The Sri Lankan Home Guards were a paramilitary organization that played a significant role in the local security apparatus during the Sri Lankan civil war from 1983 to 2009. Over the course of the conflict, the Home Guards evolved from a poorly equipped self-defence force into a state-organized and armed unit that worked closely with the police and military.
However, their operations remained controversial: In addition to their role as a security force, the Home Guards were repeatedly accused of human rights violations, involvement in ethnically motivated violence, and other atrocities.[2] With the end of the civil war in May 2009 and the reorganization of state security structures, large parts of the Home Guards were integrated into the Civil Security Department system, and the Muslim Home Guard unit was disbanded.
Background
The Home Guards in Sri Lanka were local auxiliary units established to protect Muslim villages in areas affected by communal and insurgent violence.[3] The Home Guard system itself traces its origins to the early 1980s and was formalised into the National Home Guard Service in the mid-1980s under the Mobilisation and Supplementary Forces Act, No. 40 of 1985, which creates the legal framework for establishing and administering supplementary forces, reserves and other civil defence formations.[4][5][6] Distinct Muslim Home Guard units were later established during 1990 in response to a wave of attacks on Muslim communities along the east coast; these units operated as lightly armed, village-based defence detachments often under local police oversight.[3][7]
In 2006, the Home Guard system underwent a major reorganisation. Through a government gazette No. 1462/20 of 13 September 2006, the Home Guard Service was reorganised as the Civil Security Department (CSD) and placed within the Ministry of Defence.[4][8] The reorganization aimed to standardize training, command structures, and pay for the auxiliary force to integrate it more closely with national security institutions.[9][3][8]
The Muslim Home Guards were primarily deployed in areas territorial control was constantly challenged.[10] This situates the role of the Home Guards within the wider context of the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983–2009), which was marked by widespread violence with numerous massacres targeting Tamil civilians.[11] These incidents are part of a larger history of ethnic conflict between the Tamil minority and the Sinhala majority, intensified by the rise of the Tamil Tigers (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, LTTE), a separatist group seeking autonomy.[12][13] Major incidents of violence during this period are summarized below to illustrate the scale and nature of violence directed against Tamil communities.
The Sri Lankan judicial system has not prosecuted nor pursued legal proceedings against members of the Home Guards alleged to have participated in attacks on Tamil civilians.[14][15][13] Across multiple phases of Sri Lanka's civil conflict, allegations involving actors aligned with the state have rarely turned into an investigation beyond initial reporting, resulting in a persistent gap between public reporting and judicial action. This absence of accountability has been noted as part of a broader, long-standing pattern of impunity.[16][17]
The Sri Lankan Home Guards operated with official support, including arms and training provided by the Sri Lankan military, and frequently acted in coordination with state forces.[3][18] This collaboration contributed to a series of massacres and systematic attacks on Tamil villages, particularly in the eastern districts; namely Trincomalee, Ampara, Batticaloa. Similar patterns of violence also emerged in Mullaitivu, in the Northern Province, where interethnic tensions between Tamils and Muslims had already been intensified by the war.[3]
By 1987, Human Rights Watch estimated that around 11,000 Home Guards were active in the Northern and Eastern provinces.[2] The Home Guard system continued to expand, reaching approximately 22,000 personnel by early 1991 and operating under police supervision to protect villages.[75] By 1994, at least 17,000 Home Guards were stationed at security points across the island in peacekeeping and law-enforcement support roles.[76] More than 20,000 Home Guards were also involved in election security measures in 2002.[77][78] Following the 2006 restructuring of the Home Guard Service under Gazette Notification No. 1462/20, which established the Civil Security Department (CSD), the force expanded rapidly and by early 2009, an estimated 45,000 predominantly Sinhalese villagers belonged to the Civil Security Department.[79]
Most of the massacres carried out by the Sri Lankan Home Guards were predominantly concentrated in the eastern districts, specifically in Trincomalee, Amparai, and Batticaloa, which were known for their agricultural productivity and access to coastal trade routes.[3] Alongside these eastern districts, Mullaitivu in the Northern Province also experienced significant violence which served as a key LTTE stronghold.[3]
In the eastern districts, Tamil populations often lived as minorities amongst Muslim communities. Notably, these regions experienced frequent incidents of communal violence. Home Guards, operating in coordination with Sri Lankan state security forces (local police and army), are reported to have played a vital role in exacerbating tensions and conducting operations aimed at destabilizing and damaging Tamil-Muslim relations, in order to assert control over the contested territories.[13]
Historical context of the massacres 1984-1998
Between 1984 and 1998, there were 26 documented incidents involving attacks on civilians, by the Sri Lankan Home Guards a state-sanctioned paramilitary group. Prior to the Kattankudy Mosque Massacre that occurred on 3 August 1990, 14 recorded attacks involving Home Guards targeted the civilian populations. The accumulation of these attacks contributed to persistent pattern of targeted violence against civilians, creating an environment in which the Kattankudy mosque attack would later occur.
