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] is located in ] in northern ]]] | ||
| '''2006 Mannar massacre''' or '''Vankalai massacre''' |
The '''2006 Mannar massacre''' or '''Vankalai massacre''' was a massacre of a family of four minority ]s from the village of ] in the district of ] in ] on ], ]. The family of four was tortured and both the mother and nine-year-old daughter were allegedly raped before being killed. The ] and the ] (LTTE) blamed each other for the killings. A local court case is in progress.<ref name=ml>{{cite web |url=http://www.themorningleader.lk/20060614/focus.html |title=Another family wiped out in Vankalai}}</ref><ref name=hhr>{{cite web |url=http://www.hhr-srilanka.org/hhr/news/summary.pdf |title=Details of few extra judicial claims}}</ref><ref name=AN>{{citeweb |url=http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=6425 |title=People terrorized after massacre of Tamil family}}</ref><ref name=pw>{{cite web| url=http://www.peacewomen.org/resources/Human_Rights/Statement_womensgroup.html |title=Statement by women for democracy and human rights}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/sri_lanka_021106.doc |title=Country of origin information report– Sri Lanka}}</ref> | ||
| Country of origin information report– Sri Lanka}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.peacewomen.org/resources/Human_Rights/Statement_womensgroup.html| | |||
| title=Sri Lankan Combatants Rape Women to Terrorize}}</ref> | |||
| ==Background |
==Background== | ||
| The village of ] is located about six ]s southeast of the town of Mannar, in ]. The village was the scene of numerous incidents during the ], including the killing of ] priest ] in 1985. As a result of the violence and insecurity, many residents were ] or became overseas ]s. Following the 2002 ceasefire between the rebel LTTE and the government, some former residents – including the victims of the 2006 massacre – returned. | |||
| ]]] | |||
| ] is situated about four and a half miles away from Thallady and about six miles to the south east of ], a town under the control of the Sri Lankan government. During the period of massacre the people of Vankalai had been retiring to the ]’s Church and other churches during nightfall due to the unsafe conditions created by the prevailing security situation. | |||
| The family of four consisted of: 38-year-old Sinnaiah Moorthy Martin, a carpenter; 27-year-old Anthony Mary Madeleine (also known as Chitra), a former teacher with the ] in ]; nine-year-old Anne Lakshika; and seven-year-old Dilakshan.<ref name=ml/><ref name=AN/> | |||
| The past residents of Vankalai were also affected like many other villages in the region. In 1985, Catholic Priest Fr. ], a native of Vankalai, and about 20 others were killed. In later years a prominent school principal from Vankalai and some others were also killed and dumped in a well. This prompted many residents to flee the village to rest of the country as internally displaced persons or as ] to ]. | |||
| After the ceasefire between the rebel ] and the government came in to effect in ], ] many former residents returned. The victims of the Vankalai massacre too had returned from India about one –and-half year ago. The husband was 38-year-old Sinnaiah Moorthy Martin a carpenter by profession. The wife was 27-year-old ] also known as Chitra. The daughter was nine-year-old Anne Lakshika. The son was seven-year-old Dilakshan. <ref name=ml/> While the victims used to be refugees in the southern Indian state of ], Chitra the mother was remembered by workers of the ] (JRS) as a dedicated teacher in one of their school projects in the refugee camp.<ref name=AN>{{cite web|url=http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=6425|title=People terrorized after massacre of Tamil family}}</ref> | |||
| ==Incident== | ==Incident== | ||
| ]'s Church in ]]] | |||
| {{Sri Lankan Conflict}} | |||
| According to local residents, security forces visited several houses in the area on the morning of ], ]. At night, as had become customary following the shelling of the area by security forces in late May, local residents gathered at Our Lady of ]'s Church for safe refuge. The Martin family was absent that night. | |||
| Residents in the area told investigators that on the ], ] morning the security forces had surrounded the area and went to several houses and gathered particulars regarding the families including the Martins. Local residents have stated that they can identify the three military personnel who went from home to home. That night as was the custom residents in the area had gone to the St. Anne’s church to for safe refuge. Although the victimized family too used to do that, they were had been absent from church on Thursday ], ] night. | |||
| When relatives and neighbors |
When relatives and neighbors check on the house the following morning, they found the family dead. The bodies of the victims had been mutilated and showed torture marks inflicted by carpenter's tools and "heavier and sharper weapons like knives or bayonets".<ref name=ml/> Those of Moorthy Martin and the two children had been hanged with ropes and those of Mary and Anne Lakshika Martin showed signs of having been raped.<ref name=ml/><ref name=hhr/><ref name=AN/><ref name=pw/> | ||
| ==Reactions== | ==Reactions== | ||
| Although |
