Kumudini boat massacre
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Kumudini boat massacre happened on 15 May 1985 when 48 minority Sri Lankan Tamil men, women and children on a ferry boat named Kumudini sailing from the island of Delft to the island of Nainathievu were killed by Sri Lankan Navy personnel.
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[edit] The massacre
Six men believed to be from the Sri Lanka navy, dressed in T-shirts and blue longs and some in shorts, boarded the boat. One by one the passengers were called to the aft section of the boat and told to shout their name, age, address and the destination of their journey. Then they were hacked to death.
[edit] Eye witness accounts
| We boarded the government launch (or boat) Kumudini at about 7.45 a.m. on 15 May 1985. On the said day when the boat had proceeded towards Nainativu Island for about half an hour, it was ordered stopped by some men who came in a fiber glass boat. About six men boarded Kumudini while about two remained in the fiber glass boat which they tied on to "Kumudini". The six men who boarded Kumudini had rifles as are carried by naval and army personnel. All of them were dressed variously in blue longs or shorts and T-shirts. However, the blue longs and shorts worn by them made me realize that these men were navy personnel.
All the passengers and crew were ordered to enter the forepart of the boat and ordered below deck there, leaving the aft section and the driving cabin completely free. All the pasenqers thus forced into the aft section were made to repeatedly shout out their names, status, locality and where bound to. One man pointing out a gun shouted out such an order in broken Tamil. If anybody lowered his voice the man would threaten to shoot him unless he raised his voice. As the passengers were made to shout in this manner, one from the crowd of passengers was called at a time and led into the aft section. I nor the others in the fore section knew what was happening to each person who was led away in this manner owing to the din created by the forced shouting of passengers. After about 12 persons had been called into the aft section in this manner we heard the report of a gun and I saw a body falling overboard and being washed alongside the boat. I was able to see this as I was standing. When it came to my turn I went towards the aft section. On approaching it I saw blood all over and the cut pieces of human bodies. At this juncture I shouted and refused to move. I was then hit on the head and I fell. I felt that I was dragged and cut on my head by some kind of a hatchet. I received further injuries on my stomach and legs and fell between the boards of the bottom of the boat. I pretended to be dead and lay there. I felt further bodies falling over mine and the cries of distress of men and women. About 45 minutes later I heard the fibre glass boat being started and going away...... Of the men who were engaged in this attack I was able to identify one of them as a navy personnel whom I have seen in the said area and is from Nainativu Island Naval Camp. |
[edit] Casualties
| 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 |
Although 48 were reportedly killed Amnesty International has only the names of the following persons killed in this incident.
- 1. Nirmalathevy Pasupathy, 20 years old
- 2. Negenthiram, 32 years old
- 3. Manivannan, 15 years old
- 4. Mariamma Pathinathan, 49 years old
- 5. Nimili, 18 years old
- 6. Yogarajah, 16 years old
- 7. Sathasivam, 35 years old
- 8. Yogini, 14 years old
- 9. Jesunayagam, age unknown
- 10. K Jesuthasan, 46 years old
- 11. K Sathasivam, 61 years old
- 12. P Sornammah, 40 years old
- 13. Sadayal Govindan, 44 years old
- 14. N Thevasagayam Pillai, 44 years old
- 15. V Kanagalingam, 36 years old
- 16. S Anthonipillai, 40 years old
- 17. N Kandiah, 44 years old
- 18. Sinnavan Anthony, 65 years old
All the above are from island of Delft.
- 19. I Chinnaiah, from Gurunagar
- 20. A Kusalakumari, from Vadaliadaippu
- 21. Sasikala Thanapalasingam, 3 years old and
- 22. Kanaqammah Ramanthan, both from Koddaoi
- 23. C Thillainathan, from Kayts
[edit] Government response and actions
When it was alleged that navy personnel from the Nainathievu island naval base were responsible for the killings, Lalith Athulathmudali, the Minister for National Security, reportedly stated,There is no evidence to show who was responsible, despite Amnesty International providing eye-witness accounts from survivors identifying some of the killers as navy personnel from the Nainathievu Sri Lankan Naval Camp.
