''Eye
witnesses and victims reported that on the streets cars were stopped by
gangs and the people inside were asked whether they were Sinhalese or
Tamil. Some Sinhalese words are extremely difficult for people who do
not speak the language fluently to pronounce, people were tested by
being made to pronounce these words. The mobs were also demanding to see
identity cards to establish whether or not
people were Tamils... People identified as Tamils as a result of the
questioning were told to get out of their cars and their cars were set
alight... In cases where any resistance was offered, killings were
likely to take place... It was reported by many people that in some
instances students from Buddhist schools followed on behind the first
rioters and that some Buddhist monks were seen amongst the gangs''
(Patricia Hyndman, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of New South Wales
and Secretary, Lawasia Human Rights Standing Committee Report
-Democracy in Peril, June 1985)
