9. Sampalthotam massacre 1984
Sampalthoddam is a village three miles along Mannar road from Vavuniya
town. Today this is called Navalarpannai. The time was early 1984 prior to the Thimbu SLA stopped the bus near Pambamadu
and took all 70 people on the bus to a teak estate called Thekkavaththai.
There, the SLA sent the 15 women and children
who were in the bus and made the remaining 55 men look at the teak trees and
then sprayed them with bullets. The SLA then
kicked the bodies that have fallen to see if they were still alive, those who
made any noise in pain were shot again.
One person fell to the ground in shock and was not hit by any of
the bullets. Two of the men, who were shot, fell on top of him and died. He was
thus lying in a pool of blood. When the SLA kicked his body he did not make any
noise and the SLA thought he was dead too.
When the SLA left, he ran to a village called
Thalampokkanai. In this village there was a Muslim community leader who was
very close to the Tamils and was a strong supporter of the LTTE. He owned a
shop. The man ran to his shop and told the Muslim leader what has happened.
From there the man went to Jaffna
I heard that the man was given
protection and sent somewhere safe. I do not know what happened to him after
that. We went and looked at the massacre sight. It was very close to where we
were living. We noticed that there were no bodies of women there. The man had
said that the women were made to get off the bus. We do not know what happened
to the women. The women did not give any statements.”
10. Chunnakam Police station
massacre 08.01.1984
Chunnakam is in the Uduvil Assistant Government Agent Division in
the Jaffna Jaffna
Chunnakam junction. The Chunnakam Police station was located 250
metres south from this junction.
Many young men arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act
without any evidence against them were kept in remand in the Chunnakam Police
Station.
On 08.01.1984, during the period when Tamil militant attacks on
the Sri Lankan military started to spread, the Police placed a time bomb in the
room where the young men were kept and left the building. When the bomb
exploded all 19 young men inside was killed. Sanjeevan who went in to save the
young men was also killed.
11. Chunnakam market massacre 28.03.1984
Chunnakam market is situated 7 Kms from Jaffna Jaffna
On 28.03.1984, Sri Lankan military arrived in tanks and jeeps at
the Chunnakam market and the bus stop and started opening fire at the people
crowded in these two places. Eight civilians were killed and about 50 were
injured. The military set fire to the market and many shops were burnt down.
The military then left the location and drove through Mallakam
along KKS road. There they started shooting everyone who came within their
sight. One civilian was killed. From here the military went to Tellipalai.
There, students from the Union
College
12. Mathawachchi – Rampawa September 1984
Mathawachi is located south of Vavuniya on the A9 road. The
village is populated mainly by Sinhala and Muslim people. Following the 1983
pogrom against Tamils, Tamil passengers traveling from Colombo
to Jaffna
One day in the first week of September 1984 a passenger bus which
was going to Jaffna from Colombo was stopped at Mathawachchi junction by the
Sri Lankan military and the bus with the passengers were taken to Mannar road
and there 15
Civilians in the bus were killed including the driver and 31 civilians
were wounded.
13. Point Pedro – Thikkam
massacre 16.09.1984
On 16.09.1984, four Sri Lankan soldiers were killed in a land mine
explosion. In a revenge attack, the Sri Lankan Police attacked and killed 16
civilians. Heartily College Library and its
laboratory were burnt down.
14. Othiyamalai massacre 01.12.1984
This is a remote village on the border of Mullaithivu district.
More or less the entire population worked in their own paddy fields and they
had ample farming produce to live by. However, Sinhalese settlers were settling
in Ken Farm and Dollar Farm and displacing the Upcountry Tamils in these places
who had already been displaced from the Upcountry as a result of ethnic
violence. From 29th November 1984 until 2nd December 1984 the SLAFs declared a curfew.
