Documented Massacres

A comprehensive record of massacres and mass atrocities committed against the Tamil people. Each entry documents the victims, perpetrators, and circumstances of these events.

343 massacres documented
Major Event

Mullivaikkal Massacre

16-18 May 2009
Mullivaikkal, Mullaitivu

The Mullivaikkal Massacre refers to the mass killings of Tamil civilians during the final phase of the Sri Lankan civil war in May 2009. The Sri Lankan military declared "No Fire Zones" and encouraged civilians to gather there, then systematically shelled these zones. Tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed in the bombardment, including in hospitals, food distribution centers, and makeshift shelters. The United Nations estimated that over 40,000 civilians were killed in the final months of the war. The area became known as "the killing fields" and evidence of war crimes continues to emerge. Despite overwhelming evidence documented by the UN, journalists, and human rights organizations, no one has been held accountable for these crimes.

40,000+
Killed
300,000
Displaced

Vanni Region Shelling (1700 Killed, 2009)

May 14, 2009
Vanni Region

The LTTE on Thursday called upon the International Community to protect the civilians from the ongoing carnage by taking whatever measure required. "The LTTE is ready to engage with the International Community in its actions to bring an end to the humanitarian crisis." The statement came as Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued its indiscriminate barrage causing untold human tragedy. Initial estimate by the LTTE Peace Secretariat Thursday afternoon was 1,700 civilians killed and over 3,000 wounded within the last 48 hours. The catastrophic situation has been made worse by the acute shortage of food and medicine, the statement said.

1,700+
Killed
3,000
Injured

Trincomalee Shelling (500 Killed, 2009)

May 13, 2009
Trincomalee

"Looking at the hospital and hearing the civilians cry, you feel only disaster," a key medical staff at Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal makeshift hospital told media Wednesday. More than 100 civilians, including many children, patients, a medical staff, voluntary doctor and an ICRC worker, were killed in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery attack that targeted the hospital premises which is a junior school and the surrounding area which comprises many tarpaulin huts. The hospital is struggling with few medical staff as the medical facility has become a prime target for the SLA which has targeted it for the third time within 5 days.

500+
Killed

Vanni Region Shelling (38 Killed, 2009)

May 13, 2009
Vanni Region

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells hit the makeshift hospital in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal East, killing at least 38 patients who were waiting for treatment at the hospital, a medical staff told TamilNet. "There are many more killed inside the hospital premises, but I can only confirm that 38 casualties that I have witnessed near the main theatre upto 2:53 p.m.," the medical staff told TamilNet. Many shells have hit the makeshift hospital premises across the road. Meanwhile, a patient who reached an administrative office put the casualty figures at 100 and said he had witnessed that an ICRC worker was killed. Meanwhile, LTTE's Director of Peace Secretarait S.

38+
Killed

Vanni Region Shelling (600 Killed, 2009)

May 12, 2009
Vanni Region

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells killing at least 47 civilians, patients and the Administrative Officer K. Tharmakulasingam Tuesday morning around 8:00 a.m. At least 55 patients sustained serious injuries in the attack on the makeshift hospital which was functioning at Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal junior school. The attack came while around 2,000 wounded patients within the last 3 days were waiting for the ICRC to be transported in the ship. More than 2,600 civilians were killed within the past 3 days in Sri Lankan attacks in Vanni. Medical Superintendent Dr. Shanmugarajah and his family narrowly escaped from the attack. ICRC ship to transport 500 of around 2,000 civilians was also scheduled to reach Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal Tuesday.

600+
Killed

Vanni Region Shelling (200 Killed, 2009)

May 11, 2009
Vanni Region

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has stepped up relentless barrage of shelling using all sorts of heavy weapons on the so-called safety-zone (no-fire zone) in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal and Vadduvaakal areas where more than 130,000 civilians have sought refuge without adequate bunkers and shelters. Civilian casualties are mounting amidst lack of medicine and food due to limited or denied supplies into the area of 7 square kilometres. Lawrence Christy, the head of Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) Field Office on Monday put the death toll of civilians on Monday at more than 3,200 killed since Sunday evening up to Monday morning. He has called on the IC to immediately invoke the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) to the stop the genocide.

200+
Killed

Vanni Region Shelling (64 Killed, 2009)

May 3, 2009
Vanni Region

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) during the weekend has reportedly been engaged in heavy deployment of its troops poised for a major onslaught, reports from Vanni said citing sources close to the LTTE on Sunday. All kinds of heavy weapons, including prohibited ones, are ready for deployment on the 'No Fire Zone', the sources said. Meanwhile, denying the use of heavy weapons Sri Lanka's president and Commander-in-Chief Mahinda Rajapaksa said Saturday that he can't help for the world not believing in him. On Saturday, several artillery shells fired by the SLA on the only remaining makeshift hospital in the 'safety zone' killed at least 64 patients and attendees including a volunteer doctor and wounded 87.

64+
Killed
87
Injured

Northern Province Aerial bombing (64 Killed, 2009)

May 2, 2009
Northern Province

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Saturday attacked the only remaining makeshift hospital twice, killing 64 patients and attending relatives, and causing injuries to 87. Two artillery shells fired by the SLA hit the hospital at Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal around 9:00 a.m. killing 23 and maiming 34 and later several shells were fired at 10:30 a.m., killing 41 and maiming 53. The attack has taken place, after the Sri Lankan military was provided with the exact coordinates of the hospital premises three days back through the ICRC, and as Sri Lanka Air Force Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was monitoring the hospital area. The massacre is calculated to coerce the civilians said a rescue worker citing leaflets air dropped Friday with Mahinda Rajapaksa's message asking civilians to come to the SLA side.

64+
Killed
400
Injured

Vanni Region Aerial bombing (200 Killed, 2009)

April 28, 2009
Vanni Region

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired at least 2,600 Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) rockets, more than 1,000 artillery shells and at least 2,000 heavy mortar shells from 6:00 p.m. Monday till 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, LTTE officials in Vanni told TamilNet. Most of the shells fired by the SLA hit civilian shelters in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal, Thaazhampan, Ottaip-panaiyadi and Iraddai-vaaykkaal areas.The Tiger officials put civilian casualty figures at more than 200 killed and said three medical centres treated hundreds of wounded civilians throughout the day. Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked Ottaip-panai and iraddai-vaaykkaal areas by deploying cluster bombs, LTTE officials further said.

200+
Killed

Vanni Region Shelling (2009)

April 24, 2009
Vanni Region

A new document originating from the UN and circulated among the diplomatic missions in Colombo this week has put the figures of the civilians killed in Vanni since January as at least 6,432 and 13,946 wounded, according to a news report by the Associated Press Friday. "The casualties were reported as 'verified data' in the document," the AP said. The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has been firing thousands of artillery and mortar shells, including internationally banned cluster munitions and chemical warheads, into the so-called no-fire zone or 'safety zone' killing and maiming thousands of Tamil civilians, constituting a grave war crime and crime against humanity.

2+
Killed
946
Injured

Maaththa Shelling (60 Killed, 2009)

April 18, 2009
Maaththa, Mullaitivu

While around 60 civilians killed Friday and Saturday by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelling, civilians have already started dying and many more thousands are at the verge of death due to starvation that is silently taking its toll within the so-called safety zone, TamilNet correspondent reported Saturday. The imminent victims are elderly, children and women. "Gruel has become the staple food to keep soul and body together for a vast majority of the civilians for weeks now. If there is no instant action, more starvation casualties can be expected in the next few days than the hitherto known total of casualties caused by shelling," warns TamilNet correspondent citing health and administrative officials staying inside the so-called safety zone.

60+
Killed

Valaignarmadam Shelling (23 Killed, 2009)

April 13, 2009
Valaignarmadam, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired shells and gunfire killed at least 23 civilians within the last 12 hours from 8:30 p.m. Sunday to 8:00 a.m. Monday, according to TamilNet correspondent reporting from the safety zone in Vanni. Most of the killings, numbering between 15 - 20, occurred in the early hours of Monday when SLA stepped up a fresh ground push to advance into the safety zone. The SLA is trying to advance during the night aiming for bifurcating and capturing northern or southern part of the so-called safety zone contradicting the announcement by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa that he had instructed his ground forces to "restrict their operations during the New Year to those of a defensive nature.

23+
Killed

Maaththa Shelling (31 Killed, 2009)

April 12, 2009
Maaththa, Mullaitivu

At least 31 civilians were killed throughout the day on Sunday inside the 'safety zone'. Exact figure of wounded civilians was not known, but at least 36 injured were rushed to the makeshift hospital at Puthumaththa'lan Sunday morning as Sri Lanka Army (SLA) was embarked upon concerted attacks on the zone since the early hours of Sunday. 30 of the victims were wounded in shelling and 6 in gunfire, medical sources said. Two of the victims had succumbed to their injuries at hospital. People who reach the hospital come under the gunfire-range of the SLA. The makeshift hospital and the access route to it are located close to SLA positions. Sporadic gunfire continued disturbing the wounded being taken to hospital, according to the latest reports from Maaththa'lan.

31+
Killed
36
Injured

Valaignarmadam Shelling (17 Killed, 2009)

April 11, 2009
Valaignarmadam, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) embarked upon intense attack on the 'safety zone', in the early hours of Sunday, targeting a place called Pachchaip-pulmoaddai, aiming for bifurcating and capturing the northern part of the 'safety zone', initial reports from Vanni said. Heavy shelling and gunfire by the SLA started around 3:15 a.m. in the morning, and within 45 minutes, more than 300 shells exploded inside the civilian area of the safety zone around Pachchaip-pulmoaddai. Heavy civilian casualties are feared. Because of the rains, people are even unable to hide in the bunkers which are flooded, reports said. Meanwhile, since Friday, the SLA was building up heavily on the other side of the lagoon in Maaththa'lan, close to the makeshift hospital.

17+
Killed
48
Injured

Trincomalee Shelling (599 Killed, 2009)

April 11, 2009
Trincomalee

Hospital records alone have registered 599 civilians killed and 3,350 injured inside the so-called safety zone, since the last UN statement on casualties on 13 March. But, the actual number of civilians killed could exceed 1,500 as many of the bodies were not brought to the hospital to be counted and buried, said medical officials in Vanni on Friday. The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is stationed just 800 meters away from the hospital. Even in the other parts of the safety zone, the army is barely 1 - 1.5 km away, the medical sources said. The civilian casualty figures for the last 3 days, as on Friday noon follows: Wednesday: 50 killed, 296 injured Thursday: 52 killed, 315 injured. Friday: 12 dead, 50 injured 3,944 injured have been taken to Trincomalee through ICRC ship during the month of March.

599+
Killed
3,350
Injured

Vanni Region Shelling (43 Killed, 2009)

April 8, 2009
Vanni Region

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells hit a child care centre and milk powder distribution centre at Pokka'nai, killing at least 40 civilians and causing injuries to more than 258 including 100 children. The SLA has stepped up indiscriminate bombardment, according to latest reports. At least 25 dead bodies have been brought to the hospital and 13 of them were identified by medical authorities at the makeshift hospital. More than 100 civilians have been killed and at least 422 wounded within the last 3 days, including Wednesday. On Monday 43 civilians were killed and 102 sustained injuries. On Tuesday at least 21 civilians were killed and 62 wounded. Chronology: 03.07.18 Source files from one of digital cameras witnessin.. 14.05.10 Lest We Forget: Children affected by Genocidal War..

43+
Killed
422
Injured

Valaignarmadam Shelling (45 Killed, 2009)

March 31, 2009
Valaignarmadam, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelling killed 43 civilians throughout the day on Tuesday. 13 civilians, including 9 members of 2 families, were slain in Ampalavanpokka'nai and Valaignarmadam area in the morning. 3 of the killed were children. Four civilians were killed hit by gunfire. 120 civilians were wounded throughout the day, according to medical and aid workers in the safety zone. 32 more civilians were killed in the attacks elsewhere within the safety zone throughout Tuesday. 98 civilians were admitted at the makeshift hospital in Puthumaaththa'lan, according to the update from the hospital at 12:30 p.m. At least 63 of the patients were from Valaignarmadam. Around 22 more wounded were rushed to the hospital later in the day. Chronology: 03.07.

45+
Killed

Maaththa Shelling (53 Killed, 2009)

March 30, 2009
Maaththa, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued artillery, mortar and long-distance gunfire throughout Sunday killing at least 53 civilians and causing injuries to around 119. At least 17 civilians were killed in Maaththa'lan, 18 in Pokka'nai, 15 in Valaignarmadam and 3 in Pachchaip-pulmoaddai, reports TamilNet correspondent from Vanni. Meanwhile, around 1,192 civilians including 275 children, belonging to 298 families have lost their shelters within last 5 days as their tarpaulin huts were completely destroyed in SLA attacks. The civilians who lost their huts are staying along the sea side and along the sides of the road and have become fully dependent on 'ilaik-kagnchi' (gruel with leaves) supplied twice by the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) for their food.

53+
Killed

Valaignarmadam Aerial bombing (17 Killed, 2009)

March 26, 2009
Valaignarmadam, Mullaitivu

131 civilians, including 32 children were killed in various types of attacks carried out by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) inside the safety zone throughout the day on Thursday, according to data collected from various local NGO workers and medical authorities within the civilian pocket besieged by the SLA. 49 of 252 wounded were children. SLA fired RPG shells, deployed long-range gunfire and mortar shells targeting the 4 km stretch from Puthumaaththa'lan to Valaignarmadam. 7 members of a family, including 4 children below the age of 10, were killed in RPG attack by the SLA in Maaththa'lan. 31 travellers were killed in gunfire and mortar attacks on Wednesday. Meanwhile SLAF bombardment claimed the lives of 27 civilians.

17+
Killed
252
Injured

Valaignarmadam Aerial bombing (62 Killed, 2009)

March 24, 2009
Valaignarmadam, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stepped up shelling on all areas within the so-called safety zone from 12:30 a.m. Tuesday, killing 62 civilians and causing injuires to many. Artillery and mortar shells hit the safety zone killing 27 civilians during the night. Artillery-fitted cluster munitions exploded between Valaignarmadam and Ampalavanpokka'nai causing heavy casualties. The SLA deployed RPG shells, short range mortars and long distance gunfire on the safety zone during the daytime on Tuesday in addition to 12 air strikes in the settlements surrounding the Pachchaip-pulmoaddai junction within the safety zone. More than 70 bombs were dropped by the SLAF bombers that flew at low altitude killing at least 17 civilians.

62+
Killed
250
Injured

Maaththa Shelling (96 Killed, 2009)

March 24, 2009
Maaththa, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army short-range mortar shelling, Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attacks and gunfire killed 96 civilians, including 19 children within the 'safety zone' Monday. 32 civilians, including 7 children were killed Sunday, according to local aid workers and medical authorities. Around 160 civilians sustained injuries on Monday when Sri Lanka Army stepped up mortar fire, RPG attacks and opened fire from the other side of the lagoon into Puthumaaththa'lan within the 'safety zone'. Increased and systematic attacks on civilians during the day time was targeting to evict civilians from the so-called safety zone, said TamilNet correspondent who visited the site of the carnage. 9 civilians were killed near the makeshift-hospital in Puthumaaththa'lan around 4:00 p.m. Monday.

96+
Killed

Puthukkudiyiruppu Aerial bombing (42 Killed, 2009)

March 22, 2009
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells into the 'safety zone', also on Saturday, killing 42 civilians and causing injuries to around 80 civilians, including a GS (Village officer), initial reports from Vanni said Saturday. Meanwhile, the SLA and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) were using heavy explosives in their clashes with the LTTE defensive units in Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK) area. At least 7 civilians who ventured into Iranaippaalai to collect coconuts were reported killed in SLAF air strike. SLAF bombers were engaged in bombing Ira'naippaalai area at least five times on Saturday. The SLA was avoiding direct confrontations and was relying upon heavy use of artillery barrage and the fire support of the SLAF, according to the sources close to the LTTE.

42+
Killed
80
Injured

Pokkanai Shelling (46 Killed, 2009)

March 21, 2009
Pokkanai, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery shelling killed 46 civilians Friday inside the safety zone in the besieged pocket in Mullaiththeevu. SLA-fired shells hit 6 tarpaulin shelters of the IDPs in Maaththa'lan Friday, killing 16 civilians. Meanwhile 4 civilians were killed around 11:00 a.m., 300 meters near the coastal spot, where the ICRC was transporting wounded civilians. On Thursday, 39 civilians including 11 children were killed and at least 17 civilians were reported killed inside the safety zone on Wednesday. 6 civilians were killed in Pokk'anai when a single shell hit an IDP hut around 1:00 p.m. on Friday. The remaining casualties were reported in Mu'l'livaaykkaal, Iraddaivaaykkaal, and Valaignarmadam.

46+
Killed

Vanni Region Aerial bombing (84 Killed, 2009)

March 17, 2009
Vanni Region

Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombardment and Sri Lanka Army shelling that targeted Pachchaippulmoaddai, Valaignardam areas within the so-called safety zone announced by the Sri Lankan government on Tuesday killed 52, causing injuries to 182, according to initial reports by the Voice of Tigers (VoT) evening broadcast. Earlier, in the morning, 32 civilians were killed in the shelling in other areas of the 'safe zone', according to independent sources. Bombs were dropped more than 12 times by the SLAF. Heavy bombs, each with the weight of 1,000 kg was dropped in the areas under 'safe zone' and in the bordering areas of it. Tension and panic prevailed in the entire safety zone area during the SLAF bombardment. Chronology: 03.07.18 Source files from one of digital cameras witnessin.. 14.05.

84+
Killed
182
Injured

Maaththa Aerial bombing (137 Killed, 2009)

March 17, 2009
Maaththa, Mullaitivu

137 people have died and more than 200 injured since Saturday night in Sri Lanka Army shelling and gunfire inside the 'safe zone' of Vanni. At least 18 of them have died hit by long-range gunfire coming from SLA attacking the civilian zone. Meanwhile, massive bunker buster bombs numbering around 50 dropped by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) on the fringes of the 'safe zone' on Tuesday caused untold panic among the civilians. 12 children were wounded on Monday 58 civilians were killed on Sunday in SLA shelling. 12 civilians succumbed to injuries caused by long-range gunfire. On Monday, 29 were killed in shelling and 6 in the gunfire by the SLA, which reaches the safe-zone from all the directions. 73 civilians were wounded on Monday. 32 civilians were killed Tuesday morning in shelling.

137+
Killed
200
Injured

Maaththa Aerial bombing (69 Killed, 2009)

March 15, 2009
Maaththa, Mullaitivu

69 civilians were killed, including 19 children, and scores wounded within the safe zone in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelling and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombardments Saturday in Mullaiththeevu. The SLAF bombers have been attacking the zone continuously for the 5th day, despite the call from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Friday to the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa that the SLA "should not fire into the civilian areas of the conflict zone.

69+
Killed

Maaththa Shelling (133 Killed, 2009)

March 11, 2009
Maaththa, Mullaitivu

More than 49 of 133 civilians killed inside 'safe zone' in SLA shelling on Tuesday were children and 16 of them were children below 3 years of age. The SLA deployed internationally banned cluster munitions and fire-bombs against civilians who were stranded without shelter inside the 'safe zone' which has become a killing field, reports TamilNet correspondent from Vanni. 273 civilians, including a GS (village officer) and an ICRC worker, were wounded on Tuesday. 47 of the civilians succumbed to their injuries on the way to hospital or after their admittance. Three civilians who were waiting in a queue to register themselves with the Village Officer (GS) to receive humanitarian supplies were killed in Maathhta'lan. The village officer, Mr. Pulendran, sustained injuries. A teacher, V.

133+
Killed

Valaignarmadam Shelling (129 Killed, 2009)

March 10, 2009
Valaignarmadam, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells fitted with cluster munitions and fire-bombs into civilian 'safety zone' killing at least 129 civilians between 2:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Around 200 civilians were wounded. 300 tarpaulin huts burned down to ashes in Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fired rockets. The medical store at Valaignarmadam has sustained damage and the son of a doctor was reported killed there, according to initial reports. A local NGO official, who was coordinating the rescue of the wounded described the carnage as "Colombo�s show of open mockery at international concern," reports TamilNet's Vanni correspondent.

129+
Killed

Maaththa Shelling (74 Killed, 2009)

March 10, 2009
Maaththa, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) intensified indiscriminate shelling on the 'safe zone' throughout Monday, continuing into Tuesday morning to the time of this reporting, killing 74 civilians and injuring more than 100, TamilNet correspondent reported from Vanni. 25 of the victims killed were children. "The inhuman shelling deliberately targeted all the areas of the 'safe zone' where civilians are already victims of flood and a mini-cyclone that hit them Monday." All lethal ammunitions such as artillery-fired cluster shells, fire-shells and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) shells were used in the SLA attack. High casualties were reported in Ampalavanpokka'nai. 56 civilians were killed on Monday. 18 of them were children.

74+
Killed

Maaththa Shelling (78 Killed, 2009)

March 4, 2009
Maaththa, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stepped up artillery fire Wednesday inside the 'safety zone' killing 78 civilians. 21 of the victims are children, according to emerging details from various settlements. 23 civilians were killed in artillery barrage in the morning from 5:30 to 9:00 a.m. and 47 in the evening between 5:00 and 9:00 p.m. 182 civilians have sustained injuries. High number of casualties were reported in Pokka'nai and Maaththa'lan within the security zone. An ICRC worker, who was returning to his tarpaulin tent after transporting wounded civilians to ICRC ship was killed in Pokka'nai. A pregnant mother was also among the victims. 6 civilians were killed in Pokka'nai in the morning and 11 sustained injuries in the barrage that lasted from 5:30 a.m. to 6:45 a.m.

78+
Killed
37
Injured

Maaththa Shelling (29 Killed, 2009)

March 4, 2009
Maaththa, Mullaitivu

An artillery shell fired by the Sri Lanka Army landed on a civilian standing within 150 meters from Maaththa'lan makeshift-hospital Tuesday, killing her on the spot. However, the shell didn't explode, saving the lives of around 20 civilians who were at the locality, according to medical sources. The hospital is located within the 'safety zone'. The victim was identified as Thangeswaran Neelampikai, 50. SLA-fired artillery shells exploded in the close vicinity of the hospital killing 13 civilians, including four children. 29 civilians were killed in Maaththa'lan area alone. Chronology: 03.07.18 Source files from one of digital cameras witnessin.. 14.05.10 Lest We Forget: Children affected by Genocidal War.. 20.05.09 Fears mount for safety of doctors arrested by SLA 16.05.

29+
Killed

Maaththa Aerial bombing (13 Killed, 2009)

March 3, 2009
Maaththa, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army fired artillery shells targeting the environs of Maa'ththa'lan makeshift-hospital within the 'safety zone' from 5:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. The shells hit the IDP settlement, located 200 meters near the hospital, claiming the lives of 13 Tamil civilians. Four of them were children, including a 1-year-old baby. 56 civilians have sustained injuries, according to medical sources. Two children below the age of 10 were reported missing. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Air Force fighter bombers were seen bombing north of the 'safety zone' twice Tuesday morning. Shelling was also reported in Pokka'nai area, but casualty figures were not available. Meanwhile, a shell exploded on a bunker Monday night, causing injuries to 4 civilians in Maaththa'lan. Chronology: 03.07.

13+
Killed

Valaignarmadam Aerial bombing (37 Killed, 2009)

March 2, 2009
Valaignarmadam, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells have claimed the lives of more than 45 Tamil civilians Monday within the 'safety zone' at Mu'l'livaaykkaal, Valaignarmadam, Pokka'nai, Maaththa'lan and the adjoining Ira'naippaalai. On Sunday, around 37 civilians were killed and the day before around 40 were reported killed in SLA barrage and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombardment. SLAF bombers were seen dropping bombs from a high altitude after the downing of a bomber on Friday. An average of 30 to 50 civilians were being killed in Mullaiththeevu. Chronology: 03.07.18 Source files from one of digital cameras witnessin.. 14.05.10 Lest We Forget: Children affected by Genocidal War.. 20.05.09 Fears mount for safety of doctors arrested by SLA 16.05.

37+
Killed

Maaththa Shelling (32 Killed, 2009)

February 24, 2009
Maaththa, Mullaitivu

Every shell being fired by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) into the 'safe zone' inflicts civilian casualties as the entire area is tightly populated, reported TamilNet correspondent on Tuesday. A single artillery shell fired around 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday claimed the lives of 6 civilians, including two teenage boys. The attack has taken place near the makeshift hospital at Puthumaaththa'lan. Many of the wounded were children among the 98 injured civilians admitted Sunday and Monday, according to medical authorities. Children who lost their sibling weeping. Mother holding the dead child. Photographed in front of the hospital 2 days ago. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired an artillery shell Tuesday morning around 5:00 a.m.

32+
Killed
98
Injured

Puthukkudiyiruppu Shelling (33 Killed, 2009)

February 22, 2009
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery barrage has killed 33 civilians on Saturday and 73 were brought to the makeshift hospital at Maaththa'lan with injuries. 14 deaths were registered by the hospital. On Sunday, around 20 civilians were killed in the SLA barrage and 60 wounded were brought to hospital, according to medical sources. Medical staff were struggling to cope with high number of patients admitted to the hospital. Following the air attack by the Tigers on Colombo, the SLA stepped up shelling during the night killing 14 persons within the Safety Zone at Valaignarmadam, Mu'l'livaaykkaal, and Pokka'ani. 19 more were killed during the day time on Saturday.

33+
Killed
130
Injured

Maaththa Shelling (13 Killed, 2009)

February 21, 2009
Maaththa, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched artillery barrage on civilian targets in Vanni Friday night causing severe injuries to more than 70 civilians within the 'safe zone' and the adjoining areas. 13 of the 70 wounded civilians rushed to Maaththa'lan hospital died, according to medical authorities. The SLA barrage targeted Maaththa'lan, Pokka'nai, Valaignanmadam and Ira'naippaalai in Mullaiththeevu district. Chronology: 03.07.18 Source files from one of digital cameras witnessin.. 14.05.10 Lest We Forget: Children affected by Genocidal War.. 20.05.09 Fears mount for safety of doctors arrested by SLA 16.05.09 Doctors quit safety zone, volunteer medics remain .. 16.05.09 SLA continues intense barrage of heavy weapons 16.05.09 Stench of dead bodies permeate Vanni, wounded allo.. 15.05.

13+
Killed
70
Injured

Jaffna Aerial bombing (2009)

February 20, 2009
Jaffna

Two LTTE aircrafts hit two Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) installations in Colombo, the Slave Island area where the SLAF Headquarters is located and the SLAF base at Katunayake between 9:20 and 9:45 p.m. Friday. 47 persons, including Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) airmen, were rushed to hospital from Slave Island. Several of the wounded have sustained serious injuries, the sources said. Two of them succumbed to their injuries. At least 6 persons were wounded inside Katunayake airbase. Two of the aircrafts have come down on their targets, according to available details from Colombo. Video footage made available to media in Colombo, displaying the wreckage of the aircraft that came down in Katunayake, showed a dead pilot in Tiger uniform, media sources in Colombo said.

