திராவிட முன்னேற்றக் கழகம் என் மதம் ..... திராவிடப் பேரவை என் கட்சி .......நந்திவர்மன் -2010

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

GOVERNMENTS MAY COME GOVERNMENTS MAY GO : TAMIL GENOCIDE IS NON STOPPABLE....

TAMIL GENOCIDE CROSSED HALF A CENTURY TO REACH THE CLIMAX

85. Mailanthai massacre 09.08.1992

The villages of Mailanthai and Punanai are border villages of the Batticaloa district. The people in the villages of Mailanthai and Punanai were frequently rounded up and attacked by the military from the Punanai military camp.

On 09.08.1992, the military rounded up Mailanthanai and began attacking the villagers with knives, swords and guns. More than 50 people were killed. Many more were injured. Further details of this massacre are not yet available.

86. Kilali massacre 1992, 1993

During the years of 1992 and 1993, the Sri Lankan Navy has brutally massacred Tamil civilians crossing the Jaffna Lagoon through Kilaly. A very conservative estimate is that over a 150 Tamil civilians have lost their lives here. A further 100 people were made permanently disabled by the attacks and another 150 sustained serious injuries.

!

Knowing full well that this sea journey is hazardous, hundreds and hundreds of people from all walks of life and all ages and both sexes have undertaken this night journey in boats powered with outboard motors. These unarmed civilians take the risk of death because they have urgent business to transact down South or to contact their relatives there or travel abroad or for medical treatments. It is such people who were being massacred at Kilaly and not, as the Sri Lankan State claimed, terrorists who ‘have been killed’.

On 02.01.1993, at 8 pm, 4 passenger boats developed engine trouble and drifted away from the small convoy of boats traversing the lagoon. Navy boats surrounded the four drifting boats and then naval personnel had boarded them, opened fire indiscriminately, hacked and stabbed the passengers and set one boat on fire. On the 11th, 11 corpses, in a highly decomposed stated, were washed ashore at Pooneryn-Nallur and were buried along the shores of the lagoon.

A letter from P Vinayagamoorthy, Secretary of Red Cross, Kilinochchi dated 12.01.1993, is as follows: “We submit the following details of an incident that took place at the Kilaly – Alankerny on 2.01.1993. It had been reported that four boats with passengers had been mercilessly attacked by the Navy at 8pm on 2.01.1993 in the Poonahari Lagoon. At about 8pm these boats were surrounded by Navy Boats and after firing warning shots, the Navy personnel had boarded the passenger boats. We were given to understand theyhave, without considerations opened fire on old, sick, children and woman and had stabbed the hacked passengers. They also set one boat on fire.On receipt of information we rushed to the scene with thirty five volunteers in the early hours on 03.01.1993 and observed that 19 bodies were floating. We with the assistance of volunteers and public retrieved all the dead bodies and transported them by SLRC vehicle to the Kilinochchi District Hospital and the relatives were informed wherever possible. On 5.01.1993, another 10 bodies were retrieved in a highly decomposed state beyond recognition and identification and those bodies were buried along the sea shore. On 6.01.93 six more bodies were retrieved in a highly decomposed state and those bodies were also buried along the sea shore. All the 35 bodes recovered to date were mutilated with gun shot and stab injuries and some burnt beyond recognition. Only 18 bodies have been identified and the others were buried without identification. In addition to the above 5 injured persons were brought to Kilinochchi District Hospital. One of them a woman, seriously injured and sent to Vavunia Hospital succumbed to her injuries. The balance 4 were rendered first aid and transferred to Jaffna Government Hospital on 5.01.1993.Two persons had miraculously escaped without any injury and according to their statement, the Navy Personnel, after causing the damages as described above, hitched several passenger boats to the Navy Boats and were towing them to mid sea. Some distance away from the scene of the tragedy, the boat in which these two were traveling, had dislodged, they had then jumped off the boat and reached the shore by swimming. Many of the passengers who traveled on this day are said to be yet missing. The above incident has caused a lot of inconvenience to the civilians who were using this route to travel to and from Kilaly and over thousand passengers are stuck up at Poonahari. They are undergoing a lot of hardship without shelter, food and medical facilities.”

