Lest We Forget

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Lest we forget – Massacres of Tamils 1956 2002 My husband could not bear to see his only son being brutally tortured. He sprang up and protested and I too raised cries. Thereupon, one of them armed with wooden pestle dealt a blow on the chest of my husband he fell down unconscious; he fell down like an uprooted tree. I rushed to my husband and lifted his head. Another person struck me on my head with a weapon. I remember blood gushing from my head before I fell unconscious. Those who survived the attack fled to Thirukovil carrying the injured. They carried nothing with them and ran with the clothes on their back. Some of them had had no meal from the previous day. Later when I opened my eyes, I found myself on a hospital bed, along with several others from my village. It was late in the afternoon, around 4 p.m. I tried to recollect what had happened but could not. Anxious relatives came to see me and I asked for my family members. I was told that a number of people were killed by the home guards and the Muslims and our houses were set on fire with petrol and kerosene. All the people had fled from the village, but some were preparing to go back to Xavierpuram to perform the last rites for the dead whose mortal remains were lying scattered. Something urged me to return with the crowd to Xavierpuram. Despite my weak condition, I left the hospital ward, traced my husband who was equally in pain, and together with about 20 men, traveled in a tractor belonging to one member of our tribe. I was petrified when I saw my son's body lying near the channel with bullet wounds. There were two other bodies beside his strewn around. The eerie calm of the destroyed village with the burnt houses sent terror through me. The charred remains of the houses reminded me of ghosts. We made a quick return to Thirukovil.” Massana, another victim of the attack is an ageing woman of the Kurawar tribe living in Xavierpuram. A grandmother, she said that she knew most of the attackers. Some of them were paddy cultivators in the area around where she lived. They not only killed, maimed and injured people, but also destroyed the church, the school and homes of a peaceful community, many of whose members worked on the paddy fields of the Muslims. After homes were lost, and lives brutally taken, some survivors could not bear to live with what they had seen or with what they had lost and later committed suicide. 58. Siththandy massacre 20, 27.07.1990 Siththandy village is situated 8 Kms north of the Batticaloa town. The village has an ancient and famous Hindu temple. On 20.07.1990, Sri Lankan military rounded up the village and took all the people into this temple. Eight of the Report by NESOHR, Information Collected by SNE 47
Lest we forget – Massacres of Tamils 1956 2002 people were taken blindfolded with their hands tied to the villager next to him. There they were attacked and killed. In the same month, again, the Sri Lankan military took 57 young men after rounding up the village. The young men were taken to the adjacent villages where they were shot and killed and put in mass graves and burnt. In total 137 people were killed over these two days. The arrests and killing continued for several months after on a daily basis. Nallaiah Kamalanathan says, “We thought that if everyone stood in one place the Army would not kill us. So, all the villagers ran for safety into the temple. Within one week we had run to the temple twice. First it was on the 20 th of July of 1990 and then again on the 27 th . Sithandi villagers and Mavadivembu villagers all ran to this temple. The SLA surrounded the temple. They came along with Sinhala mobs. Everyone in the temple was asked to stand in line and they picked out the young boys. Everyone stood trembling. As each one of the boys were picked, their families, mothers and fathers, all screamed. They begged for mercy with their hands. They pleaded saying their difficulties. Nothing went into the ears of the Army. On the 20 th , 80 people were taken away in their vehicle. On the 27 th, 57 people were taken away. 2 days after this, all their parents went to all the Army Camps in search for them. Everyone denied taking the boys. Only a week later, we found out that they had killed everyone that they had taken away. We thought they would leave them after investigation. The 137 people that were taken away were taken by bus to a Sinhalese village. There they were asked to stand in a line. The Army announced to the Sinhala people that they had caught LTTE members. Then they were shot dead. Their bodies were never returned to us. Till this day, their mothers still cry not knowing what had happened to their children. The SLA, who denied without batting an eyelid that they did not catch or kill anyone, will one day be destroyed.” 59. Paranthan junction massacre 24.07.1990 Paranthan is in the Kilinochchi district on the A-9 highway. This town hosted a chemical factory in the past. The people’s main occupation is farming. This town was badly affected by the military activities in the 1980’s. On 24.07.1990, Sri Lankan army was dropped by helicopter in Suddaithivu near Elephant Pass to rescue the military in Elephant Pass. This military was moving forward through Paranthan towards Elephant Pass. The military began attacking the people living near the Paranthan junction. The people killed were burnt inside their homes. More than 10 civilians lost their lives in this incident. Many more were injured. Report by NESOHR, Information Collected by SNE 48
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Lest We Forget

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