Jaffna lagoon massacre
Encyclopedia
The Jaffna lagoon massacre or Kilaly massacre occurred on January 2, 1993, when a Sri Lankan Navy
Motor Gun Boat
and a number of smaller speed boats intercepted a number of boats transporting people between the south and north shores of the Jaffna Lagoon
in the Northern province
in Sri Lanka
, and attacked them under the glare of a spot light. The estimated number of deaths range from thirty five (35) to one hundred (100). However, only fourteen (14) bodies were recovered. It was reported that other victims of this massacre
were burnt along with their boats. The Sri Lankan government claims that the boats were transporting rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) cadres.
, which began with the 1983 Black July
pogrom
. In the early 1990s civilians, mostly minority Sri Lankan Tamils, were living within the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) controlled Jaffna peninsula
. They were forced to use boats to travel to mainland Sri Lanka, as the land connection between the mainland and the Jaffna peninsula, which is separated by the Jaffna lagoon (also known as Kilaly lagoon), was blocked by a military camp at the isthmus
of Elephant Pass
. The rebel group LTTE had also prohibited civilians from using the land route.
Prior to the January 2 attack, roughly 15 civilians that were trying to cross the lagoon had been killed by the Navy, which lead boat operators to refuse to travel the route. This stranded 800 people on both sides of the lagoon without food and shelter. Eventually, the boat operators relented and began traveling between the peninsula and the mainland on January 2.
From a distance, The gun-boat opened fire on these passenger boats, and continued to fire for up to half an hour, according to a Reuter
s report. The gun-boat did not receive 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.
According to another eye witness, Navy sailors, after killing the boat occupants, went on to rob the dead of valuables. There were also five boats with dead and injured that are said to have been taken by the navy. According to local reports, Of the five boats towed away, the bodies of the dead were placed in one boat, which was set on fire. It is believed that all those injured in the five towed boats were killed by Navy personnel, and their corpses set aflame. Many of the dead also had gaping wounds, which suggests that cannons, not small arms, were used. Many of the bodies that were recovered were badly mutilated.
, a local Tamil daily newspaper published from Colombo, Sri Lanka, reported on January 5 that 14 bodies were recovered and brought to the Killinochchi hospital. Among the recovered bodies, six were women. Amnesty International
, in a 1994 report, estimated that hundreds of civilians were killed while trying to cross the Kilaly lagoon.
audience did speak about a speed boat that approached the gun-boat, did a U-turn, and ran into the passenger boats. However, it added that a speed boat had fired at the navy, which was denied by civilian witnesses. According to The Island, quoting the Sri Lankan government, 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. Following the massacre, the government announced that it was considering opening a safe passage in the lagoon for civilians to cross, so long as it was done during the day time under strict Naval control
Sri Lankan Navy
-The Beginning and World War II:In January 1938 the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force was created with Commander W.G. Beauchamp as Commanding Officer under ordinance No I of 1937. On 31 August 1939 at the out set of World War II, the CNVF was mobilized for war duties...
Motor Gun Boat
Motor Gun Boat
Motor Gun Boat was a Royal Navy term for a small military vessel of the Second World War. They were physically similar to the Motor Torpedo Boats but equipped with a mix of guns instead of torpedoes. Their small size and high speed made them difficult targets for E-boats or torpedo bombers, but...
and a number of smaller speed boats intercepted a number of boats transporting people between the south and north shores of the Jaffna Lagoon
Jaffna Lagoon
Jaffna lagoon is a large lagoon off Jaffna District and Kilinochchi District, northern Sri Lanka.The lagoon is surrounded by the densely populated Jaffna peninsula containing palmyra palms, coconut plantations, and rice paddies. There are numerous fishing villages and some salt pans.The lagoon has...
in the Northern province
Northern Province, Sri Lanka
The Northern Province is one of the 9 provinces of Sri Lanka. The provinces have existed since the 19th century but did not 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...
in 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...
, and attacked them under the glare of a spot light. The estimated number of deaths range from thirty five (35) to one hundred (100). However, only fourteen (14) bodies were recovered. It was reported that other victims of this 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...
were burnt along with their boats. The Sri Lankan government claims that the boats were transporting rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
(LTTE) cadres.
Background
The incident occurred during the Sri Lankan civil warSri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
, which began with the 1983 Black July
Black July
Black July is the commonly used name for the anti-Tamil pogrom and attacks carried out by mobs in Sri Lanka which began on July 23, 1983. The riots occurred following a deadly ambush by a Tamil militant organization known as Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam which killed 13 Sri Lanka Army soldiers...
pogrom
Pogrom
A pogrom is a form of violent riot, a mob attack directed against a minority group, and characterized by killings and destruction of their homes and properties, businesses, and religious centres...
. In the early 1990s civilians, mostly minority Sri Lankan Tamils, were living within the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...