On 29.07.1993, navy personnel who came in five gun boats carried out a large-scale massacre of civilian passengers. Two boats carrying a full load of passengers were attacked, one at 2.30am and the other at 4.00 am. Including the boatman, there were altogether 35 people in the boat at the time. These boats were on their way from Alankerny to Allipallai.Kanapathypillai Peethamparam, 62 years old, was on the boat on the 29.07.1993.Her account is as follows,” I returned from Wellawatte after seeing a relative of mine who is sick. At about4.30 a.m Sri Lankan Navy forces came in five gun boats forwards us from Elephant Pass army camp. On coming they fired at us. Bullets fell everywhere. To escape from firing I crept inside the engine room of the boat. At the same time another boat also was experiencing the same fate. After this a huge bomb fell close to our boat and exploded with a big noise. Due to explosion four passengers including two ladies died on the spot. Another person’s right hand mangled and fell on to me. Owing to this the whole of my body was soaked in blood. Another person’s leg was smashed.

Many of them were injured. Some of them jumped into the sea (The boatmen also jumped our earlier). The Naval boat which came closer to our boat attacked us, we begged them saying that we are innocent and we surrender even though they fired at us. The Navy personnel were tired due to the continuous attack and they left the place. The boat in which we were, was about to sink at that time we dropped all the bicycles which were in the boat into the sea.”

87. Maaththalan bombing 18.09.1993

Maaththalan is one of the coastal villages in the Mullaithivu district.Most of the people depend on fishing for their livelihood. The beach also doubles up as their leisure area. People of this village had to travel 4 Kms to Puthukkudiyiruppu for purchasing their daily needs. Even to market their fish catch they had to travel this distance.From the start of the conflict the Sri Lankan Navy has put restrictions on fishing. It also started to attack the fishermen at the sea. Fishermen were forced continue fishing for their livelihood. On 18.09.1993, people were gathered for the opening of a new public Community Hall that will serve the communities needs. There were many displaced people among them who had displaced from Jaffna and Kilinochchi. At 4.00 pm a Sri Lankan military helicopter flew past and must have noticed the gathering. At 5.30 pm the Sri Lankan Air Force bombers appeared and dropped more than 10 bombs. Three bombs fell on the brand new hall.13 civilians died on the spot. More than 40 were injured.

88. Chavakachcheri Sangaththanai bombing 8.09.1993

Chavakachcheri is in the Jaffna district. The area has large coconut and Palmarah estates.Sangaththanai village is just 500 metres from the Chavakachcheri town centre. The Sri Lankan military increased its aerial bombing and shelling of civilians areas as part of their battle with the LTTE. The civilians have become accustomed to building trenches in the ground to take protection during bombing and shelling.The large bunker in the Uthayan wood mill in this village gave protection to many villagers.

On 28.09.1993, Sri Lankan Air Force bombers started to circle the area.More than 35 people took protection in the bunker at the Uthayan wood mill.The bombers directly targeted the bunker. Three bombs were dropped on the bunker. 30 people including babies died in the bunker. Only five survived with injuries. A memorial at the Uthayan wood mill commemorates those who lost their lives in this bombing.

89. Kokuvil temple massacre & bombing 29.09.1993

Kokuvil is in the Jaffna district.Katpulaththu-Amman temple is located in Kokuvil. The temple is 250 years old. This historic temple was bombed by the Indian military in 1988 and by the Sri Lankan military in 1993.

 In September 1988, the Indian military that drove past the temple opened fire at the devotees and three were killed on the spot. Five more devotees were injured. On 29.09.1993, Sri Lankan Air Force bombed this same temple and three more devotees at the temple were killed.

90. Kurunagar church bombing 13.11.1993

Kurunagar is just one Kms from the Jaffna town centre along the coast.  The Kurunagar church was built in 1881. On 13.11.1993, people were gathered for prayers when Sri Lankan Air Force bombers dropped two bombs on the church. Ten people were killed and more 25 were injured. The church was badly damaged. This bombing was condemned by the world leaders. The pillars supporting the main hall were broken to smithereens and they are kept even today near the altar. A memorial was also built for those killed in the bombing near the entrance to the church.

91. Chundikulam massacre 18.02.1994

Thoduvai-Vaikal is a fishing settlement in the Chundikulam village in the Kilinochchi district. On 18.02.1994, at 5.15 am the fishermen were going into the sea for fishing. The Sri Lankan Naval Dvora boats that arrived began opening fire at the fishermen. Some of the fishermen had jumped into the sea to save their lives. Others had cut the nets off and were attempting speed back to the shore. The firing was heard by the villagers at the shore. Worried villagers gathered at the shore for the fishermen who had gone to sea. They could sea the fishermen being hit by the fire and falling into the sea. Ten fishermen died that day in the Sri Lankan Navy attack. Only three bodies were recovered on that day and the other seven bodies washed ashore the following day. After this the fishermen stopped going to the sea. The families were pushed further into poverty as a result.