Although no one actually witnessed the killings, local residents suspect members of the security forces to be behind the massacre. The ] for the family gathered thousands and was presided over by Joseph Rayappu, the Bishop of Mannar, who blamed security forces for the massacre.<ref name=ml/><ref name=AN/><ref name=pw/> | ||
| ] massacre victims]] | |||
| ] a prominent Sri Lankan journalist from ] has termed the act ]. ] groups have condemned this massacre and demanded an independent investigation.<ref name=hhr/> | |||
| Victor Avithappar, the parish priest of Vankalai, reported that: | |||
| {{Bquote|"People are panicked and afraid, they don't feel safe. They want peace, to live free from fear."<ref name=AN/>}} | |||
| He also noted that, while the identity of the attackers is not known, the "area is under army control".<ref name=AN/> | |||
| ⚫ | Sri Lankan government officials have denied allegations that the military was involved and have suggested, via the ] website, that the LTTE is responsible for the massacre,<ref name=md>{{cite web|url=http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20060615_01|title = Points to ponder on Vankalai incident... Investing upon the tears? }}</ref> reporting that the family was targeted due to its connections with security forces.<ref name=ml/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=91187&version=1&template_id=44&parent_id=24|title=Colombo reject lame excuses}}</ref> | ||
| Contacted by AsiaNews, the parish priest of Vankalai, Fr Victor Avithappar, said civilians were scared, insecure and indignant about the latest, particularly brutal killings. {{Bquote|"People are panicked and afraid, they don't feel safe. They want peace, to live free from fear," }} However, Fr Avithappar said {{Bquote|"we cannot tell who did this", because there were no eye witnesses to the killings, which took place at the dead of night, but this area is under army control. The soldiers are all over, their sentry points are everywhere."}}<ref name=AN/> | |||
| A court case is pending in the Mannar local court system.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/YAOI-6SK3L3?OpenDocument | title=CHA monthly activity}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | Sri Lankan government officials have denied |
||
| The pro rebel news site ] published graphic photographs of the four victims,<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=18447|title = Family of four wiped out}}</ref> which were republished by sectors of the Tamil media,<ref name=ml/> and explicitly attributed the massacre to soldiers of the ]. | |||
| Military Spokesperson Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe when questioned by the media denied that the army was responsible. {{Bquote|"The security forces have never done such a thing,"}} he said. He said the Tigers were responsible. Some newspapers quoting police sources said the LTTE was responsible. According to this version, the victims were army informants and the LTTE had taken revenge due to this. A court case is pending in the Mannar local court system. <ref name=ml/><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/YAOI-6SK3L3?OpenDocument | title=CHA monthly activity}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=91187&version=1&template_id=44&parent_id=24|title=Colombo reject lame excuses}}</ref> | |||
| ==Photo controversy== | |||
| The pro rebel ] news site initially published gruesomely graphic photographs of the four victims.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=18447|title = Family of four wiped out}}</ref> A picture was republished by various sections of the media creating controversy in Sri Lanka and aboard. The father, daughter and son were hanging dead in one room while the mother was dead on the floor in another room. The intestines of the seven-year-old boy are seen protruding. The vaginal area of the 27-year-old mother and nine-year-old daughter were extremely bloody. It appears that the killers have sadistically tortured their victims including the 38-year-old father.<ref name=ml/><ref name=md/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/524|title=Mahinda chintanaya and maximum devolution of power in Mannar}}</ref> | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| ⚫ | * ] | ||
| Other massacres of civilians during the 2006 and 2007 period. | |||
| ⚫ | * ] | ||
| *] | * ] | ||
| ⚫ | *] | ||
| ⚫ | *] | ||
| ==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
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| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{ |
{{reflist}} | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
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| {{DEFAULTSORT:Mannar massacre}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Mannar massacre}} | ||
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Revision as of 07:06, 28 November 2007
 | This article is currently subject to editing restrictions, following a dispute resolution consensus. Please see the discussion, and details on the SLR Reconciliation talk page. Please do not remove this message until the restrictions have been removed. |
The 2006 Mannar massacre or Vankalai massacre was a massacre of a family of four minority Sri Lankan Tamils from the village of Vankalai in the district of Mannar in Sri Lanka on June 8, 2006. The family of four was tortured and both the mother and nine-year-old daughter were allegedly raped before being killed. The Sri Lankan Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) blamed each other for the killings. A local court case is in progress.