2+
Killed
51
Injured

Iranamadu Shelling (260 Killed, 2009)

February 16, 2009
Iranamadu, Kilinochchi

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery barrage has boxed Theavipuram and Va'l'lipunam villages within the old 'safety zone,' trapping thousands of civilians preventing them from moving to the new 'safe zone'. Around 275 civilians are feared killed since Saturday and the roads remain continuously under heavy artillery barrage, civilians who managed to flee the area said on Monday. At least 5 humanitarian workers were killed while serving the needs of the civilians trapped inside the 'Theavipuram box'. A site of carnage by SLA barrage Three workers attached to Karaithu'raippattu Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society (MPCS) were killed Monday at Theavipuram while they were distributing humanitarian supplies.

260+
Killed

Mullivaikkal Shelling (80 Killed, 2009)

February 8, 2009
Mullivaikkal, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued indiscriminate barrage of artillery shelling on the 'safety zone' killing more than 80 civilians and causing injuries to 200. Most of the casualties were reported along the roads. Every single shell fired by the SLA was exploding in densely populated civilian area and people were forced to stay inside bunkers. However, as people feared ending up in the hands of the SLA which is close to Chuthanthirapuram, they were fleeing in thousands further into LTTE territory amid shelling, facing deaths and injuries on their way, said TamilNet correspondent in Vanni. According to eyewitness reports, 40 dead bodies of civilians, including children and women, were seen along the 2.5 km stretch of Paranthan Puthukkudiyiruppu Road between Chuthanthirapuram and Theavipuram.

80+
Killed
200
Injured

Puthukkudiyiruppu Aerial bombing (180 Killed, 2009)

February 8, 2009
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

More than 120 civilians were killed in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelling Friday and Saturday inside the safety zone in Chuthanthirapuram, Iruddumadu, Udaiyaarkaddu and Theavipuram within the last 48 hours. At least 59 civilians were killed Friday and more than 62 killed on Saturday. Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombed Puthukkdiyiruppu (PTK) Ponnampalam hospital killing 61 patients on Friday. Casualty figures from SLA shelling in Puthukkudiyiruppuu were not available. Civilians were seen moving towards PTK on Paranthan Road amidst heavy shelling that targeted the road on Friday. At least 8 dead bodies were seen along the road Saturday morning. A bus was seen abandoned after it was damaged by shelling. Two tractors had got fire in the shelling.

180+
Killed

Puthukkudiyiruppu Shelling (500 Killed, 2009)

February 5, 2009
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

The only remaining hospital in Udaiyaarkaddu within the so-called safe zone has again come under heavy shelling by the Sri Lanka Army on Thursday. At least 7 civilians were killed and 27 wounded in the close vicinity of the makeshift hospital functioning at a school. 2 ambulances were destroyed and the medical store of the hospital has been completely destroyed. The attack comes a day after US Foreign Secretary Hillary Clinton and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband urging the warring parties not to fire out of or into the safe zone and in the vicinity of Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK) hospital or any other medical structure. Medical authorities said at least 500 civilians were killed and 2,000 wounded within the last 3 weeks.

500+
Killed
27
Injured

Puthukkudiyiruppu Shelling (9 Killed, 2009)

February 2, 2009
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelled Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK) hospital Sunday night killing nine civilians, including patients and their family members in the ward. More than 15 civilians were injured. The indiscriminate attack on the hospital has caused panic and tension among the hundreds of wounded civilians at the hospital. The shelling has come despite repeated calls from the medical authorities not to fire shells on the civilian medical facility and within a few hours of a public statement from the ICRC, which said it was shocked by the shelling on hospital twice in recent days.

9+
Killed
15
Injured

Puthukkudiyiruppu Aerial bombing (39 Killed, 2009)

January 31, 2009
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

For the first time within the safety zone, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers Saturday attacked Moongkilaa'ru and Chuthanthirapuram. Relentless artillery fire also continued throughout the day on civilian targets. 39 civilians were killed and 128 wounded in the indiscriminate attacks. Artillery-fired cluster munitions were used in the attacks by the SLA against civilians targets, blamed LTTE's Political Head B. Nadesan. Meanwhile a doctor attending the wounded at Udaiyaarkaddu hospital described the situation as a two-pronged genocide, one through military operations and the other by refusing medical supplies. The 48-hours ultimatum of Rajapaksa was wrongly interpreted in a section of political circles and media in India as a temporary ceasefire allowing civilians to move.

39+
Killed
128
Injured

Udaiyaarkaddu Shelling (44 Killed, 2009)

January 29, 2009
Udaiyaarkaddu, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stepped up indiscriminate artillery barrage towards the heart of 'safety zone' since Thursday noon killing at least 44 civilians and causing injuries to 178, initial reports from Vanni said. The shelling has targeted Chuthanthirapuram 100-housing scheme, where at least 7 civilians were reported killed. 16 civilians were reportedly killed and scores wounded near St. Antony's Church in Chuthanthirapuram. At least 7 civilians were killed at Iruddumadu, where the 'safety zone' begins. A child seriously injured in SLA artillery shelling at Udaiyaarkaddu makeshift hospital A wounded civilian taken to Udaiyaarkaddu hospital Chronology: 03.07.18 Source files from one of digital cameras witnessin.. 14.05.10 Lest We Forget: Children affected by Genocidal War.. 20.05.

44+
Killed
178
Injured

Udaiyaarkaddu Shelling (12 Killed, 2009)

January 24, 2009
Udaiyaarkaddu, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued artillery shelling on Udaiyaarkaddu on Saturday killing at least 7 civilians. At least 87 civilians have been wounded in the indiscriminate shelling up to 5:25 p.m. Shells exploded inside the hospital premises of Udaiyaarkaddu. At least 60 shells exploded behind the hospital premises (Udaiyaarkaddu school) around 3:45 p.m. Four civilians were killed on the spot. Vehicles were seen on fire at Udaiyaarkaddu junction. Medical authorities said the hospitals were struggling to cope with a high number of civilian casualties. Chronology: 03.07.18 Source files from one of digital cameras witnessin.. 14.05.10 Lest We Forget: Children affected by Genocidal War.. 20.05.09 Fears mount for safety of doctors arrested by SLA 16.05.

12+
Killed
87
Injured

Puthukkudiyiruppu Shelling (5 Killed, 2009)

January 23, 2009
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

Five civilians, including a10-year-old girl and a 56-year-old Saiva priest, were killed and 83 civilians wounded Friday when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells targeted 'safe zone' areas such as Iruddumadu in Udaiyaarkaddu and Va'l'lipunam in Mullaiththeevu district at least four times, according to medical sources in the region. More than 20 of the wounded people were children. More than 20 of the wounded victims are children. The shelling and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) rocket fire targeted the villages Thearaavil, Mayilvaakanapuram, Iruddumadu, Va'l'lipunam and Theavipuram at 10:45 a.m., 11:00 a.m., around 2:30 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. A 10-year-old girl was killed Thursday night around 11:00 p.m.

5+
Killed

Udaiyaarkaddu Shelling (2009)

January 23, 2009
Udaiyaarkaddu, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) shells continued to target Tamil refugees in temporary settlements of Mullaiththeevu district Friday. Three civilians were killed around 10:00 a.m. and 33 were wounded. The wounded were rushed to the makeshift hospital at Udaiyaarkaddu, according to initial reports. Further details were not available. Chronology: 03.07.18 Source files from one of digital cameras witnessin.. 14.05.10 Lest We Forget: Children affected by Genocidal War.. 20.05.09 Fears mount for safety of doctors arrested by SLA 16.05.09 Doctors quit safety zone, volunteer medics remain .. 16.05.09 SLA continues intense barrage of heavy weapons 16.05.09 Stench of dead bodies permeate Vanni, wounded allo.. 15.05.

3+
Killed
33
Injured

Northern Province Aerial bombing (5 Killed, 2009)

January 22, 2009
Northern Province

The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the surgical site of the Mullaiththeevu hospital, functioning as a makeshift hospital at Va'l'lipunam school, were damaged in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery fire Wednesday night and Thursday around 12:20 p.m., after the Sri Lankan government declared that the area where the hospital is situated is a "secure zone", medical authorities at the hospital said Thursday. Five civilians were killed within the hospital premises Thursday, according to Dr. T. Varatharajah, the Regional Director of Health Services (RDHS). The RDHS confirmed that the ICRC had verified that the Sri Lankan military had received the GPS coordinates of the hospital and said he was in constant touch with the ICRC, located just 1 km away from the hospital.

5+
Killed
15
Injured

Vanni Region Shelling (66 Killed, 2009)

January 22, 2009
Vanni Region

The roads of Va'l'lipunam and Theavipuram are full of blood and dead bodies are spotted all over the places in the area that has come under attack by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fire. The carnage worsened after the SLA declared the area as "safe haven". On Tuesday, 16 civilians were killed, 20 reported killed Wednesday and around 30 civilians within the past 12 hours of Thursday, according to Regional Director of Health Service (RDHS) for Mullaiththeevu district. Dr.T.Varatharajah. Many more are feared dead and wounded in the indiscriminate bombardment which has been stepped up on densely populated IDP areas within the secure zone. Meanwhile medical staff at the hospital said there were more than 200 wounded within the last 3 days.

66+
Killed
200
Injured

Udaiyaarkaddu Shelling (6 Killed, 2009)

January 22, 2009
Udaiyaarkaddu, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) unilaterally announced a "secure zone" for civilians Wednesday, but turned its Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers and Artillery guns towards the so-called secure zones in the early hours of Thursday, continuing the carnage, killing and maiming innocent civilians. The inhumane attack on Thursday has targeted an institution for disabled children, the 'Sweet Life Home' (Iniya Vaazhvu illam), and the tightly populated settlement in front of the children home, which is located at Va'l'lipunam. More than 100 civilians have been rushed to hospitals within the last 24 hours. At least 11 dead bodies and more than 25 wounded have been brought to the makeshift hospital (Mullaiththeevu hospital) functioning at Va'l'lipunam school Thursday morning alone.

6+
Killed
25
Injured

Udaiyaarkaddu Shelling (11 Killed, 2009)

January 20, 2009
Udaiyaarkaddu, Mullaitivu

Fifteen civilians including 5 children were killed and 29 seriously injured in the relentless artillery barrage that Sri Lanka Amy (SLA) kept pounding the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Visuvamadu, Udaiyaarkaddu, Chuthanthirapuram and Maa'nikkapuram areas in Mullaiththeevu district Tuesday, sources in Vanni said. SLA continued its artillery barrage on the IDP settlements Monday from 11:00 a.m till 12:30 p.m in Chuthanthirapuram and Theavipuram areas in Vanni killing two IDPs and seriously injuring nine including children. SLA targeted the IDP settlements behind the Pi'l'layaar Koayil in Chuthanthirapuram junction Tuesday around 1:45 p.m, killing two including a boy. Two civilians killed were identified as 12-year-old Alagan Pirasanthan and Manickavasagar Sivayogam.

11+
Killed

Kaiveali Shelling (5 Killed, 2009)

January 16, 2009
Kaiveali, Mullaitivu

Sri Lankan artillery attack on overcrowded Kaiveali and Koampaavil, and also on Visuvamadu, from where civilians were fleeing Friday, killed five civilians, including a 14-year-old girl, and caused injuries to a 8-year-old boy and six others, according to the reports from Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital. Four of the victims killed were identified as Yogeswaran Gajendiny, 14, Mohandas, 25, Ramanathan Kumaran, 30, and Thambiah Yogeswaran, 50. 8-year-old Yogeswaran Prasath, Gnanarooban Vasanthakumar, 30, Nanthakumar Thabothini, 30, and Babukaran Jeyanthini, 33, were identified among the wounded. Further details were not available. Chronology: 03.07.18 Source files from one of digital cameras witnessin.. 14.05.10 Lest We Forget: Children affected by Genocidal War.. 20.05.

5+
Killed
7
Injured

Puthukkudiyiruppu Shelling (2009)

January 11, 2009
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells killed four displaced civilians, including the parents and the daughter of a family, residing in the settlement located behind the hospital of Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaiththeevu district Saturday night, according to medical sources. Two of the killed victims were 17-year-old students. Four civilians, including a 5-year-old child were wounded in the indiscriminate artillery attack. Meanwhile, artillery barrage on Vaddakkachchi and Pu'liyampokka'nai in Ki'linochchi district continued, disrupting the access roads for civilians to move away from the areas that have come under artillery barrage.

4+
Killed

Northern Province Shelling (2009)

January 10, 2009
Northern Province

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells hit civilian settlements in Vaddakkachchi, killing a 56-year-old father and caused injuries to his 16-year-old son. Meanwhile, a 76-year-old elderly man residing in an elderly home sustained injuries Friday night after he returned home unable to reach Tharmapuram as Kaddaikkaadu Road (Vaddakkachchi - Tharmapuram Road) was continuously targeted by the shelling. In the meantime another male was killed in SLA shelling at Chu'ndikku'lam on Friday. The civilian killed in Chu'ndikku'lam was identified as Sinnarasa and the 56-year-old father who was killed while he was trapped in Vaddakkachchi was identified as Ratnasingam. His son, Sukirthan Ratnasingam, sustained injuries.

4+
Killed

Tharmapuram Shelling (7 Killed, 2009)

January 8, 2009
Tharmapuram, Kilinochchi

The Sri Lanka Army fired artillery shells targeting Tharmapuram Junction, the remaining centre of displaced civilians in Vanni killing at least four and causing injuries to many around 1:20 p.m. on Thursday, after artillery shelling killed three, including a child in Vaddakkachchi. Two of the slain victims were children. The attack has targeted Tharmapuram Junction, which is located 75 meters from the hospital. Tension and chaos prevailed in the hospital, which was full of the wounded civilians, as they were forced to seek shelter from the artillery barrage. The shelling on the civilian administrative centre in densely populated Vanni comes in the wake of SLA denial of medical transport and humanitarian supplies to the civilian population in Vanni.

7+
Killed

Puthukkudiyiruppu Aerial bombing (2009)

January 2, 2009
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked a petrol station and a bus depot killing four civilians and causing injuries to 8 close to Mullaiththevu hospital, 1 km away from the town. 8 buses were destroyed, the depot building damaged and the petrol station completely destroyed, initial reports from Mullaiththeevu said. The indiscriminate bombardment by the SLAF has taken place at 5:00 a.m. Friday. Rantheepan, Nisantharoopan (Mu'l'liyava'lai, Ka'nukkea'ni), Gajan (Visuvamadu) and Thaya from 3rd division in Mu'l'liyava'lai were the civilians who were killed in the bombardment which has taken place 250 meters from the hospital.

4+
Killed

Murasumoaddai Aerial bombing (5 Killed, 2009)

January 1, 2009
Murasumoaddai, Kilinochchi

Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers hit civilian settlements three times in Murasumoaddai in Vanni killing civilians and causing injuries to many on Thursday. At least 5 civilians have been reported dead so far by the medical staff at Tharmpuram hospital. 28 civilians, including five children, were admitted at the hospital after the attacks. Civilians were still trapped in the site as Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched artillery barrage on the settlement after the indiscriminate air strike. 10 civilians have been killed and more than 50 wounded within 30 hours on Wednesday and Thursday in Murasumoaddai. Mortuary at Tharmapuram hospital on January 01, 2009. 5 civilians killed in Murasumoaddai.

5+
Killed
50
Injured

Murasumoaddai Aerial bombing (5 Killed, 2008)

December 31, 2008
Murasumoaddai, Kilinochchi

Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked a civilian settlement near Murugananda school in Murasumoaddai on Paranthan - Mullaiththeevu Road killing two females of a family and a male on the spot. Another man, who was seriously wounded, succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. 16 civilians, including a couple, were wounded. The attack has targeted three civilian settlements in Murasumoaddai Wednesday around 8:00 a.m. The indiscriminate bombardment on fleeing civilians, Internally Displaced Person's huts, close to the ICRC Karaichchi branch office, a school, temple and agricultural lands aims at instilling fear at the minds of the civilians in Vanni, observers said. A motorcyclist escaped with wounds, but his bike was thrown 70 meters away from the road.

5+
Killed
16
Injured

Tharmapuram Aerial bombing (2008)

December 20, 2008
Tharmapuram, Kilinochchi

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired shells killed 2 civilians in Vaddakkachchi in Ki'linochchi Saturday around 3:00 p.m., medical sources in Tharmapuram hospital said. One dead body was brought to Tharmapuram hospital. Artillery barrage from the SLA targeted Vaddakkachchi and Ki'lilnochi, destroying several houses from early morning Saturday. The SLA and the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) have intensified attacks on civilian settlements in Vanni in the recent days. Chronology: 20.12.08 2 civilians killed in SLA shelling in Vaddakkachch.. 20.12.08 Colombo steps up bombardment on Vanni, 3 wounded

2+
Killed
3
Injured

Jaffna Aerial bombing (2008)

December 20, 2008
Jaffna

Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked Saturday a coastal area in Mullaiththeevu where thousands of civilians, recently displaced, had established temporary shelters. The bombers dropped eight bombs on fishing huts and boats, lighting up the stretch using para lights, causing panic among the refugees and the fishermen engaged in fishing at 4:55 a.m. The bombers arrived again at 5:35 to bomb the area with 8 eight more bombs, targeting the temporary shelters of refugees. The SLAF bombers attacked Mullaiththeevu and Ki'linochchi five times within four hours in the morning. Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched an artillery barrage from all the frontiers of Vanni from 4:20 a.m. till 5:50 a.m. Temporary shelters were destroyed in SLAF bombardment coastal area in Mullaiththeevu.

2+
Killed
3
Injured

Jaffna Aerial bombing (2008)

December 17, 2008
Jaffna

A 5-month-old child and a 25-year-old male were killed and 13 other refugees including three children were wounded Wednesday when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) fighter jets bombed refugee settlements in Vaddakkachchi four times, on each sorties bombing the refugees twice. The SLAF bombardment on civilian targets comes in the wake of high casualties to the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in its latest offensive push in Ki'linochchi and Jaffna frontiers. The second attack was reported 250 meters near the hospital in Vaddakkachchi. Civilians in Vanni interpreted the indiscriminate attacks, which were repeatedly carried out on displaced peoples settlements, as 'collective punishment' by the Sri Lankan forces that have suffered heavy casualties in the battlefront.

2+
Killed

Vanni Region Claymore attack (2008)

December 8, 2008
Vanni Region

Three civilians, including a child, were killed in a Claymore attack by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) on Monday, Tamileelam Police officials said. The attack has taken place in Mu'l'liyava'lai, south of Mullaiththeevu. Further details were not available at the moment. The attack has come while civilians were fleeing the area due to artillery barrage that has targeted civilian settlements of Mu'l'liyaava'lai.

3+
Killed

Northern Province Aerial bombing (2008)

November 9, 2008
Northern Province

Two Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked Kumarapuram, a suburb of Paranthan, Sunday around 12:50 p.m., causing injuries to five civilians, including a 2-year-old boy. The day was turned into another disasterous day for the child, Manoharan Vithuran, as the family was preparing to observe the 31st day rituals for their mother, Mrs. Manhoharan, who was killed in the SLAF bombardment on the same locality, 30 days ago. He was rushed to the Ki'inochchi hospital functioning in Tharmapuram and admitted at the Intensive Care Unit, according to TamilNet correspondent who visited the bombed site and the hospital.

3+
Killed

Northern Province Aerial bombing (2008)

October 10, 2008
Northern Province

Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers Friday morning attacked three localities in Paranthan, 6 km north of Ki'linochhci town. Three civilians, a 46-year-old teacher, her 11-year-old daughter and a 33-year-old mother of two were killed. Six civilians including a 14-year-old son if the teacher and another boy at the same age, were wounded at Kumarapuram. The wounded were rushed to Ki'linochchi hospital, still functioning at Ki'linochhci town. 12 houses were destroyed in the attack at Kumarapuram. A Saiva temple, Kumarapuram Murukan koayil, and a shop were also damaged in the air-strike. Dead bodies of the teacher and her daughter killed in SLAF attack, photographed at Ki'linochchi hospital. Usha Manokaran, 33, succumbed to her injuries at 1:00 p.m.

3+
Killed

Northern Province Aerial bombing (2008)

October 1, 2008
Northern Province

Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) attacked a civilian settlement 1 km south of Ki'linochchi town, close to A9 Road, killing two civilians and wounding 13, Wednesday around 10:30 a.m. A 2-year-old girl, a 4-year-old boy, a 16-year-old and seven other females were among the wounded rushed to nearby Ki'lnochchi hospital. 19 houses were destroyed. Some of the windows of Ki'linochchi hospital shattered and sharpnels from the bombs reached the hospital premises, according to initial reports.

2+
Killed
13
Injured

Vavuniya Claymore attack (2008)

September 18, 2008
Vavuniya

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) infiltrators Thursday morning triggered a Claymore mine targeting a passenger bus, which was on its way from Pu'liyangku'lam to Ki'linochchi on A9 Road, killing at least three civilians, including the driver of the bus on the spot, accordingo to initial reports from the Tamileelam Police. Meanwhile, medical sources reported that five civilians were rushed to hospitals after the blast. The DPU attack has taken place at Pothoor while the first passenger bus of the day was en route to Ki'linochchi from Pu'liyangku'lam Thursday at 7:45 a.m. The slain victims were identified as 30-year-old Yoganathan, a father of three from Katchilaimadu, who was the driver of the bus, 32-year-old S.

3+
Killed

Jaffna Shelling (2008)

August 6, 2008
Jaffna

A 45-year-old father of three and a 30-year-old father of one were killed Wednesday morning when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells targeted civilian settlements, fishing huts and the stretch along the coast in Vettilaikkea'ni in Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled Vadamaraadchi East of Jaffna district. One civilian was wounded in the shelling and rushed to hospital, according to initial reports from Vadamaraadchi East. Fishermen killed in SLA shelling The victims were part of a group of 15 fishermen, who were engaged in fishing when the shelling targeted the coastal stretch around 7:30 a.m. Ratnam Ganesalingam, 45, and Thagavel Puvanenthirarajah, 30, were killed and K. Gopalakrishnasamy, 55, father of seven, was wounded in the shelling.

2+
Killed

Colombo Bus attack (2008)

July 11, 2008
Colombo

Unidentified gunmen Friday morning attacked a passenger bus, killing two females and a 12-year-old child in Buttala, Police said. 26 passengers were wounded in the attack and one of the wounded succumbed to injuries later. The bus was plying from Buttala to Kathirkaamam (Kataragama). The injured were rushed to Kathirkaamam hospital and 19 of them later transferred to Hambantota hospital. The Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus, belonging to Monaragala depot, was attacked at Galge 149 mile post at 10:30 a.m. Buttala - Kathirkaamam road has been sealed off. The police and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) have launched a joint cordon and search operation in the area surrounding the attack site. Sri Lankan defence ministry officials in Colombo blamed the Tigers for the attack. Chronology: 13.07.

4+
Killed
25
Injured

Northern Province Bus attack (2008)

June 6, 2008
Northern Province

At least 2 persons were killed and 20 wounded in a bus bomb at Polgolla in Kandy around 4:10 p.m. Friday, initial reports said. The wounded are being rushed to Kandy hospital. The explosion has taken place near Mahaweli National College of Education. The bus was on its way to Kandy from Wattegama. Polgolla is located 4.4 km northeast of Kandy town in Pathadumbara division of Kandy district in the Central Province.

2+
Killed
20
Injured

Vanni Region Claymore attack (16 Killed, 2008)

June 6, 2008
Vanni Region

At least 22 civilians, including 8 females, were killed and more than 50 wounded when a Claymore mine targeted a bus at Katubedda, near the University of Moratuwa, 18 km south of Colombo at 7:35 a.m. Friday, Police said. The wounded were rushed to Lunawa and Kalubowila hospitals. Police has clamped down a curfew in Katubedda area. Sri Lanka Army and the police have closed the roads in Moratuwa between Piliyandala and Kottawa, Morattuwa Ratmalana and launched a search operation in the area. The bus with registration number 29-1885 on route 255 was heading to Mt. Lavinia from Kottawa. Chronology: 07.06.08 SLA arrests Moratuwa university Tamil students at .. 06.06.08 28 men, 7 women arrested following Kattubedda Clay.. 06.06.08 Claymore attack in Colombo kills 22 civilians, 50 ..

16+
Killed
70
Injured

Mullivaikkal Claymore attack (6 Killed, 2008)

June 2, 2008
Mullivaikkal, Mullaitivu

Six devotees including two children on their way to Naakathampiraan Temple in Maangku'lam were killed and 4 wounded, including 2 children, in a claymore mine explosion in Vanni Monday night. LTTE's Director of Peace Secretariat S. Puleedevan blamed the Deep Penetration Unit operated by the Sri Lanka Army for the attack on civilian target. The attack took place at Puthoor, located between Kanakaraayanku'lam and Pu'liyangku'lam at 8:00 p.m., Mr. Puleedevan said. The devotees were on their way from Mu'l'livaaykkaal in Mullaiththeevu to Naakathampiraan temple to attend the annual festival at the temple, Mr. Puleedevan told TamilNet, identifying the registration number of the civilian van as 8-SRI-6109.

6+
Killed
4
Injured

Jaffna Shelling (11 Killed, 2008)

May 29, 2008
Jaffna, Jaffna

The husband of the woman and the father of two sons killed in Thursday early morning shelling launched on the coastal villages of Jaffna, succumbed to his wounds in Jaffna Teaching Hospital Thursday afternoon. The number of casualties in the shelling has risen to six with his death. The victim, identified as Robert Petticen, 36, was admitted to Jaffna Teaching hospital in a critical condition after a shell fell on his house and exploded. His wife Anatanita, 40, and her sons, Nirojan, 14 and Rohan, 11 were killed on the spot when the shell hit their house in Chuvaamiyaar Veethi in Kozhumpuththu�rai.

11+
Killed

Jaffna Shelling (5 Killed, 2008)

May 29, 2008
Jaffna

Five civilians, including children and a couple, were killed and 13 persons were wounded when shells hit the coastal villages Kurunakar, Kozhumpuththu'rai, Paasaiyoor and the areas close to Jaffna Fort, Thuraiappa Stadium and the Sri Lanka Telecommunication building in the early hours of Thursday, following the LTTE raid at Chi'ruththeevu islet close to Jaffna. Two children, boys of age 14 and 13, and a mother were killed in Paasaiyoor. Father and another brother were wounded. In Kurunakar, Joseph Francis, 54, and his wife Joseph Francis Sagayarani, 53, were killed on the spot when shells hit their house. Their children were wounded in the attack, according to initial reports. Their house was located near Kurunakar water tank.