92. Navali church massacre 09.07.1995

Navaly village is in the Jaffna district. St Peters church is a famous temple in Navaly.  Following the military orders to the people to take refuge in public places thousands of people left their homes to take refuge in churches and temples. About 2500 people had thus taken refuge in St Peters Church.!!

On the 9th July 1995, eight rocket bombs were dropped on Navali church and its surroundings. The church was crammed with people who had sought refuge when they realized the army was bombing their area. 155 bodies of civilians were recovered from the church and its surroundings and 250 people were injured. There is no doubt that the SLAFs deliberately dropped a bomb at a place where there was a maximum density of people gathered, and the large crowd of people would have been noticeable from the air. Vaithiyalingam Kamalanathan lost his wife on that day. The incident as described by him is as follows:

“That morning, from about 4am we were heard bombing sounds from the SLA during Operation Leap Forward. People from Chuliipuram had grabbed all their belongings and started moving along Navali Road. All of us, small, young, and old were helping and feeding these displaced people at St Peters church with food and drink. We did this all day. Since I did not go to the temple in the morning – I went at 4:30pm with my son through the paddy fields. At about 4:35pm we heard a very big bomb blast and saw clouds of smoke. We immediately knew something had happened at Navali. When I ran back to my house, the road was filled with fallen trees and buildings. In my house my wife was bleeding from here [chest]. My daughter was injured in her head and hand. Blood was running. I ran to the other houses nearby. One of my neighbour’s families was all lying dead. My elder son’s daughter was injured. My sister’s husband said that we could do no more for my sister. He said to go and look after my family. My wife died at the hospital asking me to look after our children.”

The Parish priest at that time says:

“It was Sunday morning. People were being displaced here as the Leap Forward Operation was taking place. People of this area welcomed them and were supplying them with food and drinks. I was at St Andrews church in Manipay when I heard that people were gathering in St Peters Church, Navali. So I rushed over here. On my way here, I heard the bombers in the air. One of the bombers was lowering and, I ran and hid behind a wall. I saw this people being bombed. I ran here after the bombing and saw that people were scattered here and there - killed. 9 people were killed at this church. 121 people were killed all together. The church was damaged. People were screaming and shouting. People who were taking shelter in this area were bombed. People are still saddened and worried about this. People hope that this situation will change and that peace will prevail in this country. Tamils and Sinhalese will remain together in this country as brother and sister.”

93. Nagarkovil bombing 22.05.1995

Among the historic temples in Jaffna are the Vallipuram temple and the Nagarkovil temple. Nagarkovil temple is located 8 Kms from the Vallipuram temple. In 1956, through the efforts of V Naganathan, the Jaffna-Nagarkovil Vidhyalam was started by the Sri Lankan government.

 In 1967 this was upgraded to Mahavidhyalayam. In 1990, people from the village of Mayiliddy were forced to displace from their village and around 600 of these families were living in Nagarkovil. As a result, the Nagarkovil School of 400 students went to 700 overnight. Following clashes in 1991, people from Vetrilaikerni, Aliyavalai, and Kaddakadu villages also displaced to Nagarkovil. After 1993 the student roll at the school went up to 830. On 21.09.1995, the military shelled several areas in Jaffna from its Palaly camp. On 22.05.1995, Sri Lankan Air Force bombers dropped bombs on the Manalkadu church and destroyed it. Three civilians were killed. At 12.45 while the school was in session, 8 rockets were dropped on the school and the adjacent village.7 students were killed inside their class room. A further 13 students died in the hospital. A further 42 students were seriously injured. As a result of the attacks on that day 40 civilians including 20 students died. 100 civilians including 42 students were injured.

94. Chemmani mass graves in 1996

What is the fate of the civilians who disappeared during the six month period in the middle of 1996? Chemmani area in the Ariyalai village houses the welcome arch into Jaffna town four Kms from the town.

