What Happened
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.
Perpetrators
Sri Lankan Army
Documentary Evidence
Warning: These images document the aftermath of this attack and may be disturbing.
4 images from documentary reports. Click to enlarge.
Sources & References
- NESOHR - Lest We Forget Volume II
- NESOHR report April 2006
- https://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?artid=17821&catid=13