Background
The village of Vankalai is located about six miles southeast of the town of Mannar, in Mannar District. The village was the scene of numerous incidents during the Sri Lankan Civil War, including the killing of Catholic priest Mary Bastian in 1985. As a result of the violence and insecurity, many residents were internally displaced or became overseas refugees. Following the 2002 ceasefire between the rebel LTTE and the government, some former residents – including the victims of the 2006 massacre – returned.
The family of four consisted of: 38-year-old Sinnaiah Moorthy Martin, a carpenter; 27-year-old Anthony Mary Madeleine (also known as Chitra), a former teacher with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Tamil Nadu; nine-year-old Anne Lakshika; and seven-year-old Dilakshan.
Incident
According to local residents, security forces visited several houses in the area on the morning of June 8, 2006. At night, as had become customary following the shelling of the area by security forces in late May, local residents gathered at Our Lady of St. Anne's Church for safe refuge. The Martin family was absent that night.
When relatives and neighbors check on the house the following morning, they found the family dead. The bodies of the victims had been mutilated and showed torture marks inflicted by carpenter's tools and "heavier and sharper weapons like knives or bayonets". Those of Moorthy Martin and the two children had been hanged with ropes and those of Mary and Anne Lakshika Martin showed signs of having been raped.
Reactions
Although no one actually witnessed the killings, local residents suspect members of the security forces to be behind the massacre. The funeral mass for the family gathered thousands and was presided over by Joseph Rayappu, the Bishop of Mannar, who blamed security forces for the massacre.
Victor Avithappar, the parish priest of Vankalai, reported that:
"People are panicked and afraid, they don't feel safe. They want peace, to live free from fear."
He also noted that, while the identity of the attackers is not known, the "area is under army control".
Sri Lankan government officials have denied allegations that the military was involved and have suggested, via the Ministry of Defence website, that the LTTE is responsible for the massacre, reporting that the family was targeted due to its connections with security forces.
A court case is pending in the Mannar local court system.
The pro rebel news site Tamilnet published graphic photographs of the four victims, which were republished by sectors of the Tamil media, and explicitly attributed the massacre to soldiers of the Sri Lankan Army.
See also
Notes
- In 1984, there was another series of massacres of allegedly over 90 minority Tamil civilians, in the same vicinity and it is also sometimes referred as Mannar massacre. But the current one has a prefix of 2006 to differentiate it from the previous incident(s)
References
- ^ "Another family wiped out in Vankalai".
- ^ "Details of few extra judicial claims" (PDF).
- ^ "People terrorized after massacre of Tamil family".
- ^ "Statement by women for democracy and human rights".
- "Country of origin information report– Sri Lanka".
- "Points to ponder on Vankalai incident... Investing upon the tears?".
- "Colombo reject lame excuses".
- "CHA monthly activity".
- "Family of four wiped out".
- "Report by the special rapportuer on summary and arbitray executions" (PDF).
- Hamlyn, Micheal (February 18, 1985), "Mannar massacre", The Times
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