Kiliveddi massacre in 1985
Kiliveddi is a Tamil village in the Mutur region of the Trincomalee district. In 1977 it was annexed to the Seruwela electoral division. Following this, the people of this village was attacked by the military and the Sinhala leadership forcing the people to gradually leave the village.
On 01.01.1985, the Sri Lankan military, its home guards, and Sinhala thugs entered the Kiliveddi village at 2.00 pm. Kanagasabai was working as coroner for the area at that time and he has traveled to neighbouring villages on duty. When he saw the invaders he hid in a hay stack. He could identify many of the Sinhala thugs from the neighbouring Sinhala village of Dehiwatthe among the thugs. On that day 10 people were killed including
4 women.
Among the dead women were Kamala Rasaih and her daughter and Rajeswary Sharma and her daughter. 125 houses were burnt that day. A further 13 people, eight men and five women, were taken to the Dehiwathe village. The men were murdered and the women were raped. Among these women were Mrs. Sinniah and her daughter. The women were left naked after they were raped. When some Kiliveddi people with the help of the Sinhala people in the Dehiwathe village went to see, they saw one of the Kiliveddi women naked and tied up.
Member of Parliament Thangathurai made a statement about the incident to the Daily Mirror paper. It was reported widely in the international media. Thangathurai was accused of false propaganda for making the statement. The then Minister of Defense ordered his arrest. Thangathurai heard this and escaped to India.
The day after the above incident, on 02.06.1985, the bus leaving Trincomalee to Jaffna was shot at and 13 people died and 9 people were injured.
On 03.06.1985, the Sinhala home guards with the help of the Sri Lankan military attacked several villages between Mutur and Kiliveddi. 35 people died. 200 people were abducted. The following villages were all set on fire, Menkamam, Kankuveli, Paddithidal, Palathadichenai, Arippu, Poonahari, Peruveli, Mulampodivaththai, Parathipuram, Lingapuram, Eechchilampatrai, Karunkalmuani, Mavadichenai, Muththichenai and Valaithoddam. In total 1000 houses were set on fire. In the fourteen days ending on 14.06.1985, a total of 150 people were killed. People from these villages displaced en masse. About 100 people crossed the Veruhal River and went to Vaharai. Another 2500 went to Mutur.
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