The 2006 murder of TRO workers in Sri Lanka refers to the abduction, torture, and extrajudicial execution of seven employees of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), a humanitarian group focused on rehabilitation, education, and post-tsunami relief efforts in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The incident occurred on 29–30 January 2006 in the Welikanda area of Polonnaruwa District, during the Sri Lankan civil war.
Abduction
Seven TRO workers were abducted in two separate incidents in January 2006. In the first incident, five workers traveling from Batticaloa to Kilinochchi were stopped at a Sri Lanka Army checkpoint at Welikanda. After passing the checkpoint, they were attacked by armed men in a white van, bound, and taken to a jungle camp. Three of the five were later released. The following day, another 15 workers were abducted approximately 100 meters from the same checkpoint; 10 of them were released and told to prepare funeral rites for their colleagues.
Perpetrators
The victims were tortured and executed by the TMVP (Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal) paramilitary group, also known as the Karuna Group, which was believed to be operating with the backing of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. One female employee, Premini Thanuskodi, was gang-raped and murdered.
Victims
All seven victims were Sri Lankan Tamil civilians working for the TRO. Their bodies were later discovered, confirming they had been executed.
Reactions
- The President of Sri Lanka ordered security forces to speed up the investigation and search the Welikanda area, while the government denied any links to the abduction.
- The TRO alleged that the Karuna Group, a government-backed paramilitary organization, was responsible.
- Amnesty International called for the immediate release of the workers.
- The former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Christina Rocca, appealed for their release.
- The LTTE expressed concern over the abduction.
- The University Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR) initially reported that the LTTE had staged the abduction but later retracted that statement.
Aftermath
Despite official calls for investigation, no perpetrators were brought to justice. The case remains one of several documented incidents of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings attributed to paramilitary groups during the Sri Lankan civil war.
