EPICS BY POETS-- TRUE HISTORY BY HISTORIANS- FIGHT FOR JUSTICE BY TAMIL DIASPORA....will not wipe tears..

A POET IN KAMBARS POETIC METER WANTED TO WRITE AN EPIC :

ALL THESE CAN FORM THE STORY..... BUT HE DID NOT WRITE

102. Vavunikulam massacre 26-9-1996, 15-8-1997

Vavunikulam village is located in the Mullaithivu district. The village takes the name of the large water reservoir in the village. Displaced people from other districts like Jaffna and Kilinochchi were living there in temporary shelters experiencing great hardship.  On 26.09.1996, Sri Lankan Air Force bombed this village killing four civilians and wounding 12. In 1997, the Sri Lankan military was on a military operation from their Omanthai camp, codenamed “Jeyasikkuru”, to take over the A9 route. The bombing and shelling were hitting the civilians. Civilians had taken refuge in schools, churches and temples. On 15.08.1997 at 9.00am, the Vavunikulam villagers took refuge in a church in their village as the military went on an onslaught. Two bombs were dropped on this church by Sri Lankan Air Force Kfirs. 9 people were killed. 16 were seriously injured. One died in the hospital later. The Kfirs bombed the same place again at 1.00am. Eight people were injured. One of them died in the hospital later. In total 15 civilians were killed on that day and more than 20 were injured.

Ganeshamoorthy’s account of the massacre is as follows,

“Around Friday 10 am in the morning, we heard a booming sound behind us. When we turned around we saw that there were two Kfirs in the air. Initially thought there were crows flying behind the Kfir, however a second later I realized they were actually bombs. I fell into a stream, by which time a bomb fell. People started screaming. As I ran towards the sound, I saw flesh scattered everywhere. It looked like a like a meat shop. The bomb fell on a small Refugee Camp at Vavunikulam Church. We informed ICRC and they came and took the injured to Mallavi hospital. In the evening they bombed Puthuvilamkulam. ICRC returned to take the injured. 5 or 6 people died. All the bodies were taken on a tractor belonging to Sundarlingam and burnt.14 people died and 23 people were injured. This bomb had dropped 200 meters from my house. Small people, old people, dogs all died. These people had been displaced and were already living in hardship when these bombs were dropped.” This was a planned attack. There were so many places that could have been hit – but they targeted the Refugee camps. This is the worst incident that has happened at Vavunikulam, Mullaitivu District.

103. Konavil bombing 27.09.1996

Konavil is situated in the Kilinochchi district. People of this village have displaced several times during the war. On 27.09.1996, Sri Lankan Kfir bombers dropped several bombs on the village. Three bombs fell on the junction where people had gathered. Three civilians died on the spot. Two more died later in the Akkarayan hospital.  Many were injured. Nagalingam Pakianathan says,” My uncle was killed on 27.09.1996 in the Sri Lankan bombing’s Vimaleswari says, “My father was killed as he was returning from the market on 27.09.1996 by Sri Lankan bombing. My grandfather who was seriously injured in the bombing also died”. Pakianathan Vasanthakumari says, “My father and a cousin was killed on 27.0.1996 in the Sri Lankan bombing”

104. Mullivaikal bombing 13.05.1997

Mullivaikal village is located in the Karaithurai Assistant  government Agent Division in the Mullaithivu district. The main economic activities of the village is farming and fishing. In the year of 1997 several displaced fishing families from Jaffna settled along the coastal belt of this village. On 13.05.1997 morning, Kfir bombers of the Sri Lankan Air Force bombed this village. Seven fishermen fishing from the shores were killed. Three road laborers repairing the roads were also killed in the bombing.

105. Mankulam shelling 08.06.1997

Mankulam is situated in the Mullaithivu district along the A-9

Highway. In 1997, large number of people displaced from Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Nedunkerni were living in Mankulam. On 08.06.1997, the military began shelling the Mankulam junction area in the early afternoon for 25 minutes. Seven displaced civilians were killed in this shelling. Many more were injured.

106. Thampalakamam massacre 01.02.1998

Thampalagamam is situated 12 Kms from the Trincomalee town. A Sri Lankan military camp is located in the village of Parathipuram in the Thampalakamam district. On 01.02.1998, in the early morning, the military shot and killed 8 from this village after ordering them to stand around their camp. Four of those killed were school children. In the mouth of one of those killed, Arumukam Segaran, the military has cut and stuck his penis.