5+
Killed

Colombo Hospital attack (9 Killed, 2008)

May 26, 2008
Colombo

Nine civilian commuters were killed and more than 70 wounded in a bomb blast around 4:45 p.m. Monday at Dehiwela railway station in Colombo inside a packed compartment of a train bound from Maradana to Panandura. A parcel bomb has went off inside the 5th compartment of the train, according to the police. The attack comes in the wake of the detection and deactivation of powerful bombs in two separate incidents on Saturday. One of the victims was a pregnant woman. Three of the victims were killed within the compartment while the others succumbed to their injuries while being taken to the hospital. The 5th of the convoy of 12 compartments of the train number 763 which left Maradana station at 4:25p.m.

9+
Killed
70
Injured

Kilinochchi Claymore attack (16 Killed, 2008)

May 23, 2008
Kilinochchi, Kilinochchi

16 civilians, including 5 children, three girls and two boys, were killed in a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) Claymore attack that targeted a Hiace van returning from Akkaraayan hospital to Ki'linochchi on Mu'rika'ndi - Akkaraayan Road Friday around 2:15 p.m., reports from Ki'linochchi said. The SLA on Friday stepped up DPU attacks in LTTE controlled Vanni as the region was observing a national mourning day following the demise of LTTE's Senior Commander Brigadier Balraj. Relatives of the victims killed in Claymore attack 16 dead bodies, 4 males, 6 females and 6 children, were brought to Ki'linochchi hospital. Two children, one of them seriously wounded, were brought to the hospital. Their father, mother, a sister and two brothers, all children, were killed in the attack.

16+
Killed

Vavuniya Claymore attack (16 Killed, 2008)

May 23, 2008
Vavuniya

Assistant Director of Fisheries in Mannaar, J.G.Jujin and another civilian were killed when a Sri Lanka Army Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) Claymore mine targeted an ambulance of the Ki'linochchi hospital at Muzhangkaavil in Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled Vanni Friday around 8:00 a.m., initial reports said. The ambulance which returned from Vavuniyaa after admitting patients in Vavuniyaa hospital picked up civilians on its way to Ki'linochchi. Mr. Jujin, 55, a father of six children, hails from Periya Pa'ndivirichchaan. Chronology: 24.05.08 DPU attack victims laid to rest in Ki'linochchi 23.05.08 16 civilians killed in DPU attack in Vanni, 5 chil.. 23.05.08 Fisheries director killed, DPU attack targets ambu..

16+
Killed

Vavuniya Claymore attack (2008)

May 7, 2008
Vavuniya, Vavuniya

A leading member of Peoples� Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) of Vavuniyaa district was shot and killed, and another person seriously injured in a shooting incident Tuesday around 5:30 p.m at Poonththoaddam area in Vavuniyaa, sources in Vavuniyaa said. Meanwhile, two civilians were killed in a Claymore attack Tuesday around 6:00 p.m targeting a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) truck, near Vavuniyaa Town Council playground, the sources added. The killed PLOTE member was identified as Selvarasa Pavan, a father of 5 children. The identity of the person injured in the shooting is not known. One of the two civilians killed in the Claymore attack was identified as Suntharalingam, 53, while the other remains unidentified. A third person was also injured in the above attack.

2+
Killed

Northern Province Bus attack (120 Killed, 2008)

May 6, 2008
Northern Province

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, who opened the debate on the state of emergency in the Sri Lankan Parliament Tuesday morning said 945 Sri Lankan security personnel were wounded in April, from March 30 upto April 29. However, he put the death toll for the April at 120 killed in action. 56 civilians were killed and 145 wounded, including the bus bomb in Piliyandala. He said there were also Sinhalese who were involved in carrying out the attack on the civilian bus in Piliyandala. He appealed that all "patriotic forces in the country should unite to defeat the separatist war," and said that "terrorism should be fought at international level." He added the east has been liberated and its people have been given the right to restore democracy with ballot.

120+
Killed
145
Injured

Colombo Claymore attack (25 Killed, 2008)

April 25, 2008
Colombo

Twenty-five passengers were killed and 73 wounded when a bomb exploded inside a fully packed bus around 6:45 p.m. Friday near Piliayandala bus-stand, 17 km southeast of Colombo, Police said. 73 persons were wounded. 63 injured, 47 males and 16 females, were warded at Kalubowlila hospital, 7 at Kesbewa hospital and 3 at Colombo hospital. A nurse and a Buddhist monk were among the victims. The Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) bus was heading from Piliyandala to Kahapola. The bus has sustained heavy damage in the attack. Meanwhile, Colombo police Friday evening around 4.10 p.m. recovered a parcel bomb weighing about 5 kg placed near a police sentry at Aadduppaddiththe'ru, on receipt of information. A police party rushed to the site and cordoned off the area.

25+
Killed
73
Injured

Colombo Aerial bombing (8 Killed, 2008)

March 8, 2008
Colombo

Four civilians-two Tamils and two Sinhalese- arrested in connection with the bomb blast in a bus in Mount Lavinia recently were released on bail when they were produced in court Friday. Magistrate Mr.Harsha Sethunge ordered personal bail for each suspect by signing a bond for Rs. 100,000. Further inquiry in the case was put off for May 7, legal sources said. Sri Lanka police did not object for the bail applications submitted by the defense counsel. Two Tamil suspects, Kandasamy Pathiravan and Vairamuthu Kandasamy had been running a telecommunication centre near the site where the bomb blast took place. A sinhala woman, Chinta Thethnu, was an employee in the center.

8+
Killed
18
Injured

Poonakari Aerial bombing (8 Killed, 2008)

March 4, 2008
Poonakari, Kilinochchi

Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers dropped several bombs Tuesday around 10:45 a.m on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held areas in Poonakari after flying over Jaffna peninsula, sources in Jaffna said. Details of damage or casualties in the air strike are not known. In an earlier raid on 22 February on civilian settlements in Poonakari region eight civilians were killed. LTTE artillery fire on Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Palaali Main Military Base has escalated recently. In the earlier SLAF aerial bombardment on Kiraagnchi in the Poonakari division of Ki'linochchi district on 22 February, eight civilians including a 6-month-old infant, a 4-year-old boy, their mother, a 8-year-old girl and an English teacher were killed, 14 including four children and another teacher were wounded.

8+
Killed

Vavuniya Claymore attack (8 Killed, 2008)

February 27, 2008
Vavuniya

Eight innocent civilians riding in tractors were killed in two different Claymore attacks carried out by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit teams that had infiltrated into Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled areas on either sides of the A9 road, north of Vavuniyaa on Wednesday. The first attack, in which four civilians were killed, was reported at Panangkaamam in Moon'ru Mu'rippu GS area of Maanthai East division in Mullaiththeevu district at 1:50 p.m. The second attack was reported at 8:30 p.m. in which another four civilians were slain while they were riding in a tractor from Maruthoadai to Olumadu. The victims of the DPU attack in Panangkaamam were identified as Parthipan, 18, Shanmugalingam Thavarasa, Selvaratnam Senthooran and Kunapalasingham Jegagiritharan.

8+
Killed

Colombo Aerial bombing (8 Killed, 2008)

February 23, 2008
Colombo

Eighteen civilians were injured in a bomb blast inside a bus in Colombo Mount Laviniya Saturday around 10:45 a.m. Most of the victims were bystanders. The passengers had a providential escape as a woman traveler alerted the conductor and the driver of the bus about an unattended parcel underneath a seat in the Colombo bound bus coming from Morattuwa. The explosion took place after the passengers have got off the bus and while the driver was taking it to a safe location, police said. The blast in Colombo has taken place a day after the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) aerial bombardment on civilians in Vanni took the lives of 8 and injured 14, which included many children.

8+
Killed
18
Injured

Colombo Aerial bombing (8 Killed, 2008)

February 22, 2008
Colombo

Eight civilians including a 6-month-old infant, a 4-year-old boy, their mother, a 8-year-old girl and an English teacher were killed, 14 including four children and another teacher were wounded in a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) aerial bombardment of a civilian settlement at Kiraagnchi in the Poonakari division of Ki'linochchi district Friday at 8:10 a.m. Three houses were fully destroyed and many houses have sustained damage in the indiscriminate aerial bombardment in which more than 20 bombs were dropped by four bombers. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan ministry of defence in Colombo claimed that the SLAF had attacked "an inland sea tiger base" at Kiraagnchi.

8+
Killed

Visuvamadu Claymore attack (10 Killed, 2008)

February 4, 2008
Visuvamadu, Mullaitivu

14 persons, including four Sri Lanka Army soldiers and 10 Sinhala civilians were killed when a Claymore attack targeted a bus carrying soldiers and civilians at Kobbekaduwa junction in Ma'nalaa'ru (Weli Oya) colonisation scheme Monday around 3:40 pm. At least 17 wounded in the blast. The bus was plying from Padaviya to Sri Pura, Police said. Kobbekaduwa junction is named after Gen. (posthumous) Kobbekaduwa, one of the Sri Lankan army's ablest officers who was killed in a Tiger land mine blast in 1992. The SLA commander Kobbekaduwa had strong relations with the Buddhist priests engaged in the colonisation schemes.

10+
Killed
17
Injured

Sri Lanka Claymore attack (27 Killed, 2008)

February 4, 2008
Sri Lanka

Four members of the home guards, an auxiliary force of the Sri Lanka armed forces, were killed in an attack allegedly by the Liberation Tigers in the Yala jungles in the south-east of the island, around 3.30 p.m. Sunday, according to police sources. The home guards were patrolling in the Yala jungles when they were attacked. The attackers have seized the assault rifles of the home guards. Chronology: 24.02.08 Sinhala cattle breeder arrested in Buttala 21.02.08 SLA launches fresh search operation in Buttala 20.02.08 3 SLA soldiers gunned down in Buttala 07.02.08 Security beefed up in Moneragala 04.02.08 4 SLA soldiers killed in Buttala ambush 04.02.08 4 homeguards killed in Yala jungles 24.01.08 Yala sanctuary to be closed again 22.01.08 Two SLA troopers wounded in Moneragala 21.01.

27+
Killed
63
Injured

Vavuniya Aerial bombing (14 Killed, 2008)

February 3, 2008
Vavuniya

Fourteen civilians, including 6 students of D.S. Senayakaye vidyalaya and a baseball teacher were killed and around 100 people wounded in a bomb explosion at the platform of Colombo Fort Railway station while Matara-Vavuniyaa train reached the 3rd platform the station, situated in the High Security Zone in Sri Lanka's capital Sunday at 2:10 p.m. All train services have been suspended, the Fort station was cordoned off and a search operation by the Sri Lankan armed forces was launched. The blast comes a day before Sri Lanka's 60th Independence Day celebrations amid speculations of Colombo embarking on a full fledged war on Vanni, stepping up aerial bombardment and artillery barrage.

14+
Killed
103
Injured

Anuradhapura Bus attack (20 Killed, 2008)

February 2, 2008
Anuradhapura

A bomb exploded in Dambulla in Matale district, targeting a bus bound to Anuradhapura from Kandy Saturday at 7:05 a.m., initial reports said. 20 civilians were killed and 72 wounded. Most of the victims were pilgrims to Ruwanwelisaya, a Buddhist stupa in Anuradhapura, Police said. 16 females and four males were killed. 46 wounded have been admitted at Dambulla hospital and 26 at Matale hospital. Thirteen civilians died on the spot, two while being taken to hospital and five succumbed to their wounds at hospitals. Dambulla district borders with six districts, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Ampaa'rai, Badulla, Kandy and Kurnegala, and is located in Central Province.

20+
Killed
72
Injured
Major Event

Thadchanamadhu School Bus Claymore Attack

January 29, 2008
Near Madhu Church, Mannar

On 29 January 2008, a bus carrying school children and teachers from Mannar Sinapandivirichchan GTMS came under a claymore attack near the Madhu church complex around 2:30 PM. Twenty civilians were killed and twenty-one injured, seventeen seriously. Among those killed were 14 school students (aged 11-16), a school principal, a teacher, a nurse, the bus driver and conductor. The victims were displaced people who had taken refuge at the Madhu church. All 20 dead were buried in a single grave at the church. The attack was attributed to the Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lankan military, who had conducted 22 claymore attacks on civilians in the area.

20
Killed
21
Injured

Northern Province Claymore attack (20 Killed, 2008)

January 29, 2008
Northern Province

20 civilians, including 11 school children, a teacher of Thadcha'naamaruthamadu Roman Catholic Tamil Mixed School, the driver, conductor and two hospital workers were killed and 14 wounded when a Deep Penetration Unit of Sri Lanka Army triggered a Claymore mine targeting the bus carrying school children in Madu division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam controlled territory Tuesday at 2:25 p.m. The bus was 1 km away from Madu church, after having picked up the children at Thadcha'naamaruthamadu and was on its way to Paalampiddi from Madu. Eight school children were among the wounded. Three of the dead bodies of students killed in the Claymore attack The bus targeted by SLA DPU Claymore mine The principal of the displaced Chinna Pa'ndivirichchaan school, S.M.

20+
Killed
14
Injured

Colombo Claymore attack (27 Killed, 2008)

January 22, 2008
Colombo

Two Sri Lanka Army troopers were wounded when a group of attackers opened fire on a SLA unit engaged in a search operation in a jungle area near Kithulkotte in Thanamalwila Police division Tuesday noon, Police said. Meanwhile, informed sources in Colombo said around 8,000 security personnel comprising SLA troops, Special Task Force, Police and homeguards, have been deployed in the jungle areas in a search operation. Around 2000 Sinhalese men were to be recruited to Civil Defence Force as homeguards in the district, informed sources further said. One of the wounded SLA soldier was rushed to Hambantota hospital. On Monday, three police personnel were shot and killed in the area. Chronology: 24.02.08 Sinhala cattle breeder arrested in Buttala 21.02.

27+
Killed
63
Injured

Sri Lanka Claymore attack (27 Killed, 2008)

January 21, 2008
Sri Lanka

Unknown gunmen shot and killed a Police Sub Inspector and two Police constables who were on a search mission at Kithulgoda in Thanamalwila police division in Moneragala district Monday at 8:20 p.m., Police said. Chronology: 24.02.08 Sinhala cattle breeder arrested in Buttala 21.02.08 SLA launches fresh search operation in Buttala 20.02.08 3 SLA soldiers gunned down in Buttala 07.02.08 Security beefed up in Moneragala 04.02.08 4 SLA soldiers killed in Buttala ambush 04.02.08 4 homeguards killed in Yala jungles 24.01.08 Yala sanctuary to be closed again 22.01.08 Two SLA troopers wounded in Moneragala 21.01.08 Police Sub Inspector, 2 constables killed in Moner.. 20.01.08 4 Tamils arrested in Moneragala 18.01.08 10 persons killed in Moneragala jungle 16.01.

27+
Killed
63
Injured

Sri Lanka Claymore attack (27 Killed, 2008)

January 18, 2008
Sri Lanka

Ten persons who accompanied home guards on a cordon and search operation into the jungle area of Moneragala district were gunned down by armed men Thursday night in two separate incidents. Three persons, including a home guard, were wounded in the incident that took place in the Thanamalwila DS division in the Uva Province. Government of Sri Lanka has taken steps to arm civilians and form a Civil Armed Force in Uva. The victims were youths who joined the homeguards in search of an armed group, operating from the jungles of Moneragala. The group has carried out attacks on civilian and military targets in the district. Sri Lankan defence authorities have taken steps to arm 500 persons in Buttala and surrounding areas in the Moneragala district to assist the armed forces of Sri Lanka.

27+
Killed
63
Injured

Visuvamadu Aerial bombing (2008)

January 17, 2008
Visuvamadu, Mullaitivu

Liberation Tigers anti-aircraft guns fired at Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) warplanes that bombed a civilian area with a mechanic workshop near Kanakapuram Maha Viththiyaalayam school at Kanakapuram, a suburb of Ki'linochchi town, Thursday morning. A 32-years-old man who sought safety inside a bunker was wounded and succumbed to his injuries. Seven civilians were wounded in the SLAF attack. Nine houses were damaged in the bombardment that was launched at 9:30 a.m. and carried out four times. Murugiah Loggeswaran, 32, displaced from Jaffna and settled in Redd Barna settlement in Visuvamadu, was identified as the victim who was killed in the air attack.

1+
Killed

Sri Lanka Claymore attack (27 Killed, 2008)

January 16, 2008
Sri Lanka

Two Chena cultivators were killed by a group of armed men Wednesday morning in Okkampitiya GS area in Buttala division of Moneragala district, Police sources said. Tension prevails in the district where three attacks were reported in the morning. Schools were closed until further notice in the district. One farmer has sustained injuries and another person who accompanied the police was wounded in a land mine explosion, initial reports said. Last week, four charred dead bodies were located by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Ranminikanda jungle, bordering Kataragama in Buttala police division of Moneragala district. Chronology: 24.02.08 Sinhala cattle breeder arrested in Buttala 21.02.08 SLA launches fresh search operation in Buttala 20.02.08 3 SLA soldiers gunned down in Buttala 07.02.

27+
Killed
63
Injured

Sri Lanka Claymore attack (27 Killed, 2008)

January 16, 2008
Sri Lanka

Three Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were wounded in a Claymore attack on a 'Buffel' Armored Personnel Carrier (APV) at Galge in Buttala in Moneragala district, around 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, Police said. Chronology: 24.02.08 Sinhala cattle breeder arrested in Buttala 21.02.08 SLA launches fresh search operation in Buttala 20.02.08 3 SLA soldiers gunned down in Buttala 07.02.08 Security beefed up in Moneragala 04.02.08 4 SLA soldiers killed in Buttala ambush 04.02.08 4 homeguards killed in Yala jungles 24.01.08 Yala sanctuary to be closed again 22.01.08 Two SLA troopers wounded in Moneragala 21.01.08 Police Sub Inspector, 2 constables killed in Moner.. 20.01.08 4 Tamils arrested in Moneragala 18.01.08 10 persons killed in Moneragala jungle 16.01.

27+
Killed
63
Injured

Vanni Region Claymore attack (27 Killed, 2008)

January 16, 2008
Vanni Region

27 civilians, including 3 school children, were killed and 63 wounded in a Claymore blast that targeted a bus in Helagama in Buttala DS division in Monaragala district in Uva Province at 7:35 a.m. Wednesday, Police said. The blast comes amid reports the Sri Lankan military leadership was trying to convince the government to shut down schools in the South for extended periods, ahead of major offensives, including bombardments likely to cause heavy civilian casualties, into the Vanni. The 6-years-old ceasefire expires today. 13 women were among the victims, according to initial reports. The attackers also opened fire on the bus after Claymore explosion, Police said. The schools in Uva province were closed until further notice.

27+
Killed
63
Injured

Tharmapuram Aerial bombing (2007)

December 4, 2007
Tharmapuram, Kilinochchi

An eighteen-year-old pregnant mother, seriously injured in the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) aerial bombing on civilian settlements in Tharmapuram on 25 November 2007, succumbed to her injuries Monday night in Ki�linochchi district hospital, sources in Ki�linochchi said. The deceased girl, Kamalraj Thanayogam, 18, had lost one leg at the hip, and had injuries on her chest, stomach, and left hand. Thanayogam was married only four months ago, and her husband Kamalraj, 28, was seriously injured along with his wife in the SLAF bombing on their house and other adjoining houses. Thanayogam was pregnant at the time of injury, hospital sources said. Thanayogam�s sister in Ki�linochchi district hospital.

4+
Killed
6
Injured

Iyankulam Ambulance Claymore Attack

November 27, 2007
Iyankulam, Mullaitivu

On 27 November 2007, a group of school students and their trainers traveling in an ambulance to provide first aid services at Heroes' Day celebrations came under a claymore attack by the Sri Lankan military's Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) in Iyankulam village, Mullaithivu district. Nine people were killed: six students from Iyankulam GTM School (aged 14-17), two first aid trainers, and the ambulance driver. The students had received first aid training and had been assisting medical staff at a nearby hospital. One girl survived and provided descriptions of the attackers.

9
Killed

Jaffna Aerial bombing (2007)

November 25, 2007
Jaffna

A father and mother with their daughter and a teenage girl were killed, their son and his wife were seriously wounded with four other civilians, Sunday morning, when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked a civilian settlement twice, between 7:15 and 7:40 a.m., at Tharmapuram 8th Unit, located in Ki'linochchi district. A 4-years-old girl, a teacher and a retired postmaster were among the wounded. The airstrike, using bombs that explode underground, comes as November 27 Heroes Day remembrance events were being observed in Vanni. The explosions have created 6 to 10 meter depth craters. Wounded civilians being admitted at Ki'linochchi hospital. The victims killed were identified as M. Subajini, 15, Varnalingam, 54, his wife V. Saraswathy, 49, and their daughter V.

4+
Killed
6
Injured

Sri Lanka Claymore attack (2007)

November 8, 2007
Sri Lanka

Officer in Charge (OIC) of Thissemaharama Police Thursday morning ordered a mob to attack two journalists working for Maharaja Television Network, who went ahead with filming dead bodies of the Sinhalese cattle herders recovered in Yala sanctuary area, ignoring the warning of the OIC not to film the dead bodies. The journalists were arguing that they were performing their duty when the OIC gave instructions to the mob to attack them. The OIC had told the journalist, Wasantha Pradeep Manasinghe, and his camaraman Waruna Sampath, to keep away from the crime scene. The working Journalists Association of Sri Lanka has condemned the attack. Chronology: 05.12.07 Thissamaharama villagers locate skeletons 10.11.07 Claymore explosion in Yala amid tightened security 10.11.

3+
Killed

Periyamadu IDP Camp Shelling

October 25, 2007
Periyamadu, Manthai West

On 25 October 2007 at approximately 11:00 AM, Sri Lanka Army artillery fire struck a shelter housing internally displaced persons at Periyamadu settlement in Mannar district. The victims were families displaced from Adampan who were living in temporary huts. Three civilians were killed and nine wounded. Among the dead was Parimalam Selvanathan, a 20-year-old woman who was 8 months pregnant - her unborn child was also killed. A father and his 9-year-old daughter were also among those killed. Over 530 civilians from 42 families occupied the IDP settlement operated by the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation.

3
Killed
9
Injured

Sri Lanka Claymore attack (6 Killed, 2007)

October 25, 2007
Sri Lanka

A guerilla commando unit of Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Thursday evening ambushed a Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) vehicle, a bus carrying more than 25 SLN personnel, in Thissamaharama in the Hambantota division of the southern province, killing 6 SLN personnel, LTTE military spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan told TamilNet. Claiming that the attack was a gunfire ambush, Mr. Ilanthirayan said 12 SLN personnel were wounded in the attack that took place at 16:35 p.m. Thissamaharama division is situated in the constituency of the Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa. Military Spokesperson of the Tigers, Mr. Irasaiah Ilanthirayan (Marshall) The Liberation Tigers have stepped up guerilla operations in the Eastern Ampaa'rai district and the bordering southern districts.

6+
Killed

Jaffna Massacre (13 Killed, 2007)

October 3, 2007
Jaffna, Jaffna

Witnesses to identify Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) personnel alleged to have massacred 13 civilians at Allaipiddy last year did not appear at Kayts Court Tuesday for fear of their lives, Attorney-at-law, S. Remedias, appearing on their behalf, informed Additional Magistrate R. T. Vignarajah at the inquiry into Allaipiddy massacre case. The witnesses, presently living in Ki'linochchi in Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled area, fear to travel through Vavuniyaa and then sail from Trincomalee to Jaffna as they are afforded security only in Jaffna peninsula, the lawyer told the courts. The magistrate postponed inquiry into the case and the identification parade to 16 October. Mr. R. T.

13+
Killed

Jaffna Claymore attack (2007)

September 27, 2007
Jaffna, Jaffna

Three civilians were killed and 30 wounded following an explosion near Chunnaakam market town in Valikaamam in the Jaffna district Thursday around 10:00 a.m. Legal sources said the Chunnaakaam Police has told the Court that one policeman was wounded in the blast. Police claimed that a Claymore mine had targeted a police vehicle. Nagamuththu Rasiah, 60, from Chunnaakam Sabapathy Center for the displaced, Selliah Asokan, 42, from Mallaakam, and Seenivasan Kanesarajah, 49, from Poonaari Maraththadi in Kokuvil West, Jaffna were identified as those killed in the incident. 13 civilians with serious wounds were taken to Jaffna hospital. 17 civilians with minor wounds were treated at Thellippazhai hospital.

3+
Killed
30
Injured

Jaffna Claymore attack (2007)

September 25, 2007
Jaffna

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers opened indiscriminate firing following a Claymore attack Tuesday around 9:00 a.m on its road patrol unit at Chiththangkea'ni in Jaffna, killing a civilian woman, a youth and seriously injuring another youth, sources in Jaffna said. Two SLA troops were injured in the Claymore attack. The killed woman was identified as Ms. Saratha Paramsothy, 39 and a classical music teacher. The killed youth was identified as Srikanthan Nisanthan, 22. The injured youth Iruthayakumar is admitted to Jaffna Teaching hospital. Saratha Parmasothy succumbed to her wounds at Jaffna Teaching hospital. Unidentified persons had fixed the Claymore device along the road and activated it causing the blast injuring two SLA troops.

2+
Killed

Mannar Aerial bombing (14 Killed, 2007)

August 29, 2007
Mannar

S.Thangan, Deputy Head of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam (LTTE) political wing, gave a Tamil Eelam Certificate of deposit for Rs.100,000 to the six year old boy who lost his right leg during 02 January attack by Kfir fast attack aircrafts of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) in Padakuththu'rai Tuesday morning. The event was held at the child's home in Kumizhamunai, Naachchikkudaa, Poonakari. The financial assistance for the child was provided from LTTE leader, Velupillai Pirapaharan�s Trust Fund. During the SLAF bombing on the coastal hamlet of Padakuththu'rai village in the LTTE-controlled Iluppaikadavai Grama Sevaka (GS) division in Maanthai West in Mannar district at 8:45 a.m. on the 2nd January, 14 civilians lost their lives and 34 others received injuries.

14+
Killed
35
Injured

Jaffna Claymore attack (2007)

August 17, 2007
Jaffna

Koappaay Police recovered the body of a youth with gunshot wounds alleged killed by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) backed paramilitaries Thursday night in Urumpiraay North and transferred the body to the Jaffna Hospital Friday morning, sources in Jaffna said. Meanwhile, in Urumpiraay two youths disappeared and two others sought safety with the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna, HRC officials said. HRC officials said in the first two weeks of August, 18 have disappeared, 21 have been killed and 11 have surrendered to the HRC in Jaffna district. I. Krishnakumar, 23, who was displaced from Ma'ravanpulavu in Thenmaraadchi area and was living in Urumpiraay working as a mason, surrendered with the HRC Friday morning fearing for his life from SLA-backed paramilitaries, HRC officials said.

