Dokument #1348818
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor)
As part of the Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement to
contain the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, the Indian Peace Keeping
Force (IPKF) was deployed in the island nation. These soldiers were
involved in the disarming of the militants and ensuring "the
physical security and safety of all communities inhabiting the
Northern and Eastern Provinces." [Asia Watch Committee. Cycles
of Violence (Washington: 1987), p. 44.]
Most of the charges of Human Rights abuses
began after the IPKF commenced its military operations to disarm
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in October 1987.
[Amnesty International. Sri Lanka: A Review of Alleged Human
Rights Abuses (London: June 1988), p. 10.] Amnesty
International states that many of the charges were made by the LTTE
itself and could not be further substantiated. [Ibid.] For
its part, the Asia Watch Committee suggests that in analyzing these
charges "one should bear in mind the difficulty of mounting a
peace-keeping operation in the midst of communal and political
clashes." [Cycles of Violence, p. 52.] For one thing,
verification of human rights abuse in Sri Lanka during the
offensive was exceedingly difficult because the IPKF excluded
journalists and other observers from the areas where the fighting
was occurring. [Ibid., p.3] Despite original reservations
about the allegations made immediately after the IPKF offensive
began, both the Asia Watch Committee and Amnesty International were
able to corroborate a number of the charges. [Ibid.; Sri
Lanka: A Review of Alleged Human Rights Abuses, p. 10; and
Amnesty International, Amnesty International Statement on the
Situation in Sri Lanka With Respect to the Return of Tamils to Sri
Lanka, (London: August 1988), p. 2.]
One area of concern to Amnesty
International were the reports of rape committed by Indian
soldiers. [Amnesty International Statement on the Situation in
Sri Lanka with Respect to the Return of Tamils to Sri Lanka, p
. 2; and Sri Lanka: A Review of Alleged Human Rights Abuses,
p. 11.] In December 1987 a local magistrate reportedly found IPKF
personnel guilty in seven cases of rape and in January 1988 an
Indian court-martial sentenced four Indian soldiers to one year in
prison for raping Tamil women. [Ibid., p. 11.] Amnesty
International has also documented, up to August of 1988, ten cases
of people who have disappeared after arrest by the IPKF.
[Amnesty International Statement on the Situation in Sri Lanka
With Respect to the Return of Tamils to Sri Lanka, p. 3.] There
are other reports of people who have died in the custody of the
IPKF as a result of torture. [Ibid.,p. 2.] Furthermore, an
Indian newspaper reported in July 1988 that 2500 people were being
detained by the IPKF in the northern and eastern provinces, and a
writ of habeas corpus has gone unanswered. [Ibid., p.
3.]
The IPKF has also been accused of
indiscriminately shelling or strafing civilian non-combatants.
[Sri Lanka: A Review of Alleged Human Rights Abuses, p. 10.
and Cycles of Violence,
pp. 64-65.] In one instance, the Indians were involved in a gun
battle with LTTE forces in a Jaffna hospital. While the LTTE was
using the civilians as shields, it appears that the IPKF attacked
without discrimination and later killed some of the wounded.
[Ibid., pp. 60-61.] Additionally, there were reports of
reprisal killings of civilians by the IPKF: Newspaper reports
alleged that 40 civilians were killed in the village of Kokuvil by
Indian forces the same day that 29 Indian commandoes were lost in a
raid on a Tamil base at Jaffna University. [Ibid., pp.
62-63.] An independent observer has also corroborated charges that
the IPKF undertook a reprisal in the village of Kaluwanchikudy for
a landmine explosion which killed four soldiers. [Sri Lanka: A
Review of Alleged Human Rights Abuses, p. 10.]
Amnesty International reports that no complaints similar to those mentioned above were made during a major search operation by the IPKF against the LTTE during February 1988. [Ibid.] During an IPKF offensive against LTTE bases in March 1989, the Tigers alleged that Indian helicopters had been bombing indiscriminately, causing heavy civilian casualties. [FBIS Daily Report - Near East and South Asia, (6 March 1988),p. 71.] Sri Lankan officials dismissed these claims as a disinformation campaign aimed at regaining sympathy for the LTTE after one of its raids resulted in the deaths of 37 civilians. [Ibid., p.72.]
During the run-up to the February 1989
parliamentary elections, the Indian forces in Sri Lanka blacked out
newspaper coverage of the decision by the Eelam Revolutionary
Organization (EROS) to withdraw its candidates, and placed its
leader under virtual house arrest. ["Sri Lanka: Faith, Hope and
Charity", Asia Week (17 February 1989), p. 26.] Bowing to
pressure, EROS did agree to participate and won a number of seats.
["A Decisive Mandate", Asia Week, (3 March 1988), p. 20.]
After the elections, New Delhi announced the withdrawal of 7000 of
its troops. ["Sri Lanka: A prochain retrait de 7000 soldats
indiens", Liberation (17 April 1989), p. 34.]
SEE ATTACHMENTS
Asia Watch Committee, Cycles of
Violence (Washington: Asia Watch Committee, 1987), pp.
52-67.
Amnesty International, Sri Lanka: A
Review of Alleged Human Rights Abuses (London: Amnesty
International, 1988), pp. 10-11.
, Amnesty International Statement on
the Situation in Sri Lanka With Respect to the Return of Tamils to
Sri Lanka (London: Amnesty International, 1988), pp. 2-3.