Following breakdown of the talks between the LTTE and the government of Sri Lanka in April 1994, the newly elected President Chandrika Kumaratunge launched a war which she called the “war for peace” The military captured the Jaffna town in 1995 and in 1996 the military captured the entire Jaffna peninsula. The Riviresa military operation started in the latter part of 1995. Over a period of two days 450,000 people displaced from the western sector of Jaffna and walked through Chemmani road, Kopay road to the eastern sectors. The Military then captured the Jaffna town. Eventually the military captured most of the Jaffna peninsula. Half the displaced people went to live in other districts and the rest lived in the military controlled Jaffna peninsula.

While a “war for peace” was being waged, the list of people arrested and disappeared in Jaffna kept growing under the military leadership of Major General Janaka Perera. Rape of women by the military was also increasing. During the six months, following mid 1996, the number of disappeared reached 700. 600 complaints were lodged at the Human Rights Commission. An association was formed by the families of the disappeared. The association has waged demonstrations in several locations demanding to know the fate of their family members. As the pressure mounted, President Kumaratunge appointed a Commission of military officials to investigate the disappearances. In spite of several sittings of this commission there was no outcome worthy of note from this commission. Following the disappearance of Krishanthi (see later) and the confession by one of the convicted soldiers about mass graves in Chemmani where 300 to 400 bodies are buried, the convicted soldier was taken to the location to identify the mass graves.

The Chemmani mass graves were dug in front of Judge Ilancheliyan, Prof Neriyella from Ruhunu University and several lawyers including, Kesavan, Ilanko, Paramaraja, and Pon Poologasingam. Several locations were identified as mass grave locations. When the site was dug for the first time 11 skeletons were unearthed. They were sent for forensic investigations and the ages were estimated to be from 16 to 35. Before the second digging was to begin people were banned from going near the area and people noticed movement of military vehicles at night in the area. The second digging two weeks later uncovered another 6 bodies. With this the task was temporarily halted. To date no further progress has been made on these investigations.

95. Kilinochchi town massacre 19961998

In 1996, the Sri Lankan military launched the military operation they code named “Sathjeya-01”. The operation was to move south from its Elephant Pass camp into Kilinochchi. During this movement it set up a military camp in Paranthan. The military intelligence wing from this camp would infiltrate into the civilian areas. There they attacked and killed people in their homes, or displaced people who returned to their homes to collect some items. In August 1996, the military launched “Sathjeya-02” military operation. This was followed by “Sathjeya-03” military operation. With this the military entered Kilinochchi town. Here they created a militarized zone occupying people’s homes and their farmlands. While camped here the military carried out numerous attacks on civilians in the surrounding areas. 184 civilians disappeared during this time. Most of them were killed. Later when people moved back to their homes, skeletons were recovered from toilet pits and wells. Based on information collected from many sources, 184 civilians were killed. 72 skeletons of those killed were recovered in Kilinochchi and its surroundings. 12 skeletons were identified by relatives based on the clothes and other items they were wearing when they were killed. The families of those killed are today living in extreme poverty in the villages of Akkarayan, Mallavi, Jeyapuram and Puthukkidiyiruppu.

96. Kumarapuram massacre 11.02.1996

Kumarapuram village is situated in the Assistant Government Agent Division of Mutur in the Trincomalee district. It is located between the villages of Kiliveddi and Parathipuram. The village is bounded in east by the Allaikulam water reservoir and in the west by a sport ground and a milk collection centre. A military camp is just 2 Kms from its north border.

People from all the different ethnic communities lived here without any disharmony. After the 1995 military activities people in the village lived in fear. The massacre on 11.02.1996 happened during one of these military activities.

On 11.02.1996 at 4.00 pm people heard firing noises. The frightened people ran into the large forest area near the Allaikulam and hid there. Some people stayed at home. In the home of Alagutharai, eight members of the family stayed at home. All eight of them were shot dead in their home by the military. In the inquiry on this massacre the village headman in his evidence said Rasenthiram Karunaharan was shot dead in front of him as the two were talking. Another man Nagarasa lost his eyesight as a result of the shooting. Arumaithurai Thanalaxmi, a 16 year old girl was taking her eight year old brother on her bicycle. When they heard the shooting she took her brother and hid in a nearby shop. The military dragged her out and took her to the milk collection centre and there she was gang raped by the military. One Sri Lankan soldier, Corporal Kumara, confessed to shooting her dead at the inquiry. When asked why he shot her he stated that she was badly injured with several bite marks made by the military men who gang raped her and that she was in such a bad state that he shot her.26 people were killed in this massacre. 22 were seriously injured. Many of the injured who died without medical care were recorded as deaths by natural causes.

