Jaffna lagoon massacre

Jaffna lagoon massacre happened on January 02 1993 when according to Human rights agencies a Sri Lankan Navy Gun boat and a number of smaller speed boats intercepted a number of boats transporting civilians between south and north shores of the Jaffna Lagoon in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka and attacked them. About thirty five (35) civilians were estimated to have been massacred during this event although only fourteen 14 bodies were recovered as other victims of the massacre were burnt along with their boats. Sri Lankan government claims that the boats were transporting rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres.cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
title = Amnesty International Report 1994
work =
publisher = Amnesty International
date = 1994
url = http://www.unhcr.org/home/RSDCOI/3ae6a9f444.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-08-14 ] cite web
last = Hoole
first = Rajan
authorlink =
title = Feature: Massacre in the Jaffna Lagoon
work =
publisher = University Teachers for Human Rights
date =
url = http://www.uthr.org/Reports/Report10/chapter0.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-08-14 ] cite news
last = Fernando
first = Shamindra
coauthors =
title = Navy demolishes Tiger boats
work =
pages =
language = English
publisher = The Island
date = January 5, 1993
url =
accessdate = 2007-07-18 ]

Background

In the early 1990’s civilians living within the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled Jaffna peninsula were forced to use boats because the land connection between the mainland Sri Lanka and the Jaffna peninsula separated by the Jaffna lagoon (also Known as Kilalay lagoon) was blocked due a military camp at the isthmus of Elephant Pass. The rebel group LTTE had also prohibited civilians from using the land route. Even before the January 1993 massacre there had been a regular toll on civilians. Bodies were regularly discovered on the shores by local villagers and buried.See map [http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/srilanka.pdf here] .

The Sri Lankan government wanted the civilians to use the land corridors that was under its control where as the LTTE had prohibited the use citing military reasons. It also sometimes provided the speed boats in which the civilians traveled for a fee. According a local Human Rights agency, University Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR) the event was planned as ascertained by the fact that the Sri Lankan Army began issuing hand bills in Dec 1992 to travelers through a northern provincial town called Vavuniya not to use the Kilaly lagoon boat crossing. Subsequently the rebel (LTTE) announced that through local press in Jaffna the main town in the rebel held Jaffna peninsula that they would offer protection to people using the Kilaly lagoon crossing, the massacre followed. [cite news
last = de Silva
first = Daryll
coauthors =
title = Tiger morale declining day by day
work =
pages =
language = English
publisher = Daily News
date = January 6, 1993
url =
accessdate = 2007-07-18 ] Sri Lankan Conflict

Incident

On the massacre night's crossing on January 02, 1993, Saturday passengers were seen leavening in batches of 15 to 20 in each boat at regular intervals. The first four boats from Kilaly in the rebel LTTE occupied north shore reached the mainland to the south without incident. A naval gun boat fitted with cannon was in the lagoon at that time. This boat could operate in an area in the centre of the lagoon where the water was deep enough but could not approach the shores. According to the testimony of one witness following the first four boats, was a fast boat with three outboard motors of the kind used by LTTE. According to this witness the three persons in the boat were not armed and were thought to be rebel sympathizers rather than rebels.

Upon seeing the government gun-boat, the fast boat made a U-turn and sped away towards the safety of north shore. Gun-boat gave a chase and the fast boat ran close by a group of passenger boats heading south from north and escaped northwards. The gun-boat opened fire at these passenger boats from a distance and kept firing for a long time - half an hour according to a Reuters report. The gun boat did not receive any return fire at any stage. Although the gun-boat did not go near the attacked boats, the boats were boarded by Sri Lankan Navy men who came in other smaller boats.

Eye Witness account

According to the testimony of one K. Sellathurai, a survivor,(Virakesari of 5/1): bquote|"A navy boat suddenly appeared alongside our boats and ordered us to stop moving. Then a torch beam was flashed on us, followed by gun shots. Those in my boat screamed and fell to the ground. I did the same. The other boats were similarly shot at. The boatmen jumped into the sea. This happened between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m and the lagoon water was rough. The navy men set about attacking the passengers at least in one boat with knives irrespective of age and sex". The boats were then towed away. One of the boats broke loose and the navy men left it drifting without attempting to secure it. It was this boat that was brought to the mainland subsequently. The boat with causalities which came ashore had about 4 survivors with cut injuries and about 9 corpses. A lady who had lain against the prow of the boat had been missed by the attackers. The first reports to emerge spoke of nine dead. The figure later rose to over 35 to include passengers from other boats who either were missing and bodies never recovered or whose bodies were recovered. cite news
last =
first =
coauthors =
title = Kilalay lagoon massacre
work =
pages =
language = Tamil
publisher = Virakesari
date = January 5, 1993
url =
accessdate = 2007-07-18 ]

According to eye witnesses S. Parameswary was among those killed when the naval men opened fire. Her husband K. Sellathurai lay injured. Naval men came into the boat. A naval man first assaulted him and demanded money and jewels. Sellathurai emptied his purse. The naval man then ripped the gold chain around his dead wife's neck. Sellathurai tried to unscrew her ear rings to give the naval man. An order rang out asking the men to return quickly. The man immediately cut portions the dead woman's ears with the rings and vanished. The boat was then tied for towing, but broke loose. It was left behind. A little later the boatman, who had earlier jumped out, came into the boat. It was he who took the boat to the southern shore. Five boats were said to have been taken by the navy with dead and injured people. Of the five boats towed away, the bodies of the dead were placed in one boat and the boat was set on fire according to local reports. It is suspected that all injured in the five towed boats were also killed by the Navy personnel before setting the corpses on fire. Many of the dead also had gaping wounds suggesting that these were caused by cannon rather than small arms. Many of the bodies recovered were badly mutilated. Tharmaraja, the deceased director of education had an eye gouged out. His thigh too had a deep cut. The corpse of an unidentified woman which reached the shore was without its head.

Causality estimation

The Virakesari a local Tamil daily published from Colombo, Sri Lanka of 5 Jan reported that 14 bodies recovered and brought to the Killinochchi hospital. Among the recovered bodies six were women. .

Eventually Amnesty International in a 1994 report estimated that hundreds of civilians were killed in trying to cross the Kilaly lagoon.

Government reaction

A government version of this incident broadcast over "Makkal Kural" for a Tamil language audience did speak about a fast boat which approached the gun-boat, did a U-turn and ran into the passenger boats, but it also added that the fast boat had fired at the navy, which was denied by civilian witnesses.

According to The Island quoting the Sri Lankan government, it reported under the caption "Navy demolishes Tiger boats" that according naval authorities naval patrol boats operating in the Jaffna lagoon blasted at least four fiber glass dinghies last Saturday night killing over a dozen persons. According to the Naval personnel the dinghies were operated by Sea Tigers and were moving in a convoy when the Navy patrol boats had swooped down on them. However some of the dinghies had escaped carrying the wounded persons. The Navy boats operating from Nagathevanthurai radar-naval station had confronted the boats while they were moving towards the peninsula the sources indicated. According to the Joint Operations Command (JOC) the navy's in shore patrol craft operating from Nagathivanthurai were successful in controlling Sea Tiger activities in the Jaffna lagoon. According to the same officer all boats trying to break the government imposed ban will be dealt with.

ee also

Other notable mass murders of civilians in the Jaffna peninsula
*Allaipiddy massacre
*Kumudini boat massacre
*Navaly Church bombing
*Nagerkovil school bombing
*Jaffna hospital massacre
*Valvettiturai massacre

References