On 3 August 1990, an attack on two mosques in Kattankudy resulted in the deaths of over 100 Muslim worshippers.[80] The massacre was widely attributed to the LTTE, though no public or judicial investigation has conclusively identified the perpetrators.[81][82] The LTTE also denied its involvement for both these massacres in Kattankudy.[81] UTHR, known for being anti-LTTE,[83] also observed that “no thought was given to concealment,” suggesting the LTTE's chain of command was loose in this instance.[84] In addition to this, UTHR also collected local testimonies for their report (Report 5, Chapter 2 “A Bloody Stalemate”), and observed while there was widespread belief in LTTE involvement, there remained ambiguity amongst the Kattankudy residents about who was actually responsible for the attack and its leadership.[84]
In the aftermath of the Kattankudy incident, seven additional massacres involving Home Guards took place between August and September 1990. In parallel with these Home Guard-related attacks, a series of retaliatory massacres led by Muslim mobs occurred in response to the Kattankudy incident. Notably, within two weeks of the Kattankudy incident, two distinct instances of retaliatory violence by Muslim mobs on Tamil villages were documented. In total, 118 Tamil civilians were killed as a result of the following two retaliatory attacks. The first of these attacks occurred two days after the Kattankudy incident, and resulted in the deaths of 33 Tamil civilians.[85] The second attack occurred on 14 August 1990 in Chenkalady and Kudurippu in the Batticaloa District, where assailants armed with knives and axes killed 85 Tamil civilians and left an additional 100 others injured.[86][87] According to the residents, they believed the attack was carried out by Muslims to avenge recent massacres of their own people.[88] However, the Home Guards have not been identified as responsible for these two Muslim-led attacks on Tamils.
Subsequently, in October 1990, the LTTE expelled the Muslim population from the Northern Province. Reports indicate, this mass displacement significantly strained Tamil-Muslim relations.[89] Following this expulsion, only five more massacres involving Muslim Home Guards were documented over an eight-year period. During this period, the Tamil Tigers gained control of several areas that had previously been contested by government forces and the LTTE.
Post-May 2009: End of Sri Lankan Civil War
On July 4, 2009, a public disarmament event involving Muslim militant groups in Sri Lanka's Eastern Province was held at the Kattankudy Jumma Meera Mosque. The event was conducted in the context of a government-declared amnesty program aimed at encouraging the surrender of arms and reintegration of local militant groups.[90][91] The event took place at Kattankudy Jumma Meera Mosque on July 4, 2009, afternoon 3:00 p.m, in the presence of the Eastern Deputy Inspector General of Police (D.I.G.) Edison Gunatilake and Provincial Minister M.L.A.M. Hisbullah.[92] Images of the event were later circulated and can be found on the AFP Fact Check website documenting the disarmament event.
