Pesalai Church attack
Encyclopedia
Pesalai church attack happened on June 17, 2006 Our lady of
heart church Pesalai
village in Mannar Island
. Six civilians were
killed and at least 47 were injured in the attack. The eyewitness
accused the governmental troops for this attack.
The Sri Lankan Navy
has denied this and has counter accused the rebel LTTE
as being the responsible party. Government of Sri Lanka instituted an
investigation in to this incident and has identified the responsible
party.
is in the north-west of Sri Lanka and is one of the least developed districts in the country. It has a substantial Catholic and Muslim population. Pesalai has the largest Catholic community in the Mannar District. As it is a costal helmet, there had been many clashes between LTTE and Sri Lankan Navy
there. Particularly
on June 17, 2006 the Sri Lankan Navy
and LTTE clashed in the
sea during the early-morning. As a result 30 people were said to be
dead. Consequently, 200 people took shelter at the Our lady of victory
church. These people took refuge in the church amid fear of the
violence escalating. An earlier incident , where the confrontation
between LTTE and Sri Lankan Army
destroyed many houses, also
added to the fear of the people.
shorts and blue t-shirts shot indiscriminately at houses. Later some
more men came and shot at the church for about 10 minutes. Then the men
reportedly rolled two grenades into the church. One grenade hit a window and ricocheted back. To ensure that the second had more of an impact, an attacker put his hand through one window that had not been properly shut and rolled it along the ground into the most populated area of the Church. Finally,
they moved to the front of the church and shot before leaving. This
attack left 47 people injured.
and
was confirmed by an international aid worker.However, the Sri Lankan ministry first claimed that the church was caught in the middle of a firefight. Later, the defense ministry website has denied this accusation and
instead blamed the LTTE for this attack. The Sri Lankan ministry of
defense website also accused the local Roman Catholic bishop Rayappu
Joseph as pro-rebel. The president of the country instituted an
investigation in to this incident. and the investigation identified the responsible parties.
Bishop Rayappu Joshep, in a letter to the Vatican, claimed that the Church "has been desecrated by innocent blood being shed [in it] by unjust aggressors, the Sri Lanka Navy". He further added "Today I buried the six civilians murdered by the Navy at Pesalai yesterday" Bishop Rauappu accused the navy for the disappearance of 4 people , including three-year-old child, on December 23, 2006. A priest from the diocese also claimed “From what I heard from reliable sources, the hand grenade lobbed inside the church was indeed thrown by a member of the navy.”
heart church Pesalai
Pesalai
Pesalai is a primarily a fishing village situated north-west of the island of Mannar in the Mannar District of Sri Lanka. It has a population of about 8,000, 97% of which is Sri Lankan Tamil and the balance 3% Muslim. There are around 2,610 families and 7,350 persons in Pesalai, including...
village in Mannar Island
Mannar Island
Mannar Island, formerly called Manar Island, is part of Mannar District, Sri Lanka. It is linked to the rest of Sri Lanka by a causeway.It has an area of about 50 square kilometres, mainly covered with vegetation and sand.Rama's Bridge or Rama Setu ,[1] is a chain of limestone shoals, between...
. Six civilians were
killed and at least 47 were injured in the attack. The eyewitness
accused the governmental troops for this attack.
The 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...
has denied this and has counter accused the rebel LTTE
as being the responsible party. Government of Sri Lanka instituted an
investigation in to this incident and has identified the responsible
party.
Background
Mannar DistrictMannar District
Mannar district is one of the 25 administrative districts of Sri Lanka. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The headquarters is located in Mannar, Sri Lanka...
is in the north-west of Sri Lanka and is one of the least developed districts in the country. It has a substantial Catholic and Muslim population. Pesalai has the largest Catholic community in the Mannar District. As it is a costal helmet, there had been many clashes between LTTE and 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...
there. Particularly
on June 17, 2006 the 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...
and LTTE clashed in the
sea during the early-morning. As a result 30 people were said to be
dead. Consequently, 200 people took shelter at the Our lady of victory
church. These people took refuge in the church amid fear of the
violence escalating. An earlier incident , where the confrontation
between LTTE and 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...
destroyed many houses, also
added to the fear of the people.
Attack on the Church
Survivors and witnesses of attack claimed that a group of armed men inshorts and blue t-shirts shot indiscriminately at houses. Later some
more men came and shot at the church for about 10 minutes. Then the men
reportedly rolled two grenades into the church. One grenade hit a window and ricocheted back. To ensure that the second had more of an impact, an attacker put his hand through one window that had not been properly shut and rolled it along the ground into the most populated area of the Church. Finally,
they moved to the front of the church and shot before leaving. This
attack left 47 people injured.
Further attack
The survivors also claimed that the navy had walked down the village indiscriminately shooting at the houses. In addition to the damages to the houses, a further 40 boats and 45 wadiyas were destroyed in the incident, and people estimate that their losses will exceed 50 million rupees. The burning of the boats dealt a major blow to the village as most of the population relied on fishing for income. The attack on the surrounding villages left 4 more fishermen dead. All of them were shot through the mouth and killed on the beach. Remains of one more man was found in a burned boat. Many huts were also burned.Reactions
The eyewitness of the attack has accused the Sri Lankan NavySri 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...
and
was confirmed by an international aid worker.However, the Sri Lankan ministry first claimed that the church was caught in the middle of a firefight. Later, the defense ministry website has denied this accusation and
instead blamed the LTTE for this attack. The Sri Lankan ministry of
defense website also accused the local Roman Catholic bishop Rayappu
Joseph as pro-rebel. The president of the country instituted an
investigation in to this incident. and the investigation identified the responsible parties.
Bishop Rayappu Joshep, in a letter to the Vatican, claimed that the Church "has been desecrated by innocent blood being shed [in it] by unjust aggressors, the Sri Lanka Navy". He further added "Today I buried the six civilians murdered by the Navy at Pesalai yesterday" Bishop Rauappu accused the navy for the disappearance of 4 people , including three-year-old child, on December 23, 2006. A priest from the diocese also claimed “From what I heard from reliable sources, the hand grenade lobbed inside the church was indeed thrown by a member of the navy.”
See also
- List of massacres in Sri Lanka
- List of attacks attributed to Sri Lankan government forces
- List of attacks attributed to the LTTE