Sri Lanka accused on riot report

By Upasana Bhat
BBC News, Delhi

The camp was destroyed after the attack

Sri Lanka must publish an official report into the massacre of 27 young Tamils, a human rights group has urged.

The Delhi-based Asian Centre for Human Rights says it has seen the report, which was commissioned by President Kumaratunga but never released.

The group says police knew locals were about to attack a detention centre housing the Tamil youths five years ago, but did nothing to stop them.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court acquitted all accused in the case.

Sri Lankan Justice Minister John Senaviratna said police officers accused in the case had been acquitted following trials.

He said the matter was in the hands of the president.

Teenage suspects

The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) says disciplinary action should be initiated against eight police officers, following the massacre at Bundarawela in central Sri Lanka in October 2000.

It says the report by Justice PHK Kulatilaka, who led the commission of inquiry into the killings, accuses the police of "indefensible inaction and attitudes at the time of the incident".

As well as the 27 who died, 14 others were seriously injured in the attack, which brought international condemnation.

Local residents assaulted the inmates with clubs and knives after reports they had taken a security guard hostage. Some victims were said to have been burned alive.

Many of those who died were teenage Tamil Tiger rebel suspects.

'Organised massacre'

The director of ACHR, Suhas Chakma, said the delay in releasing the report into the attack was because the presidential commission of inquiry "clearly indicated that it was an organised massacre".

The President has not made the report public yet

He claimed police officials were involved in it and evidence was destroyed by the prosecution.

It would therefore be difficult for the government to exonerate all the accused and at the same time have a report indicting policemen, the prosecution and the criminal investigation department, Mr Chakma says.

According to the ACHR, Justice Kulatilaka said the police knew about the impending attack as the crowd gathered to attack the camp.

It also says that the report found that "no meaningful steps" had been taken by the police to prevent the mob from getting into the centre.

Earlier this year, the US-based Human Rights Watch said the case showed crimes committed against alleged Tamil Tiger members were not being addressed.

The Tamil Tigers have fought a two-decade armed campaign for autonomy in the north and east. It is estimated that more than 60,000 people have died so far.