Sri Lankan troops killed 17 aid workers; govt rejects charge

COLOMBO: Nordic ceasefire monitors on Wednesday accused Sri Lankan security forces of killing 17 aid workers in the northeast of the island earlier this month and subsequently covering up the incident, a charge rejected by the Government.

The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) claimed that there was also an attempt to prevent investigations by them following the August 4 massacre of the 17 local employees of a French charity in the northeastern town of Muttur.

The Swedish-led monitors of the February 2002 ceasefire also ruled that the killings were a "gross violation" of the ceasefire by government forces.

"The killing of the 17 civilian aid workers in Muttur on the 4th of August 2006 is ruled as a gross violation of the ceasefire agreement by the Security Forces of Sri Lanka," the monitors said.

The government in a statement said the ruling of the SLMM was "unprofessional and rather irresponsible."

The monitors based their latest findings partly on interviews and confidential discussions with sources on the August 4 massacre of 17 Sri Lankans working for the French charity Action Against Hunger, they said in a statement.

"The views have not proved contradictory and the security forces of Sri Lanka are widely and consistently deemed to be responsible for the incident," the statement said.

The monitors also blamed the government for bombing attacks inside rebel-held territory.

The Monitors also accused the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of bombing a bus in June and killing at least 64 passengers and wounding 100 others.

The SLMM said it could not accept the LTTE's claims of innocence.

"...being the only element with the motive, capability and capacity to carry out the attack, the LTTE must bear the responsibility for the killing of civilians," the SLMM said in a statement.

"Consequently, the attack on the civilian bus in Kebitigollewa (in the north-central province) on the 15th of June 2006 is ruled as a gross violation of the ceasefire agreement by the LTTE."

The SLMM held the same view about the troops in the town of Muttur where the aid workers were killed.

"Taking into consideration the fact that the security forces had been present in Muttur at the time of the incident, it appears highly unlikely to blame other groups for the killings," the SLMM said.

However, the government in its statement lambasted the monitors.

"The determination lacks any factual evidence to substantiate its conclusion. The determination is based on misleading inferences that the SLMM was prevented from travelling to Muttur, and speculates that the inability to travel to Muttur as sufficient evidence of culpability in the deaths of 17 aid workers.

"There was an advise against travel to Muttur for safety reasons during operational periods," the government said.

"The Government of Sri Lanka categorically rejects this sweeping generalisation of a very speculative conclusion reached even before the necessary forensic and other investigations have been concluded."

There was no immediate reaction from the Tigers to the SLMM ruling.