Navaly Church massacre
Encyclopedia
The Navaly Church bombing was the bombing of The Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Navaly
or Navali in the Jaffna peninsula
in Sri Lanka
by the Sri Lankan Air Force
. It is estimated that at least 125 civilians, who found refuge from the fighting inside the church, have died as a result of this incident. The victims included men, women and children
According to Daya Somasundaram, a professor of the University of Adelaide
the church was well away from the fighting. He termed this attack a War Crime
committed by the Sri Lankan Air Force
, which at the time was the only aid agency working in the Tamil areas. The ICRC helped evacuate many of the wounded by ambulance to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital.
Immediate casualties were given as 65 killed and over 150 injured, many were women and children. Eventually this figure rose to a 125 killed, as many succumbed to their injuries. This was partly due to the fact that the hospital was unable to cope with so many casualties at one time.
claimed they exploded LTTE ammunition trucks or underground ammunition storage and claimed that the deaths of the civilians were caused by secondary explosions of underground LTTE ammunition dumps. However, in a later report, the ICRC head in Sri Lanka, Marco Altherr, stated that it was indeed bombs that had fallen on the area; he further included eyewitness accounts from civilians in the area, including a priest from another church in the vicinity that also supported this claim. Eventually the government agreed to investigate the incident.
In the aftermath of this attack the Red Cross protested this attack. However, this protest was brought to a close after the members involved in the protest were summoned to the foreign office and was asked to give up the protest.
Navaly
Navaly or Navaaly is a town in the Jaffna District of Sri Lanka and it is located about 8 km from Jaffna....
or Navali in the 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...
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...
by the Sri Lankan Air Force
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...
. It is estimated that at least 125 civilians, who found refuge from the fighting inside the church, have died as a result of this incident. The victims included men, women and children
Background information
This incident occurred during a phase of the conflict where the Sri Lankan military were on the offensive to retake the Jaffna peninsula. This operation was already highlighted by the use of intense artillery shelling and aerial bombardment. As part of precautions to avoid civilian casualties the military had distributed leaflets requesting minority Sri Lankan Tamil civilians find shelter at places of worship. For their safety hundreds of civilians had taken refuge in the churchIncident
The Church of St. Peter and Paul in Navaly (also spelled Navali) located on the Jaffna peninsula was bombed by a Sri Lankan military aircraft on the afternoon of July 9, 1995. Several hundred Tamil civilians were taking refuge at the church and surrounding environs at the time.According to Daya Somasundaram, a professor of the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
the church was well away from the fighting. He termed this attack a War Crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
committed by the Sri Lankan Air Force
Initial reports
The news of the incident was first broken by the International Committee of the Red CrossInternational Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
, which at the time was the only aid agency working in the Tamil areas. The ICRC helped evacuate many of the wounded by ambulance to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital.
Immediate casualties were given as 65 killed and over 150 injured, many were women and children. Eventually this figure rose to a 125 killed, as many succumbed to their injuries. This was partly due to the fact that the hospital was unable to cope with so many casualties at one time.
The aftermath
The Sri Lankan government initially denied any knowledge of the bombing, and then claimed it could have been LTTE mortars that caused the damage. The Commander of the Sri Lankan Air ForceSri 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...
claimed they exploded LTTE ammunition trucks or underground ammunition storage and claimed that the deaths of the civilians were caused by secondary explosions of underground LTTE ammunition dumps. However, in a later report, the ICRC head in Sri Lanka, Marco Altherr, stated that it was indeed bombs that had fallen on the area; he further included eyewitness accounts from civilians in the area, including a priest from another church in the vicinity that also supported this claim. Eventually the government agreed to investigate the incident.
In the aftermath of this attack the Red Cross protested this attack. However, this protest was brought to a close after the members involved in the protest were summoned to the foreign office and was asked to give up the protest.
Government investigation and results
On July 11, Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunge released a statement that expressed "sorrow at the loss of lives" and ordered the investigate of the bombing. On July 18, the military had confirmed that the church was badly damaged but said that they could not confirm the origin of the bombs that destroyed it.See also
- List of massacres in Sri Lanka
- List of attacks attributed to Sri Lankan government forces
- List of attacks attributed to the LTTE