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