Allaipiddy Church Shelling

August 13, 2006
Allaipiddy, Jaffna
Church shelling
50 +
Killed

What Happened

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.

Perpetrators

Sri Lankan Army and Navy

Documentary Evidence

Warning: These images document the aftermath of this attack and may be disturbing.

1 images from documentary reports. Click to enlarge.

Sources & References

  • NESOHR - Lest We Forget Volume II
  • Amnesty International ASA 37/025/2006
  • https://genocideagainsttamils.com/?p=3708

Documented Victim Demographics

2
Elders
(Age ≥ 60)

Based on victims with documented names and details

Documented Victims (12 names)

# Name Age Occupation
1 A. John Robert 41 -
2 K. Mary Manjula 45 -
3 K. Menis 19 -
4 K. Michael 55 -
5 K. Nadaraja 60 -
6 K. Thevakumar 28 -
7 K. Uthayakumar 35 -
8 L. Gnanapragasam 70 -
9 M. Ramesh 26 -
10 P. Thevanayaki 30 -
11 P. Velicia 20 -
12 S. Anandam 51 -
Children (age ≤ 12)