(LTTE) controlled Jaffna peninsula
Jaffna Peninsula
The Jaffna Peninsula is an area in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is home to the capital city of the province, Jaffna and comprises much of the former land mass of the ancient Tamil kingdoms of the Nagas and the medieval Jaffna kingdom. The peninsula is mostly surrounded by water, connected to...
. They were forced to use boats to travel to mainland Sri Lanka, as the land connection between the mainland and the Jaffna peninsula, which is separated by the Jaffna lagoon (also known as Kilaly lagoon), was blocked by a military camp at the isthmus
Isthmus
An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side.Canals are often built through isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation...
of Elephant Pass
Elephant Pass
Elephant Pass, Northern Province, Sri Lanka is an important military base and formerly the island's largest salt field, located in the gateway of Jaffna Peninsula. It has thus regularly been the site of battles during the civil war....
. The rebel group LTTE had also prohibited civilians from using the land route.
Prior to the January 2 attack, roughly 15 civilians that were trying to cross the lagoon had been killed by the Navy, which lead boat operators to refuse to travel the route. This stranded 800 people on both sides of the lagoon without food and shelter. Eventually, the boat operators relented and began traveling between the peninsula and the mainland on January 2.
The attack
On January 2, 1993, Saturday night passengers were seen leaving 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 a cannon was in the lagoon at the 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. Following the four passenger boats was a speed boat with three outboard motors. which was commonly used by LTTE. The passengers in the speed boat were not armed. Upon seeing the Naval gun-boat, the speed boat made a U-turn and sped away towards the north shore. The Gun-boat gave a chase, and the speed boat ran close to a group of passenger boats, which were heading south from the north shore, and escaped northwards.From a distance, The gun-boat opened fire on these passenger boats, and continued to fire for up to half an hour, according to a Reuter
Reuter
-Persons that bear the name Reuter:* Christian Reuter , writer* Edzard Reuter , former Daimler-Benz manager, son of Ernst Reuter* Enzio Rafael Reuter ,entomologist* Erich Fritz Reuter , sculptor in Berlin...
s report. The gun-boat did not receive return fire at any stage. Although the gun-boat did not go near the attacked boats, the boats were boarded by Sri Lankan Navy
Sri Lankan Navy
-The Beginning and World War II:In January 1938 the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force was created with Commander W.G. Beauchamp as Commanding Officer under ordinance No I of 1937. On 31 August 1939 at the out set of World War II, the CNVF was mobilized for war duties...
men who came in other smaller boats.
Eye Witness account
According to the testimony of survivor K. Sellathurai, between 7pm and 8pm, personnel from a navy boat appeared by the side of the passenger boats and ordered them to stop. A spotlight was aimed on the people on the boats. Shots were then fired at all those on board. After the attack, the boats were taken under tow. However, one of the four boats broke loose and was left drifting, and eventually ran aground on the mainland. On board were four survivors and nine dead bodies; some of them had stab wounds.According to another eye witness, Navy sailors, after killing the boat occupants, went on to rob the dead of valuables. There were also five boats with dead and injured that are said to have been taken by the navy. According to local reports, Of the five boats towed away, the bodies of the dead were placed in one boat, which was set on fire. It is believed that all those injured in the five towed boats were killed by Navy personnel, and their corpses set aflame. Many of the dead also had gaping wounds, which suggests that cannons, not small arms, were used. Many of the bodies that were recovered were badly mutilated.
Causality estimation
The VirakesariVirakesari
Virakesari ta:வீரகேசரி is the name of one of the leading Tamil dailies in Sri Lanka. Virakesari is the oldest and the largest circulated Tamil Newspaper in Sri Lanka. Virakesari is owned by Express Newspapers Limited, a leading print and web media organization in Sri Lanka.- Foundation...
, a local Tamil daily newspaper published from Colombo, Sri Lanka, reported on January 5 that 14 bodies were recovered and brought to the Killinochchi hospital. Among the recovered bodies, six were women. Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, in a 1994 report, estimated that hundreds of civilians were killed while trying to cross the Kilaly lagoon.
Government reaction
A government version of this incident broadcast over Makkal Kural for a Tamil languageTamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
audience did speak about a speed boat that approached the gun-boat, did a U-turn, and ran into the passenger boats. However, it added that a speed boat had fired at the navy, which was denied by civilian witnesses. According to The Island, quoting the Sri Lankan government, 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
Sea Tigers
The Sea Tigers was the naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam during the Sri Lankan Civil War. It was founded in 1984. The Sea Tigers had a number of small but effective suicide bomber vessels. During its existence it had gained a reputation as a capable adversary for the Sri Lankan Navy...
, 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. Following the massacre, the government announced that it was considering opening a safe passage in the lagoon for civilians to cross, so long as it was done during the day time under strict Naval control
See also
- List of massacres in Sri Lanka
- List of attacks attributed to Sri Lankan government forces
- List of attacks attributed to the LTTE