A SLAFs regiment moved from Pathaviya to Othiyamalai on 1st December 1984. The
SLAFs rounded up the people of Othiyamalai village. When the villagers opened
their door at 5.00 am on that day, they saw the Sri Lankan soldiers standing in
green attire. The soldiers spoke fluent Tamil and asked for all the men in the
village to come to the Development Society building managed by the LTTE, and
demanded that they assist the struggle waged by the LTTE. Deceived by the
pretension of the Sri Lankan army soldiers 32 men went. Sithambarapillai
Sagunthararasa otherwise known as Rasa lost his father and five uncles in the Othiyamalai
Nedunkerni Massacre.
His account is as follows:
“On 2nd December 1984, 32 people were massacred here. My father
and five of my uncles were killed. Around 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning, the SLA came to our village. We were small children then. We
only know what people told us, we don't remember much. My father was listening
to the radio. It was only when they caught him that we realized they were the SLA . They caught our uncle at our house. They tore up his
shirt in front of us and tied his hands. Like this, the SLA
went in twos and threes to every house and caught each family head. On Pathikudippu Road
15. Kumulamunai massacre 02.12.1984
Kumulamunai is in the Mullaitivu district. Farming and rearing
livestock are the main occupation of the village. During the 1984, it was common
for the Sri Lankan military to round up the Kumulamunai village and arrest
people and torment them. On 01.10.1984, the village was rounded up by the Sri
Lankan military and two people from the same family were arrested. Following
this on 29.11.1984 several more villagers were arrested. Military released most
of the people it had arrested except the four brothers of the two people
arrested earlier and another person from Kumulamunai named Mohan. The families
of these men persisted in seeking the release of the men. The military promised
to release them after inquiry. On 01.12.1984, the military told the families that
they have shot dead all seven men. Six of the seven men shot dead are brothers.
Six of the men were married.
16. Cheddikulam massacre 02.12.1984
Cheddikulam is a border village in the Vavuniya district and is
located 20 Kms from the Vavuniya town along the Vavuniya-Mannar Road Mathavachi
There has been no information about these 52 men since. The people
of the Cheddikulam village are saying that the 52 men were taken to a Sinhala
village in Mathavachchi, and there they were chopped up with sharp knives and
heavy vehicles were run over them. As a result, the Cheddikulam villagers say
all 52 men died.
T Yesuthasan, teacher at Cheddikulam Mahavidhyalayam says,“Following
the incident people displaced to Vanni, Madhu and India
Mayilvahanam of Cheddikulam says,” On that day many of us ran
into the forest and hid. My home was completely Destroyed by the Sri Lankan
army”!!
17. Manalaru massacre 03.12.1984
On 03.12.1984, Sri Lankan military rounded up Manalaru area and
fired randomly at the civilians. Civilians from Manalaru and Amaravayal were chased
away by the Sri Lankan military and their houses were set on fire. People who have lived in the villages for generations
were thus displaced.Many civilians were killed including women and children.
Hundreds of families were displaced from these areas. Sinhalese were settled in
these villages later.
18. Blood soaked Mannar 04.12.1984
Mannar is one of the eight districts of the Northeast province.
The main occupation of the Mannar people is fishing. The historical
Hindu temple, Thiruketheeswaram, and the famous
Catholic Madhu church is located in this district. On 4 December
1984 the Sri Lankan military conducted an attack on the people of Nanaddan and
Manthai areas in the district. On 04.12.1984, the military arrested a young man
from Isaimalaithivu and were taking him to their camp when the military vehicle
came under a landmine attack. There were
no serious damages. The military went to its Thalladi military camp and started
to shell civilian areas from there.
The military burnt 15 men alive who were previously arrested by
them. The military also arrested 30 more people who were traveling on the road
in front of their camp and burnt them alive as well. People in the Mannar town
were able to observe the smoke arising from the 45 burning bodies.
On the same day, the military from the Thalladi and Silawaththai
military camps rounded up several residential areas. The military that left
from Mannar traveled on the Mathawachchi road through the villages of,
Sirunavatkulam, Nochchikulam,Kallikkaddaikadu, Uyilankulam, Parapankandal, Uyirththarasankulam,
ththikkuli, Chemmanthivu, Murunkan and went up to the Madhu road. All along
they attacked and burnt homes and offices and shot and killed people. Employees
of the Chemmanthivu Cooperative Society and the employees of the Murunkan post
office were killed in these atrocities. The military that left Silawaththai
also carried out atrocities along the way.
