Akkaraipattu massacre
Encyclopedia
Akkaraipattu massacre happened on 19 February 1986 when approximately 80 minority
Sri Lankan Tamil farm workers were allegedly killed by the Sri Lankan Army
personnel and their bodies burned in the Eastern Province
of Sri Lanka
.
Although the alleged massacre
happened on 19 February 1986, the incident came to light only few days later after community leaders visited the remote location near the town of Akkaraipattu
, where the farm workers were shot. According to community leaders, the farm workers were threshing the paddy field
s when troops appeared from the nearby jungle firing into the air. The women were freed, but the soldiers rounded up the men, tied their hands and made them sit on the road. The farm workers were taken back to the paddy fields and shot. Several empty cases of ammunition have been found in the field. Later the bodies were piled on top of the dry rice harvest and burned.
Minority group
A minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
Sri Lankan Tamil farm workers were allegedly killed by the Sri Lankan Army
Sri Lankan Army
The Sri Lanka Army is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is responsible for land-based military and humanitarian operations. Established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, it was renamed when Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972...
personnel and their bodies burned in the Eastern Province
Eastern Province, Sri Lanka
The Eastern Province is one of the 9 provinces of Sri Lanka. The provinces have existed since the 19th century but they didn't have any legal status until 1987 when the 13th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka established provincial councils. Between 1988 and 2006 the province was...
of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
Although the alleged massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
happened on 19 February 1986, the incident came to light only few days later after community leaders visited the remote location near the town of Akkaraipattu
Akkaraipattu
Akkaraipattu is a town in the Ampara District of Sri Lanka, and is located along the Eastern coast of the Island. Akkaraipattu consists of over 35,000 people who settled in this area many centuries ago...
, where the farm workers were shot. According to community leaders, the farm workers were threshing the paddy field
Paddy field
A paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing rice and other semiaquatic crops. Paddy fields are a typical feature of rice farming in east, south and southeast Asia. Paddies can be built into steep hillsides as terraces and adjacent to depressed or steeply sloped features such...
s when troops appeared from the nearby jungle firing into the air. The women were freed, but the soldiers rounded up the men, tied their hands and made them sit on the road. The farm workers were taken back to the paddy fields and shot. Several empty cases of ammunition have been found in the field. Later the bodies were piled on top of the dry rice harvest and burned.
See also
- List of massacres in Sri Lanka
- List of attacks attributed to Sri Lankan government forces
- List of attacks attributed to the LTTE