Chencholai orphanage bombing
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Chencholai orphanage bombing took place on August 14 2006 when the Sri Lankan Airforce attacked an orphanage in Vallepuram compound in Mullaitivu killing 51 children and wounding over 155 all of them were girls almost all below 18.This area has 5 orphanages, which are registered with the Government of Sri Lanka as orphanages, within a 1 km radius.[1]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 mistakan or wrong target.The Tamil Nadu state assembly in India passed a resolution termed the Chencholai orphanage bombing as 'uncivilized, barbaric, inhumane and atrocious'.[2]
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[edit] UNICEF
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. "These children are innocent victims of violence," said Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF Executive Director while UNICEF’s Joanne van Geiter said “At this time, we don’t have any evidence that they are LTTE cadres”.[3][4]
[edit] SLMM
Retired major general of the Swedish Army, Ulf Henricsson the Head of the Nordic truce monitors SLMM said that his staff his staff had not finished counting the dead, but said the official count of 61 killed seemed “fairly correct.” “We couldn’t find any sign of military installations or weapons,” Mr. Henricsson said. “This was not a military installation, we can see.”[5][6]
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| Allegations of State terrorism in Sri Lanka
Civilian Massacres |
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| Akkaraipattu-Allaipiddy-Black July-Batticaloa 1990-Chencholai orphanage-Eastern University-Mannar 1984-Mannar 2006-Mylanthanai-Jaffna hospital- Jaffna lagoon-Jaffna library-Valvettiturai 1989-Iruthayapuram-Kokkadicholai-Kumarapuram-Kumudini boat-Nachikuda-Prison massacres-Tampalakamam - Trincomalee 2006-Nagerkovil school-Navaly church-Naguleswaram temple-Nelliady-Vaharai Rapes and Murders Krishanti Kumaraswamy-Ilayathambi Tharsini-Saradambal Sarma-Mary Madeleine Martin-Arumaithurai Tharmaletchumi |
[edit] Sri Lanka government reaction
Sri Lanka Government spokesmen Keheliya Rambukwela and Brig 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. When it was pointed out that the UNICEF and SLMM that there was no sign of any military activity in the scene of the bombardment,Even if it was 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."[7]The Sri Lankan refused to condemn or order any inquiry into the incident.