The military from the Thalladi camp after arriving at Madhu road
stopped a bus full of passengers. They ordered everyone to get off the bus and
all the passengers and the driver were shot dead. Two days after this the
Bishop of Mannar and the Mannar Government Agent collected 90 bodies and took
them to the Mannar hospital. More than 200 people were killed in this episode
of violence by the military.
19. KokkilaiKokkuthoduvai massacre 15.12.1984
On 15.12.1984, Sri Lankan military entered the villages of
Kokkilai, Kokkuthoduvai, Karunaddukerni, Nayaru, Kumulamunai, and Alampil in
the Mullaitivu district. The military killed
many civilians and destroyed property.131 civilians were killed including 31women
and 21 children. More than 2000families were displaced following this operation
and they remain displaced to this date in 2006.
20. Vankalai church massacre 06.01.1986
Vankalai village is in the Mannar district. The Vankalai church
served the villagers of Vankalai.On 06.01.1986, at 12.30 pm, military
surrounded the Vankalai village and began shelling and continued shelling till
10.00 am the next day. When the military
began firing in the direction of the residence of the church priest, Rev Mary Bastion,
he came out in his robes with his prayer beads and begged them to stop shooting.
The priest was shot. The military dragged his body to the front of the sister’s
residents. People hiding in the first story of the church saw this. Many of
other civilians who were running in fear were also shot and killed.
Following this carnage the military was celebrating their
achievement. The military then took all the dead bodies in their vehicle and
left. All eight bodies except that of Mary Bastian were handed over to the
hospital by the military. Many young men who were injured in the shooting were
treated secretly.
A woman eye witness from Vankalai: “Our house is near the
Vankalai church. I was sleeping at that time. At around 11pm I heard bullet
noises all around our house. Some fell on our house. We could hear these sounds
till 6am the next morning. I could hear sounds of torture in one of the rooms.
I thought that the army had
left and went to the Church. The Sisters inside told meto run away as the army
were still there. So I did. When they finally left, I went back and went into
the Father - Mary Bastion’s room. There were two boys there. They were dead and
their blood had mixed in withkerosene on the floor. Seven people died in total.
Six people were in the hospital.
The SLA
were dancing and singing that night. It seemed that they were all drunk or on drugs.
I was told that the Father had been shot dead. His body had been dragged outside
and his photo taken. The Father’s body was taken to Thalladi Army Camp. That day
we could see smoke coming from the Army camp. We feared that the Father’s body
was being burnt. The Bishop and the other Fathers went to the Thalladi Army
Camp the next day to ask for the Father’s body. But the SLA
denied any knowledge of the body.”
21. Mulliyavalai massacre 16.01.1985
Mulliyavalai village is situated on the Mullaithivu-Vavuniya road
in the Mullaithivu district. It is an ancient village with fertile land and has
retained many of the folk culture of time past.16.01.1985 was a festive day,
the day after Thaipongal. Thaipongal is thanks giving festival for the sun and
on the following day the farm animals are honoured for their role in the farmer’s
life. At 4.00 am on that morning the Sri Lankan military rounded up this village.
The military arrested 17 people. One of them was a pregnant woman
and another was a young mother of three children. Before they left, the
military burnt down many homes. About 30 minutes later, people heard several
gunshots. News started to spread that all the 17 people who wee arrested have
been shot dead. The villagers kept this news from the relatives of the 17 arrested.
A while later military vehicles started moving towards the Mullaithivu town.
The relatives stared into the military vehicles looking for their loves ones.
When their relatives did not return even the next day, the families,
accompanied by a local Justice of Peace, Thiagaraja, went to the military camp
in Mullaithivu.
