1990 massacre of Sri Lankan Police officers  The 1990 Sri Lankan Police massacre was a mass murder of Sri Lankan Police officers that took place on 11 June 1990. Members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist organization, are alleged to have killed over 600 unarmed Sri Lanka Police officers in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. Some accounts have estimated the number killed as high as 774. According to the Indo-Sri Lankan Accord, Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) arrived at Sri Lanka in July 1987. Their presence in the country was not very popular among the Sri Lankan public and the politicians. In January 1989, President Ranasinghe Premadasa's government was elected. President Premadasa's initial intention was to work out a peace plan with the LTTE, which was waging a bloody separatist campaign in the country's north and east. Premadasa too was unhappy with the Indian presence in Sri Lanka. In June 1989, he entered into a ceasefire agreement with the LTTE. In an attempt to win over its leadership, Premadasa transferred a large quantity of weapons to the organization (at their request), to fight against the IPKF. And in late 1989, Premadasa asked the IPKF to depart, due to the adverse public opinion. Indian Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh consented and withdrew his force. Meanwhile, a Sri Lankan government delegation led by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdul Cader Shahul Hameed held peace talks with the LTTE. Although the talks seemed successful at the initial stages, no agreement was made on critical issues like the dissolution of the Northeast Provincial Council and repealing of the Sixth Amendment to the constitution. LTTE chief political strategist and chief negotiator Anton Balasingham threatened the government, stating that "this is the last chance we give you. If you fail, we are prepared to wage war". The situation worsened after Sri Lankan Minister of Defence Ranjan Wijeratne asked the LTTE to lay down arms. LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran refused and hostilities between the government and the LTTE began to increase. During this time, the Army was confined to the military camps. No action was taken against any of the LTTE activities for fear that peace talks would break down. But tension began to escalate by late May 1990. The army found that LTTE had constructed bunkers, dug trenches and implemented other defense measures closer to the camps. But the Defense Ministry had instructed the Army to keep mute.