At the time of the amnesty, the Sri Lankan Army and Police intensified its security operations in Sri Lanka's Eastern Province during this time to capture three high-profile individuals identified as Police Faiz, Muthur Nizam, and Ruhul Haq; figures who are believed to have played a critical role in the radicalization and recruitment of Muslim youth in the region.[92][90]
By July 4, 2009, the authorities had already picked up seven suspects, in a series of precision raids led by special police units in Kattankudy and Eravur.[92] One of those raids hit a jihadi hideout where they found two suspects and extensive weapons caches including seven T-56 rifles, SMG weapons, anti-personnel mines, claymore mines, detonators and high frequency communication sets.[92][90] It was a clear sign of how deeply armed and organized these groups were.
Security officials confirmed that investigations were underway to establish whether the individuals in question maintained affiliations with international extremist networks such as al-Qaeda, as well as identifying potential sources of external funding that may have supported their operations.[90]
Extensively reported Massacres involving Sri Lankan Home Guards
Among the many incidents of violence during the Sri Lankan Civil War, certain massacres involving Sri Lankan Home Guards were documented in detail by journalists, and human rights organisations. These massacres were widely reported, and the evidence provided by eyewitness narratives and independent reports highlights their scale and their long-term impact on inter-ethnic relations in the affected districts. While initially established as a rural defence force to protect Sri Lankan villages from insurgent attacks, the Home Guards increasingly became involved in offensive operations alongside the military. Over time, the Home Guard system became closely tied to operations targeting Tamil civilians. The following are some the most well-known and thoroughly documented cases involving Home Guards, with an emphasis on their historical context, scale and consequences.
Veeramunai Massacre
The Veeramunai Massacres, which occurred between 20 June and 15 August 1990 in Veeramunai village of the Amparai district, resulted in the deaths of over 250 Tamil civilians, and the destruction of more than 2,000 homes[93] in attacks carried out by Sri Lankan forces and Muslim Home Guards. During this period, a local Hindu temple was also set on fire.[94] The attack was part of a broader pattern of retaliation by the Sri Lankan government forces aimed at Tamil villages, which were suspected of supporting the Tamil Tigers.[95] Notably, this was not the first instance of violence in Veeramunai; a similar massacre occurred in 1954,[35] indicating a historical pattern of conflict involving the Tamil population in the area. The events in Veeramunai marked the beginning of a pattern of collaboration between state forces and auxiliary groups, a dynamic that contributed to further atrocities in the following years. One notable example was the Tiraikerny Massacre in 1990
Tiraikerny Massacre
In the lead-up to the major wave of massacres occurring in 1990s September, Muslim Home Guards attacked the village of Tiraikerny in the Amparai district on 6 August 1990, killing at least 54 Tamil civilians, including women and children.[96] The attackers used a variety of weapons during the assault, including a spear and a trident removed from the temple's premises, which are traditionally associated with the Hindu deities Murugan and Lord Shiva, respectively, as well as religious tools used in the temple by priests, such as knives, axes, and crowbars. The attackers also set several homes on fire before the assault had even begun.[97] The Tiraikerny massacre is one of many attacks during the period of heightened ethnic violence between Tamils and Muslims in the region.[98]
Polonnaruwa Massacres
On 29 April 1992, in response to an attack on police posts in Alanchipothana by the Tamil Tigers, two large-scale assaults were launched on the Tamil villages of Muthugal and Karapola by the Sri Lankan Home Guards and policemen. In total, 89 Tamil civilians were killed in this coordinated attack. In Muthugal, 51 people were killed by state-backed Home Guards, among the victims were 13 children below the age of 10.[69][7] In the neighbouring village of Karapola, another 38 Tamils were killed, marking one of the deadliest retaliatory violence in the region during this period.[71]
The 1990s Black September Massacres
The most concentrated wave of massacres involving Home Guards occurred in September 1990, a period that has come to be known among Tamils as Black September.[99][100][62] The trigger for this series of events was the Kattankudy Mosque Massacre. Though attributed to the LTTE, the perpetrators were never conclusively identified through a judicial process.[81][82][84] In the weeks that followed, several massacres targeting Tamil civilians were carried out by Muslim Home Guards and Sri Lankan military across the Eastern Province.