There the families saw the bodies of their loved ones thrown on the
ground. The bodies had no clothes on them. The hand, legs and heads were
chopped off. There were many torture marks on the body. The body of one woman
had many cigarette burns. When the families asked to take the bodies of their
loved ones, the military demanded that the families sign a statement that those
killed were terrorists. When the families refused to do this the military
refused to hand over the bodies.
Thavaratnam Thilakavathy of Mulliyavalai says,“On 16.01.1985,
the Sri Lankan military arrested 17 people including my husband and my son and
took them towards the forest nearby. The military burnt many homes and stole
many properties.” Pushparanee says,” The Sri Lankan military entered our
home and arrested my brother and my mother and killed them both. The army said
that they killed the people who were Tigers. One woman, Kumarasamy Vijayakumari
who was 7 months pregnant was also killed. Many of us here were affected by
this. Since this happened the day after Thaipongal festival, we do not celebrate
Thaipongal any more”
.
22. Vaddakandal massacre 30.01.1985
Vaddakandal is situated in the Mannar district and it is a farming
area. On 30.01.1985, around 5.00am in the morning, 200 Sri Lankan military men
stationed in the Thalladi military camp came out and moved into the Vaddakandal
village through Mathavachchi road and along the Kaddukarai Lake Vaddakandal Government Tamil
Mixed School
While this killing was going on, the military also attacked people
working in the fields and people on the street. This attack went on for six
hours. At 2.00pm the military ordered the people to load the military vehicles
with the dead bodies and took the bodies to the Thalladi military camp. 52
people died in this massacre and 40 were injured.
Mayilvahanam Mohan’s account of what happened is as follows,”
The SLA from Thalladi Army Camp surrounded the
following 3 villages, Palaperuman Kattu and Vaddakandal and Parapankandal.
Around 1.00am, we heard vehicle noise. We had no idea they were coming or what
they would do. At about 5am in the morning – we heard gun fire from all
directions. People woke up and started running everywhere. There was a
helicopter in the air which startedfiring.They did not worry about a person’s
age. Young or old – they were all shot and killed that day. They went into the
paddy fields and picked up people with both hands, held them up and shot them
for others to see. This is the first time we saw this happen. 35 people were
shot in the fields, 15 people were shot in town. At the school there were about
250 children studying. They dragged the principle and all the teachers out,
tortured and shot them in front of the villagers. They were all asked to stand
in a line – when they were shot. A few people escaped. I was one of them. 18
people were shot there.Mayilvaganam Ganesh was made to shoot his cousin and
asked to drink his blood.He was beaten severely. Every time he refused to drink
the blood – they hit him some more. His legs were broken. After all of this happened,
the Army brought a villager’s lorry. Three of us had been captured and not yet
shot. They made us put all the bodies in the lorry and
took us with them. A little
while away – they told us that since we had helped them, they would spare us
our lives. We ran away and escaped. They took some of the bodies to Thalladi
Army camp and took some to Mannar
Hospital
Beside this village there was a
Muslim village – but nothing happened to them. Three days later, there were
funerals happening in every house. The army returned and surrounded the forest.
At that time we did not have any associations with the LTTE. They may have been
there, but we did not know where they where. The SLA
kept coming back after that and tormented all the villagers who had to live
inconstant fear.”
23.
Puthukkidiyiruppu Iyankovil massacre 21.04.1985
Puthukkkudiyiruppu is situated in the Mullaithivu district 20 Kms from
Mullaithivu town.On 21.04.1985, SLAFs from Mullaitivu as usual rounded up the village of Puthukkudiyiruppu.Government SLA
were going to come, we would go and hide in the forest and remain there without food
for a few days. However that morning, we were unaware. As our house was right
next to Oddisuddan Road
Once they had finished their
round up, they started leaving in their army vehicles. They took the people
they had arrested in the back of their armored vehicle. About half a kilometer
from our house, by the side of Oddisuddan road, there were some very thick
bushes. We heard a big explosion and continued to hear smaller noises. We later
found out that over 30 people were taken to a lane near Oddisuddan Road SLA vehicles to Oddisuddan Road
TO BE CONTINUED... TO BE CONTINUED..... TO BE CONTINUED
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