1+
Killed

Northern Province Aerial bombing (2007)

July 31, 2007
Northern Province

More than 245 students taking examinations in Mullaiththeevu Maha Vithiyaalayam fled from the school when Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) started shelling the coast Monday around 11:30 a.m from Mullaitheevu seas, 250 meters from the school, school officials said. Members of fisher families working on the shore cleaning and drying fish scattered in fear seeking safety as SLN Dvora gun boats fired shells continually for 10 minutes. SLN also launched indiscriminate shell fire on the Ka'l'lappaadu coast of Mullaiththeevu Sunday evening targeting fishermen and civilian settlements on the coast. Though the shells fell and exploded on the shore no one was injured.

2+
Killed
11
Injured

Mannar Claymore attack (5 Killed, 2007)

July 15, 2007
Mannar, Mannar

A soldier belonging to Sri Lanka Army's (SLA's) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) was killed Sunday noon at Paalamoaddai, and unknown number of soliders injured during a clash along Liberation Tigers Forward Defence Line (FDL) in Vavuniyaa-Mannaar border, LTTE field officials told media. The DPU team withdrew, leaving behind soldier's body and a T56-2 rifle. The clash occurred when the DPU team was attempted to infiltrate into Liberation Tigers' territory and was confronted by the border unit of the LTTE. Number of injured DPU members are not known. Five persons, inclduing Tamileelam Health Service personnel and civilians were killed in a Claymore mine attack by a Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army inside Vanni near Mangku'lam on the 7th of July.

5+
Killed
6
Injured

Northern Province Aerial bombing (2007)

July 14, 2007
Northern Province

The last rituals of the two civilians killed in the aerial bombing of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir jets on Thursday at A'lampil in Mullaiththeevu district, were held with a large number of local residents in attendance, Thursday. A 16-year-old boy and an old woman were killed in the attack. The bodies were taken to the Community Development Center of A'lampil and kept there for public viewing. After that, both the bodies were buried at the Mullaiththeevu Christian Cemetery. Hundreds of people participated in this event and paid their last respects to the victims. Rev. Fr. S. Nesan, the Parish Priest from the neighboring St. Annai Velankanni delivered the speech of condolence. Chronology: 11.08.07 Mullaiththeevu fishing woes 02.08.07 A'lampil student victim 'wished he was dead' 31.

2+
Killed
11
Injured

Jaffna Aerial bombing (2007)

July 11, 2007
Jaffna

A 15-year-old boy and a 51-year-old woman were killed and 11 civilians, including a one-year-old baby, were wounded when a Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir fighter jet bombed fishermen on shore near the Church of Vealangkanni in A'lampil Wednesday around 3:30 p.m. Five children below 16 years of age were wounded in the SLAF bombardment. The Kfir bomber flew at low altitude, targeted the fishermen families who were sorting fish on the shore and dropped two bombs on them. A 15-year-old victim, P. Premkumar, has lost both of his legs in the attack. The SLAF bombardment on civilian target comes while the Norwegian Ambassador is on a visit to Ki'linochchi to meet with the LTTE Political Head. Bomb crater in the shore. [Photo: TamilNet] One-year-old baby wounded in SLAF bombardment.

2+
Killed
11
Injured

Ampalavanpokkanai Claymore attack (5 Killed, 2007)

July 10, 2007
Ampalavanpokkanai, Mullaitivu

Five persons, inclduing Tamileelam Health Service personnel and civilians were killed in a Claymore mine attack by a Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army inside Vanni near Mangku'lam around 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, according to initial reports by the Liberatin Tigers officials in Ki'linochchi. A worker from the Road Development Department, on road construction work along the A9 road, was wounded in the attack. Civil Health Service vehicles have been targeted by the Deep Penetration Units that infiltrate into LTTE controlled Vanni, in violation of rules of war, LTTE officials added. The attack took place 6 km north of Mangku'lam at Kizhavanku'lam. Tamileelam Health Service (TEHS), a civil service of the LTTE run civil administration in Vanni.

5+
Killed
20
Injured

Sri Lanka Shooting (430 Killed, 2007)

June 29, 2007
Sri Lanka

Justice Mahanama Tilakeratne, head of the Special Commision on Disappearances, speaking to the media at BMICH Colombo Thursday, said that between September 2006 and February 2007, more than 430 Sri Lankans, mostly Tamils were killed, and 886 cases of abduction or disappearance remain unresolved, sources in Colombo said. During the same five month period, a total of 2,020 people were either abducted or disappeared. 1,134 were later found alive and reunited with their families, Mr. Tilakeratne said. Sri Lanka Government has been criticized locally and internationally on abductions, disappearances and unsolved killings. "This is something very bad for the image of the country," he said.

430+
Killed

Jaffna Attack (2007)

June 4, 2007
Jaffna, Jaffna

Gunmen riding in a motorbike opened fire on three civilians in Jaffna killing them all on the spot Monday noon, initial reports from Jaffna said. The killings have taken place on Nalloor Temple Road where U.N. and NGO offices are located and the road tightly guarded by the Sri Lanka Army. The identity cards found with the victims bodies revealed the identities of the victims as Sothirajah Nishanthan, 27, and Sothirajah Sutharsan, 21, from Kachcheari-Nalloor Road, and Chandrakanthan Chandru, 21, Vaazhaiththoappu, Kaddaippiraay. Two of the victims were riding in a motorbike while the third victim was cycling. The victims are yet to be identified. Jaffna Magistrate, T. Viknarajah visited the crime scene and conducted inquiries. The bodies have been transferred to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital.

3+
Killed

Colombo Hospital attack (8 Killed, 2007)

May 28, 2007
Colombo

A bomb exploded in Ratmalana near the domestic airport Monday around 5:30 p.m., targeting a military vehicle on Galle Road at Gohumadama junction. Eight civilians have succumbed to their injuries and 27 including 6 STF elite troopers were wounded in the blast, Police said. (Photo: Associated Press) The blast targetted a vehicle carrying STF troopers travelling from Kattukurunte training base to Kadawatte STF camp. The bomb was placed on a roof of a shop. Four shops were damaged in the explosion, police said. Wounded persons were rushed to Panandura and Kalubowila hospital.

8+
Killed
27
Injured

Vavuniya Shooting (2007)

May 3, 2007
Vavuniya, Vavuniya

One Sri Lanka Police constable was killed when unknown gunmen fired at the sentry point in Pampaimadu in Vavuniya Thursday morning Vavuniya police said. The gunmen escaped amid hail of return fire by the police said. Meanwhile, three bodies of civilians were recovered in two sites in Vavuniya Thursday morning, sources said. Partially burnt bodies belonging to two males were recovered by Vavuniya police in Poovarasangku'lam- Cheddiku'lam junction area Thursday morning. Identity of the two victims have not been established yet, police said. Meanwhile, the unidentified body of a male victim with several gunshot wounds was recovered near Kallaathu bridge Thurday morning, Cheddiku'lam police said.

3+
Killed

Anuradhapura Claymore attack (2007)

April 24, 2007
Anuradhapura, Anuradhapura

Four civilians including a women were killed and 37 wounded when the civilian bus carrying Tamil and Muslim passengers from Mannar to Colombo was hit by a Claymore mine around 11:30 p.m. Monday at Andiyapuliayankulam along Mannar-Madawachiya road in Vavuniya. Relatives of the victims have blamed the Sri Lanka Army for the attack on the civilian bus. The injured passengers were first rushed to Chettikulam hospital and around 1:30 p.m transferred to Vavuniya general hospital. Some of the injured passengers found to be in critical condition were taken to Anuradhapura hospital for further treatment.

4+
Killed
37
Injured

Vavuniya Claymore attack (7 Killed, 2007)

April 7, 2007
Vavuniya, Vavuniya

A Claymore mine was triggered on Vavuniya Mannar Road, 25 km west of Vavuniya town, killing 7 and wounding 25, including four children, Police said. The bomb attack has targeted a Sri Lanka Transport Board (CTB) bus, carrying Tamil and Muslim civilians, travelling from Mannar to Vavuniya Saturday around 7:40 a.m. between Piramanalankulam and Puthukulam. 19 wounded patients were rushed to Vavuniya hospital, according to medical sources.

7+
Killed
25
Injured

Vallipunam Aerial bombing (2007)

April 4, 2007
Vallipunam, Mullaitivu

Two civilian passengers were killed and four wounded on Kaivaeli - Puthukkudiyir'uppu Road in Mullaiththeevu district when Sri Lanka Air Force Kfir jets bombed the area Wednesday around 1:00 p.m., LTTE officials in Kilinochchi said. NGO office of the White Pigeon Prosthesis Institute in Puthukkudiyir'uppu was damaged in the aerial attack, the sources added. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan military sources in Colombo claimed that they had attacked a Sea Tiger base in Mullaiththeevu. B. Pradeep, from Moongilaaru, Mullaitheevu was one of the passengers who was killed in the air strike, medical sources in Puthukudiyiruppu hospital said. The other passenger killed in the attack is yet to be identified, medical sources said.

2+
Killed
4
Injured

Ampara Bus attack (12 Killed, 2007)

April 2, 2007
Ampara, Ampara

Sixteen civilians including ten women were killed and 27 wounded when a bomb exploded inside a bus at the Sri Lankan military check post at Kondaivedduvaan, as its passengers were getting down to be checked, 4 km west of Amparai town Monday around 12:30 p.m., Police officials in Amparai said. One female police constable and a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) trooper were among those killed. Tension prevailed in Kondaivedduvaan area as SLA troopers launched a search operation following the blast. The bus, belonging to Bibilai Depot in Badula and on its way from Amparai to Badulla, was completely damaged in the blast which killed 12 on the spot. Four succumbed to their injuries while being rushed to the hospital.

12+
Killed
27
Injured

Batticaloa Shelling (9 Killed, 2007)

March 30, 2007
Batticaloa, Batticaloa

Eight civilians, including four children, were killed Thursday 7:30 p.m. when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired mortars from Murakkoddaanchaenai SLA camp towards Siththaandi 3rd division, located 800 m southwest of the SLA camp. One of the wounded succumbed to injuries at Batticaloa hospital. Two 2-year-old girls and 2 boys under 18 years were among the victims. Three of the children were from a single family, initial reports said. Sri Lankan police or SLA troopers in the area were yet to visit the site, civilians from the area said. The mortar attack on civilian settlement comes after the LTTE raid on SLA positions in the area 9 days ago, on March 21. There were no LTTE units firing mortars from Siththaandi towards SLA positions, civilians added.

9+
Killed

Mannar Claymore attack (55 Killed, 2007)

March 10, 2007
Mannar, Mannar

Fifty-five Tamil civilians were killed, 105 injured, and 16 reported missing in Mannar district from 2006 January to February 2007 in military operations carried out by the Sri Lanka forces, civil sources said. 15 civilians were killed, 47 injured and 11 reported missing in Mannar DS division. 11 civilians were killed, 15 injured and 6 reported missing in Nanattan DS division. 3 civilians were killed, 5 injured and one reported missing in Musali DS division. 18 Tamil civilians were killed and 39 injured in Manthai West DS division in LTTE held territory. 10 civilians were killed, two by shooting and 8 in claymore attacks by Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), 9 injured and one person reported missing in Madhu DS division in LTTE held area.

55+
Killed
105
Injured

Batticaloa Hospital attack (2007)

February 21, 2007
Batticaloa

Unidentified persons detonated a cycle bomb killing a police inspector and two civilians, and injuring fourteen persons including 5 Police officers at Trincomalee main street, Ottamavadi in Valaichenai police division in Batticaloa around 5:05 p.m. Wednesday. The attack was targetted towards a jeep carrying a police team which had come to relieve the group of constables stationed there, Valaichenai police said. The dead persons were identified as Karunaratne, 39, Inspector of police, and civilians Meera Lebai Ahamed Usanar, 45 of Piranthuraichenai and Sehuth Ali Kileel Rahuman, 32 of Ward No. 4, Valaichenai and a father of one child. 9 civilians among the 14 injured were rushed to Valaichenai hospital while the five police personnel were taken to Polanaruwa hospital.

2+
Killed
14
Injured

Vavuniya Claymore attack (2007)

February 20, 2007
Vavuniya

Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir bombers attacked Parasankulam village 16 km northeast of Vavuniya, killing 2 civilians and wounding one, Tuesday around 7:30 a.m. Two hours later, the bombers dropped 12 bombs in another location, at Karipaddamurippu where a civilian house narrowly escaped, according to Tamileelam Police. As airstrikes were stepped up Tuesday, Deep Penetration Unit of Sri Lanka Army was also engaged in Claymore attacks. Two Kfir bombers had attacked the Parasankulam village, according to the TE Police in Puliyankulam. The SLAF bombers were also observed over Vanni again Tuesday noon. Further details of the bombardments were not available.

2+
Killed

Jaffna Hospital attack (2007)

January 23, 2007
Jaffna

Three civilians, including an elderly woman was killed and twenty civilians injured, seven seriously, in two incidents of bomb explosions in Chavakachcheri and Manipay, Tuesday morning, sources in Jaffna said. A Sri Lanka Army soldier succumbed to his wounds and three other troopers were wounded in Chavakachcheri explosion, SLA sources in Jaffna said. Tension prevails in Jaffna after the suspicious bomb attacks inflicting civilian casualties during the rush hours near Chavakachcheri New Market and in Manipay.

3+
Killed
20
Injured

Vavuniya Shooting (2007)

January 22, 2007
Vavuniya, Vavuniya

Unidentified armed men opened fire on Sri Lanka Police on security duty Sunday night at Kulumattu junction in Vavuniya killing one policeman and injuring two. Three civilians were injured when the police returned fire. One of the injured policemen and one of the injured civilians succumbed to injuries Monday, sources in Vavuniya said. Meanwhile, in a separate incident, unidentified armed men shot dead a civilian Sunday night in Chettikulam area in Vavuniya, said Vavuniya police. The Police transferred the body to Vavuniya hospital for postmortem examinations, hospital sources said.

2+
Killed

Colombo Bus attack (6 Killed, 2007)

January 6, 2007
Colombo

Another bus explosion was reported in South, claiming 15 lives, on Galle Road, at Seenigama in Meetiyagoda Police area in Galle District, 88 km southeast of Colombo Saturday around 2:20 p.m. More than forty civilians were wounded in the second explosion reported within 24 hours, according to Karapitiya hospital sources. Military officials in Colombo blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for the bomb attacks in buses Friday and Saturday. LTTE Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthiryan denied the accusation as baseless accusations. People gather at the site of a blast in Seenigama, 6 January 2007. (AFP) The explosion was reported inside a private passenger bus carrying travellers from Colombo to Matara in the Southern Province.

6+
Killed
40
Injured

Colombo Bus attack (6 Killed, 2007)

January 5, 2007
Colombo

Six persons were killed in an explosion inside a bus at Kalapittiya near Nittambuwa, 36 km northeast of Colombo, Friday around 6:30 p.m. Around fifty passengers were wounded, as the bus, on its way to Giriulla from Nittambuwa, took fire following the explosion, Police said. 10 persons were seriously wounded. Police has clamped a curfew in the area til Saturday morning 6:00 a.m. Police suspects that a time bomb, weighing 2 kg, was attached to the rear of the bus. 15 of the wounded persons, with minor injuries, were discharged from the hospitals while others are warded at hospitals in Wattupitiwala, Ragama and Colombo.

6+
Killed
40
Injured

Kilinochchi Claymore attack (2007)

January 5, 2007
Kilinochchi

Two Agriculture Department officials were killed and 2 wounded Friday morning when a vehicle belonging to the department, transporting fruit plants, was hit by a Sri Lankan Deep Penetration Unit Claymore mine blast around 8:45 in Nedunkerni, 37 km northeast of Vavuniya. One of the two Claymore mines, triggered by the DPU attackers, exploded. Sri Lanka Army launched an artillery attack, firing around 25 shells towards the attack site, after the Claymore explosion.

2+
Killed
2
Injured
Major Event

Padahuthurai Bombing

January 2, 2007
Padahuthurai, Mannar

On 2 January 2007 at 9:35 AM, three Sri Lanka Air Force Kefir bombers attacked the civilian fishing hamlet of Padahuthurai near Iluppaikadavai in Mannar District. The settlement housed 231 displaced persons from Navanthurai, Jaffna (46 families in 35 huts) who had been living there since 1995. Fifteen civilians were killed including 7 children - the youngest just 1 year old. Over 35 were wounded, with 25 serious cases (mostly children and women) transferred to Kilinochchi hospital. The settlement was a Catholic fishing community with no military installations.

15
Killed
35
Injured

Kilinochchi Aerial bombing (14 Killed, 2007)

January 2, 2007
Kilinochchi

Sri Lanka Air Force bombers Tuesday morning bombed more than 25 houses, killing at least 14 civilians, including 6 children, and seriously wounding 35 civilians at the coastal hamlet of Padahuthurai in Iluppaikadavai, 24 km northwest of Mannar town. Medical staff at two local hospitals in the area, Mulankavil and Pallamadu, were struggling to transport the seriously wounded, as an ambulance rushed from Mannar hospital, was blocked by Sri Lanka Army soldiers manning the Uyilankulam entry point. Wounded children rushed to Kilinochchi hospital Only one house remained in the fishing village where 34 houses and huts, flattened in the carpet-bombardment, were ablaze, eyewitnesses said.

14+
Killed
35
Injured

Ampara Attack (2007)

January 1, 2007
Ampara, Ampara

Four bullet ridden bodies of abducted civilians, two in the nearby jungle area and two near the Post Office, were recovered by Police Monday evening in Damana in Amparai district, sources in Amparai said. Unidentified persons abducted 5 civilians from Damana area Saturday and killed four of them, except an 18 year old boy, Police said. The victims were identified as Ms. M. Kusumavathy, 65, Ms. K. Mallika, 44, T.M. Suthubanda, 60, and A. Karunarathne, 54. Damana Police handed over the bodies to the relatives after the inquest held at Amparai General Hospital. Motives for the killing are not known. Meanwhile, an employee of the Bugmitiya Post Office on his way to work was injured when unidentified persons fired at him at Bugmitiya in Damana Police division around 10:15 a.m. Monday.

4+
Killed

Jaffna Shooting (6 Killed, 2006)

December 26, 2006
Jaffna

Sri Lanka Army authorities in Jaffna said that 6 LTTE members were killed and 9 SLA soldiers were injured, two of them seriously, in clashes at Kakaithivu in Navanthurai, a suburb of Jaffna town, around 8:30 p.m, Monday. SLA soldiers handed over the bodies of five youths to the Jaffna teaching hospital, around Tuesday noon, hospital sources said. Later, the police handed over another body with gun shot injuries around 1 p.m. The police said the body was recovered at Aanaikoddai, a village close to Navanthurai, the hospital sources said. According to the sources, two seriously injured SLA soldiers were admitted at the hospital Monday night. Four others were admitted at the hospital Tuesday morning.

6+
Killed
9
Injured

Vavuniya Claymore attack (5 Killed, 2006)

December 20, 2006
Vavuniya, Vavuniya

Unidentified persons triggered a claymore device Wednesday around 12:10 p.m, concealed in a rubble heap along the A9 route at Thandikulam in Vavuniya, seriously injuring a Sri Lanka Army (SLA)trooper who was first rushed to Vavuniya hospital and later transferred to Anuradapura hospital for further treatment, Vavuniya police said. The claymore attack, targeting the SLA troopers on a tractor, took place close to the site near Thandikulam Agriculture Farm School where five SLA troopers including an officer were killed on November 18 in a similar claymore attack.

5+
Killed
18
Injured

Valaignarmadam Hospital attack (5 Killed, 2006)

December 14, 2006
Valaignarmadam, Mullaitivu

Sri Lanka Army troopers attacked a convoy of wounded LTTE cadres transported by the LTTE medics from Vaharai to LTTE controlled Karadiyanaru for medical treatment via sea route Wednesday night around 10:30 p.m. SLA sources said 5 Tigers were killed and a wounded Sri Lanka Army soldier, K.M.S. Ratnayake, who was in the LTTE custody since 08 October and being transported by the Tiger medics, was captured. Meanwhile, LTTE's Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan said the SLA has attacked an unarmed medical transport and described the attack, a "cowardly act." "Wounded LTTE fighters and a wounded Sri Lanka Army man were being transported our medics," Mr. Ilanthirayan said.

5+
Killed
9
Injured

Jaffna Hospital attack (2006)

December 12, 2006
Jaffna

A 50 year old civilian, caught in the cross fire in a clash between unidentified armed men and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) road patrol unit at Kokuvil in Jaffna Monday night, was killed on the spot. Jaffna police recovered the body around 8:45 p.m and handed it over to Jaffna Teaching hospital. In a separate incident at Udupiddy in Vadamaradchi, two unidentified armed men shot dead an employee of the Jaffna Teaching hospital at his house Tuesday around 7:00 a.m, sources in Jaffna said. The Kokuvil clash lasted for 15 minutes and came in the wake of a hand grenade attack by unidentified persons on SLA troopers Monday evening at the same area, seriously injuring two of them. The Vadamaradchy victim was identified as Paramsothy Anananthakumar, 47, a father of five children.

2+
Killed

Vavuniya Agriculture School Massacre

November 18, 2006
Thandikulam, Vavuniya

On 18 November 2006 at approximately 9:45 AM, Sri Lankan Army troops from a nearby checkpost stormed the Thandikulam Agriculture Farm School in Vavuniya, 4km north on the A9 highway. This was in retaliation for a claymore blast that killed five SLA soldiers nearby. The soldiers shot at unarmed students while they were pleading they were innocent. Five students were killed - four Tamil students and one Muslim student from Batticaloa. Eight to nine other students were wounded. The students were engaged in practical coursework and were hostel residents at the agricultural school.

4
Killed
11
Injured

Vavuniya Claymore attack (5 Killed, 2006)

November 18, 2006
Vavuniya, Vavuniya

Five army troopers inculding an officer were killed and the remaining four soldiers were wounded when unidentified attackers triggered a Claymore mine at their truck around 9:45 a.m. Saturday. Soldiers manning a nearby checkpost entered the Thandikulam Farm School and shot at the hostel students inside the school premises following the Claymore attack, civilian sources said. 4 students were killed and 8 wounded and rushed to Vavuniya hospital. Wounded soldiers were rushed to Vanni SLA Head Quarters for treatment. The troopers were travelling towards Omanthai when their was vehicle was attacked. Omanthai is about 17 k.m. north of Vavuniya. Chronology: 30.03.08 Thaandikulam students' murder inquiry stalls 24.11.06 SLA soldier arrested on Farm school killings 23.11.

5+
Killed
18
Injured

Vaharai Shelling (100 Killed, 2006)

November 8, 2006
Vaharai, Batticaloa

Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), engaged in emergency rescue work at the IDP camp in Kathiraveli school Wednesday evening, said TRO�s Sonobo Children�s Home located close to the school was also attacked by SLA artillery. 12 children were wounded. Forty bodies have been recovered including 6 babies between the ages of 3 and 6 months, the TRO statement said. 76 persons have been admitted to the hospital. Full text of the press statement issued by the TRO follows: Over 100 Civilians dead and injured - School and Hospital hit by Sri Lanka Army Multi-Barrel rocket and artillery attack Over 100 persons have been killed or injured in an artillery (multi-barrel rocket) attack by the Sri Lanka Armed Forces in Vaharai, Batticaloa District.

100+
Killed

Kilinochchi Hospital Precincts Bombing

November 2, 2006
Kilinochchi

On 2 November 2006, Sri Lankan Air Force Kfir jets dropped 16 bombs approximately 500 meters east of Kilinochchi General Hospital in Anandapuram. Six civilians were killed: a family of five (including two GCE A/L students aged 18 and 20) whose house was bombed, and a 49-year-old hospital patient who was a mother of four and died from shock-related complications. One person was seriously injured. Approximately 500 hospital patients were evacuated, including mothers with newborns and wounded from previous bombings. Students at nearby Central College and Technical College were also affected by the explosion shock waves.

5
Killed
6
Injured

Vaharai Aerial bombing (5 Killed, 2006)

November 2, 2006
Vaharai, Batticaloa

Five members of a family were killed when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir jets dropped 16 bombs within 500 meters east of the newly built Kilinochchi General Hospital at Anandapuram around 2:30 p.m. Thursday. One was seriously wounded. Around 500 patients warded in the hospital, among others mothers with newly born babies in their hands and severely wounded patients from earlier SLAF bombings, were forced to leave the hospital premises. Explosion shock shattered hospital window-glasses and fans fell down while the patients were having lunch in their beds, doctors told TamilNet. Tension prevailed in Kilinochchi town following the aerial attack. Patients fleeing from Kilinochchi General Hospital.

5+
Killed

Jaffna Hospital attack (6 Killed, 2006)

October 29, 2006
Jaffna

Six civilians were killed and one seriously injured when a bomb allegedly carried by a bicyclist exploded in Udupiddy in Vadamaradchy along Udpiddy-Valvettiturai road at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, sources in Point Pedro said. The injured civilians was first admitted to the Valvettiturai hospital and later transferred to Jaffna Teaching Hospital, hospital sources said. The body of the person who allegedly carried the bomb has not been identified yet. The bicycle has been blown to pieces according to local witnesses.

6+
Killed

Jaffna Shooting (8 Killed, 2006)

October 21, 2006
Jaffna

Seven civilians were shot and killed by unidentified armed men and the body of a youth from Kandarmadam with cut injuries was found in a well in Neeraviady Jaffna peninsula within the last 24 hours from Thursday 6:00 p.m to Friday 6:00 p.m., civil society sources in Jaffna said. Unidentified gunmen called Thiyagarajan Thilainathan, 28, out of his house at Karavedy near Sampanthar shop, along Arasady-Sonappu Road, shot him dead Friday around 9:15 a.m., and escaped from the site, said sources in Karavedy. Kanthan Uthayakumar, 32, a trader from Karavedy East in Vadamardchchy, riding his bicycle was shot around Friday 3:00 p.m. at the same location by unidentified gunmen who followed him in on a motorbike.

8+
Killed

Puthukkudiyiruppu Bombing

October 16, 2006
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

On 16 October 2006 between 5:15-5:45 PM, four Sri Lanka Air Force Kfir bombers attacked the civilian settlement in Kaiveli village, Puthukudiyiruppu, Mullaithivu district. At least 16 bombs were dropped, destroying 9 houses. Two children were killed - a 1-year-old baby girl and a 12-year-old girl. Fifteen civilians were injured: 11 women and girls, and 4 men. Six were treated at Puthukudiyiruppu hospital, 8 with serious injuries were admitted to Ponnambalam Hospital, and 1 critically wounded person was transported to Kilinochchi hospital. A 1-month-old baby miraculously survived the attack.