97. Nachchikuda strafing 16.03.1996

The Poonagari area of Kilinochchi district is a historically important area. This was a centre of ancient kingdoms and commerce. A fishing village in Poonagari is Nachchikuda.

On 16.03.1996, early morning MI-24 helicopters belonging to the Sri Lankan military began strafing the Nachchikuda village settlement. People sleeping at home and fishermen at sea were hit by the shells. 16 people were killed. Hundreds of fishermen’s huts were burnt out. Following this attack the village displaced from Nachchikuda.

98. Thambirai market bombing 17.05.1996

Poonagari is situated in the Kilinochchi district 20 Kms from Kilinochchi town. This is a historic region. Thambirai is a small village in the Poonagari area. On 17.05.1996, at 10.00 am, Kfir bombers belonging to the Sri Lankan Air Force dropped bombs in the market area. People hearing the Kfirs had taken refuge under Palmarah estate nearby. Two bombs fell in the area. Five civilians were killed on the spot and two more died in the hospital. Seven civilians were badly injured.

Francis Reetamma says,

“I live in Thambirai. My husband who went to the market on that day was killed when Sri Lankan Air Force bombers dropped bombs on 17.05.1996 and shell pieces went into his chest and stomach. About 5 people died in this bombing. 8 or 9 people were injured.”

99. Mallavi bombing 24.07.1996

Mallavi is situated in the Mullaithivu district 15 Kms from the Mankulam junction.  In 1996 a large number of people from Jaffna and Kilinochchi were displaced to Mallavi and were living around the Mallavi junction area. On 24.07.1996, Sri Lankan Air Force Kfir dropped bombs in this area and 9 civilians were killed and 15 more were injured.

100. Pannankandy massacre 05.07.1997

Pannankandy is a village of about 300 families. It is situated near the town of Kilinochchi. The main economic activity in the village is agriculture. The villagers had displaced from their homes due to Sri Lankan military shelling as it conducted an operation from their Elephant Pass military camp. Most of the displaced from Pannankandy were living in the Vaddakachchi village. They were very poor and due to poverty they return to their own land in Pannankandy to collect the produce from their land.

 The military that has setup a camp near Pannankandy would capture the poor villagers and kill them. Hundreds of people died in this fashion in the Kilinochchi district during this time. This is recorded in another section titled, “Kilinochchi town massacres”. The following is the story of what happened to the Pannankandy villagers. The village headman, Sithamparapillai Rajendram, recited the following as he was told by Karuppaih Nanthakumar aged 23, “On 5th July 1997, Nanthakumar and Sukumar went on bicycles to their home in

Pannangkandy at 3rd Vaikal which was a ‘no man’ region and from which they were displaced at that time. They went to check their homes and also collect coconuts and other produce from their land. The SLA caught both of them. The army tied Nanthakumar to a post and took Sukumar to the village well. Sukumar’s shirt was removed and his hands were tied to the back with his shirt. He was then forced to bend over the short barrier wall of the well so that the front half of his body was hanging into the well and the back half was outside. His body was then cut and then pushed into the well. Stones were thrown into the well to stop the body floating up. Nanthakumar, who was watching this, managed to untie himself and ran away. When Nanthakumar arrived at Tharmapuram where we met him, he told everyone the story. No one went to check it at that time out of fear. On the same day the four other men went missing. No one knew about their fate at that time. In March 2000 following the Sri Lankan army withdrawal from our village we went back to Pannangkandy to resettle. First only about 10 families went. We cleaned the well mentioned above because we needed to use it for drinking water and also because we knew about what has happened to Sukumar. Whence started cleaning the well 6 bodies were recovered. Everyone whose family member had gone missing came to check whether their relative’s body is among them. Relatives were able to identify the clothing with which the hands of the skeletons were tied once the clothing was washed.”

Mrs Pannichelvam Seethalaxmi’s husband skeleton was one of those found in the well.

“On 5th July 1997, there was a military operation named ‘Sath Jaya’ carried out by the SLA. Our village was bombed and shelled. We left our place and lived in Union Tank, Akarayan, and Skanthapuram as refugees. There were no employment facilities there. We were very poor. One day my husband together with Kanthasamy Muthulingam and Perumar Sugumaran went to Pannakandi on 5th July 1997 at 7:30pm to get some things and pluck some coconut fruit. They did not return back that day. I was surprised. I went and met another family member and the Rural Development Society president and also informed the International Red Cross Society in Mallavi. But I did not get any information from 1997 to 2000.One day, a Father came to my house and told me that he had some news about some skeletons that were taken by somebody in the lavatory pit at Pannankandi.Immediately I ran there with the help of the Tamil Eelam Police. I saw the skeleton. I proved that the skeleton was that of my husband.”

