2006 Mannar massacres
Encyclopedia
The Vankalai massacre was a massacre
of a family of four minority Sri Lankan Tamils from the village of Vankalai
in Mannar District
, Sri Lanka
on June 8, 2006. The victims were tortured and the mother was gang raped before her murder. The Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) accused each other of perpetrating the killings.
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 refugee
s.
Some former residents returned to the area following the 2002 ceasefire between the LTTE and the government. Among them was the Martin family – carpenter
Moorthy Martin, 27-year-old Mary Madeleine (known as Chitra), formerly a teacher with the Jesuit Refugee Service
in Tamil Nadu
, and their nine-year-old daughter Lakshika and seven-year-old son Dilakshan – who returned to Vankalai from southern India
.
Thomas Cooray
.
According to local residents, security forces visited several houses in the area on the morning of June 8, 2006,
including three soldiers who visited the Martins' home.
At night, when residents of Thomaspuri and neighbouring Bastipuri – named after Mary Bastian
– gathered at Our Lady of St. Anne's Church for safe refuge, as had become customary following shelling of the area by security forces at the start of June,
the four members of the Martin family were absent. When relatives and neighbours checked on the house the following morning, they found the family dead.
The bodies of the victims had been mutilated and bore signs of torture, carrying wounds inflicted by carpenter's tools and "heavier and sharper weapons like knives or bayonets". All four had been hacked and stabbed, those of Moorthy Martin and the two children had been hanged with ropes, and that of Mary Martin showed signs of having been sexually assaulted.
reported that residents of Thomaspuri, and nearby Bastipuri and Sukanthapuri, had begun to flee. Victor Avithappar, the Parish Priest
of Vankalai, stated:
The Requiem Mass for the family, held on June 10 at St. Anne's Church in Vankalai, gathered around five thousand people and was headed by Joseph Rayappu, the Bishop of Mannar.
Although there are no known witnesses to the killings, many local residents allege that they were carried out by members of the security forces. According to the LTTE, local villagers "speculated that the murder of the family could have been sexually motivated".
TamilNet, which published graphic photographs of the four victims that were reprinted by sectors of the Sri Lankan media, explicitly attributed the massacre to soldiers of the Sri Lankan Army
.
Sri Lankan government officials denied allegations that the military was involved in the massacre and blamed the LTTE, suggesting that the family was targeted due to its connections with security forces
and in a bid to generate "international sympathy" for the group "by tarnishing the image of the security forces".
The government also alleged that Moorthy Martin had previously received several threats from the LTTE. An LTTE spokesperson denied the accusations.
An inquest
into the massacre was initiated by local judicial authorities.
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...
of a family of four minority Sri Lankan Tamils from the village of Vankalai
Vankalai
Vankalai or Vangalai or Vangkaalai is a predominantly fishing and farming village situated in Mannar District of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It lies along the Naanaattan Road with the sea on its west connects to Indian Ocean...
in Mannar District
Mannar 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...
, 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...
on June 8, 2006. The victims were tortured and the mother was gang raped before her murder. The Sri Lankan government and the 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) accused each other of perpetrating the killings.
Background
The village of VankalaiVankalai
Vankalai or Vangalai or Vangkaalai is a predominantly fishing and farming village situated in Mannar District of the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It lies along the Naanaattan Road with the sea on its west connects to Indian Ocean...
is located about six miles southeast of the town of Mannar, in Mannar District
Mannar 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...
. The village was the scene of numerous incidents during the Sri Lankan Civil War
Sri 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...
, including the killing of Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
priest Mary Bastian
Mary Bastian
Father Mary Bastian was a minority Tamil Human Rights activist and local Roman Catholic parish priest from Sri Lanka...
in 1985. As a result of the violence and insecurity, many residents were internally displaced
Internally displaced person
An internally displaced person is someone who is forced to flee his or her home but who remains within his or her country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the current legal definition of a refugee. At the end of 2006 it was estimated there were...
or became overseas refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s.
Some former residents returned to the area following the 2002 ceasefire between the LTTE and the government. Among them was the Martin family – carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
Moorthy Martin, 27-year-old Mary Madeleine (known as Chitra), formerly a teacher with the Jesuit Refugee Service
Jesuit Refugee Service
The Jesuit Refugee Service is an international Catholic organization that aids refugees, forcibly displaced peoples, and asylum seekers. JRS operates at national and regional levels. Founded in November, 1980 as a work of the Society of Jesus, JRS was officially registered on March 19, 2000 in...
in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, and their nine-year-old daughter Lakshika and seven-year-old son Dilakshan – who returned to Vankalai from southern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Incident
The Martin family lived in the Thomaspuri ward of Vankalai, named after CardinalCardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Thomas Cooray
Thomas Cooray
Thomas Benjamin Cooray, OMI was a Sri Lankan Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Colombo from 1947 to 1976, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965.-Biography:...
.
According to local residents, security forces visited several houses in the area on the morning of June 8, 2006,
including three soldiers who visited the Martins' home.
At night, when residents of Thomaspuri and neighbouring Bastipuri – named after Mary Bastian
Mary Bastian
Father Mary Bastian was a minority Tamil Human Rights activist and local Roman Catholic parish priest from Sri Lanka...
– gathered at Our Lady of St. Anne's Church for safe refuge, as had become customary following shelling of the area by security forces at the start of June,
the four members of the Martin family were absent. When relatives and neighbours checked on the house the following morning, they found the family dead.
The bodies of the victims had been mutilated and bore signs of torture, carrying wounds inflicted by carpenter's tools and "heavier and sharper weapons like knives or bayonets". All four had been hacked and stabbed, those of Moorthy Martin and the two children had been hanged with ropes, and that of Mary Martin showed signs of having been sexually assaulted.
Reactions
In the wake of the massacre, the pro-rebel news site TamilNetTamilnet
TamilNet is a news website that provides news and feature articles on current affairs in Sri Lanka, specifically related to the erstwhile Sri Lankan Civil War...
reported that residents of Thomaspuri, and nearby Bastipuri and Sukanthapuri, had begun to flee. Victor Avithappar, the Parish Priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
of Vankalai, stated:
Although there are no known witnesses to the killings, many local residents allege that they were carried out by members of the security forces. According to the LTTE, local villagers "speculated that the murder of the family could have been sexually motivated".
TamilNet, which published graphic photographs of the four victims that were reprinted by sectors of the Sri Lankan media, explicitly attributed the massacre to soldiers of 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...
.
Sri Lankan government officials denied allegations that the military was involved in the massacre and blamed the LTTE, suggesting that the family was targeted due to its connections with security forces
and in a bid to generate "international sympathy" for the group "by tarnishing the image of the security forces".
The government also alleged that Moorthy Martin had previously received several threats from the LTTE. An LTTE spokesperson denied the accusations.
An inquest
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
into the massacre was initiated by local judicial authorities.
See also
- List of attacks attributed to the Sri Lankan military
- Allaipiddy massacre
- Muttur massacre
- 2006 Trincomalee massacre