Eastern University Massacre
On 5 September 1990, 158 Tamil civilians sheltering at the Eastern University campus in Batticaloa were killed. These individuals, who had sought shelter from ongoing nearby violence at the University, were rounded up and arrested by the Sri Lankan military and Muslim Home Guards before being executed.[52][101] Following their arrest, the individuals were forcibly removed from the premises.[102][103] Given the suspicious circumstance, it is presumed that they were subsequently executed as none of these victims were never seen again, and their bodies were never found.[104][105] No official investigation or legal proceedings were conducted against those suspected of involvement, leaving the case unresolved.[106][107][108]
Sathurukondan Massacre
The Sathurukondan massacre occurred just four days after the Eastern University massacre and was carried out on 9 September 1990 in Batticaloa. More than 186 Tamil civilians were killed by the Sri Lankan Army, with the support of Muslim Home Guards.[109] Among the victims were five infants, 42 children under the age of 10, 9 pregnant women and 28 seniors.[110][111] The massacre has been widely cited as an example of state-backed violence in which non-combatant civilians were specifically targeted.[112] The event is also noted for its scale, for the indiscriminate nature of the violence that targeted Tamil civilians, regardless of age or gender.[53][113]
This particular massacre was investigated by a presidential commission formed in 1997 under President Chandrika Kumaratunga.[112] The probe led by esteemed Sri Lankan judge K. Palakidnar, determined three captains from the Sri Lankan Army to have taken part in the massacre and concluded that there was substantial evidence supporting the allegations.[112] The judge advised President Kumaratunga to bring those accountable to justice. However, the government chose not to follow through on the commission's recommendations.
Savukkadi Massacre & Thalaivai Massacre
The massacre at Eastern University was soon followed by another atrocity only two weeks later. On September 20, 1990, two more massacres occurred in close succession.[62] In total, more than 42 Tamil civilians were killed in this coordinated attack. In Savukkadi, 33 Tamils were killed, among them were 26 villagers, including ten children and an infant, who were burned alive and buried in ditches.[61] The other seven victims were Tamil fishermen who were shot and killed while off the coast near Savukkadi.[62]
In addition to these incidents, in the neighbouring village of Thalaivai in Eravur, Muslim Home Guards entered the Tamil settlement in the early morning hours and woke residents from their homes, claiming they were required to attend a meeting with an army commander.[63] Once the victims were gathered in a forested area, they were executed. More than nine Tamils were killed in this particular attack.[62] The violence continued into the next day in Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu.
1990 Puthukkudiyiruppu Massacre
On 21 September 1990, in Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu, Muslim Home Guards rounded up 44 Tamil civilians, including women and children and forced them onto the beach; where the victims were attacked with knives and swords.[64] This massacre resulted in 17 deaths while 27 others sustained serious injuries.[65]
Impunity and the legacy of violence
Despite the availability of witness testimonies, human rights reports, and international attention, several of these incidents were not formally investigated. Observers have noted that this lack of accountability allowed extrajudicial killings and reprisal attacks against civilians to occur with little fear of legal consequence. The extent and nature of these abuses are further illustrated in the following section through testimonies that describe how civilians experienced them, providing context to the broader patterns documented in statistical data and reports.
Civilian testimonies alleging abuses by Sri Lankan Home Guards during the Sri Lankan Civil War, c. 1986.
Veeramunai Massacre, Amparai Testimonies
The North-East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR) documented the abuses from the Veeramunai massacre by collecting survivor testimonies and publishing the names of the victims.[35][36][37] The following summary of events is based on those reports:
On 20 June 1990, Sri Lankan Army personnel entered Malwaththa and Veeramunai, reportedly opening fire on civilians and burning houses. Many residents from surrounding villages fled to the Veeramunai Temple, which had been converted into a makeshift refugee camp.[35][36] The army reportedly created a climate of terror, targeting people in their homes, on the road, and in paddy fields.[36] People on their way to work were stopped and killed; with the dead bodies subsequently cremated. Males over the age of fifteen were targeted, with youths and children among those arrested; later taken away under the pretext of questioning.[35][36] One Sri Lankan army officer was overheard telling an onlooker at the Veeramunai temple that he would "order his men to shoot every man and woman in the area" before detaining some youths.
