What Happened
Vankalai village is in the Mannar district. On 06.01.1986, at 12:30 pm, military surrounded the Vankalai village and began shelling and continued shelling till 10:00 am the next day.
When the military began firing in the direction of the residence of the church priest, Rev Mary Bastion, he came out in his robes with his prayer beads and begged them to stop shooting. The priest was shot. The military dragged his body to the front of the sister's residence. People hiding in the first story of the church saw this. Many other civilians who were running in fear were also shot and killed.
Following this carnage the military was celebrating their achievement. The military then took all the dead bodies in their vehicle and left.
Eyewitness: "I could hear sounds of torture in one of the rooms. The Father had been shot dead. His body had been dragged outside and his photo taken. The Father's body was taken to Thallady Army Camp. That day we could see smoke coming from the Army camp. We feared that the Father's body was being burnt. The Bishop went to the camp the next day to ask for the body but the SLA denied any knowledge of it."
Perpetrators
Sri Lankan Army
Sources & References
- NESOHR - Lest We Forget Volume I