Kokkadicholai massacre
Kokkadicholai massacre
There can hardly be anyone who has not heard of the Kokkadicholai massacre. It was a massacre that shocked many people at the time. Not only that, the brutality of this massacre was also exposed internationally. The late Hon. Joseph Pararajasingham, who was a Member of Parliament at the time, raised his voice internationally about this massacre, which was deliberately carried out by the Sri Lankan military. It can be said that it was largely because of his courageous revelations that this massacre came to light.
During this period, the Kokkadicholai area was under the control of the Sri Lankan military. There were several military camps scattered throughout the area, centered around the people’s residential settlements. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had camps to the west, close to the jungle. At that time, they mainly carried out guerrilla attacks.
Although the massacre that shocked the people is known as the Kokkadicholai massacre, it actually took place at a shrimp farm located near Manmunai Ferry. Manmunai Ferry is situated approximately ten kilometers south of Batticaloa town. A branch of the Batticaloa Lagoon, which separates the Kokkadicholai area from the town area, stretches through this location. The crossing point over this lagoon is known as Manmunai Ferry. A floating bridge was used by the people to cross the lagoon.
The people of the Kokkadicholai area normally used this ferry to travel to the town to attend to their daily affairs. A shrimp farm had been established along the lagoon within the boundaries of the Kokkadicholai area. Since the area consisted of marshland and had suitable conditions for artificially breeding shrimp, a large shrimp farm had been established and was operating there. The farm was owned by former Member of Parliament Sam Tambimuttu.
Many men, women and young people from the villages surrounding the shrimp farm worked there. For people living below the poverty line, having employment at the farm was a great benefit. As a result, they worked there with considerable dedication.
Every morning, soldiers from the Kokkadicholai area would normally walk as far as Manmunai Ferry. Food supplies for the soldiers were also transported through Manmunai. Normally, when the soldiers passed the shrimp farm, they would talk to the workers there. The soldiers knew all the people working at the farm well. They were all familiar faces.
On the morning of the 28th of 1987, as usual, the shrimp farm began operating busily. Unaware of the tragedy that was about to unfold there, the workers were engaged in carrying out the tasks assigned to them.
Unlike on other mornings, soldiers began surrounding the shrimp farm from all sides. Soldiers gathered from Kokkadicholai and from military camps in the surrounding villages. The soldiers stormed into the farm and opened indiscriminate fire on the shrimp-farm workers.
Completely caught off guard, the workers began screaming in terror and running in all directions for their lives. The soldiers who had surrounded the shrimp farm also fired at those who attempted to flee. Cries of death could be heard everywhere. After carrying out this brutal and inhuman rampage, the soldiers withdrew from the area after approximately two hours.
The bodies of many people lay in pools of blood. Men, women and young people were slaughtered indiscriminately, regardless of age or gender. Some were left barely alive.
“It was the soldiers we knew very well who came inside the farm. They were the ones who passed along this road every day. We smiled at them as usual when we saw them. But there was intense anger on their faces. Suddenly, they began shooting at us. Although I was wounded, I survived,” said a survivor named Kannagai later.
Before the villagers even had time to understand what had happened after hearing the sound of gunfire, news of the tragedy at the shrimp farm spread throughout the area like wildfire. Only afterwards did relatives rush towards the shrimp farm.
Sixty-five innocent civilians were massacred in this incident. Only a few survived.
The Sri Lankan military, described by the account as cowardly, brutal and racist perpetrators, claimed that the reason for the attack was that members of the LTTE were present at the farm.
The massacre not only caused enormous shock throughout Batticaloa District; the name Kokkadicholai also became known internationally. However, due to pressure from various parties concerning the killings, and in an attempt to justify itself internationally, the Sri Lankan government appointed a Presidential Commission of Inquiry as a means of appearing to investigate the incident.
The inquiry continued for months. For security reasons, it was held at the Batticaloa airport. Many civilians, including Member of Parliament Joseph Pararajasingham, appeared before the commission and gave evidence. Despite the intense fear that prevailed during this period, civilians courageously gave their testimony.
After conducting its investigation for a long period, the Presidential Commission eventually released its report. The report stated that the soldiers had acted beyond their responsibilities and had caused the deaths of innocent civilians. It also recommended that action be taken against the soldiers and the military officer responsible.
However, after the Presidential Commission had completed its inquiry and its report had been released, the soldiers and the military officer were promoted and transferred to other parts of the district.
The victims and those who had given evidence, who had hoped that the Presidential Commission’s investigation would bring them justice, were ultimately left disappointed.
The Kokkadicholai massacre took place as part of what this account describes as the Sri Lankan government’s systematic genocide. The Presidential Commission was allegedly a plan devised by the then President J. R. Jayewardene to conceal the massacre. Through it, he diverted attention from the facts both domestically and before the international community.
The Kokkadicholai massacre is recorded in history as one of the earliest massacres to take place in Batticaloa District. Those who lost their loved ones in the massacre continue to yearn for them to this day.
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The author of the book *Destroyed Tamil Villages* is Mr. Senathirajah Jeyananthamurthy. It is his writing that I am reproducing in this series.
He was born in Kiran, Batticaloa, and lived in Valachchenai. Driven by Tamil nationalist sentiments, he was imprisoned and subjected to severe mistreatment before eventually surviving those ordeals.
Having worked as an English teacher, he was a journalist known throughout the country. He was prominent in the media both locally and internationally. Having devoted himself to relieving the suffering of the people from a young age, the people elected him as their representative in Parliament. In that capacity, he raised his voice for the rights of the Tamil people not only in Parliament but also abroad.
He was married to Susithira, a teacher, and was the father of two children, Abishalini and Abinaya.
He has passed away today. The Tamil nation mourns his loss and shares in the grief of his passing.
Deepest condolences.
Translation by Hari
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