Survivors described severe physical abuse during detention, with visible bruises and injuries on their bodies providing clear evidence of the mistreatment and torture they were put through.[36] Those arrested were reportedly taken to "Sammanthurai Al-Matjan Muslim School", where they were beaten.[35][36] Only a small fraction of the detainees survived, with reports indicating that many victims were killed; their bodies burned, and hidden in surrounding areas such as Malaikadu.[35][36] Muslim Home Guards reportedly covered the remains of the dead with several tractor loads of paddy husks in order to cremate the dead bodies.[35][36]
Eyewitness accounts also indicate that some of the killings were carried out by armed men in civilian clothing, as they witnessed them abduct people with an army truck and then execute the groups of villagers in nearby forests.[35][36] Mr. Madasamy Kathirkamamoorthy, who survived the massacre, recounted being tied behind his back and beaten. He stated that many of the victims were seen with blood dripping as a result of this torture and at the end of the assault were forced to organize themselves in a line, before being executed using the machine guns held by the Perpetrators.[35][36] However, Mr. Madasamy Kathirkamamoorthy's quick thinking helped him survive this massacre. By turning to his side, he avoided fatal injuries, sustaining gunshot wounds only to his arms and legs. As the other victims attempted to get up, they were repeatedly shot until they laid motionless. However, he managed to drag himself away from the scene, slowly moving to safety. The operation resulted in numerous deaths, widespread terror, and forced displacement of the local population.
Sathurukondan Massacre, Batticaloa Testimonies
A survivor of the Sathurukondan Massacre, Mr. K. Krishnakumar, recounted the events of that day in an interview with TamilNet recorded in 1997:[53][112][50] The following summary of events is based on those reports:
On the morning of 20 September 1990, the Sri Lankan army had cordoned off the villages of Sathurukondan, Panichchayadi, Pillaiyaradi and Kokkuvil by 10 am. According to the survivor, four masked men entered the hall at the Sathurukondan Boys’ Town army camp around 7pm and picked him, along with K. Jeevaratnam, C. Sinnaththamby, and T. Kumar. They were escorted to the camp's backyard with the assurance that they will be released after a brief inquiry.[57][59][60] Instead, the men were forcibly dragged to a 20-foot by 5-foot pit, surrounded by twenty-five (25) armed Sri Lankan army soldiers.
Mr. K. Krishnakumar was struck with a cudgel and fell face down. As the other three victims cried out in terror, the soldiers gagged and stripped them. Subsequently, they were forced towards the edge of the large pit, where they were slashed with swords.[59][60] Mr. K. Krishnakumar himself was hurled against a cashew tree and then stabbed in the chest with a long kris knife. Despite, the lost blood, he didn't lose consciousness.[112]
This is when four additional men who were brought to the pit, were also hacked to death and pushed into it. Subsequently, the soldiers brought in two pregnant women, who were stripped naked and tortured, as they had their breasts cut off.[59][60] The Sri Lankan army soldiers also cut their abdomens open before forcing their bodies into the pit. Additionally, the soldiers brought several other females who were also stripped naked and then proceeded to rape them repeatedly. The soldiers also subjected them to mutilation by severing their breasts; after which at least three of these victims were discarded into a nearby well.[112]
Mr. K. Krishnakumar is the sole survivor of the Sathurukondan massacre who witnessed the execution of others, including the rape and murder of girls, the mutilation of pregnant women, and the burning of bodies with tires.[59][114][115] He managed to crawl out during the chaos and later sought help from a passer-by to reach a hospital. His testimony was recorded by the Batticaloa Peace Committee, and detailed the systematic slaughter of 184 to 185 Tamil civilians from Sathurukondan and surrounding villages.[54][53][57]
Eastern University Refugee Massacre, Vantharumoolai Testimonies
Lecturers at the university provided refuge and raised a white flag at the entrance. According to an eyewitness account documented by UTHR:[52]
“As the army advanced into the villages of Kondayankerny, Sungankerny and Karuvakkerny, they opened fire and began hacking the people, resulting in multiple fatalities. The Army had access to a bulldozer, and it was used to bury the bodies; without any delay in between the killings. The army arrested forty-eight (48) residents from those three villages and forced them to move to the Valaichchenai main road, where they were executed and their bodies buried within the premises of a private property.”[52]
