What Happened
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."
Perpetrators
Sri Lankan Army
Sources & References
- NESOHR - Lest We Forget Volume I