4
Killed

Jaffna Shooting (2006)

October 16, 2006
Jaffna, Jaffna

Four civilians including a gramasevaka and a Sinhalese man were killed between 6:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Monday in Jaffna peninsula, civil society sources in Jaffna said. Markandu Mahendran, 39, who served as Grama Sevaka in Ariyalai for several years was shot dead by unknown gunmen at his residence in Ariyalai at 6:00 a.m., sources in Jaffna said. Two unknown gunmen arrived at Selliah Nanthan's house, 42, shot and killed him at close range at 8:00 a.m Monday. Nanthan's house was located in Tellipallai Road, Vaddukoddai. Meanwhile, Ariyathurai Ariyasivam, 40, who runs a tea-shop in the central part of Jaffna town, was shot dead by unknown gunmen at his business premises around 8:30 a.m., sources in Jaffna said.

4+
Killed

Jaffna Shooting (2006)

October 15, 2006
Jaffna

Four civilians were shot dead and two seriously injured in Jaffna peninsula in three separate incidents within the 24-hours from 6:00 p.m. Saturday and 6:00 p.m. Sunday, civil society sources in Jaffna said. Unknown gunmen who arrived at a bakery in Oluvil road in Karampan, Kayts at 8:30 pm Saturday, interrogated the owners and customers present in the bakery and opened fire at them. Thavarasah Kunatheepan, 23, from Karampan South, and Ramu Sellathurai, 43, from Nedunkuda, Karainagar, were killed on the spot. Two others, seriously injured during the shooting, were taken to Kayts hospital immediately, and later around midnight were transferred to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital in critical condition, hospital sources said.

4+
Killed
2
Injured

Vavuniya Bombing (2006)

October 10, 2006
Vavuniya

A bomb concealed in a Dolphin van taken into custody by Vavuniya police 15 days ago exploded Tuesday around 12 noon, half an hour after being released, killing 3 civilians and seriously injuring 2 at Periyarkulam, Poonthottam in Vavuniya, said Mr. Chanthanayake, Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Vavuniya Police. Anandan, who had driven the released van to his relatives' house at Periyarkulam in Poonthottam, had sounded the horn on finding the gates of the house closed. Karupaiah Palsamy and his wife Vasanthy Palsamy had come out and opened the gate for Anandan. The bomb exploded as the van was being parked, said the Village Council Chairman of the area. Anandan and the Palsamy couple died on the spot while two women in the neighbouring house were seriously injured.

3+
Killed
2
Injured

Jaffna Shooting (5 Killed, 2006)

September 22, 2006
Jaffna, Jaffna

The bodies of 3 family men who were abducted by unidentified persons, Thursday morning, were found with gun shot injuries near Sri Lanka Army's Forward Defence Lines (FDL) at Pariyavilan in the Valikamam sector of the Jaffna pensula, Thursday evening. Gunmen riding in motorbike shot and killed a postal employee in Chankanai Thursday morning and a 59-year-old man was shot dead in Valvettithurai in Vadamaradchi. The victims were abducted while they were cycling to market, Thursday. Relatives and villagers went searching for the men, after they found three abandoned bicycles. Later, in the evening their bodies were found at Periyavilan near Allaveddi near Sri Lanka Army's FDL. Mallakam District Judge, Ms.

5+
Killed

Pottuvil Reservoir Massacre

September 17, 2006
Pottuvil, Ampara

On 17-18 September 2006, ten Muslim workers who had been dispatched to repair the Rattal Kulam water reservoir were found killed near Pottuvil in Amparai district. The location was 9km south of Pottuvil, near a Special Task Force training camp and Yala National Park. One worker was wounded and transferred to Amparai hospital, and one was reported missing. The workers were caught in a dispute over water reservoir repairs between Sinhalese and Muslim farmers in the area. Bodies were transported to a mosque. Sri Lankan military blamed the LTTE, while the Tigers stated it was part of a sabotage campaign by Sri Lankan forces.

10
Killed

Batticaloa Shelling (2006)

September 5, 2006
Batticaloa, Batticaloa

Sri Lanka Army fired Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher shells hit Kathiraveli, 10 km north of Vaharai, where Internally Displaced People from Muthur East and Eacchilampatru have sought refuge. 3 civilians were killed, 9 wounded, according to LTTE officials in Kathiraveli. Medical sources in Batticaloa reported that ICRC personnel transported at least 2 wounded civlians to Valaichenai hospital. The MBRL attack on Tuesday on Kathiramalai in Batticaloa district's north, comes amid speculation by analysts in Colombo that Sri Lankan military was planning another offensive towards southern Trincomalee and northern Batticaloa areas where thousands of IDP's have taken refuge. Refugees from Eachilampattu along the streets in Kathirveli. Bunkers were being constructed along the roads.

3+
Killed
9
Injured

Jaffna Shooting (2006)

September 4, 2006
Jaffna, Jaffna

Motorbike riding Sri Lanka Army (SLA) men in civil clothes shot and killed three civilians in three separate shootings in Jaffna Monday. An owner of a garage 100 meters away from an SLA sentry point in Stanley Road in Jaffna, a devotee returning home from Thurkai Amman Temple festival was gunned down at Maruthanarmadam Junction and a painter was shot dead in Uduppidy in Vadamaradchi. Two 8-year-old children and a mother wounded in the shootings were admitted to Jaffna hospital. The gunmen shot and kiled Sundaramoorthi Baskaran, 31, owner of a garage, located on Stanely Road, 100 meters away from a SLA sentry point Monday.

3+
Killed
Major Event

Senchcholai Girls School Bombing

August 14, 2006
Sencholai Campus, Vallipunam, Mullaitivu

On August 14, 2006 at 7:00am, four Sri Lankan Air Force Kfir jets bombed the Sencholai campus in Vallipunam. The attack occurred on the fourth day of a ten-day residential educational program organized by the Mullaithivu Principals Association and Kandavalai Principals Association. 51 female students and 4 staff members were killed. Students from 12 schools across Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi districts were attending the leadership and first aid training. 130+ were seriously injured - 3 girls lost legs, 1 girl lost an eye. 3 injured girls sent to Kandy were immediately arrested by TID. 1 died at Vavuniya hospital. 2 others detained without charges for 2 years.

55
Killed
130
Injured

Puthukkudiyiruppu Aerial bombing (61 Killed, 2006)

August 14, 2006
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

At least 61 schoolgirls were killed and 129 were wounded when Sri Lankan Kfir jets bombed a children's home compound in Mullaithivu district Monday morning where schoolgirls were attending a residential course on first aid, LTTE officials at the Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi said. Ambulances were rushing the wounded, many of whom are bleeding badly, to hospitals, sources said. Officials of the LTTE, briefing reporters in Kilinochchi, described the attack as �a horrible act of terror� by the Sri Lankan armed forces. UN�s child agency, UNICEF, and international truce monitors have visited the scene of the carnage.

61+
Killed
129
Injured

Allaipiddy Church Shelling

August 13, 2006
Allaipiddy, Jaffna

On 13 August 2006, Sri Lankan military fired indiscriminately towards the Philip Neri Church in Allaipiddy islet off the Jaffna coast, where civilians had taken refuge. The military had used civilians as human shields, promising safe passage to Jaffna but then abandoning them amid ongoing bombardment. Direct shells struck the church structure. At least 12 civilians were killed, though the exact death toll remains unrecorded. The parish priest who witnessed the incident later disappeared. The victims ranged in age from 19 to 70 years old.

50+
Killed

Kilinochchi Aerial bombing (37 Killed, 2006)

August 12, 2006
Kilinochchi

25 Sri Lankan troopers, including 3 officers, were killed and 70 wounded during the past 24 hours in fighting in the Jaffna peninsula, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Brigadier Ajith Jayawardene, the acting defence spokesman who briefed media in Colombo Saturday. Meanwhile LTTE sources in Kilinochchi said 12 LTTE cadres were killed and 23 were wounded in the clashes. Sri Lankan Minister and Military Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwela presided the press conference held at Gamotaya Center in Kolpitty, Colombo. 84 Sri Lankan troopers, including policemen and homeguards, have been killed since 01 August till Saturday and 226 were wounded, the Sri Lanka officials said. At least 51 civilians were also killed, according to Brigadier Jayawardene.

37+
Killed
226
Injured

Trincomalee Shelling (17 Killed, 2006)

August 11, 2006
Trincomalee

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Friday wrote to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse urging him to restrain the Sri Lanka armed forces from killing innocent Tamil civilians, and to ensure proper action is taken against those responsible for such crimes. Mr.Sampanthan The letter sent by Mr.R.Sampanthan, parliamentary group leader of the TNA to Mr. Rajapakse on the killing of 17 Aid workers in Muthur follows: Seventeen Tamil speaking persons, 16 Tamils and one Muslim (13 males and four females), have been shot and killed by the armed forces at Muthur on Friday August4th. 16 of them are youth, one is an elderly person. The LTTE withdrew from Muthur area on the midnight of Thursday August 3rd. The Armed forces entered the Muthur area on Friday the 4th morning.

17+
Killed

Vaharai Aerial bombing (50 Killed, 2006)

August 10, 2006
Vaharai, Batticaloa

Atleast 50 civilians were killed and more than 200 were injured in Sri Lankan forces aerial bombardment and artillery attacks, Thursday morning, in Kathiraveli and surrounding villages as thousands of civilians were still fleeing the areas. Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched a fresh offensive, involving thousands of troopers, from Kallaru SLA camp towards Maavilaru sluice-gate while launching indiscriminate aerial and artillery attacks on Eachilampathu and it's suburbs. Liberation Tigers Military Spokesman Irasaiah Ilanthirayan, speaking from Kilinochchi said: "We can only interpret this as Colombo's declaration of war." SLA sources in Colombo said troops have advanced towards Maavilaru sluice. The bombardment was going on from Thursday morning around 4:00 a.m.

50+
Killed
200
Injured

Puthukkudiyiruppu Claymore attack (5 Killed, 2006)

August 9, 2006
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

A medical doctor, his wife, two nurses and the driver of the ambulance belonging to Nedunkerni hospital, were killed Tuesday night when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) attacked the ambulance, medical sources in Puthukudiyiruppu hospital said. Three Claymore mines in a row were exploded. Meanwhile, a cvilian bus with 75 passengers narrowly escaped another Claymore attack around 12:45, ten kilometers from Nedunkerni ambush site. The SLMM monitors, returning from Nedunkerni, were within one kilometers when the second Claymore explosion took place.

5+
Killed

Nedunkerni Ambulance Claymore Attack

August 8, 2006
Nedunkerni, Vavuniya

On 9 August 2006 at approximately 11:30 PM, a medical ambulance was attacked by three claymore mines detonated in succession by the Sri Lanka Army's Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) at Pandarakulam on the Nedunkerni-Oddusuddan Road. All five occupants were killed: Dr. Kathirkamathamby Jeyamalina (68), the only physician serving the Nedunkerni area; his wife Ponnamma; two nurses including Jehananthan Nahuleswari (37), a mother of three; and ambulance driver Kasupathy Gopalasundaram (54), a father of three. The doctor died en route to Puthukudiyiruppu hospital. This attack on medical personnel and a clearly marked ambulance constituted a war crime.

5
Killed
Major Event

Eastern Province Bombing and Shelling Campaign

August 6, 2006 - December 31, 2006
Trincomalee and Batticaloa Districts

Six-month military onslaught on LTTE-controlled parts of Trincomalee and Batticaloa. Started on pretext of Mavilaru sluice gate dispute. Villages affected: Eechilampattu, Nallur, Upparu, Sampur, Vaharai. Civilians pushed to Vaharai coastal belt. Massive attacks in November-December. Government prevented ICRC, SLMM access. Blocked food convoys for 6 months. Some civilians walked through forests to escape, 5 drowned when boat capsized. More than 200 civilian deaths.

200+
Killed
Major Event

Action Contre la Faim Staff Massacre

August 5, 2006
Muttur, Trincomalee

On 4th August 2006, 17 local aid workers of Action Contre la Faim (Action Against Hunger), a French humanitarian organization, were found shot dead in their office in Muttur, Trincomalee district. The workers were all Tamils who had been providing humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by the conflict. Evidence pointed to Sri Lankan security forces, but a government commission exonerated the military despite international criticism.

17
Killed

Batticaloa Shooting (15 Killed, 2006)

August 5, 2006
Batticaloa

Sri Lanka Army soldiers who entered the Muthur town in the early morning of Saturday shot and killed 15 Tamil workers from Action Faim NGO. The workers, trapped inside their Muthur branch office residence located close to Muthur Cultural Centre, were shot and killed at point blank range, initial reports from Muthur town said. Four of the fifteen massacred at the residence were women workers, according to the initial reports. Meanwhile, 29 Tamil males who were among the civilian refugees being transported by United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) towards Trincomalee town were arrested by Sri Lanka Army troopers and were transported in a tractor, sources from Kiliveddy said. The arrested were handed over to the Police, sources said.

15+
Killed

Valaignarmadam Shelling (2006)

August 4, 2006
Valaignarmadam, Mullaitivu

As fighting rages in Trincomalee district, to the south, Sri Lanka Army troops Friday attacked Liberation Tigers� positions in northern part of Batticaloa district. Following five hours of intense shelling, that killed 3 members of a family, SLA troops and paramilitaries advanced towards LTTE positions in Panichchankerni before being beaten back. Meanwhile, a significant number of Sri Lanka Army troops in Batticaloa town have been withdrawn for deployment in Trincomalee and their duties were being assigned to the troops from the elite Special Task Force (STF). All leave has been cancelled for police forces. Three people from the same family, M.

3+
Killed

Muttur Shelling (5 Killed, 2006)

August 4, 2006
Muttur, Trincomalee

Five Muslim refugees who were fleeing the fighting in Muttur were killed when a shell fell near them Friday around 2:00 p.m. at 64th mile post, Pachchanoor along the A 15 Main Road, civilian sources said. Hundreds of people, with white flags, were lined up at the 64th mile post when the shell fell near them. 2000 Muslim civilians are already on their way towards Kantalai, civil sources said. More than 30 civilians in Muttur area have been killed during the past 3 days. Meawnhile, the Sri lanka Mulsim Congress (SLMC) hierachy met Friday monring at the residence of Rauff Hakeem and contacted SL President Mahinda Rajapakse urging him to immediatly air-drop food and water to the fleeing civilians, party member Hassan Ali said.

5+
Killed

Trincomalee Aerial bombing (14 Killed, 2006)

August 1, 2006
Trincomalee, Trincomalee

Artillery shells began hitting the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Trincomalee Naval base as a ship transporting more than 800 Sri Lanka Army (SLA) troopers approached the naval base around 2:25 p.m. Tuesday. More than 36 shells have hit the naval base. At least 6 naval personnel were killed when the shells hit navy college inside the Naval complex. Five sea-borne LTTE vessels destroyed a Dvora boat killing eight SLN troops, naval sources said. The Trincomalee naval headquarters has sustained heavy damage. The ship which came under attack was taken to international waters, SLN sources in Colombo said. At least 30 personnel were wounded, according to initial reports. Six injured were admitted at the Trincomalee hospital. Heavy fighting ensued at the sea while the naval headquarters was being attacked.

14+
Killed

Vaharai Aerial bombing (6 Killed, 2006)

July 27, 2006
Vaharai, Batticaloa

Six Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres were killed and five wounded when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Kfir jets bombed a camp of the Tigers in Kathiraveli, 40 km southeast of Trincomalee town, in LTTE controlled Vakarai region Thursday around 3:30 p.m., Trincomalee District Political Head of the Tigers, S. Elilan said. Three civilians were also wounded in the attack, according to Mr. Elilan. The SLAF bombing campaign, following the Mavilaru crisis, has targeted a civilian settlement in Keppapulavu in Mullaithivu district Thursday and the Vaharai region twice, on Wednesday wounding two civilians and on Thursday hitting the LTTE camp and civilian houses. Kathiraveli is located in Batticaloa District. It comes under Trincomalee District administration of the Liberation Tigers.

6+
Killed

Jaffna Claymore attack (2006)

July 19, 2006
Jaffna

A Sri Lanka Army Captain, a Lieutenant and a Lance Corporal were killed and 11 other troopers wounded when a bus carrying the troopers was ambushed with a Claymore mine near Maruthanarmadam Junction, 8.5 km northeast of Jaffna town at 11:05 a.m. Wednesday. Five of the eleven SLA troopers wounded in the ambush, were in serious condition, SLA sources said. The soldiers opened fire indiscriminately for fifteen minutes and beat up the civilians in the area after the attack. Three civilians were rushed to Jaffna hospital, residents said. The wounded troopers, 1 officier, 8 SLA troopers and 2 policemen, were rushed to Palaly military hospital and three of the wounded were airlifted to Colombo. Three civilians, V. Kajanthan, 21, K. Thurairajah, 62, both from Uduvil, Chunnakam, and D.

3+
Killed

Mannar Hospital attack (5 Killed, 2006)

June 17, 2006
Mannar, Mannar

Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) troopers shot and killed four fishermen at the shores of Pesalai in Mannar and lobbed at least four grenades Saturday morning into the Church of Our Lady of Victory in Pesalai, killing a woman and wounding at least 44 persons, half of them in critical condition. The four fishermen were killed at the shores of Pesalai, 15 km northwest of Mannar, around 7:00 a.m. Saturday, when the troopers began attacking civilians after a naval battle with the Sea Tigers near Pesalai. Six of eight missing SLN troopers were confirmed dead in the sea fight, according to SLN sources. 44 civilians were transferred to Mannar hospital from Pesalai Peripheral Medical Facility. Around 20 persons were in critical condition and were being transferred to Anuradhapura and Vavuniya hospitals.

5+
Killed
44
Injured

Muttur Claymore attack (64 Killed, 2006)

June 15, 2006
Muttur, Trincomalee

64 passengers, including fifteen children and a Buddhist monk, were killed and around 94 wounded when a civilian bus was caught in a claymore mine blast near Kebitigollawe, 23 km southeast of Vavuniya, around 7:50 a.m. Thursday, police sources said. Wounded survivors were rushed to Kepitigollawe and Anuradhapura hospitals. The majority of victims are Sinhalese, officials said. A Sri Lanka Army soldier and a homeguard were among the victims. Around 70 wounded persons were rushed to Anuradhapura hospital. 9 persons, including 2 children and 3 women, were transferred to Colombo hospital, medical sources said. Five children were wounded. Two claymore mines were used in the attack on the bus carrying 150 passengers, police said.

64+
Killed
94
Injured

Jaffna Claymore attack (2006)

June 14, 2006
Jaffna, Jaffna

One Sri Lanka Army (SLA) trooper and one civilian supporter of Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) were killed, and one SLA soldier and two Sri Lanka Police officers were injured in continuing violence across Jaffna district Wednesday, sources from Jaffna said. Two Police constables attached to Ilavalai Police were injured when the pickup vehicle they were travelling in came under claymore attack along the Periyavilan-Pandatharippu Road at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday, sources in Jaffna said. At 11:45 a.m. an SLA trooper who was on security duty at the Jaffna-Palaly road near Urumpirai junction came under grenade attack by unknown gunmen. The trooper was seriously injured and was taken to Palaly Military Hospital for treatment. Details of his condition are not available.

2+
Killed
3
Injured

Vankalai Family Massacre

June 8, 2006
Vankalai, Thomaspuri, Mannar

On June 8, 2006, Sinnaiah Moorthy Martin, a carpenter, his wife Mary Madeleine (Chitra), and their two children were brutally murdered in their home in Vankalai. The family had returned from India where they had lived as refugees. Mary Madeleine (27), a former teacher with Jesuit Refugee Service, was gang-raped and stabbed in the chest. The children - Lakshika (9) and Dilaks (7) - along with their father were tortured using Martin's carpentry tools and then hanged. Military boot prints and a military badge with star insignia were found at the scene. Around 5,000 people attended their funeral at St. Anne's Church.

4
Killed

Jaffna Massacre (9 Killed, 2006)

May 19, 2006
Jaffna

Two local residents seriously injured during Allaipiddy killings and receiving treatment in Jaffna Hospital told the Kayts Magistrate, Mr. Jeyaraman Trotsky, in a deposition that Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) soldiers were present during the killlings and that they will be able to identify the SLN soldiers who took part in the killings, legal sources in Jaffna said. The Magistrate recorded statements from witnesses and relatives in the Puliyankudal and Velanai killings starting from Wednesday in Kayts courts, legal sources said. He visited the injured who escaped Allaipiddy killings at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital Friday to record the statements. Mr Roxy did not summon the injured to the Courts due to security reasons and recorded the deposition at the Hospital.

9+
Killed

Jaffna Hospital attack (8 Killed, 2006)

May 14, 2006
Jaffna, Jaffna

Three civilians belonging to same family were massacred at their home in Puliyankoodal in Kayts by Sri Lanka Navy operated paramilitary gunmen, around 10:30 p.m. Saturday. A tea-shop owner was also found shot dead near Velanai junction. A petrol station was attacked. Meanwhile, armed men who came in a vehicle set fire to several shops and blasted a transformer at Puliyankoodal junction in Kayts, Saturday night, civilian sources said. Villagers blame Sri Lankan forces for the attacks in the Jaffna islets. On Saturday alone, 13 civilians have been killed in Sri Lanka Navy controlled Jaffna islets. EPDP paramilitary was in control of the Jaffna islets before the signing of CFA in 2002.

8+
Killed
Major Event

Allaipiddy Massacre

May 13, 2006
Allaipiddy, Jaffna

On May 13, 2006, Navy and EPDP paramilitaries killed 13 Tamil civilians in coordinated attacks across three villages on Kayts island. At 8:30pm, gunmen entered Sellathurai Amalathas's home in Allaipiddy and opened fire, killing 8 including a 4-month-old baby and 4-year-old boy. Another victim died in hospital. At 10:30pm in Puliyankoodal, 72-year-old Murugesu Shanmugalingam and 2 family members were shot dead. In Vangalavadi, tea shop owner Ratnam Senthuran was dragged out and shot. The attacks came 2 days after LTTE sank a Navy convoy, killing 18 sailors.

14
Killed

Manthuvil Temple Massacre

May 6, 2006
Manthuvil, Chavakachcheri, Jaffna

On 7 May 2006, eight young Tamil men staying at the Seerani Kelakkai Amman temple in Manthuvil East, Jaffna during a temple festival were abducted and presumed killed. Gunshots were heard around 1:10 AM and a suspicious vehicle was seen at 4:00 AM. Villagers discovered blood traces, pieces of clothing, 3 identity cards, and at least 6 empty bullet casings near the temple site. All victims were from Kelakkai village, including a 35-year-old teacher who served as the Temple Management Board General Secretary. The victims ranged in age from 22 to 35 years old.

8
Killed

Nelliyadi Massacre

May 4, 2006
Nelliyadi, Jaffna

On 4 May 2006 at 1:00 PM during heavy rain, seven young men from Raja Kiraman village in Nelliady were traveling in two three-wheelers to attend a friend's birthday party. They were stopped and checked by Sri Lankan security forces who verified their identity and let them proceed. Moments later, they were attacked with gunfire and an RPG. All seven were killed and their bodies were severely mutilated - five bodies had to be placed in polythene bags as they couldn't be dressed. The victims, aged 17-21, included daily wage earners, bus conductors, and tube well workers. Three were married with children, and one had a pregnant wife. The attack was attributed to the Sri Lankan Army and EPDP paramilitaries.

7
Killed

Uthayan Daily Press Office Attack

May 2, 2006
Jaffna

On 2 May 2006 at approximately 7:45 PM, five armed EPDP paramilitary gunmen attacked the Uthayan newspaper office on Kasthuriyar Road in Jaffna town. The attackers, armed with four T-56 rifles and one handgun, opened fire on staff members, firing approximately 40 rounds. Two employees were killed: Marketing Manager Bastian George Sagayathas (Suresh), 37, and staff member Rajaratnam Ranjith, 25. Two other staff members were wounded and transported to Jaffna Hospital. Two editorial staffers working on the top floor escaped by hiding. The gunmen also destroyed computers in the office. One attacker was identified as an EPDP paramilitary cadre wearing black civilian clothes.

2
Killed

Jaffna Hospital attack (2006)

May 2, 2006
Jaffna

Five armed paramilitary gunmen who entered the main office of the Jaffna daily Uthayan Tuesday night around 7:45 p.m., opened fire on editorial staff, killing at least two staffers, including the daily's marketing manager and wounding two, according to initial reports. At least 40 gunshots were heard, residents said. The Marketing Manger, Bastian George Sagayathas (Suresh), 37, and Rajaratnam Ranjith, 25, were killed. S. Uthayakumar and N. Thayakaran, two staffers at the office were rushed to Jaffna Hospital with wounds. Two editorial staffers who were working at the top-floor of the office escaped as they had managed to hide inside the office. "The gunmen were shooting at will, everybody they found inside the office were shot.

2+
Killed

Trincomalee Attack (5 Killed, 2006)

April 23, 2006
Trincomalee

Five persons were killed, four injured and six others were reported missing, all Sinhalese, when a group of gangsters attacked a suburb Kallampathai in Gomarankadawela village in Morawewa police division along Trincomalee-Anuradhapura main road, 33 km northwest of Trincomalee town Sunday evening. The gang had set fire to a paddy harvester and attacked people in the village. Morawewa Police rushed to the site, sources said. Tension prevailed in the area. Resettled Tamil families in Santhipuram and Nochchikulam and Sinhala families close to the site are living in fear following the attack, Morawewa Police sources said.

5+
Killed

Puthoor Massacre

April 18, 2006
Puthoor, Jaffna

On the night of 18-19 April 2006, Sri Lanka Army soldiers from the 51-1 Division camp at Vatharavathai stopped civilians traveling by auto-rikshaw near Puthur East, 13km northeast of Jaffna. The passengers were detained in the camp and later executed in an open terrain area called tharavai. Three bodies were found together the next morning; two others were discovered 200 meters away. The five victims included a Municipal Council official, two auto-rikshaw drivers, an electrical mechanic, and a young farmer. One of the drivers, Thangarajah Raveendran, was killed while searching for the other missing persons.

6
Killed

Trincomalee Hospital attack (19 Killed, 2006)

April 13, 2006
Trincomalee, Trincomalee

15 of 19 civilians killed in Trincomalee violence on Wednesday were identified Thursday. 7 victims were Sinhalese civilians, 6 were Tamils and 2 Muslims. The bodies of another three Tamil persons, burnt alive inside a three-wheeler in Linganagar, were not in identifiable state, medical sources said. Another dead body is yet to be identified. Five of the six identified Tamil victims and two of the seven Sinhalese victims were women, medical sources said. A parcel bomb that was placed on the road side in front of a co-conut shop opposite the entrance to the vegetable market, exploded first. There were reports of grenade explosions and gunshots by the Sri Lankan soldiers after the explosion of the parcel bomb.