Following the arrest of 138 individuals, the witness himself was detained on his way home and held for nine days, during which he observed the killing of detainees inside the camp.[52] The witness further stated that:
“Over the course of seven days, Eastern University campus had become a shelter for fifty-five thousand (55,000) refugees. On day eight, the army accompanied by Muslim Home Guards advanced into the campus, disregarding the white flag that had been put up. While a member of the army spoke to us, two empty buses came to the campus. With the help of Muslim Home Guards, the Sri Lankan army soldiers ordered the people to line up and picked 138 youths from the camp (subsequently revised up to 158). Families and parents cried out and begged, but the 138 youths were forcibly taken to an unknown location. Later, we visited every army camp to inquire about their whereabouts, but the army denied any knowledge of them.”[52]
Thangamuthu Jayasingam, who served as the officer in charge of the Vantharumoolai refugee camp at the time, later recorded in 2015 that he had spoken to “various national and international persons” and had provided testimony before the Presidential Commission on Missing Persons in 2004.[116] Reflecting on the events, he stated:
“I gave them the names of all the army officers involved in the operation, along with the Army Major General who came to the camp three days later, on 8th September. I am not aware whether any investigations have been conducted since then.”[117]
Tiraikerny massacre, Amparai Testimonies
The North-East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR) documented the abuses from the Tiraikerny massacre by collecting survivor testimonies and publishing the names of the victims.[40][39] The following summary of events is based on testimony from a survivor:
In the early hours, Tamil villagers reported hearing the cries of Muslim women, mourning the deaths of several men from their community who had gone to work in the paddy fields at Alimadakadu. Later on in the day, the fellow inhabitants of the village warned that an armed Muslim mob, reportedly heavily armed, was advancing towards Thiraikerny to attack Tamils. The Tamil families in Tiraikerny, including women and children, fled their homes and sought refuge in the Pillaiyar Temple.[97]
A mob of more than one hundred and fifty (150) men, armed with knives, swords, sickles, and clubs, approached the temple, shouting slogans and calling on Muslims to unite to attack the Tamil villagers.[40][39] The Tamil villagers saw smoke rising from their burning houses. As the attackers neared the Pillaiyar Temple, many of the villagers sought refuge at the Periyathambiran Temple, with the mob following closely behind.
An armoured car carrying six (6) Sri Lankan army soldiers arrived at the temple premises. However, the soldiers did not take part in the attack themselves. Tamil youths pleaded with the soldiers to prevent the imminent attack, but the soldiers reportedly stated that, since Tamils had killed Muslims, the army could not intervene. The soldiers then waved their hands, which the mob interpreted as a signal to begin the assault.
The attackers began to desecrate the temple, taking sacred objects such as the Trident and spear from the sanctum, which were used against the civilians. Men seated on the ground were stabbed and hacked, while women and children were also killed. Many victims attempted to flee through the back, but most did not return alive. Among the dead were entire families, including a young mother, Vijeyaluxmy, and her infant child.[40][39] Specifically, the husband of the person who gave this testimony was among those who did not survive the massacre.
Witnesses reported that the soldiers’ presence appeared to encourage the attackers, which led some people to wonder whether it was a joint attack of the Sri Lankan Army and the Muslim Home Guards.[40][39] When gunfire was later heard, the soldiers fled in their armoured car, followed by the mob shouting that “Tigers are coming.” Subsequently, members of the Special Task Force (STF) arrived, firing as they advanced, and drove away the remaining attackers.
When the STF entered the area, they discovered a scene of mass slaughter: dozens of Tamil men, women, and children were dead or mutilated, with blood and flesh scattered all over the temple.[40][39] The survivors were frozen in shock and the chief of the STF promised protection to the victims. Importantly, the account notes that the Tamil villagers did not fight back.