The sixth body belonged to a young boy wearing blue school shorts. His identity has not been settled yet. Later we heard that he could be from Udaiyarkaddu, Kaddaikadu. No one came inquiring about this boy. The remains from the well are with the Tamil Eelam police.

Note: Appathurai Selvakumar (35) also from Pannangkandy disappeared and his fate is unknown. His family lives in Pannangkandy

101. Kaithady Krishanthi massacre 07.09.1996

Kaithady is situated in the Jaffna district. Kaithady village is located 7 Kms from the Jaffna town. Krishanthi’s home was located just 200 metres from the Kaithady junction. Krishanthi’s parents Kumarasamy and Rasamma had three children, Prasanthi, Krishanthi and Pranavan.  The family worked hard to advancing the children’s education. Krishanthi’s mother Rasamma was working as the deputy principal of Kaithady Kumarasamy Vidhyalayam. Krishthani’s father died in 1984, and thus the mother and the three children were living in the home. The eldest daughter Prasanthi, after finishing her AL examination went to Colombo to advance her education as there were no opportunities for her in Jaffna. From there she had the opportunity to go overseas. Krishanthi excelled in her OL examination and was studying for her AL examination at the Chundukuli Girls' School. Krishanthi’s brother Pranavan was studying at St Johns College. In September 1996, Krishanthi’s the AL examinations were taking place. Krishanthi had already sat one paper. On 07.09.1996, Krishanthi went to a funeral of her close friend Jananthini Kananathan and was returning home at 1.30 pm. The military at the checkpoint in the Chemmani open space near the Welcome Arch into Jaffna Town stopped Krishanthi and was  questioning her. She was kept there for 45 minutes. A relative, Kananathan, who saw this had gone to Krishanthi’s home and warned Krishanthi’s mother. At 2.30 pm, Krishanthi mother, accompanied by neighbor, Kirubamoorthy went to the checkpoint. Krishanthi’s brother Pranavan also joined them. The three arrived at the checkpoint, Krishanthi was not there. When they inquired at the checkpoint they were told that no one was arrested by them. The three then went to her school and to her friend’s home looking for Krishanthi. They were told that Krishanthi had been there and had left. The three then went again to inquire at the checkpoint and all three went missing. During the middle of 1996 Jaffna was brought under the Sri Lankan military control and they imposed curfew from 6.00pm to 6.00am. As a result, even though friends and relatives were concerned that the four people did not return home that night. They were unable to do anything about it. The next day, 09.09.1996, relatives of Krishanthi’s family, Arumuganathan and Kodeeswaran, and Kirubamoorthy’s wife Puveneswari went to the same checkpoint in search of their relatives. They were told that no one was arrested at that checkpoint. The relatives then lodged complaints at the Jaffna branch of the Human Rights Commission and at the Jaffna Police Station. The relatives went once again to the checkpoint task. The relatives were asked to come in the evening. Fearing that the same fate as their relatives will befall them they did not go there in the evening. The relatives persisted with their complaints to the Human Rights Commission and the Police. Due to the efforts of the relatives 45 days after the four people went missing, the relatives were called by the military chiefs of the 512 Brigadiers Divisions for an inquiry. Mrs. Arumuganathan, Puvaneswari and Kodeeswaran went to the inquiry. The six soldiers who were supposedly involved in the disappearance were called and investigated. Then it was revealed that none of the four missing people are alive. The soldiers agreed to show the location of the incident and the graves where the bodies lay buried. The bodies were buried under a bridge in Nayanmarkaddu road, 100 metres from the checkpoint where the four people went missing. Postmortem revealed that Krishnathi was raped before she was murdered. The two families took a court case about the deaths of their relatives. Following inquiries six soldiers were arrested and all six confessed to the murders.

One of the six who confessed, Lance Corporal Somaratna Rajapakse, in addition to giving evidence of the murders of Krishanthi and the other three, also announced in the courts that he can show mass graves near Chemmani where 300 to 400 bodies were buried on orders from their superiors. This announcement revealed that many of those who disappeared in Jaffna are buried in these mass graves. Three of the accused were given death sentence and the other three were given 20 years imprisonment.