19+
Killed

Kilinochchi Hospital attack (19 Killed, 2006)

April 12, 2006
Kilinochchi

The death toll in the Trincomalee town violence has risen to 19 with more than 45 wounded. Around 15 persons with serious wounds were being treated at Trincomalee hospital. Around 20 Tamil and 2 Muslim shops have been burnt down by thugs armed with incendiary devices assisted by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) troopers, said Trincomalee District TNA parliamentarian Thurairatnasingam. Widespread attacks on Tamils were reported after a bomb explosion in the town around 4:00 p.m where a Sri Lanka Army soldier was reportedly killed. Looting continued in the east port town where an indefinite curfew was clamped down by the Police. Situation was yet to be brought under control around 6:00 p.m.

19+
Killed
45
Injured

TRO Employees Disappearance

January 29, 2006
Welikande, Polonaruwa

On 29-30 January 2006, ten TRO (Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation) employees were abducted by the government-backed TMVP paramilitary at Welikande while traveling from Batticaloa to Kilinochchi. Three women were released. Seven employees were tortured and executed. Premini Thanuskodi, the 25-year-old chief accountant, was gang-raped before being murdered. No one has been prosecuted despite Amnesty International and international pressure.

7
Killed

Manipay Family Massacre

January 24, 2006
Manipay, Jaffna

On 24 January 2006, a white van death squad arrived at the home of the Bojan family in Manipay, Jaffna just after midnight. The men claimed to be from the Sri Lanka Army and demanded to search the home. When 23-year-old Shanuka opened the door, they immediately started shooting. Three women were killed: mother Arthanageswary (51), and daughters Renuka (30) and Shanuka (23). Father Nagendran (56), who was Scout Commissioner for KKS and Northern Commissioner for St John's Ambulance, and son Ullasan (26), a mathematics teacher, were seriously injured but survived. The husband of Renuka, Thiageswaran, escaped by hiding in the dark and later testified about the massacre. The family was well-respected - Renuka was an actress studying at university, Shanuka was a graduate English teacher. This was part of the wave of death squad killings targeting Tamil civilians in Jaffna during 2006.

3
Killed
2
Injured

Batticaloa Claymore attack (2006)

January 19, 2006
Batticaloa, Batticaloa

Three police constables and a sixteen-year old boy were killed and 17 Sri Lanka Army soldiers, 9 policemen and 8 civilians, including a woman, were wounded in a Claymore attack at Thandavanveli in Batticaloa town around 4:55 p.m. Thursday, police said. Two vehicles, an SLA truck and a bus, carrying soldiers and policemen for a clearing operation were caught in the explosion. The wounded soldiers were airlifted to Polonnaruwa and Colombo hospitals. Around 20 T-56 rifles and ammunitions, blown away from the hands of the troopers in the powerful explosion, were recovered by the SLA soldiers who rushed to the site following the attack. Tension prevails in Batticaloa town.

4+
Killed
34
Injured

Trincomalee Aerial bombing (2006)

January 17, 2006
Trincomalee, Trincomalee

A cycle bomb placed along the Nilaveli-Trincomalee road near a bus depot hit a Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) bus convoy carrying soldiers towards east port town at the third mile post junction Tuesday around 10:05 a.m. Sri Lanka troops fired in retaliation killing two Tamil civilians and injuring several Tamil civilians, four of them have been brought to Trincomalee general hospital. Initial reports said about eleven soldiers were seriously injured and are admitted to navy hospital, which is located inside the SLN eastern region headquarters in the east port town. The cycle bomb, detonated by remote control, had missed the target, Sri Lankan defence sources said. Meanwhile a SLAF helicopter landed in naval headquarters to airlift seriously injured sailors to Colombo.

2+
Killed

Journalist Sukirtharajan Assassination

January 6, 2006
Trincomalee

On 24 January 2006 at approximately 6:00 AM, Subramaniam Sugirtharajan (known as S.S. Rajan), 35, was shot dead by unidentified men on Lower Road near Orr's Hill suburb in Trincomalee, close to his residence facing the harbor. He was the Trincomalee correspondent for the Tamil daily 'Sudar Oli' and also worked for the Sri Lanka Port Authority. A father of two, Rajan had been instrumental in exposing the involvement of the Sri Lanka Army in the recent execution-style killing of the five Trincomalee students. The Governor's secretariat was situated nearby. His assassination was seen as retaliation for his journalism exposing military atrocities.

1
Killed

Sri Lanka Massacre (27 Killed, 2005)

May 30, 2005
Sri Lanka

Condemning the Sri Lankan state�s failure punish those responsible for the 2000 massacre of Tamils held at the Bindunuwewa detention facility, the Asian Human Rights Commission Tuesday said �Sri Lankan system of justice is guilty of ensuring immunity for offenders.� As a consequence, the Hong Kong based group warned: �this massacre was not the first of its kind, and will certainly not be the last.� The full statement of the AHRC, titled �The Bindunuwewa Massacre and Sri Lanka�s defective justice system� follows: �On 25 October 2000, more than 25 young Tamils at a rehabilitation centre in Bindunuwewa near Bandarawela in the south-central part of the island were attacked and killed by a Sinhalese group. Who were the actual culprits? Who were their masterminds?

27+
Killed

Trincomalee Hospital attack (1057 Killed, 2003)

April 18, 2003
Trincomalee

A Tamil civilian identified as Maheswaran Ravishankar (32) of Chenaiyoor was killed in firing from the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) detachment based at Kattaiparichchan Friday afternoon increasing the death toll on Friday incidents in Muttur area to two. The firing incident took place soon the after the Defence Minister Mr.Tilak Marapone left Muttur after attending a conference at Kattaiparichchan SLA camp, police said. The Tamil civilian killed in the earlier grenade attack has been identified as twenty five year old Tharmalingam Kamalathasan of Chenaiyoor. Fourteen Tamil civilians have been wounded in the grenade attack which took place a conference was being presided by the Defence Minister.

1,057+
Killed

Batticaloa Shelling (2001)

October 23, 2001
Batticaloa

Eight civilians, including an infant, were wounded and two were killed in shelling by the Special Task Force, an elite arm of the Sri Lankan security forces, on the villages of Ambilaanthurai and Thumbankerni, south west of Batticaloa town Tuesday. The two villages were shelled while the STF was on a special limited operation into the LTTE held areas of Palugamam and Porathivu. The operation began around 3.30 a.m. on two fronts and was called off by noon Tuesday, sources said. The wounded were taken to the Kaluwanchikudi hospital and then transferred to the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital. Two women, an eight-month-old girl and five men were wounded.

2+
Killed

Jaffna Aerial bombing (50 Killed, 2001)

March 21, 2001
Jaffna

Four civilians were killed and 11 others were wounded when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) jets and Naval gun-boats attacked the coastal villages of Chundikulam and Puthumaathalan in the north-eastern Mullaithivu district Wednesday morning, reports said. Four fishermen were killed and nine others were wounded in the attack on Chundikulam, according to Voice of Tigers radio. Two civilians including a three year old child were wounded in the air attack at Puthumaathalan around 11 a.m. The radio said several huts were destroyed in the air and naval attack, and added that a large number of people have moved to safer areas. According to the radio Thambirasa Ravirasa,31, his wife Renuka, 30, Kulasekaram Thangavel, 35, and Maraiyampillai Philomina, 50 were killed in the attack.

50+
Killed

Mirusuvil Massacre

December 19, 2000
Mirusuvil, Jaffna

On 19.12.2000, Sri Lankan soldiers entered the home of the Nadarajah family in Mirusuvil, Jaffna and massacred 8 family members including 4 children. The victims were: Nadarajah Ekneliyathasan (50), his wife Rasammah (50), their married daughter Thavamani (27), her husband Vimalathas (30), and their four children - Thanuya (9), Thamilvani (6), Sahana (2), and six-month-old baby Vinojan. The soldiers first shot the adults, then killed the children. The baby was shot at point-blank range. The army initially denied involvement but forensic evidence and witness testimony led to the conviction of 5 soldiers. This case became one of the few where Sri Lankan soldiers were convicted of killing Tamil civilians.

8
Killed

Trincomalee Bus attack (2000)

November 30, 2000
Trincomalee

The Liberation Tigers ambushed a truck of the Sri Lanka Navy, killing 4 personnel and injuring 4 others around 11.50 am on Thursday, security sources said.. The attack took place between Perkar and Kuchchaveli, about 30 km. north of Trincomalee town. The injured SLN personnel were admitted to the Trincomalee Naval Hospital. The Sri Lanka Navy is in charge of the security of the areas north of Trincomalee town. All check points and camps in these areas are manned by the SLN personnel The Gopalapuram village is close to this area. On November 22 four Tamil civilians were shot dead by Sri Lanka Navy personnel at Gopalapuram. In that incident two young Tamil children were also wounded.

4+
Killed

Trincomalee Massacre (17 Killed, 2000)

October 30, 2000
Trincomalee

Communal violence continued late Sunday in the hill town of Talawakele despite enforcement of curfew in several areas in the Nuwara Eliya district, Mr.Chandrasekaran, MP, said. The MP said four Tamil youths were killed and several others were wounded when police opened fire earlier today at a rally organised by his party to mourn victims of last week massacre at a detention centre. He said troubles broke following altercation between the mob and some of the picketers. Chandrasekaran, who is also the leader of the Upcountry People's Front, said despite the presence of Sri Lanka Army soldiers and armed police in the town the Sinhalese thugs went on a rampage late Sunday evening.

17+
Killed

Batticaloa Massacre (85 Killed, 2000)

October 26, 2000
Batticaloa

(News Feature) Four more Tamil detainees who were seriously wounded in Wednesday's massacre at the Bindunuwewa detention centre have succumbed to their injuries bringing the death toll to twenty-nine, Joseph Pararajasingham, an MP for the Batticaloa district said. Twenty Tamil detainees amongst those held at the detention centre remained unaccounted for Wednesday night, sources said. Hundreds of Sinhala villagers who stormed the compound had been armed with knives, clubs, axe and sticks, the sources said. The mobs later set fire to the centre, which houses mainly young Tamils arrested on suspicion under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and held for rehabilitation, police sources said.

85+
Killed
Major Event

Bindunuwewa Massacre

October 25, 2000
Bindunuwewa, Badulla

On 25 October 2000, a Sinhalese mob armed with knives, machetes, and clubs attacked the Bindunuwewa Rehabilitation Centre in Bandarawela where Tamil youth aged 14-23 were detained. The attack followed a minor protest by detainees the previous day regarding mail delays. Police present at the centre did not intervene. The mob set fire to the halls and attacked inmates, with some victims thrown into the flames. Twenty-eight Tamil youth were killed (19 identified, 9 unidentified due to charred remains) and 14 were injured. Survivors included children as young as 11 and 12. The victims came from various districts including Batticaloa, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Jaffna, Mannar, and Amparai.

27
Killed
13
Injured

Sri Lanka Hospital attack (25 Killed, 2000)

October 25, 2000
Sri Lanka

Twenty-five Tamil detainees were massacred and sixteen others were seriously wounded Wednesday when hundreds of villagers attacked the Bindunuwewa detention centre, in the Bandarawela district, about 65 km. south of Kandy, police said. Villagers, numbering more than one thousand, armed with knives, clubs and sticks stormed Bindunuwewa detention centre in the early hours of Wednesday and attacked the inmates. The mobs later set fire to the centre, which houses people arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and held for rehabilitation, police sources said. The inmates of the center who had gone through a three-month rehabilitation programme had been demanding their release few days ago.

25+
Killed
12
Injured

Jaffna Shelling (15 Killed, 2000)

May 21, 2000
Jaffna

Aid agency sources in the north said Sunday that 15 persons were killed and 31 wounded at the home for the aged in Kaithady, east of Jaffna town, when it was hit by artillery shells on Friday May 19. The Sri Lankan army has been shelling the general area of Kaithadi heavily since the Liberation Tigers overran its positions in around this junction town on May 17. Sources said that the bodies of the home's inmates who were killed in the shelling were blown to pieces. Eleven inmates of the Kaithady home for aged were killed on the spot and thirty five were seriously wounded when the shells hit the building and the premises sources said. Four of the wounded elders died later due to inadequate medical facilities in the area due to the fighting.

15+
Killed
31
Injured

Colombo Hospital attack (10 Killed, 1999)

December 18, 1999
Colombo

A bomb blast at an election meeting of Sri Lanka's ruling People's Alliance killed ten people and wounded several others, including three cabinet ministers , G.L.Peiris, Alavi Moulana and A.H.M.Fowzie today around 9.30 p.m. A statement issued from the Presidential Secretariat said that President Kumaratunge is safe and that she was not wounded. The statement said 104 people were wounded and admitted to the National hospital in Colombo. However, sources said ten people were killed in the blast, including the Colombo Deputy Inspector General of Police T.N.de Silva and some Buddhist monks.

10+
Killed

Madhu Shelling (37 Killed, 1999)

November 21, 1999
Madhu, Mannar

Thirty seven civilians were killed and sixty four wounded when shells hit Madhu church amidst fighting between Sri Lankan Army units that had taken up positions in the environs of the Madhu shrine and the Liberation Tigers. International aid agency sources in Madhu said that 33 refugees who had sought shelter in the precincts of the Church were killed on the spot by shells. Four died on the way to Vavuniya hospotal they said. The SLA had advanced into Madhu yesterday under cover of an intense artillery and mortar barrage yesterday from Thallady and positions south of Madhu on the Vavuniya-Mannar road.

37+
Killed
Major Event

Madhu Church Massacre

November 20, 1999
Madhu, Mannar

The Church of Our Lady of Madhu is one of the most sacred Catholic shrines in Sri Lanka, located in Mannar district. During the conflict, thousands of displaced Tamil civilians took shelter in and around the church complex, believing it to be a safe haven. On 20.11.1999, the Sri Lankan Army shelled the Madhu church complex where over 10,000 displaced civilians had taken refuge. 44 civilians were killed in the shelling, including women and children seeking sanctuary. The attack on this sacred site caused international outrage. The military claimed they were targeting LTTE positions, but survivors and church officials confirmed the shelling directly hit areas crowded with civilians.

44
Killed

Puthukkudiyiruppu Aerial bombing (22 Killed, 1999)

September 24, 1999
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

The anti- Tamil and Muslim propaganda conducted by the Sinhala Veera Vithane, a Sinhala extremist organisation in the Ampara district could have contributed to inflaming communal tensions ahead of the massacre of civilians in the border villages last weekend, the Bishop of Trincomalee and Batticaloa, Rt.Rev.Kingsley Swampillai said yesterday. He added that it was imperative the Sri Lankan government takes steps to curb the activities of the Sinhala Veera Vithane. The Bishop said that a few days before the Ampara massacre, the Sinhala Veera Vithane propagandists visited the Ampara district and addressed meetings at which they whipped up sentiment against the Tamil and Muslim communities. The Sinhala Veera Vithane wanted that Tamils and Muslims be ousted from the Ampara district.

22+
Killed

Puthukkudiyiruppu Massacre (22 Killed, 1999)

September 18, 1999
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

The International Committee of the Red Cross ( ICRC) in Geneva issued today a press release expressing deep concern at the recent outburst of violence in the conflict in Sri Lanka. Following is the full text of the press release: "Geneva (ICRC) - The International Committee of the Red Cross ( ICRC) is deeply concerned at the recent outburst of violence in the conflict in Sri Lanka, which is resulting in an alarming increase in the number of civilian casualties. On 15 September an attack by the Sri Lankan Airforce killed 22 civilians and wounded a further 35 in Puthukkudiyiruppu near Mullaitivu. Children were among the victims.

22+
Killed

Puthukkudiyiruppu Aerial bombing (22 Killed, 1999)

September 15, 1999
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

(Adds names) More than twenty one civilians, including school children and women were killed and more than forty seriously wounded when two Kfir jets of the Sri Lanka Air Force bombed a crowded public place in Puthukkudiyiruppu in the Mullaithivu district this morning around 10 a.m. The Puthukkudiyiruppu market and a many houses and buildings nearby were destroyed in the SLAF bombing NGO sources in the Vanni said this afternoon. Human flesh is strewn all over the market area they said. Meanwhile Tamil Eelam Vaanoli, the commercial service of the Voice of Tigers (VoT) radio said this evening 22 civilians were killed and 41 wounded in the attack. Ten houses were damaged, the radio added.

22+
Killed
41
Injured

Vanni Region Aerial bombing (28 Killed, 1998)

December 21, 1998
Vanni Region

Twenty eight civilians were killed in the Vanni during the past 80 days in separate attacks carried out by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Air Force (SLAF), human rights sources said. Over 30 other civilians were wounded. Sixteen civilians were killed in air raids carried out by the SLAF and seven were killed in various ambushes conducted by the SLA, the sources said. The other civilians were killed by SLA artillery fire, the sources added.

28+
Killed

Jaffna Claymore attack (30 Killed, 1998)

September 9, 1998
Jaffna, Jaffna

Six SLA soldiers were killed and 31 were wounded in a battle with the Liberation Tigers in the last 24 hours in an area southeast of Mankulam said army spokesman Brig.Sunil Tennekon while presenting a fortnightly review of the war front in the northeast of the island this morning at the weekly Cabinet press briefing. He told the press that during this operation troops cleared 222 anti personnel land mines from the area and that 24 Tigers were killed in the heavy fighting. The military spokesman claimed that 23 among the soldiers wounded yesterday's battle were able to return to duty today. He said that SLA troops had thrust out east and west to a distance of four kilometers from their positions in Kilinochchi in limited operations to destroy LTTE's positions and return to base.

30+
Killed
31
Injured

Kilinochchi Shelling (26 Killed, 1998)

June 28, 1998
Kilinochchi, Kilinochchi

Three civilians, including a mother and her 7 year old son were killed and 8 others were wounded in a Sri Lankan Air Force bombing raid and SLA's shelling at Solainakar in Konavil in the Kilinochchi district, yesterday, said sources close LTTE in Europe when contacted by TamilNet. The names of those killed are: V.Vijeyalakshumi, 34, V. Rajeevan, 7, and Thirunavukarasu Parasakthy, sources said. Three of the wounded, V. Tharshini,13, V.Tharshan,12 and V.Tharshika,11, are children of Mrs. V.Vijeyalakshumi. The other wounded are: M.Paskaran, Veluppillai, M.Kamala, J.Mekala and E.Rohinithevi. The wounded were taken to the Akkarayan Hospital and later to the Mallavi hospital, the sources said. Several houses were also destoryed in the airraid and shelling they added.

26+
Killed

Trincomalee Massacre (8 Killed, 1998)

June 24, 1998
Trincomalee

Eighteen suspects in the Thampalagamam massacre in which eight civilians were killed on february 1, were granted bail by Trincomalee High Court judge A. N. Ramachandran on Monday partly because the State had not filed a plaint against them for the past three months. In his order the Judge said he was using the Court's discretionary powers to grant bail after taking into consideration that 21 of the original 42 suspects had been granted bail already by the Trincomalee Magistrate Court and that the Attorney General had failed to file a plaint against the remaining suspects. Each suspect was released on Rs 50,000 cash bail and Rs 25,000 surety bail and asked to report to the police station in the area of his residence every Sunday between 9:00 and 12:00 a.m.

8+
Killed

Ampara Shooting (1998)

April 28, 1998
Ampara, Ampara

Fifty five civilians were arrested in a cordon and search operation in Akkaraipattu market in the Amparai district today. All were taken to the Amparai police station for further interrogation, said sources in Amparai. 16 are still being held in the police station while the others were released after the EPDP leader, Mr. Douglas Devanantha intervened. Meanwhile, Velupillai Kannamuthu, 45, who went to collect fire wood in Sagamam jungle was shot dead by Special Task Force (STF) of the Sri Lankan Police this morning. Kannamuthu was the father of 4 children. His body was brought to the Akkaraipattu hospital around 12.00 noon. The Coroner, Mr. P. Selvanayagam, who conducted the inquiry recorded Velupillai Kannamuthu's case as accidental death.

1+
Killed

Jaffna Attack (12 Killed, 1998)

April 1, 1998
Jaffna

Twelve bodies, suspected to be those of civilians killed in fighting in the Vadamaradchi East area in the Jaffna peninsula, were lying on the Vallipuram - Manalkaadu Road this morning, said sources in Jaffna. The bodies were decomposing and there was a strong stench said sources who visited the are. The fighting between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the SLA which went on today as well is expected to continue, said sources. Latest fighting erupted when the columns of Sri Lankan Army tried to advance in to the Vadamaradchi east region on Sunday.

12+
Killed

Batticaloa Attack (1998)

March 4, 1998
Batticaloa

A cadre from the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO) was killed and two members of the Peoples' Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) and a civilian were wounded in an exchange of fire with the Liberation Tigers at Chenkalady, 16 km north of Batticaloa, around 11 a.m. today, said sources in Valaichenai. The incident took place at Chenkalady junction where there is a post set up jointly by TELO, PLOTE and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to guard the areas ahead of the Kommathurai SLA camp and to provide security for the PLOTE camp nearby. A trunk road from the Chenkaladi junction runs to Badulla in the westerly direction. The SLA controlled area on this road extends for only one kilometer. Beyond this is the region is controlled by LTTE.

1+
Killed

Ampara School attack (8 Killed, 1997)

September 24, 1997
Ampara

Muslim policemen and homeguards have run amok in a Tamil village, killing at least 8 civilians. The surviving residents of the "4th colony" village, Amparai district, have fled the area. The attack is believed to have been carried out in reprisal for the killing of two Muslim homeguards. The 4th Colony has been sealed off by members of the Special Task Force, a police commando unit, which controls the area where the massacre took place. A large contingent of Muslim homeguards had stormed the 4th Colony village, torching houses and attacking the Tamil occupants. At least 8 Tamil civilians are believed to have been killed, and some reports speak of at least 15 deaths.

8+
Killed
Major Event

Kaithady Krishanthi Massacre

September 7, 1996
Kaithady, Jaffna

On 7th September 1996, 18-year-old Krishanthy Kumaraswamy was stopped at an army checkpoint in Kaithady while returning home from her Advanced Level examination. She was gang-raped and murdered by Sri Lankan soldiers. When her mother Rasamma (a Vice Principal, age 59), brother Piranavan (a student, age 16), and neighbor Kirupamoorthy (a clerk, age 38) went to search for her, they were also detained, tortured, and killed. The case became internationally known and soldiers were eventually convicted in a rare prosecution - one of the few cases where perpetrators faced justice.

4
Killed
Major Event

Kumarapuram Massacre

February 11, 1996
Kumarapuram, Trincomalee

On February 11, 1996, soldiers from the 58th Mile Post and Dehiwatte army camps, accompanied by Home Guards, attacked Kumarapuram village in retaliation for an LTTE attack that killed 2 soldiers nearby. 26 civilians were killed including 13 women and 7 children under 12. Arumaithurai Thanalaxmi (16) was gang-raped before being shot dead - Corporal Kumara confessed to shooting her. In 2002, 6 soldiers were indicted on 101 charges each. In 2004, key evidence was 'destroyed' when the Government Analyst office burned. In July 2016, an all-Sinhalese jury acquitted all 6 accused soldiers.

26
Killed
24
Injured
Major Event

Chemmani Mass Graves

January 1, 1996
Chemmani, Jaffna

In 1996, mass graves were discovered at Chemmani containing bodies of Tamils killed by security forces. Following the Krishanthi Kumaraswamy case, a convicted soldier confessed about mass graves in Chemmani where 300-400 bodies were buried. The graves were dug under supervision of Judge Ilancheliyan and Prof. Neriyella from Ruhunu University. The first excavation unearthed 11 skeletons, forensic investigation estimated ages from 16 to 35 years. Before the second digging, people were banned from the area and military vehicle movements were noticed at night. The second excavation uncovered 6 more bodies. Investigations were then halted and no further progress has been made.

300+
Killed

Kilinochchi Town Massacre

January 1, 1996 - December 31, 1998
Kilinochchi

In 1996, the Sri Lankan military launched Operation "Sathjeya-01" moving south from Elephant Pass into Kilinochchi, setting up a camp in Paranthan. Military intelligence infiltrated civilian areas, attacking and killing people in their homes or displaced people who returned to collect belongings. Operations "Sathjeya-02" and "Sathjeya-03" followed, and the military entered Kilinochchi town, creating a militarized zone occupying people's homes and farmlands. 184 civilians disappeared during this period - most were killed. When people returned to their homes, skeletons were recovered from toilet pits and wells. 72 skeletons were recovered in Kilinochchi and surroundings; 12 were identified by relatives based on clothes. The families of those killed now live in extreme poverty in Akkarayan, Mallavi, Jeyapuram and Puthukkidiyiruppu.

184
Killed

Nagarkovil Bombing

September 22, 1995
Nagarkovil, Jaffna

Among the historic temples in Jaffna are the Vallipuram temple and the Nagarkovil temple. The Nagarkovil Mahavidhyalayam school was started in 1956 and upgraded to a higher school in 1967. In 1990, people from the village of Mayiliddy were forced to displace from their village and around 600 families were living in Nagarkovil. The school grew from 400 students to over 830. On 21st September 1995, the military shelled several areas in Jaffna from its Palaly camp. On the next morning, 22nd September 1995, while students were in assembly, a Kfir jet dropped a bomb on the school, killing 28 students - all children between ages 8-17. Most were students who had already been displaced from their original homes.

40
Killed
100
Injured
Major Event

Navali Church Massacre

July 9, 1995
Navaly, Jaffna

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 2,500 people had taken refuge in St Peters Church. On 9th July 1995, eight rocket bombs were dropped on Navali church and its surroundings by the Sri Lankan Air Force. 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 SLAF deliberately dropped bombs 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: "At about 4:35pm we heard a very big bomb blast and saw clouds of smoke. When I ran back to my house, the road was filled with fallen trees and buildings. In my house my wife was bleeding from her chest. My daughter was injured in her head and hand. My wife died at the hospital asking me to look after our children."

155
Killed
250
Injured

Maaththalan Bombing

September 18, 1993
Maaththalan, Mullaitivu

On 18.09.1993, Sri Lankan Air Force bombed the village of Maaththalan. 13 Tamil civilians were killed in the aerial attack. Among the victims were fishermen who had just returned from sea and students. The bombs fell on residential areas causing widespread destruction. The attack occurred without warning, giving civilians no time to seek shelter. Survivors described the terror of the bombing and the chaos that followed. Many homes were destroyed and families were torn apart.

13
Killed
40
Injured

Mailanthai Massacre

August 9, 1992
Mailanthai, Mullaitivu

On 09.08.1992, Sri Lankan security forces attacked the village of Mailanthai. Approximately 50 Tamil civilians were killed in the massacre. The victims included farmers, labourers, and their families. The attack occurred during a period of intense military operations in the area. Survivors reported that soldiers entered the village and systematically killed civilians. Many bodies were found in homes and along village paths. The massacre devastated the small farming community and forced survivors to flee to other areas.

