1984 Kokkilai massacre (LTTE)
| Kokkilai massacre | |
|---|---|
 Location of Northern Province, Sri Lanka | |
| Location | Mullaitivu District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka |
| Date | 1 December 1984 (+8 GMT) |
| Target | Sinhalese civilians |
| Deaths | 11-13[1] |
| Injured | Unknown |
| Perpetrators | Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam |
The Kokkilai massacre was carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Background[edit]
In the early 1900's, Sinhalese Catholic fishing families from Negombo settled in Kokkilai.[2] Throughout the following decades, Kokkilai was a popular fishing spot for migrant Sinhalese fishermen from Negombo.[3] During the 1958 riots and 1977 riots, Sinhalese property had been burned, but Sinhalese and Tamils generally maintained good relations in the area.[1]
During the civil war, the Mullaitivu District was hotly contested between the Sri Lankan government and Tamils. The army had evicted Indian Tamil residents of the Kent and Dollar farms and settled Sinhalese there. A day before the Kokkilai massacre, the LTTE massacred the Sinhalese on the farms. However, unlike the farms, Sinhalese residents of Kokkilai maintained that the government had not settled any Sinhalese in the village.[1]
Incident[edit]
The LTTE ordered a Tamil van driver to take them to Kokkilai. The van driver had flashed the lights as he approached the Sinhalese, allegedly to warn them of the impending massacre. When the van was near them, the militants jumped out and began throwing explosives and opening fire. Those not immediately killed ran to their boats to flee into the ocean. A child, injured in the gunfire, died in the boat. Two women were bound by their hair and shot dead at point-blank range. In total, around a dozen Sinhalese were killed. The LTTE later boasted about having killed "Sinhalese ruffians."[3]
Aftermath[edit]
The survivors of the massacre became refugees and relocated to Negombo, where they found it difficult to adjust to the new fishing conditions.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Refugees and Related Matters". A Sovereign Will to Self-Destruct (Report). University Teachers for Human Rights, Jaffna. 15 November 1993. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ Siriwardane-de Zoysa, Rapti (2018). Fishing, Mobility and Settlerhood: Coastal Socialities in Postwar Sri Lanka. Springer International Publishing. p. 160. ISBN 9783319788371.
- ^ a b Hoole, Rajan. "Mahaveli System L: The Weli Oya Project And The Declaration Of War Against Tamil Civilians". Colombo Telegraph. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
Further reading[edit]
- Gunaratna, Rohan. (1998). Sri Lanka's Ethnic Crisis and National Security, Colombo: South Asian Network on Conflict Research. ISBN 955-8093-00-9
- Gunaratna, Rohan. (October 1, 1987). War and Peace in Sri Lanka: With a Post-Accord Report From Jaffna, Sri Lanka: Institute of Fundamental Studies. ISBN 955-8093-00-9
- Gunasekara, S.L. (November 4, 2003). The Wages of Sin, ISBN 955-8552-01-1
- 1984 crimes in Sri Lanka
- Massacres in 1984
- Attacks on civilians attributed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
- 1980s massacres of the Sri Lankan Civil War
- Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attacks in Eelam War I
- Terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka in 1984
- December 1984 events in Asia
- Mass murder of Sinhalese