1987 killings still haunt Vakarai residents

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 May 2003, 02:21 GMT]
Nearly sixteen years ago residents of Thonithandamadu village in Vakarai region in Batticaloa district were witness to gruesome killings when soldiers of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shot, hacked to death and burnt the bodies of ten Tamil civilians. The memory still haunts the relatives of the victims and the residents of the impoverished village.

On the night of 27 May 1987 SLA soldiers came to Thonithandamadu from Kathiraveli, Vakarai, Maavadi Odai and Vammivedduvan terrorized the village residents before carrying out the massacre. The names of those who perished on that dark day are:

• E. Sockalingam
• K. Velupillai
• S. Ganeshwaran
• V. Thangathurai
• S. Pavanantham
• S. Ratnaseelan
• E. Kamala (Female)
• C. Kannachi (Female)
• E. Papa Murugupillai
• S. Nadarajah

Residents recall the climate of impunity enjoyed by the SLA soldiers and point out that none of the perpetrators of the massacre was brought to jusice.