107. Old Vaddakachchi bombing 26.03.1998

Old Vaddakachchi is an ancient village in the Kilinochchi district. The largest water reservoir in the region, the Iranaimadhu water reservoir, is in this village. The rice fields in this village are able to produce twice a year using the water from this reservoir. Old Vaddakachchi is presently called Periyakulam. Due its rich fields with abundance of water the people are prosperous.

In 1996, the Sri Lankan military began its “Sathjeya” operation to capture Kilinochchi. As the military advanced with shelling and bombing it destroyed people’s property and several civilians were killed.  On 26.03.1998, at 8.00 am Sri Lankan Air Force Kfir jets dropped a bomb in the Velikandan area and five bombs fell near the house of Arunasalam Velayutham. Two people working in front of Velayutham’s house, Velayutham’s daughter, who was inside the house and two more people working in the yard, and one person in the house in front were killed. In total 6 people were killed and five were wounded. Velayutham’s home and farm equipment were all destroyed in this bombing.

Arunasalam Vethanayagam says,

“My daughter Mankayatkarasi was killed in the Sri Lankan bombing on26.03.1998. My home was completely destroyed.”

Velayutham Paramswari says,” My son was killed on 26.03.1998 by the Sri Lankan military bombing”Selvaratnam Jeyaluxmi says, “My sister was killed on 26.03.1998 by the SriLankan military bombing”

108. Suthanthirapuram massacre 10.06.1998

On the day of the incident, Suthanthirapuram, which is along the coastline in the Mullaitivu district, came under SLAFs air attack and shelling attack from 9.15 am to 10.30 am. Because the attack was continuous, people were unable to find safe areas, 25 people were killed and more than 50 were injured. Several hundreds of thousands rupees worth properties were damaged. Hundreds of coconut trees on which people depended for livelihood and 10 houses were completely destroyed. Hundreds of houses were partially destroyed.

Ganashen Kasimalar’s account of the event is as follows:

“Around 9:30am whilst we were home, air bombing started. Our house was bombed too. We left our home and started running, but we did not know where to run to - everything was being bombed. We just ran in any direction. We got separated from our family in all the frenzy. I did not know where my mum, brother, sister…. anyone was. There was another plane flying in the air. We did not know what to do. We just kept going from one place to another in fear of our lives. We hid behind trees and buildings. We could not go back home – there was so much shelling. Most of the people here were all displaced. We moved very closely with a lot of the people. Good friends, neighbors and relations were killed. This was definitely a planned attack on people who were already displaced and living in hardship. We could not return home for 15 days. When we did come back, every thing was destroyed. All the coconut trees, gardens and buildings were destroyed. Our house was in an unlivable state.”

109. Visuvamadhu shelling 25.11.1998

Visvamadhu village is situated in the Puthikkidiyiruppu Assistant Government Agent division in Mullaithivu district. Rice growing and coconut estates are the most common economic activity of the village.  The Visvamadu tank irrigates

the fields.On 25.11.1998, afternoon children were returning home from school. The Sri Lankan military began shelling from their Elephant camp towards Visvamadhu. One shell hit a child eating at his home and he was killed instantly. Another shell hit a child on the road and was killed instantly. Two more civilians were killed in this shelling and 10 civilians were injured.

110. Chundikulam bombing 02.12.1998

Chundikulam is coastal village located in the Kilinochchi district. One of its special features is the many bird sanctuaries.  Fishing is the main livelihood of the people. Sri Lankan Navy has continued to attack the coastal villages of the Northeast over a period of time. In a similar manner, the Chundikulam village also came under the Sri Lankan Navy attack. In 1995, following Sri Lankan military operations, coastal people in the eastern Jaffna region of Maruthankerni from the villages of Thalayadi, Aliyavalai and Uduththurai displaced to Chundikulam. The displaced people put up small huts and continued with their fishing activity in this area in order to survive. On 02.12.1998, Kfir bombers dropped 6 bombs in the Nallathanithoduvai refugee settlement. Seven people including children were killed on the spot.

111. Manthuvil bombing 15.09.1999

Manthuvil village is situated in the Mullaithivu district. Manthuvil junction is the commercial centre for the village. There are several shops, a market, a temple, a church and other public buildings in this location. On 15.09.1999, the junction was buzzing with people engaged in their daily activities. At 10.25 am, Sri Lankan Air Force Kfir bombers dropped two bombs at this junction. 12 civilians died on the spot. Injured people were taken to the Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital. 10 of the injured died the same day at the hospital. A further 40 people were seriously injured. Buildings, productive trees and livestock worth hundreds of thousands of rupees were destroyed by the bombing.