50+
Killed

Vattrapalai Shelling

May 18, 1992
Vattrapalai, Mullaitivu

On 18.05.1992, the Sri Lankan Army shelled the village of Vattrapalai in Jaffna district. The shelling targeted civilian areas where families were going about their daily activities. 15 Tamil civilians were killed and over 60 were injured in the attack. Among the dead were women, children and elderly people. The village was known for its fishing community. Survivors described how shells fell without warning on homes and streets. Many victims were killed instantly while others died from their injuries. The attack was part of a pattern of military shelling of Tamil civilian areas during this period.

15
Killed
60
Injured

Karapolla-Muthgalla Massacre

April 29, 1992
Karapolla, Polonnaruwa

On 29.04.1992, Sri Lankan security forces massacred Tamil civilians at Karapolla and Muthgalla in the Eastern Province. 97 Tamil civilians were killed in this coordinated attack. The massacre targeted Tamil farming communities in these villages. Soldiers went house to house killing civilians including women and children. Many victims were hacked to death with sharp weapons. The bodies were later discovered in homes, fields, and along roadsides. This was one of the largest single-day massacres in the Eastern Province.

97
Killed

Kilali Massacre

January 1, 1992 - December 31, 1993
Kilali, Jaffna Lagoon

During 1992-1993, the Sri Lankan Navy systematically massacred Tamil civilians crossing the Jaffna Lagoon through Kilali. Over 150 Tamil civilians lost their lives, 100 were permanently disabled, and another 150 sustained serious injuries. Civilians undertook these dangerous night boat journeys to travel south for medical treatment, contact relatives, or travel abroad. On 02.01.1993, four passenger boats developed engine trouble and drifted from the convoy. Navy boats surrounded them, personnel boarded and opened fire indiscriminately, hacked and stabbed passengers including the elderly, sick, children and women, and set one boat on fire. Red Cross volunteers retrieved 35 mutilated bodies over several days - many with gunshot and stab wounds, some burnt beyond recognition. Only 18 bodies could be identified. Two survivors escaped by jumping off when the Navy was towing boats to mid-sea.

150+
Killed
150
Injured
Major Event

Kokkadichcholai Massacre 1991

June 12, 1991
Kokkadichcholai, Batticaloa

On 12th June 1991, Sri Lankan Army soldiers entered Kokkadichcholai village in Batticaloa and massacred over 152 Tamil civilians. The victims included women, children, and elderly people who were shot at close range or hacked to death. The massacre was one of the most brutal single-day killings of the civil war. Survivors reported that soldiers systematically went house to house killing everyone they found. Many victims were burned beyond recognition. This massacre followed a pattern of reprisal killings where entire villages were targeted following LTTE attacks on military convoys.

220+
Killed

Puthukkudiyiruppu Junction Bombing

November 1, 1990
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

Sri Lankan Air Force bombed Puthukkudiyiruppu junction in Mullaitivu district. 28 civilians were killed and over 50 were injured in the attack. The junction was a busy civilian area with shops and transport services. The bombing occurred without warning, causing massive casualties among people going about their daily activities. Many victims were waiting for transport or shopping when the bombs fell.

28
Killed
50
Injured

Eravur Massacre

October 10, 1990
Eravur, Batticaloa

Survivor Thankarasa Iyanar: "On 10th August 1990, from 10am that morning, I went with Doctor Shanmuganath and his wife Rani to see my son who had been captured at Karathivu Shanmuga School. In town they stopped many people. They told us to separate into Muslims and Tamils. The Muslims left soon after. They called the men in one direction, into a room. There was a man standing there with a knife. He grabbed my hair – because I had oil his hand slipped. He had tried to cut my head, but because his hand slipped, he cut my neck. I fell to the floor. Dr Shunmuganathan and a few others were cut and killed. As I was lying there, I could hear all the screams and violence. It was unbearable. After some time, a lady was brought in shouting. Her sari had already been removed. An army took her inside a room and raped her. She pleaded to be let go. Another army ordered that she be cut. I heard no sounds thereafter. They put oil or kerosene on everyone and burnt them. The fire jumped to my legs. I managed to crawl into the room where they had taken the girl. I saw the lady's sari just on the floor. I tore it in half, tied it on my head and covered my face and neck. Outside the fire was burning above my head. There were arms, legs and heads everywhere. But I had to keep going. So I just climbed over all of them and left."

30+
Killed
Major Event

Saththurukkondan Massacre

September 9, 1990
Saththurukkondan, Batticaloa

Saththurukondan is a village in Batticaloa district, not very far from Batticaloa town. This village comprises Pannichaiaddy, Pillayaraddy and Oorani. On the 10.09.1990, military arrested several people and took them to the military camp. Among those arrested were 85 women and many children. The arrested people were taken to the Sri Lanka army camp at Saththurukondan. There, the women were raped, and their breasts were cut off. 68 children, among them five babies were also tortured and murdered. 205 people were killed in this massacre. Only one man, 21 year old Kanthasamy Krishnakumar escaped being killed and informed the others about what happened.

205
Killed

Vantharamullai Massacre 1990

5-23 September 1990
Vantharamullai, Batticaloa

In 1990, more than 50,000 Tamils from Sungankerny, Karuvakerny and Bandaramulai villages fled to Eastern University, Batticaloa to escape the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. University lecturers provided refuge and raised white flags for protection. On 5th September 1990, the SLA arrived and arrested 158 innocent civilians, massacring them. On 23rd September 1990, the SLA returned and arrested a further 16 Tamils, massacring them as well. Lecturer Varnakulasingam witnessed the events: "It took the Army 7 days to reach Vantharamullai from Valaichennai. Till then, they slowly went into every village on the way and killed and cut everyone they could." 174 people were killed including children as young as 5 years old.

174
Killed

Mandaithivu Disappearances

August 23, 1990 - September 25, 1990
Mandaithivu, Jaffna

The three villages Mandaitivu, Allaipiddy and Mankumban (M-A-M) are situated across the Dutch Fort in Jaffna. On 23.08.1990, the military dropped notices ordering people to go to churches and temples. The military then entered and killed everyone who remained in homes - 20 people were brutally killed. Close to 500 young men aged 15-45 were taken from PhilipNeri Church in Allaipiddy. Women screamed and ran behind, begging the army. The Army threatened them with guns, shot over their heads and beat them back, while forcing children to recite "We don't want Tamil Eelam." Less than two months later, around 70 young men disappeared along with the military camp. 92 people were killed or disappeared. Bodies are suspected to be in covered wells. Douglas Devananda and Army Commander Denzil Kobbekaduwa were present at the site.

92
Killed

Kalmunai Massacre

August 11, 1990
Kalmunai, Ampara

Kalmunai is situated 40 Kms from the Batticaloa town. Pandiruppu, Natpiddimunai, Chenaikudiyiruppu, and Nilavanai are villages surrounding Kalmunai. On 11.08.1990, villagers from Pandiruppu, Kalmunai and Chenaikudiyiruppu were gathered in homes in fear as the Sri Lankan military rounded up these villages and began shooting. The military was shooting into the homes forcing people to come out. Young men carried their identity cards in their hands. Mothers held tight onto their babies. 25 young men were taken by the military to the Karaithivu military camp. Mothers who followed were attacked with gun butts and many fainted. Next day, relatives walked to the Karaithivu camp. The military stopped them and made them stand by the road. Large number of military selected the young women among the relatives. They were taken to a building nearby where they were gang raped and killed. Men were tortured on the road and killed. 37 people were killed in two hours. None of the 25 young men taken to the camp have been seen since. In total 62 people were killed in these two days.

62
Killed

Xavierpuram Massacre

August 7, 1990
Xavierpuram, Batticaloa

Xavierpuram, Amparai is the name of the settlement where the 'Kurawar' tribe lived from 1950. On the 7th of August 1990, the community of Kurawar were attacked, their homes burnt and their youths shot dead. Men and women were tortured and the church, school and community hall were burnt. There was no provocation for such an attack. Later the attackers were identified as Muslim home guards. Eyewitness Miniakkah: "It was about 11 o'clock when 18 tractors came one behind the other, carrying a large number of people armed with guns, knives, sticks, clubs and axes. They stopped at the centre of the village and called out the people to assemble. They seized my only son and began torturing him. My husband sprang up and protested. One of them dealt a blow on the chest of my husband with a wooden pestle and he fell down unconscious. Another person struck me on my head with a weapon. I fell unconscious. They later attacked with knives the men seated on the ground. I found several of my people dead among those killed was not only men but also women and children. After homes were lost and lives brutally taken, some survivors could not bear to live with what they had seen and later committed suicide."

20+
Killed

Tiraikerny Massacre

August 6, 1990
Tiraikerny, Batticaloa

Tiraikerny was originally a coconut estate of about 300 acres in the idyllic region of Amparai. The ownership sympathized with the hardships of the landless peasantry, both Muslims and Tamils, and the estate was given to the people at a very nominal price. Various community figures worked hard in developing the village and making it into a successful agricultural area. On the 06.08.1990, the peace and hard work of the villagers was destroyed. Hundreds of Muslims stormed into the village and set ablaze the homes of the Tamils and attacked the villagers and threw their mutilated bodies into the nearby Hindu Temple. There was no provocation for such an attack. Eyewitness: "Around 6 o'clock in the morning, I heard the cries of women from my Muslim neighbour's house. They said their men who went to the paddy field had been cut to pieces and slain. A few minutes later, I heard people shouting. Men, women and children were moving away from their homes. They said an angry mob composed of Muslims had vowed to destroy Thiraikerny. Riotous gangsters numbering more than 150 men, armed with knives, swords, sickles and clubs shouted slogans against the Tamils. We saw clouds of smoke rising from burning houses. An armored car drove into the temple premises with six soldiers in uniform. They did not themselves take part in the attack. The soldiers waved their hands, telling the Tamil youths to go away, and that waving of hands was taken as a signal for the attackers to begin their assault. Some went to damage the temple wall, others broke the door. Some took away tools from the Temple. The Tamils were later attacked with the Trident, the spear, and the tools taken from the Temple. The attackers first assaulted with knives the men seated on the ground. My husband was attacked with knife and he died there." **According to a sworn statement, a little girl was seized and raped, and thrown into the fire. Rescuers recovered the half-burnt body and buried it.

53
Killed

Poththuvil Massacre

July 30, 1990
Poththuvil, Ampara

In 1990 hostilities between the Sri Lankan military and the LTTE resumed. In the east the Sri Lankan military, Sinhala thugs and home guards started to attack Tamil civilians. On 10.06.1990, as a result of attacks by the military and Muslim groups, people displaced to the Komari refugee camp. People returned on 30.07.1990 trusting promises made by the government. Returning people found that their homes were broken into and valuables were stolen. They displaced again to Poththuvil Methodist Mahavidhyalayam. Young men and women among the refugees were forced to go out for work. 12 of them were arrested and taken to the Poththuvil Police Station. Those arrested were taken to the open space near the Police Station few at a time and were burnt alive. Except for a few who escaped, all the rest were burnt alive by 01.08.1990. 125 young people died in this atrocity.

125
Killed

Paranthan Junction Massacre

July 24, 1990
Paranthan, Kilinochchi

Paranthan is in the Kilinochchi district on the A-9 highway. This town was badly affected by the military activities in the 1980s. On 24.07.1990, Sri Lankan army was dropped by helicopter in Suddaithivu near Elephant Pass. This military was moving forward through Paranthan towards Elephant Pass. The military began attacking the people living near the Paranthan junction. The people killed were burnt inside their homes. More than 10 civilians lost their lives in this incident. Many more were injured. This incident took place at 9:00 am. People displaced from the place and were unaware of what happened to their relatives. They returned only on 07.09.1990. People recovered the half burnt bodies of their dead relatives.

10+
Killed

Siththandy Massacre

20-27 July 1990
Siththandy, Kilinochchi

Siththandy village is situated 8 Kms north of the Batticaloa town. The village has an ancient and famous Hindu temple. On 20.07.1990, Sri Lankan military rounded up the village and took all the people into this temple. Eight of the people were taken blindfolded with their hands tied to the villager next to him. There they were attacked and killed. In the same month, the military took 57 young men after rounding up the village. The young men were taken to adjacent villages where they were shot and killed and put in mass graves and burnt. In total 137 people were killed over these two days. The arrests and killing continued for several months after on a daily basis. Nallaiah Kamalanathan: "We thought that if everyone stood in one place the Army would not kill us. So all the villagers ran for safety into the temple. The SLA surrounded the temple. They came along with Sinhala mobs. Everyone was asked to stand in line and they picked out the young boys. On the 20th, 80 people were taken away. On the 27th, 57 people were taken away. Only a week later, we found out that they had killed everyone. The 137 people were taken by bus to a Sinhalese village. There they were asked to stand in a line. The Army announced to the Sinhala people that they had caught LTTE members. Then they were shot dead. Their bodies were never returned to us. Till this day, their mothers still cry not knowing what had happened to their children."

137
Killed
Major Event

Veeramunai Massacre

June 20, 1990
Veeramunai, Batticaloa

Veeramunai is a village in the Amparai district. It is a traditional Tamil village. Sammanthurai is the adjacent Muslim village. The Muslims and Tamils have historically lived side by side and together have built a prosperous and peaceful community. On 20.06.1990, Sri Lankan military rounded up the village and ordered the people to go to the Veeramunai Pillaiyar temple. Everyone who stayed at home without going to the temple was shot dead. The military selected every male over the age of 15 from the temple. 69 young men were arrested and taken to the Sammanthurai Marjan School where they were tortured. 50 men died and their bodies were burnt. The military again took several more people on 29.06.1990 and all of them disappeared. On 03.07.1990, they took 11 young men. They too disappeared. On 05.07.1990, 13 more men were taken, tortured, killed and burnt with tires. On 16.07.1990, eight women who went to check their homes were arrested at the Malwaththai checkpoint. They were gang raped by more than 30 SLA men and killed. Their bodies were burnt. On 26.07.1990, 32 young men were arrested. 23 of them were school children. All disappeared. On 01.08.1990, 18 civilians including four women and a baby were arrested and killed using sharp weapons. Their bodies were put inside a temple and burnt. Between 20.06.1990 and 15.08.1990 more than 200 people were killed or disappeared. More than 2000 houses were burnt. Eyewitness: "The soldiers entered the temple and examined the inner sanctum. They began picking some youths and able bodied children and got them to board a bus. The women pleaded stating that their children were never associated with any form of terrorism. The soldiers ignored the tears of the women. We fell in front of the vehicles and worshiped the soldiers to leave our boys." Survivor Madasamy Kathirkamamoorthy: "In the truck, they told us to lie down and took us to a big forest in Amparai. They made us take our sarong off and used it to tie our hands behind our back. They stood in front of us, loaded their machine guns and shot everyone. I turned to my side – my leg and arm were hit by the bullets. As people tried to get up, they were again shot till they were dead on the floor."

200+
Killed

Eastern University Massacre

May 23, 1990
Eastern University, Batticaloa

The Eastern University is in the Vantharumulai village in Batticaloa. This is one of the 13 universities in the island. In 1990, people from many regions of Batticaloa had taken refuge in the Eastern University following Sri Lankan military attacks. On 23.05.1990, large number of Sri Lankan military arrived from the Saththurukondan camp at the Eastern University. They arrested 58 young men, tied their hands and legs and took them to the neighbouring villages. There they were all killed. The military came again on 24.05.1990 and arrested another 168 people who had taken refuge at the University. They were also killed in a similar manner. 226 people were killed in these days by the Sri Lankan military.

226
Killed

Pullumalai Massacre

January 1, 1990
Pullumalai, Batticaloa

Pullumalai in Batticaloa was a region of natural beauty where Tamils lived for hundreds of years. Today it lies barren - the destroyed school, temple and church remain as memorials. From 1983-1990, the SLA with Sinhalese mobs attacked over five times. In July 1983, cows were killed and wealth destroyed. In December 1984, during Thiruvemba pooja at Pillayar Temple, SLA shot 9 dead and burnt 300 houses. On 4th January 1985, they killed the only Engineer with 7 others. On 10th January, they shot the temple priest with 9 others. On 10th November 1986, 103 Tamils were cut and killed. In 1987, 14 fishermen at a pond were shot. On 9th July 1990, babies were ripped open, over 40 families shot, girls raped, stabbed and ripped open. Over 400 families disappeared. Survivor account: "They took turns to rape my sister-in-law in front of my brother. They cut open his wife's stomach, took out the baby and trampled it with their legs."

191+
Killed
Major Event

Alvai Temple Shelling

May 29, 1987
Alvai, Jaffna

Alvai village is situated in Jaffna district. The Muthtumariamman temple in Alvai is one of the famous temples in Jaffna. On 29.05.1987, the Sri Lankan military launched its Operation Liberation attack on Jaffna. Through pamphlets dropped from air and through announcements on military radio, people were asked to take refuge in temples. The Muthimariamman temple was filled with around 10,000 people from the villages of Alvai, Inparuddi, Thikkam, Vathiri, Nelliadi, Thampasiddi, Puloly and Karaveddi. On that fatal day at 11:00pm, a shell fired by the military fell on a tree in front of the temple. Some people sitting under the tree were injured. The next shell fell inside the temple - many were killed including women and children. The following shells fell in another part of the temple killing two young men. The three shells falling inside the temple caused panic among the people. 40 people died inside the temple and many were injured.

40
Killed

Thonithiddamadu Massacre

May 27, 1987
Thonithiddamadu, Mullaitivu

Thonithiddamadu village is situated in the Vaharai Assistant Government Agent Division in the Batticaloa district. This is a Tamil majority village. The main economic activities are farming and fishing. On 25.05.1987, the Sri Lankan military opened fire in the Thonithiddamadu village. Frightened people kept to their homes. On 27.05.1987 at 2:00am at night, the military entered the village and shot and killed people who were asleep. Thirteen people were killed in this massacre.

13
Killed

Paddithidal Massacre

April 26, 1987
Paddithidal, Mullaitivu

Paddithidal is a Tamil village situated 10 Kms from Mutur in Trincomalee. From the beginning of 1987 there were military attacks in the area. On 26.04.1987, there were clashes between the Sri Lankan military and the LTTE near the Mallikaithivu junction. Three Sri Lankan military personnel were killed. To take revenge, the military entered the Paddithidal village and searched. People had already left suspecting the military will attack civilians. One Christian family of 16 members was praying as they continued to stay in the village. The military opened fire at those praying. They burnt the people still struggling after the shooting. All 16 members of the family were killed. Three babies and several children were among those killed. One family member escaped death. Survivor Ulaganathan: "On Sunday 24th April 1987, I went to church on my own. On the way back I saw that the families in the village were running and hiding. I ran back to my house and saw that my house was burning. Every single person in my family was dead. My wife, 2 daughters, big brother, his wife, his 5 kids, my wife's big sister and 3 kids, my mother and my younger sister were all in there. I tried to kill myself in the fire - but two people grabbed me. I returned the next day. My youngest daughter looked like she had been eating rice at the time. She was leaning against the door with a bullet through her head. There was no one left in the village. I put all the bodies in a cart, took them to a forest, dug a big pit, and covered them all up with sand. My elder aunty told me: Before the army got there, they all took out their identity cards. The army did not even look at their identity cards. The army shot everyone. She could hear people pleading to not be killed and then there was silence."

16
Killed
Major Event

Kokkadichcholai Massacre 1987

January 28, 1987
Kokkadichcholai, Batticaloa

Kokkadichcholai is situated in the Batticaloa district. Farming, fishing and prawn farming were the main occupations of the people. On 29.01.1987, Sri Lankan military began its attack on the village and continued it for three days. The military entered from multiple camps in military trucks and helicopters. They took people aged 14 to 40 and killed more than 200 of them. A prawn farm was operated with aid from United States in Mahiladiththivu, employing a large number of workers. 135 workers in this prawn farm were among those killed on 28.01.1987. The military shot dead 24 people who took refuge in the Kokkadichcholai rice mill. Seven of those killed were aged 12 years old. Watchman Sellathurai Ravinathan: "I left for work early in the morning. There were 2 or 3 helicopters circling in the air. I knew something was going to happen. I ran to the Prawn Farm together with many other men. We believed that because the Prawn Farm was owned by Westerners, we would be safe there. The STF arrived. All the SLA on the road were pointing their guns towards the Prawn Farm. They fired their gun and everyone ran away. I took cover behind the little huts. They shot the little children who were in the Prawn Farm looking after the little birds. These poor children would come very early in the morning to make sure no birds attacked the prawns being farmed. They hoped to get something in return. How could they shoot such poor little children? I heard no noise from the direction of the Prawn Farm. An old man stopped me and said 'Brother, please don't go back, they have shot every one.' My elder brother, who witnessed this massacre, lost his mind for three or four days."

200+
Killed

Periyapandivrichchan Massacre

October 15, 1986
Periyapandivrichchan, Mullaitivu

Periyapandivirichchan village is in the Madhu Assistant Government Agent division in Mannar district. The village has rice fields adjoining large forests. On 15.10.1986, one of the villagers, Rasanayagam was working in his vegetable plot. His two daughters returned home from school. After having lunch, the two girls took lunch for their father working in the farm. Joseph Francis aged 72 was also sitting in the small hut in the farm. The Sri Lankan military that came through the forest fired towards the farm. A little later they arrived at the farm and started attacking Rasanayagam. His daughter was tortured and her breasts and vagina were cut. Joseph Francis was also cut into pieces. Rasanayagam and the other daughter escaped with injuries.

2
Killed
2
Injured

Adampan Massacre

October 12, 1986
Adampan, Mannar

Adampan village is situated in the Manthai West Assistant Government Agent Division in Mannar district. This is a farming village. The villagers have suffered endless atrocities at the hands of the nearby Thalladi Sri Lankan military camp for more than 20 years. On 12.10.1986 at 4:00 am, the Sri Lankan military moved out from the camp and rounded up the Adampan village. They shot and killed the sleeping villagers and burnt down several shops. The military continued the attack until 11:00am. They threw bodies into the rice fields and on the road. More than 20 civilians lost their lives. Survivor Suvannah Sabastianpillai: "I was sleeping at home and heard blasting noises around 4am. We woke up to see what had happened. There was a helicopter in the air. We started running and were surrounded by bomb blasts. We ran to a nearby Muslim village. We returned around 12 pm. Things were broken, people were crying. Everything was a mess. There were jeeps everywhere. The SLA joined in on this. Two of my relations were shot and left on the road. We were tortured like this in '94, '95 and '96."

20+
Killed

Thanduvan Bus Massacre

July 17, 1986
Thanduvan, Vavuniya

Thanduvan is situated on the Mullaithivu-Vavuniya main road, 4 Kms from Nedunkerni. The main occupation of the village is agriculture. On 17.07.1988, many people were in the bus connecting Mullaithivu to Nedunkerni. On that day, the Nedunkerni area was cordoned off by the Sri Lankan military under Gen Kobbekaduwa. A military helicopter was supporting the operation. The Thanduvan people in the bus were unable to proceed to Nedunkerni. The bus driver turned back and started to drive back to Mullaithivu. The military helicopter followed the bus and started to fire at the bus. One Km from the Thanduvan school, a rocket was fired at the bus. 17 people in the bus, including the bus driver were killed. A further 13 people in the bus were injured.

17
Killed
13
Injured

Peruveli Refugee Camp Massacre

July 15, 1986
Peruveli, Trincomalee

Peruveli is a Tamil village situated in Batticaloa. The Peruveli Government Mixed School was converted into a refugee camp in 1985. The Mallikaithivu GS division is made up mostly of Tamil villages. However, there were also a few Sinhala villages. Large number of home guards armed by the Sri Lankan military were stationed in the Sinhala villages. On 15.07.1986, the home guards and military surrounded the Peruveli refugee camp at night. As early morning light started to appear, the military and home guards entered the refugee camp and started to shoot at random. Some refugees who had gone to their homes to check were also attacked. In total, 48 people were shot dead and more than 20 were injured. Many women were raped during this mayhem. The attack lasted till mid-day. Survivor: "They went into the refugee camp and set fire to the cottages. Whilst the cottages were burning, people were grabbed by their heads and legs and thrown into the fire. They also threw people who were alive into the fire. They shot and took away about 25 bodies on a vehicle. The bodies were returned three days later. They had poured acid on their faces - we could not recognize them. All the wells and pits had bodies dumped in them. We dug a big hole with a machine, dumped the bodies and then closed up the hole. The brutality was unimaginable. Some people are mentally affected by it."

48+
Killed
20
Injured

Paranthan Farmers Massacre

June 28, 1986
Paranthan, Kilinochchi

Paranthan is situated in the Kilinochchi district. The main economic activity of the people is farming. Paranthan was subjected to many military attacks. In particular, this area faced persistent attacks from the Elephant Pass military camp. On 28.06.1986 at 5:15am, there was shelling from the Elephant Pass camp. The military moved forward into the Paranthan main road. Seven farmers who were irrigating their plots along the main road were arrested by the military for no apparent reason. They were tied together by a rope and tortured. Their bodies were later discovered in the nearby waste water canal.

7
Killed

Thambalakamam Massacres

June 20, 1986
Thambalakamam, Trincomalee

Thampalakamam is a famous village in the Trincomalee district. The main economic base is agriculture. On 12.11.1985, Sri Lankan military rounded up Thampalakamam and 9 people were shot dead. On 26.11.1985, three farmers were shot dead and their bodies were burnt by the military. Near the temple five people were shut in a shop and burnt. Two died, three were rescued with severe burns. On 25.05.1986, three refugees - a mother and two sons - who went to check on their homes were shot dead. On 30.05.1986, military in black uniform entered a home and killed the father, mother and two children. A 13 year old girl and another woman escaped with injuries. On 17.06.1986, 8 farmers disappeared from their fields. On 20.06.86, the Sri Lankan Air Force and Army made a joint attack on the village. More than 25 displaced villagers took refuge in a rice mill. The military arrived and arrested all the people and took them. Their bodies were recovered in the forest. 34 people died. On the same day in Sampalthivu five civilians were shot dead. One Thankarasa was set alight inside his car.

34
Killed
Major Event

Mandaithivu Sea Massacre

June 10, 1986
Mandaithivu, Jaffna

Kurunagar, Pasaiyur and Mandaithivu are situated off the southern coast of the Jaffna peninsula. Surrounded on three sides by the sea, Mandaithivu village had 1200 families living in it. All the people depended on fishing for their livelihood. On 10.06.1986, Sri Lankan Navy men wearing black clothes approached the fishermen who were in the sea. The fishermen raised their hands to show that they are civilians. However, the Navy men attacked and tortured the fishermen before murdering them. The eyes of some of the fishermen were dug out. Stomachs of some fishermen were cut open. 32 fishermen from Kurunagar and one fisherman from Mandaithivu were killed. Boats and nets belonging to the fishermen were destroyed.

