircraft hangar. These shelters, better known as Welfare Centers to the public, were protected by the army soldiers and not a single act of violence nor any discrimination towards Tamils were reported inside them. It should be also noted that the number of refugees increased to around 50,000 and the Government even took measures to send Tamils to north by ships.
Other prison massacres
Welikada prison massacre
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Welikada prison massacre
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The Welikada prison massacre happened during the 1983 Black July pogrom against the Sri Lankan Tamil minority in Colombo, Sri Lanka. 53 political prisoners were killed inside a high security prison with senior prison officials' collusion
Incident
This incident happened in two different series. The first massacre happened on 25 July, 1983 where 35 Tamil prisoners were attacked and killed by Singhalese inmates. The second massacre happened two days later when Singhalese inmates killed another 18 Tamil detainees . The prison is shaped as a Cross-with four divisions- A, B, C and D. A3 B3 C3 and D3 were all on ground floor. B3, C3 and D3 all housed Tamil detainees and A3 had dangerous criminals who were almost all Singhalese
Bindunuwewa massacre
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The Bindunuwewa massacre or Bindunuwewa prison massacre is the massacre of 26 minority Tamil political prisoners by a mob of majority Sinhalese in the detention center of Bindunuwewa, Sri Lanka
Camp
The low security detention center was established to house rebel LTTE sympathizers and activists who were of a relatively young age. Of the 26 killed, 2 were under the age of 19 and the rest were between 19 and 30
The massacre
On October 24, 2000 a mob of a few hundred Sinhalese villagers armed with knives, rods and torches stormed the detention center while the inmates were sleeping. The Sri Lankan Army detachment that was posted there had been withdrawn the previous day, for unknown reasons.[4]
Once the massacre started the posted police personnel refused to intervene to stop the massacre
Once the massacre started the posted police personnel refused to intervene to stop the massacre
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