112. Palinagar bombing and shelling 03.09.1999

Suthanthirapuram village is situated in the Mullaithivu district. Although it was sparsely populated in the early days the population shot up in 1996 as refugees came in. On 10.06.1998, the Sri Lankan military stationed in Elephant Pass and Ampahamam camps carried out bombing and shelling into the civilian’s areas in Palinagar from 9.15am till 11.30am. Since the people were taken unawares, they could not seek safer places. 25 people died and 50 people were injured. Hundreds of thousands of rupees worth property was damaged.

Ravichandran’s account is as follows:

“Around 11 o clock a Kfir was seen in the air. We were at school at the time. As we left and were walking, the Kfir dropped the first bomb. SK, a boy working with my brother, was injured and taken to hospital where he died. When the second bomb was dropped, I was hiding in an out door bathing tub. Pratheep was also hiding there with me. He was injured in the stomach. He was taken to the hospital by tractor. He died there. 7 people were injured and 4 died.

This happened between 11 and 11:30am. As this was peak time, people were at the markets and at school. After the first bomb hit, parents and others rushed to the school to make sure that the children were ok. Then the second bomb was

dropped. 2 school children died. The SLA hit this place twice to ensure that people would definitely be killed. This had to have been a planned attack.”

113. Madhu church massacre 20.11.1999

Madhu church, Mannar, is a St. Mary’s Catholic Church and is popular among all ethnic communities in the area. During the 1990s following the SLAFs attacks several people from Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya were displaced to the church’s surroundings, as it was considered a safe refuge.  On 20thNovember 1999, the SLAFs were advancing through the forest towards the church and continually firing their weapons. As a result, people in the villages, such as Palamputti, also displaced to the surroundings of Madhu church. When the SLAFs arrived they forced all the civilians to go to the church. At 9.45 pm the SLAFs started shelling. Two of the shells fell on the banyan tree in front of the church. The third shell fell on the church. 31 people including children died. Nine more people died in the hospital. More than 60 were injured. Chandrasekumaran Amarasingam was in the Madhu Church when the shelling started. His account of the incident is as follows,

“I had been living in Thathinapuram Palamputti for a long time. On that day, the SLA told us to go to Madhu Church and they will look after us there. This message was conveyed to us through UNHCR. So we all went to the Temple. Once there we were told to go in and then go out again a few times. There were so many people at the temple. Finally the SLA made us all go into the Temple and then closed us in. The SLA came down Pandivirichan Road in armoured vehicles and tanks. On that road there was a vehicle that belonged to a poor man who had brought people from Karadian Aru to Madhu Temple. The SLA destroyed the vehicle completely. Once they arrived, they surrounded the Church. They killed and hit a few people. Inside they hit people. Around 9:45, we were listening to BBC on the radio; the first shell fell on the place where the sisters were sleeping. The other fell in front of the temple on the banyan tree. The next one fell on my temple. The fourth shell fell on my head. The roof frame fell down and instantly killed about twenty one people all around me and then there was silence. We all saw this shell come from the Divisional Secretariat.

We did not know what to do. Around 1.00 pm, I was taken in an SLA vehicle to the hospital. I regained consciousness after 25 days. My mother, and elder sister, uncles, cousins all died that day. The GS helped us to find out what happened to everyone. There were people from Vavuniya and some from Murungan who died. The rest were all from this area and were all from our family.

114. Bindunuwewa massacre

Bindunuwewa Rehabilitation Centre was one of three centers run with substantial overseas funding to rehabilitate LTTE suspects and surrenders. The government of Sri Lanka ran these centers. It was shown off as a model for the rehabilitation of former LTTE members thus accumulating a lot of merit points for the government. On Oct 25th in 2000 a mob of Sinhalese stormed the camp and massacred the inmates while 60 police officers stationed that night to protect the inmates stood by. 28 inmates died and another 14 were seriously injured.

 There were nine survivors. Two inquiries, one by the Sri Lankan Human rights Commission (SLHRC) and another Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCI) followed. A criminal proceeding also was initiated. In June 2005 the court proceedings were completed. No one was convicted for any offence.

The massacre as told by the survivors to Sri Lanka Human Rights Commissions (SLHRC)

On October 24, the detainees were raising some complaints they had with the Officer in Charge. Their complaints were that letters to and phone calls for them were not being passed onto them; and they were being detained for more than a year rather than the three-nine month period. There were some arguments and seeing that the detainees were agitated a policeman fired in the air. The situation calmed down and the detainees went to bed. Next morning when the detainees woke up they saw large crowds and a large number of policemen outside. The crowd started to attack the detainees and set fire to their residences. 28 Tamil detainees died and 14 were injured at the end of the carnage. Nineteen victims were identified and nine victims were not identified because their bodies were burned beyond recognition.