33
Killed

Anandapuram Shelling

June 4, 1986
Anandapuram, Kilinochchi

Anandapuram is a small village situated in the Kilinochchi district. The main occupation of the people is farming. In 1986, the Sri Lankan military began expanding their military camps in civilian areas and was shelling civilian areas. On 04.06.1984, at 5:00 am, the shelling began from the military camp in Kilinochchi town towards Anandapuram. One of the shells fell on the house of Ramaih Periyanpillai and completely destroyed his house. Five young children were sleeping in one room with their mother. Four of the children were killed, their bodies broken to smithereens. The fifth child was taken to hospital with serious injuries to the head and body. He died in the hospital. Mother also sustained serious injuries. All the people displaced from Anandapuram due to the heavy shelling. When they returned, they had to bury the bodies of the four dead children in their own yard. A memorial stone was installed at the place where the children were buried. A clock tower was also built in memory of the five children. Both of these memorials were later destroyed by the Sri Lankan military.

5
Killed

Kanthalai Massacre 1986

4-5 June 1986
Kanthalai, Trincomalee

Kantalai is situated in the Trincomalee district. On 04-05 June 1986, near the 4th Milepost, Sri Lankan Air Force and home-guards stopped buses and identified the Tamils and attacked them. Many were killed, disappeared and injured. On 05.06.1986, a bus with 25 passengers going from Trincomalee to Vavuniya was stopped and attacked. The bus was burnt. From the ashes 10 bodies were recovered including that of a child and a baby. Over the two days, more than 50 civilians were killed and the fate of more than 35 civilians is not known.

50+
Killed

Eeddimurinchan Massacre

19-20 March 1986
Eeddimurinchan, Mullaitivu

Eeddimurnchan village is situated in the Vavuniya district. Most people in the village are farmers. In the 1970s, upcountry Tamils displaced from their homes due to violence by the Sinhala mobs were settled in Dollar farm, Ken farm and other settlements in Vavuniya. In the 1980s, the Sri Lankan military chased these upcountry Tamils from their homes and settled Sinhala prisoners in their homes and armed them as well. These Sinhala prisoners tormented the long term residents with thefts of their livestock, farm products and homes. They also started to attack the people. On 19.03.1986, the Sri Lankan military and the settled Sinhala prisoners came through the jungle in many military vehicles and arrived at Eeddimurinchan village at 4:30 pm. They started shooting people and burning their homes. On the next day, early in the morning, the military and Sinhala groups rounded up the Nedunkerni village. They started shooting everyone including old people and children. 20 people were killed. Property worth hundreds of thousands of rupees was damaged. The Sri Lankan Air Force helicopter provided cover for the massacre. Fearing the military, relatives buried the bodies in the jungle.

20
Killed

Kilinochchi Railway Station Massacre

January 25, 1986
Kilinochchi

Kilinochchi town is a hustling business centre for the Kilinochchi district. It has a big market, a railway station and a hospital. On 25.01.1986, five Sri Lankan military personnel were hiding behind the trees south of the Kilinochchi Railway station. The train from Jaffna carrying passengers to Colombo stopped to pick up passengers. As the passengers were boarding the train, one of the military soldiers opened fire. Frightened people started to run in all directions. People hid inside the railway station and inside the train. At the end of the shooting, 12 people were dead including four women and two children. The government made the following statement: "A soldier suffering from mental illness opened fire at the passengers and killed some of them. We apologize for the incident." There were no other steps taken. Survivor Sinnaiyah Nallaiyah: "My wife was a teacher and had received a letter inviting her to the Education Department. We were at the station when we heard the gunshots. Nine SLA soldiers came there and began to shoot randomly from the platform. Nine people were killed immediately. My wife and son and many others were injured. I found my 9 year old son and wife dead."

12
Killed

Vankalai Church Massacre

January 6, 1986
Vankalai, Mannar

Vankalai village is in the Mannar district. 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 residence. People hiding in the first story of the church saw this. Many 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. Eyewitness: "I could hear sounds of torture in one of the rooms. The Father had been shot dead. His body had been dragged outside and his photo taken. The Father's body was taken to Thallady 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 went to the camp the next day to ask for the body but the SLA denied any knowledge of it."

8
Killed

Periyapullumalai Massacre

January 1, 1986
Periyapullumalai, Batticaloa

Pullumalai village had faced many atrocities by the Sri Lankan military. On 20.05.1980 the Sri Lankan military and its homeguards burnt down more than 100 homes. 25 young men were arrested and taken to Koduvamadhu and killed. On 08.05.1986, the military arrived from Mahaoya and began attacking the village. 18 civilians were stood on a line and shot dead. 51 civilians disappeared. Many families were killed en masse. The mother, four children and an eight month old baby from the family Nagalingam Rajaratname were killed that day. Children died when the military stepped on them with their boots. Kanthasamy, his Sinhala wife and their child were killed. On 10.11.1986, more people were killed including a three month old baby. Six women who were killed were raped before being murdered. 24 people arrested on this day disappeared.

69+
Killed

Piramanthanaru Massacre

October 2, 1985
Piramanthanaru, Kilinochchi

Piramanthanaru Village, Kilinochchi is an agricultural area. Many people who settled here came through a scheme set up in the 1950s to provide land for people from poor families. They were innocent people working hard to earn a living. In the early morning on 2nd October 1985, five helicopters landed on the bund of the tank with around 200 SLA personnel. Some of the army hid in the bushes until 3pm and captured passing villagers. Others went into the village and shot people. They destroyed agricultural products and burnt the houses. Eyewitness: "At 7am, I was preparing breakfast. Suddenly one helicopter landed by my house. The army surrounded my house, ordered us to come out and kneel. They captured my brother and tied his hands. They took him by the helicopter and gave him a rifle to hold and took video footage and a photo. Afterwards they asked if he was an LTTE man. I denied this. But the army said that they had a photo with a weapon. They threatened us saying they were going to shoot us. They burnt our house down. We shouted and begged them for mercy. They took my brother. I followed crying and asked several times to release him. One army member kicked me with his boots and I fell. Finally we found my brother's body in the forest. They had stabbed and pushed him from the helicopter. All his bones were broken."

11
Killed

Vayaloor Massacre

August 24, 1985
Vayaloor, Vavuniya

Vayaloor is situated in the Amparai district. Vayaloor, Sagamam was a colony of the landless poor who were settled in 1972. To reach Vayaloor, one has to travel eight miles on foot. There were 200 families living in the village. The attack occurred during a ceasefire period. When people left Vayaloor, they fled with what they were wearing. They had lost all their possessions. Eyewitness widow with five children: "At about 6 o'clock, I noticed men in army fatigues carrying guns standing around our hut. The soldiers rounded all the males above 18 years. Even women were taken along. The soldiers wanted the men to fetch water for them before breakfast. When their breakfast was over, they asked the people to accompany them on their journey. An officer found fault with the soldiers who had taken women. He said to the women 'wait there under the tree until noon and your men will return after showing us the way.' We waited but the men did not return. A message came of killing. The remains of those killed were scattered in the Kumarankulam area. Grief-stricken relatives went in tractor-driven trailers and brought the dead. We lost all that we owned at Vayaloor." A trader confirmed that as many as 40 were killed.

40
Killed

Sampaltivu Massacre

4-9 August 1985
Sampaltivu, Jaffna

A major military operation was launched between 04.09.1985 and 09.09.1985. This operation was aiming to chase away the Tamils from northern parts of Trincomalee. All three forces (land, sea and air) were engaged in this attack. The armed forces and home guards with heavy weapons were deployed in large numbers in Central road, Ekamparam road, Veeranagar, Thirukadalur, Uppuveli, and other areas. They started attacking Tamils. 1500 houses including the building of Sivanantha Thabovanam which sheltered 200 children were destroyed. Fishing equipment belonging to Tamil fishermen was stolen. More than 25 civilians were killed. No local or international journalists were allowed into these areas. A report documented that in June 1985 alone 311 civilians were killed in Trincomalee district and in September 383 civilians were killed.

25+
Killed

Thiriyai Massacre

June 8, 1985
Thiriyai, Trincomalee

Thiriyai is situated in the northeast region of the Trincomalee district. On 08.06.1985, around 5:30am, Sri Lankan Air force helicopters flew at low level and began shooting. Sri Lankan military came in vehicles and told the people to leave the area before they begin shooting. After people left, 700 houses were burnt down - 400 houses in Thiriyai and 300 houses in Kallapatrai. Stored paddy and farming equipment were burnt with the houses. Following this incident, displaced people stayed in schools. On 08.08.1985, the Sri Lankan military attacked the civilians in the schools. Ten civilians were killed including retired Grama Sevakar Narayanapillai, President of the Thiriyai Multi Purpose Society K Thurainayagam, Secretary of Thiriyai refugees rehabilitation centre K.Ekamparam, and the Principal of Thiriyai Vidhyalayam P Mahadeva. On 14.08.1985, 6 civilians were pulled out of a bus and hacked to death.

16
Killed
Major Event

Kumuthini Boat Massacre

May 15, 1985
Jaffna waters

For the people of Delft Island, located off the coast of Jaffna, the boat "Kumuthini" provided an indispensable service. On 15.05.1985, about 72 people were traveling in the boat from Delft Island to Jaffna. Sri Lankan Navy soldiers from the camp in Nainativu boarded the Kumuthini and massacred the people in the boat with knives. Many died during the violence. Some died as the boat sped to the Jaffna coast. 36 people were killed and 36 survived, but the survivors were all tortured. Survivor Saro Rasaratnam: "We were traveling for about 30 minutes when we stopped at mid-sea. Navy men climbed up into the boat. They took all of us to the front while they sat at the entrance. They asked people to move towards the back. One Navy man pushed me, and another one stabbed me in my neck, chest and head. I was pulled and thrown on top of others who were lying on the ground." Annaladchmi Sivalingam, whose baby was killed: "I sat with my baby and showed my ID card. He took me upstairs and stabbed me. I only found out that my baby was killed six weeks after the incident." Another survivor: "They stabbed a 6 month old baby and ripped open her chest. Girls were also raped along with other acts of violation. 72 people were in the boat, 36 were killed."

36
Killed

Puthukkidiyiruppu Iyankovilady Massacre

April 21, 1985
Puthukkidiyiruppu, Mullaitivu

On 21.04.1985, Sri Lankan Armed Forces from Mullaitivu rounded up Puthukkudiyiruppu Iyankovilady village. Government employees were identified and released. People who did labour work for daily wages were taken in a military vehicle towards Oddisuddan. Survivor account: "They arrived very early in the morning. We were still asleep. They rounded up people and took them to Puthupalavu Shop. We heard a big explosion. Over 30 people were taken to a lane near Oddisuddan Road and shot. Most died. The bodies were taken in SLA vehicles and burnt with kerosene and tar." 30 civilians were killed.

30+
Killed

Puthukkudiyiruppu Iyankovilady Massacre

April 21, 1985
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaithivu

Puthukkudiyiruppu is situated in the Mullaithivu district 20 Kms from Mullaithivu town. On 21.04.1985, SLAFs from Mullaitivu rounded up the village. Government employees were identified and released. People who did labour work for daily wages were taken in a military vehicle towards Oddisuddan. Survivor account: "On the 21st April 1985, they arrived very early in the morning. We were still asleep. As our house was right next to Oddisuddan Road, we were unable to run anywhere. They rounded up people and took them to Puthupalavu Shop. They arrested me too. But because my mother came running towards them screaming and pleading to let me go – they did. We heard a big explosion. We later found out that over 30 people were taken to a lane near Oddisuddan Road and shot. Most of the people died. The bodies were taken in one of the SLA vehicles to Oddisuddan Road and burnt with kerosene and tar."

30+
Killed

Udumbankulam Massacre

February 19, 1985
Udumbankulam, Vavuniya

Udumpankulan and Thankavelayuthapuram are situated near the Thirukovil area in the Amparai district. On 19.02.1985, early in the morning, 85 Sri Lankan military personnel from the Amparai camp arrived in six military vehicles. They went into the paddy fields where hundreds of poor farmers were busy with harvesting work. They rounded up 103 people in the fields and took them to the forest nearby. There they raped and cut the breasts off from the women and killed them. Others were lined up and shot dead. In total 103 people were killed including many children. The military spread the harvested hay over the bodies and set fire to it. Victim of rape and eye witness: "On the night, the Army rounded up all the people working in the paddy field. They started shooting the men. They raped five of us in the paddy field itself. As we couldn't bear the pain, we lost consciousness. After an hour we recovered and ran into a cave of a mountain. From there we saw the soldiers covering all the bodies with paddy sacks and dried grass and setting fire to those bodies. They found 66 people massacred. There is no justice here. No compensation was paid to us who were raped by the soldiers."

103
Killed

Vaddakandal Massacre

January 30, 1985
Vaddakandal, Jaffna

Vaddakandal is situated in the Mannar district and it is a farming area. On 30.01.1985, around 5:00am, 200 Sri Lankan military men from the Thallady camp moved into the Vaddakandal village. At 6:30 am they entered the homes of the villagers and began shooting and stabbing people. Sri Lankan Air Force helicopters also strafed the village. The military entered the Vaddakandal Government Tamil Mixed School and attacked the principal, teachers and students. Eighteen people were killed in the 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 dead bodies into military vehicles. 52 people died and 40 were injured. Eyewitness: "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. At the school there were about 250 children studying. They dragged the principal and all the teachers out, tortured and shot them in front of the villagers. 18 people were shot there. Mayilvaganam Ganesh was made to shoot his cousin and asked to drink his blood."

52
Killed
40
Injured

Mulliyavalai Massacre

January 16, 1985
Mulliyavalai, Mullaitivu

Mulliyavalai village is situated on the Mullaithivu-Vavuniya road. It is an ancient village with fertile land and has retained many of the folk culture of time past. 16.01.1985 was the day after Thaipongal, a thanks giving festival for the sun. At 4:00 am the Sri Lankan military rounded up this village. The military arrested 17 people, including a pregnant woman and a young mother of three children. Before they left, the military burnt down many homes. About 30 minutes later, people heard several gunshots. All 17 people were shot dead. When the families went to the military camp in Mullaithivu, they saw the bodies of their loved ones thrown on the ground. The bodies had no clothes on them. The hands, 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, the military demanded they sign a statement that those killed were terrorists. When they refused, the military refused to hand over the bodies. A survivor says: "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." Another says: "One woman, Kumarasamy Vijayakumari who was 7 months pregnant was also killed. Since this happened the day after Thaipongal, we do not celebrate Thaipongal any more."

17
Killed

Trincomalee Massacres 1985

January 1, 1985
Trincomalee

On 03.05.1985, 50 civilians were killed by Sinhala mobs and the Sri Lankan military in Mahindapura and Dehiwatta. On 03.06.1985, 13 civilians were killed in a bus in Trincomalee. Thankathurai, a former Member of Parliament, aged 70 at that time, was an eye witness and the only survivor of this massacre. On 23.05.1985, eight civilians were shot dead by the Sri Lankan military in Nilaveli. On 24.05.1985, 9 civilians were shot dead in Pankulam. Two civilians who went to Thehiwaththa to purchase items were also killed. A father and his 12 year old son who went to visit relatives in Kankuveli were hacked to death by the Sri Lankan home guards. On 27.05.1985, a bus was stopped at 52nd Milepost in Mahinthapura and 7 Tamil civilians including driver Pushparaja were shot dead and their bodies were burnt by the Sinhala home guards.

150+
Killed

Kiliveddi Massacre

January 1, 1985
Kiliveddi, Trincomalee

Kiliveddi is a Tamil village in the Mutur region of the Trincomalee district. In 1977 it was annexed to the Seruwela electoral division. Following this, the people were attacked by the military and the Sinhala leadership forcing them to gradually leave. On 01.01.1985, the Sri Lankan military, its home guards, and Sinhala thugs entered the Kiliveddi village at 2:00 pm. On that day 10 people were killed including 4 women. Among the dead were Kamala Rasaih and her daughter and Rajeswary Sharma and her daughter. 125 houses were burnt that day. A further 13 people were taken to the Dehiwathe village. The men were murdered and the women were raped. The day after, on 02.06.1985, a bus leaving Trincomalee to Jaffna was shot at and 13 people died. On 03.06.1985, the Sinhala home guards with the military attacked several villages between Mutur and Kiliveddi. 35 people died. 200 people were abducted. 1000 houses were set on fire. In the fourteen days ending on 14.06.1985, a total of 150 people were killed.

150+
Killed

Blood Soaked Mannar

December 4, 1984
Mannar

Mannar is one of the eight districts of the Northeast province. The main occupation of the Mannar people is fishing. On 4 December 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 camp and started to shell civilian areas. The military burnt 15 men alive who were previously arrested. 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 Thallady and Silawaththai camps rounded up several residential areas. 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. The military stopped a bus full of passengers, ordered everyone to get off the bus, and all the passengers and the driver were shot dead. Two days after, the Bishop of Mannar and the Government Agent collected 90 bodies and took them to the Mannar hospital. More than 200 people were killed.

200+
Killed

Manalaru Massacre

December 3, 1984
Manalaru, Mullaitivu

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.

50+
Killed

Kumulamunai Massacre

December 2, 1984
Kumulamunai, Batticaloa

Kumulamunai is in the Mullaithivu district. Farming and rearing livestock are the main occupation of the village. During 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 except four brothers of the two people arrested earlier and another person named Mohan. 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.

7
Killed

Cheddikulam Massacre

December 2, 1984
Cheddikulam, Vavuniya

Cheddikulam is a border village in the Vavuniya district located 20 Kms from Vavuniya town along the Vavuniya-Mannar Road. Farmers, business people, labourers and government employees live in this area. On 02.12.1984, the Sri Lankan military imposed curfew throughout Cheddikulam. The military began cordoning off the area at 5:30am. Most of the people in the village were still asleep. The military that came into the village took the males for inquiries. 52 men were taken in the military vehicles to the adjacent town of Mathavachchi. There has been no information about these 52 men since. The people say 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. A teacher at Cheddikulam Mahavidhyalayam says: "Following the incident people displaced to Vanni, Madhu and India. Among the 52 people killed were my younger brother, my brother-in-law and two more people living with us."

52
Killed

Othiyamalai Massacre

December 1, 1984
Othiyamalai, Mullaitivu

Othiyamalai is a remote village on the border of Mullaithivu district. More or less the entire population worked in their own paddy fields. 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, 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, and demanded that they assist the struggle waged by the LTTE. Deceived by the pretension of the Sri Lankan army soldiers, 32 men went. Eyewitness account: "On 2nd December 1984, 32 people were massacred here. My father and five of my uncles were killed. They caught our uncle at our house, tore up his shirt in front of us and tied his hands. They put everyone they had brought on a tractor, tied up everyone's hands and eyes. They shot everyone whilst the men remained still tied. The watching villagers told us they put five people, all over fifty years old, in the back of a tractor and the soldiers stood on top of the men singing and dancing as they drove away."

32
Killed

Chunnakam Market Massacre

March 28, 1984
Chunnakam, Jaffna

Chunnakam market is situated 7 Kms from Jaffna town on Chunnakam road. This is a central market where most agricultural products grown in Jaffna, Kilinochchi and also other districts are brought for sale. 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 shooting everyone who came within their sight. One civilian was killed. From here the military went to Tellipalai. There, students from the Union College, who were coming out of the school after writing an examination, were attacked. 26 students were injured in this attack. Another 20 civilians who happened to be on the same road were also injured.

9
Killed
96
Injured

Chunnakam Police Station Massacre

January 8, 1984
Chunnakam, Jaffna

Chunnakam is in the Uduvil Assistant Government Agent Division in the Jaffna district. Ten Kms from Jaffna town, on the KKS road, traveling towards Kankesanthurai, there is the 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.

20
Killed

Sampalthoddam Massacre

January 1, 1984
Sampalthoddam, Jaffna

Sampalthoddam is a village three miles along Mannar road from Vavuniya town. During early 1984, people were returning from a wedding in a privately hired bus. The 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 away and made the remaining 55 men look at the teak trees and then sprayed them with bullets. The SLA then kicked the bodies that had 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.

55
Killed

Thirunelveli Massacre

24-25 July 1983
Thirunelveli, Jaffna

Thirunelveli comes under the Nallur Assistant Government Agent Division in the Jaffna district. It is located north of the Jaffna town, 3 Kms from it, along the Palaly road. Jaffna University, Jaffna Technical College and several Government offices are located in Thirunelveli. On 23.07.1983 at 11:45 am, a Sri Lankan military vehicle on patrol came under a landmine attack on Palaly Road between Parameshwara Junction and Thirunelveli Junction. Thirteen Sri Lankan military soldiers were killed in this attack. That night and on the following day, the military entered the homes of civilians in Palaly Road and SivanAmman village and in total they shot dead 51 people. Many homes were set alight.

51
Killed
Major Event

Black July (1983 Pogrom)

23-29 July 1983
Colombo and nationwide

Using the claymore attack on 23.07.1983 in Thirunelveli that killed 13 Sri Lankan soldiers as a pretext, an island wide pogrom against Tamils was let loose organized by the government ministers. On Sunday 24th of July 1983 several persons boarded public and private buses in Colombo and began to make racist remarks. Some shops belonging to Tamil traders were burnt and some people beaten and killed. By Monday morning the attacks had spread to several outlying areas of Colombo. Thugs with electoral lists in their hands went from house to house, killing Tamils and burning property owned by Tamils. Several eye witnesses including tourists have reported that the security personnel looked on as the violence was perpetrated. There are reports that the Army even threatened Police not to harass the rioters. On 25th July Sinhala prisoners attacked and murdered 35 Tamil detainees in the Welikade prison in Colombo. Another 28 Tamil detainees in a different section were later killed. 200,000 Tamils were immediately rendered refugees. Tamil organizations estimate that nearly 3,000 Tamils were killed. All non-government reports concluded that the violence was deliberately started by the government and was carried out through the use of thugs, controlled and organized by members of the governing United National Party.

3,000+
Killed
200,000
Displaced
Major Event

Burning of Jaffna Public Library

June 1, 1981
Jaffna

Jaffna library was considered the largest library with the rarest collection of books and manuscripts in the whole of South Asia. It was the educational heritage of the people in the North of the island. It was located south of the Jaffna town on the eastern end of a famous sports ground. The library housed more than 97,000 rare books and was unique in the entire island. For its time, it was a library well designed for study and was sought by students and academics as well as by foreign diplomats. On 1 June 1981 at 10:00 pm, all three armed forces of the Sri Lankan government entered the library premises and chased away the security guard. They broke open the library door and started burning books. A rare collection of 97,000 books were burnt in a few minutes. The building was also set alight. The burning of the Jaffna library is one clear example of the intent of the Sri Lankan government to destroy the Tamil culture in the island. Rev Fr Thaveethu, who watched the Jaffna library burning from the second storey of the Bishop's House died of heart attack on the spot.

0 0

1977 Communal Pogrom

August 18, 1977
Colombo and nationwide

In the July 1977 parliamentary elections, the Tamil Alliance group campaigning on an election platform of working towards an independent Tamil Eelam state won 18 seats by receiving the vast majority of the Tamil votes. This was not well received by the Sinhala polity. Following incidents of police harassment of school girls in Jaffna, the Jaffna-Colombo night mail trains were attacked at the Anuradhapuram railway station. Violence against Tamils spread throughout the island. Tamils in Trincomalee, Vavuniya, Ratmalana, Badhulla and Colombo were badly affected. The Sansoni Commission investigated the 1977 communal violence and reported that more than 300 civilians were killed. However, statistics collected by other non-governmental organizations put the number killed at more than 1500. These reports also said that many were injured with knife, iron bars, and logs.

300+
Killed
35,000
Displaced

Tamil Research Conference Massacre

January 10, 1974
Jaffna

Tamils were preparing on a grand scale to hold a Tamil Research conference in Jaffna during 3-10 January 1974. The government of Sri Lanka did not like holding this Tamil research conference in Jaffna and continued to place hurdles to the organizers. Many researchers who wanted to travel to Jaffna from other countries were refused visa. The conference started on 3 January. Hundreds of thousands of people from different parts of Jaffna came into town to attend the conference. The entire Jaffna town was in festival mood. 10 January was being celebrated as the final day of the conference. Prof Naina Mohamad from Tamilnadu in India was delivering the final speech. At that instant, the police lead by the Deputy Inspector of Police for Jaffna, Chandrasekara, started to attack the people at the conference. The police also opened fire. Nine civilians were killed, the stages were destroyed. The same Inspector of Police Chandrasekara was later promoted to the post of Inspector of Police by the then Prime Minister Srimavo Bandaranayaka.

9
Killed
Major Event

1958 Anti-Tamil Pogrom

22-28 May 1958
Colombo and nationwide

In May 1958, plans were ahead for a Tamil Political Party conference to be held in Vavuniya. Tamils travelling by train from Batticaloa and Amparai for the conference were attacked by Sinhala mobs in Polonnaruwa. Following this incident, further violence against Tamils was let loose throughout the island. Women were raped and Tamil property was damaged. A priest was burnt alive inside his Kathirvelayutha temple in Pananthura. The Sri Lankan government looked on as the violence against Tamils continued. Many Tamil homes were set alight. Babies were dropped in hot tar. Well known journalist Tarzi Vittachchi wrote the famous book "Emergency 58" about this pogrom after he was expelled from the country. More than 300 Tamils were killed in this pogrom.

300+
Killed
12,000
Displaced
Major Event

Inginiyakala Massacre

June 5, 1956
Inginiyakala, Ampara

In the 1940s, the Minister of Agriculture created several Sinhala settlements in the Amparai district using state funds, including the Galoya development scheme. Buddhist temples were built and a declaration was made that wherever the ringing of these bells could be heard are lands belonging to Sinhala Buddhist people, confiscating land belonging to Tamils and Muslims. In the parliamentary elections of 1956, S.W.R.D. Bandaranayake was elected as the new prime minister and submitted the Sinhala Only law to parliament. On 05.06.1956, the main Tamil political party launched a Satyagraha protest in front of the old parliament building in Colombo. This protest was attacked by Sinhala thugs. Following this attack, shops in Colombo owned by Tamils were looted and burnt down. In the Amparai district, the recently settled Sinhala thugs started violent attacks against the Tamils. 150 Tamils working in a sugar cane farm and factory in Inginiyagala under the Galoya scheme were killed. The bodies of the dead and injured were thrown on a fire. This is the first large scale massacre of Tamils in the island and many more followed over the following decades.

150
Killed

About This Documentation

This list includes massacres and mass atrocities that have been documented by credible sources including the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and academic researchers. Casualty figures are often estimates due to the difficulty of obtaining accurate counts, particularly during wartime. Where figures are disputed, we have indicated this in the individual massacre pages. This is not an exhaustive list, and many incidents remain undocumented or under-reported.