Chencholai bombing
Encyclopedia
Chencholai bombing took place on August 14, 2006 when the Sri Lankan Air Force
bombed what they stated was a rebel LTTE training camp killing at least 61 children between the ages of 16 and 18, all of them girls. The LTTE, UNICEF, SLMM and UTHR all stated those in the compound were not LTTE cadres.
The Tamil Nadu
state assembly in India passed a resolution termed the Chencholai orphanage bombing as 'uncivilized, barbaric, inhumane and atrocious'.
The human rights organisation UTHR reported that LTTE had organized this first aid class and that these children were not Child Soldiers. It further claimed that this camp was used by LTTE but not as a training camp. http://www.uthr.org/SpecialReports/spreport22.htm#_Toc144057321.
United Nations
spokeswomen Orla Clinton said that students had been killed in the attack and they seem to have been students between 16 and 18, A-level students, from the Kilinochichi and Mullaittivu
areas, who were on a two-day training course.
, Ulf Henricsson the Head of the Nordic truce monitors SLMM said that his staff had not finished counting the dead and that they couldn’t find any sign of military installations or weapons.
reported, what appeared to be satellite footage of Tigers fleeing a training camp shortly after Kfir jets bombed it. However, a journalist who viewed the tapes stated,
On September 1, Sri Lankan police said they arrested three young women -aged 18, 19 and 20 - whom they said were injured in the airstrike and were subsequently brought to a hospital in central Sri Lanka for treatment. Inspector General of Police Chandra Fernando said the three young women all claimed that they were taken by a member of the Tamil Tigers to a camp deep within rebel territory for first aid training but when they reached the camp, they were forced to undergo weapons training.
On 14 August 2006 around 7.30am, Sri Lankan Air Force carried out extensive bombing. 52 students and two staff were killed. 130 students were seriously injured. Many more received minor injuries. Three of the injured girls lost one leg and another girl lost an eye.
A further three of the injured girls were sent by the Mullaithivu hospital to Kandy for
treatment. Sri Lankan Terrorism Investigation Deppartment (TID) immediately put the
three injured girls under arrest. The three girls were eventually cleared and were brought to
Vavuniya hospital to return to their homes in Vanni when one of the injured girls died. The
other two girls were immediately taken back Kandy hospital. Eventually the whereabouts
of the two girls became mysterious except that their parents were permitted to meet the
girls at prearranged locations. The parents of the girls remain at a loss as to the detention of
the two girls without charges for almost two years.
Sri Lankan Air Force
The Sri Lanka Air Force is the air arm and the youngest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. It was founded in 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force with the assistance of the Royal Air Force . The SLAF played a major role throughout the Sri Lankan Civil War...
bombed what they stated was a rebel LTTE training camp killing at least 61 children between the ages of 16 and 18, all of them girls. The LTTE, UNICEF, SLMM and UTHR all stated those in the compound were not LTTE cadres.
Incident & reactions
The Sri Lankan government claimed to be monitoring the site since 2004 and claimed that it was a training camp and clearly stating that it was not mistaken or wrong target.The 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...
state assembly in India passed a resolution termed the Chencholai orphanage bombing as 'uncivilized, barbaric, inhumane and atrocious'.
The human rights organisation UTHR reported that LTTE had organized this first aid class and that these children were not Child Soldiers. It further claimed that this camp was used by LTTE but not as a training camp. http://www.uthr.org/SpecialReports/spreport22.htm#_Toc144057321.
United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
spokeswomen Orla Clinton said that students had been killed in the attack and they seem to have been students between 16 and 18, A-level students, from the Kilinochichi and Mullaittivu
Mullaitivu
Mullaitivu is a small town on the north-eastern coast of Sri Lanka. It is the capital of Mullaitivu District in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. A largely fishing settlement, the town in the early 20th century grew as an anchoring harbour of the small sailing vessels transporting goods between...
areas, who were on a two-day training course.
20pxUNICEF
UNICEF staff from a nearby office immediately visited the compound to assess the situation and to provide fuel and supplies for the hospital as well as counselling support for the injured students and the bereaved families. said Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF Executive Director while UNICEF’s Joanne van Geiter said .SLMM
Retired major general of the Swedish ArmySwedish Army
The Swedish Army is one of the oldest standing armies in the world and a branch of the Swedish Armed Forces; it is in charge of land operations. General Sverker Göranson is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Army.- Organization :...
, Ulf Henricsson the Head of the Nordic truce monitors SLMM said that his staff had not finished counting the dead and that they couldn’t find any sign of military installations or weapons.
20pxSri Lanka Government reaction
Sri Lanka Government spokesmen Keheliya Rambukwela and Brigadier Athula Jayawardene told the media in Colombo that the orphanage was in fact a training and transit camp for the LTTE's military cadres. The camp, Jayawardene pointed out, did not look like an orphanage at all or any civilian structure for that matter. Even if it were granted that the victims were minors (under 18 years of age and girls) they were soldiers alright, or soldiers under training, Rambukwela and Jayawardene argued. The Sri Lankan refused to condemn or order any inquiry into the incident. The government also showed journalists, as ReutersReuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
reported, what appeared to be satellite footage of Tigers fleeing a training camp shortly after Kfir jets bombed it. However, a journalist who viewed the tapes stated,
On September 1, Sri Lankan police said they arrested three young women -aged 18, 19 and 20 - whom they said were injured in the airstrike and were subsequently brought to a hospital in central Sri Lanka for treatment. Inspector General of Police Chandra Fernando said the three young women all claimed that they were taken by a member of the Tamil Tigers to a camp deep within rebel territory for first aid training but when they reached the camp, they were forced to undergo weapons training.
Statement from the North East Secretariat on Human Rights
In the Senchcholai complex in Vallipunam in the Mullaithivu district hundreds of female students in the age group of 17-20 were gathered on 10 August 2006 for a weeklong training in leadership and first aid which was intended for preparing the students for leadership in their school and community during the impending war.On 14 August 2006 around 7.30am, Sri Lankan Air Force carried out extensive bombing. 52 students and two staff were killed. 130 students were seriously injured. Many more received minor injuries. Three of the injured girls lost one leg and another girl lost an eye.
A further three of the injured girls were sent by the Mullaithivu hospital to Kandy for
treatment. Sri Lankan Terrorism Investigation Deppartment (TID) immediately put the
three injured girls under arrest. The three girls were eventually cleared and were brought to
Vavuniya hospital to return to their homes in Vanni when one of the injured girls died. The
other two girls were immediately taken back Kandy hospital. Eventually the whereabouts
of the two girls became mysterious except that their parents were permitted to meet the
girls at prearranged locations. The parents of the girls remain at a loss as to the detention of
the two girls without charges for almost two years.
See also
- List of massacres in Sri Lanka
- List of attacks attributed to Sri Lankan government forces
- List of attacks attributed to the LTTE