Poththuvil Massacre

What Happened

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.

Perpetrators

Sri Lankan Army

Sources & References

NESOHR - Lest We Forget Volume I

Documented Victims (114 names)

#	Name	Age	Occupation
1	Sellathurai Chandran	20	-
2	Kandiahpillai Sivasuntharan	26	-
3	Kanthan Navaratnam	21	-
4	Kanthappan Aananthan	26	Worker
5	Kaththamuthu Sunil	35	Worker
6	Kalikuddy Amirthlingham	27	-
7	Krishnan Alagaiah	24	Worker
8	Kanapathy Pathmanathan	25	Worker
9	Kanapathipillai Tharumaratnam	51	Worker
10	Kengatharan Jeyakumar	22	Worker
11	Ponnan Mosan	25	Worker
12	Somalingham Visvalingham	42	Worker
13	Rajathurai Kamalanathan	3 (Child)	Infant
14	Sellathurai Kanthasamy	35	-
15	Kanagaratnam Sinnarasa	27	-
16	Sellamuthu Subramaniam	18	Worker
17	Velautham Karunanithy	32	Worker
18	Gnanachselvan Uthayakumar	18	Worker
19	Sunthararagan Tharumalingham	21	-
20	Subramaniam Rasu	20	-
21	Subpaiah Kathirgamanathan	22	-
22	Subpaiah Archsunan	26	-
23	Subpaiah Arumugam	39	Worker
24	Kanapathipillai Selvaratnam	35	Worker
25	Kanapathipillai Theiventhiran	23	-
26	Pakkiri Sittampalam	30	-
27	Palan Jeyanantham	25	Worker
28	Selvarasa Suventhiran	20	Worker
29	Thambiar Thevasuntharam	70	Watcher
30	Nagamani Kunaseelan	25	-
31	Nallathamby Pakkiarasa	23	-
32	Kannachchi Subramaniam	34	-
33	Kanagaratnam Sinnarasa	52	-
34	Kanagasabai Navarasa	26	-
35	Kandiah Nallathambi	33	-
36	Kandiah Tharumaratnam	32	-
37	Kandiah Sivakumar	27	-
38	Kandiah Sivakumaran	22	-
39	Kandiapillai Sivasubramaniam	26	-
40	Kanthan Navaratnam	21	-
41	Kaneshapillai Chandran	36	-
42	Kandiah Kanesh	16	Student
43	Santhirapillai Vinayagamoorthy	20	Worker
44	Kandiah Nallathamby	33	-
45	Thambimuthu Krishnapillai	52	-
46	Mooththathamby Rasanayagam	33	-
47	Ilaiyathamby Kirubakakaran	39	Worker
48	Ilaiyathamby Karunakaran	23	-
49	Ramalingham Eesvaran	23	-
50	Santhianathan Pathmanathan	32	-
51	Nagamani Kunaseelan	25	-
52	Nadarasa Savunthararasa	19	-
53	Sannasi Subramaniam	34	-
54	Kanagasabai Kirubairasa	30	Worker
55	Kanagasabai Thavarasa	26	Worker
56	Iyappan Selvarasa	41	Worker
57	Namani Siththathurai	45	Fisherman
58	Seeniththamby Subramaniam	26	Worker
59	Pathamanathan Vigneswaran	14	Worker
60	Sabapathy Mahenthiran	22	-
61	Shanthy Satkunam	40	-
62	Saththianathan Yoganathan	26	Worker
63	Sathasivam Velluppillai	50	Worker
64	Sathasivam Sivalingham	45	Worker
65	Sinnappillai Vijayakumar	20	-
66	Sinnathurai Pathmanathan	26	-
67	Sinnathurai Yogarasa	29	-
68	Sinnaththamby Nadarasa	34	-
69	Sinnaththamby Suntharam	30	Worker
70	Sinnaththamby Sabanantham	28	Worker
71	Kopalakrishnan Pathmanathan	26	Worker
72	Seeniththamby Kanthasamy	45	-
73	Kopal Ramesh	20	-
74	Vadivel Muththukumar	17	Worker
75	Vadivel Alaganayagam	30	Worker
76	Vadivel Selvanayagam	17	Worker
77	Vadivel Santhirasegararagan	42	Worker
78	Vannamani Manivannan	20	-
79	Veeran Rasaiah	35	-
80	Veeran Pushparasa	32	-
81	Veeran Selvarasa	29	-
82	Ratnam Jeyaseelan	24	-
83	Lalith Thurairasa	49	Merchant
84	Kanapathipillai Yoganathan	20	Worker
85	Arumugam Kaneshamoorthy	19	Student
86	Sinnarasa Theiventhiran	23	-
87	Tharumalingham Santhiran	21	-
88	Tharumalingham Paskaran	13	-
89	Thambipillai Poopalapillai	32	Worker
90	Thambirasa Rasakumar	18	Worker
91	Thambirasa Manogar	38	Worker
92	Thambirasa Thevasuntharam	65	Worker
93	Thisanayaga Obesegara	42	Worker
94	Thisanayaga Sabeser	19	Student
95	Thilagaratnam Parathy	24	Worker
96	Thilagaratnam Lalith	23	Worker
97	Thangarasa Mahenthiran	17	Worker
98	Tharumalingham Rasenthiram	26	-
99	Sabapathy Mahenthiran	26	Seller
100	Tharumalingham Muthulingham	24	Worker
101	Pathmanathan Ravinthiran	40	Worker
102	Tharumalingham Santhalingham	23	-
103	Marimuthu Mahenthiran	18	-
104	Manikkam Paramasivan	31	-
105	Manikkam Thambirasa	26	Worker
106	Manikkam Selvarasa	27	Worker
107	Manikkam Ravichsanthiran	32	Worker
108	Muthuthaiah Saththianathan	18	-
109	Antonipillai Mahenthirakumar	16	-
110	Alagaiah Siyamsegar	36	Worker
111	Arulampalam Vasu	19	-
112	Arumugam Rasaratnam	20	Worker
113	Joseph Sriramu	32	Worker
114	Tharumalingham Kaneshamoorthy	23	Worker

Children (age ≤ 12)