The following summary of events is based on the Amnesty International Report which documented the abuses from the Polonnaruwa Massacres by collecting survivor testimonies and publishing the names of the victims:[69][7]
More than eighty Tamil villagers from the nearby villages of Muthugal and Karapola were intentionally killed by Home Guards, apparently in retaliation for an alleged LTTE attack on the Muslim village of Alanchipothana on 29 April 1992.[7][71]
Some Sri Lankan policemen from Karapola joined the Home Guards in Muthugal, where they shot and stabbed dozens of Tamil villagers to death. They then returned to Karapola, where an additional thirty-eight (38) people were allegedly killed. Around 9 am, they went back to Muthugal and continued the killings until approximately 10 am, when the army arrived and forced them to retreat.
One of the victims of this massacre reported, in a residence where a group of Tamils had taken refuge, the eye-witness’ son was shot in the chest by a Home Guard as he stood against the door to prevent the perpetrators from entering. Other eyewitnesses also corroborated his account, and added there were seven further victims including three children aged two, four and twelve documented in this particular incident. Another incident resulted in the deaths of Sivapathy and her three-year-old child, Sinnarasiah Thangeswaran, who were shot as she tried to protect the older children in the household.
Many villagers who had fled Muthugal were later found hiding in paddy fields by Home Guards from Madurangala. According to Amnesty's report, a witness identified as the wife of Peiris Wijayasinghe recalled that a group of Home Guards brought six detainees to their residence in Madurangala. Among them was P. Packiyarajah, a relative of hers, as well as a woman from Muthugal. In a subsequent interview, she provided a detailed account of the events that unfolded that day:
“They asked my husband whether he knew Packiyarajah of Muthugal... My husband then said, '... they are innocent and it is out of fear that they had hidden in the paddy [rice] fields'. The Home Guards then beat my husband with rifle butts and with their hands. Soon afterwards the Karapola policemen came... and they beat all the six men, including my husband, and ordered all of them to get into a white van. They said they were taking them to the Karapola police station.”[7]
Sri Lankan Army personnel from the Welikande army camp allegedly entered the area around 6:30 am,.[7] The reported death toll in Muthugal was fifty-one (51), including thirteen (13) children under the age of ten (10). A list of the names of the fifty-one (51) victims executed in Muthugal and thirty-one (31) of the thirty-eight (38) killed in Karapola in these Massacres, was published by Amnesty International.[7]
↑Muggah, Robert (2008). Relocation failures in Sri Lanka: a short history of internal displacement and resettlement. London, England: Zed Books. pp.108–134. ISBN978-1-84813-046-3.
↑"State Terrorism". Tamil Times. February 1985. p.14.
12Hoole, Rajan; Thiranagama, Rajani (2001). Sri Lanka, the arrogance of power: myths, decadence & murder: commemoration volume for Dr. Rajani Thiranagama, 23rd February 1954 - 21st September 1989 (1sted.). Colombo: University Teachers for Human Rights Jaffna. pp.378–397. ISBN978-955-9447-04-7.
↑McDermott/Kripal (2003). McDermott, Rachel Fell; Kripal, Jeffrey J. (eds.). Encountering Kali: In the Margins, at the Center, in the West. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN978-0-520-23240-2.
↑Lawrence, Patricia (2003). The ocean of stories: children's imagination, creativity, and reconciliation in eastern Sri Lanka. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Centre for Ethnic Studies. ISBN978-955-580-076-1.
12Trawick, Margaret (2007). Enemy lines: childhood, warfare and play in Batticaloa. Los Angeles: University of California press. ISBN978-0-520-24515-0.
↑TamilNet (10 December 1997). "A luxury they cannot afford". TamilNet. Archived from the original on 2025-09-23. Retrieved 2025-09-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
A major source for the documentation of these massacres is the book Massacres of Tamils, 1956 - 2008, published by Manitham Publishers in 2009 (ISBN 978-81-909737-0-0). The book records 171 incidents over a 52-year period and is based on eyewitness testimonies and collected data. It was co-published by the North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR) and the Chennai-based human rights trust Manitham.
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