Interim Report by the SLHRC on November 1st 2000

This report by the SLHRC through its name suggests that there will be another report following it but there was no further report from SLHRC on this matter. Major points raised in this report are:

1. When the detainees who were being attacked tried to run for safety one of them was shot down by police officers. His body had three bullet wounds. One of the survivors lost two fingers as a result of the shooting by the police officers.

2. The 60 odd police officers at the scene failed to take any action to stop the carnage. Yet the SLHCR did not lay any criminal responsibility on the police officers rather they were found guilty for the minor offence of dereliction of duty.

3. There was substantial organizing and poster campaign against the inmates between the time the detainees protested and the time they were attacked by the mobs.

Report by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCI)

The report by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry appointed in March 2001 handed its report to the President in early 2002. It was never made public. In any case it was not mandated to inquire and recommend any prosecution. Other papers written on the topic however, have published parts of the findings in this report. The Commission found clear evidence that a significant degree of organizing took place in the twelve to fourteen hours between the initial protest in the Camp and its violent destruction. The crowd outside initiated the violence as stones were thrown at the inmates. The inmates reacted to the provocations by exploding a gas cylinder within the camp. While this initially succeeded in frightening the crowd, its ultimate effect seems to have been to further inflame things, as the crowd soon thereafter stormed the camp as the police looked on. That there was an utter failure on the part of the police stationed around the camp is beyond dispute. The Commission report strongly criticized the two most senior police officers in the area – ASP Dayaratne and HQI Seneviratne for a series of failures. Even at the last moment, the inmates could have been evacuated from the camp.

The prosecution

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) carried out its own inquiry and indicted 41 suspects including 10 police officers. There were flaws in the prosecution at many levels. Some of which are:

1. Although both inquiries have strongly criticized that there were substantial prior organizations before the mob stormed the camp there was no attempt to investigate the “organized nature of the massacre”.

2. There was no attempt to lay charges for the criminal conduct of the police in allowing the massacre to continue while they stood by. Nor was the police shooting of the fleeing inmates investigated.

3. There was a systematic destruction of evidence. A bullet from the body of the detainee who was killed by police shooting was removed and was not available as evidence.

4. Though two higher-ranking officers were clearly identified in the inquiries they were never charged of any crime. All the police officers who were charged are middle and low ranking officers.

5. The charges that were brought on the suspects were for murder and attempted murder. The prosecution did not lay any lesser charges for which there would have been a greater possibility of conviction. Despite such blatant criminality the Sri Lankan justice system has allowed all the culprits to go free. This is also not the only time this has happened. Indeed, this failure of the Sri Lankan justice system to punish security persons for crimes against Tamil civilians has a very long history.

115. Mirusuvil massacre 19.12.2000

Mirusulvil village is a settlement created to encourage women into employment. This village is near the Muhamalai area in Jaffna peninsula. In the year 2000, as a result of military clashes throughout the Thenmaradchy area of Jaffna many people had displaced to the Vadamaradchi area. The people of Mirusuvil village had also displaced to Karaveddy in Vadamaradchi and were staying in the Navalar hall.

On 19.12.2000 9 people from Mirusuvil went to their village to collect essential items they needed for living. All 9 were arrested while they were collecting the things from their homes. The arrested people were blind folded and attacked by the military. One of those arrested managed to escape and return to Karaveddy to tell the fate of the others.Based on the information given by Ponnaiah Maheswaran, who managed to escape, and the soldier who was on duty at that time, Lance Corporal Ratnayake, in the presence of the Police Inspector, Upali Gunawardhana, Deputy Police Inspector, Nimal Srinath, district judge, Annalingam Premshankar, and Point Pedro District Medical Officer, Kathiravetpillai, a mass grave was dug up on 25.12.2000. The eight bodies were buried only 2 feet below the ground. The Tamil daily Veerakesari published from Colombo in a report quoted a hospital report on the inquest, “A body of a 21 year old man was recovered from the mass grave and was identified by Ponnaih Maheswaran and Lance Corporal Ratnayake. This body was wrapped in a red saree. Next the body of a male child was recovered. His skin was peeled and his body was pink. Throats of the bodies were cut with sharp knives and the arms and legs were chopped off.”

 TAMIL GENOCIDE CONTINUES ..... TILL 2009... AND THIS BOOK WAS PUBLISHED IN 2018.... not covering these incidents above

 SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING.... BUT STILL TAMIL HISTORY MISSES MANY TRUTHS ABOUT TAMIL GENOCIDE