Information related to Eezham has been taken from many sources and only being to used to convey our history and struggles to our future generation. It is not intended to claim authorship or misuse in any forms.
On Sep 7th, 1996, Krishanthi Kumaraswamy was murdered by the #SriLankan army at the Kaithady Army checkpoint in Jaffna. Later investigations revealed that she was abducted by five soldiers and another six gang raped and killed her.
There were witnesses who saw her being stopped at the army checkpoint on her way home from writing an exam. Her mom and a family friend who went to ask about her whereabouts were also killed. 45 days later, the bodies were found in shallow graves within the army base.
Amnesty International & other human rights organizations like Women for Peace pressured the LK state to prosecute the armies involved. During the court case, one of the accused came forward regarding another mass grave known as Chemmani mass graves, when investigated, it contained 15 bodies. men who had disappeared in 1996 (taken by Sri Lankan Army)
One of the local activists who worked to expose Krishnathy's case, Mr. Gananathan [President of the Jaffna Multi Purpose Co-Operative Society (MPCS)], was later killed by "unknown gunmen".
Gananathan's daughter, Thayananthy, 19 YO was killed, when a Sri Lankan Army truck rammed into a group of school girls, on the same day when Krishnathay was murdered. Both girls were schoolmates.
This picture clicked in April 2022 and looks very beautiful to the viewers but the boat docked here carries a horrifying scar for Tamils. 37 years ago today, 36 Tamils were massacred by the Sri Lankan navy on this boat.
Passengers traveling from Neduntheevu to Nayinatheevu were interrupted by the Lankan Navy & each passenger was hacked to death, including an infant.
There were eyewitnesses who described this horrifying incident, Amnesty International identified and recorded these accounts of the survivors and wrote a detailed report to the government asking it to take appropriate action against the perpetrators.
This is not an isolated incident of Tamils being killed in the sea while traveling. There are many such events and surviving victims' horror stories are scars we all will forever carry.
▪️Tamils, as per LK army orders, walked down the road, waving white flags, with children & elderly. Many were slaughtered on their way by the same army
▪️Sri Lankan drone footage of NFZ
US State Department indicated: a large group of children along w/ adults coming out w/ white flags. SLA started shooting at them & told them to go back to their bunkers. The sources reportedly saw soldiers throw grenades into two bunkers. They saw tanks going over bunkers and destroying everything inside. the Petrie Report states, In the second week of May, LTTE civilian political leaders were in contact… asking that they facilitate a surrender and be present when it took place. When the Chef de Cabinet arrived back in Colombo on 16 May, he indicated to Govern that he was willing to travel to Vanni & be present at the surrender. His offer was refused.
From Jordan, @PresRajapaksa declared victory on this day in 2009 & claimed “My government’s precise &well-coordinated humanitarian operation has so far succeeded in rescuing over 210K civilians”. Witnesses tell a different story...
Tamil Tigers called out to the Intl community once again to save innocent Tamil civilians: “The situation in Vanni has reached colossal proportions and what is happening there is unprecedented human carnage we r ready to do anything that is necessary to save the Tamil ppl trapped in the unrelenting war that is waged on them. The intl community now has to act w/ fairness & openness & should take full responsibility for ppl who r being targeted w/ no mercy/dignity
“last hrs r happening… a lot of people are dying, heavy fighting is going on.… in all areas, corpses r piling up… people r not being allowed to leave”. Unable to see the people they protected for decades being massacred, Tamil Tigers requested the international community to treat Tamils with dignity & respect.
"This battle has reached its bitter end. Against all odds, we have held back the advancing Sinhalese forces without help or support, except for the unending support of our people. It is our people who are dying now from bombs, shells, illness, and hunger...
We cannot permit any more harm to befall them. We remain with one last choice–to remove the last weak excuse of the enemy for killing our people. We have decided to silence our guns. Our only regrets are for the lives lost and that we could not hold out for longer...
We can no longer bear to see the innocent blood of our people being spilled. We need to do everything within our means to stop this carnage. If this means silencing our arms and entering a peace process, that is something that we have already agreed to."
On this day in 2009, @GotabayaR, then Defence Secretary, stated that there were no civilians remaining in the conflict zone. But according to leaked US embassy cable, Americans were told by @GGPonnambalam & Bishop of Mannar that as many as 100K civilians remain trapped.
Leaked US Embassy cable says LKA refused to accept mediated surrenders or evacuate the wounded. "Ambassador spoke to Presidential Advisor @basilrajapaksa to request access for @ICRC to evacuate dead &wounded. He refused, contending the GSL could manage on its own"
On this day, then-President @PresRajapaksa returns to LKA & he was greeted by many, including @MaithripalaS While 100Ks of Tamils were massacred/critically injured/hanging on to their lives, here are the leaders, politics, & ppl celebrating
TNA parliamentarian @TNAmediaoffice who was in touch with @basilrajapaksa informed him that there are 3K cadres (incl. the political wing) and 22,000 civilians who wanted to surrender as soon as possible. A detailed account can be found below:
While Sri Lanka celebrated their 'victory' (released pictures attached), thousands of Tamils were still being killed via bombing, shooting, and executing the surrendered. Those in displaced camps were also living under horrendous conditions.
May 18. 2009:
The last day of war of horrendous genocide unfolded on this day in 2009 & yet no Internation Community stepped in to help Tamils. It's been over 13 years, yet we are still waiting for accountability.
Many eyewitnesses indicated the rampage by the LK army in the No Fire Zone: throwing grenades into several civilian bunkers to army trucks running over injured people lying on the road. The UN Panel of Experts reports: “dead were strewn everywhere; wounded lay along the roadsides, begging 4 help from those still able to walk, but often not receiving it. Some had to be torn away from the bodies of their loved 1s. the smell of dead and dying was overwhelming” 1000s of Tamil Tigers, their families & other Tamil civilians who surrendered to Sri Lankan army were executed & many have forcibly disappeared, yet to know their whereabouts.
"A Sri Lankan soldier described to Channel 4 the grotesque humanitarian violations committed during the final days of the conflict. See a clip of his testimony below"
#NoFireZone documentary @Channel4News @Callum_Macrae provides, with evidence, footage of the execution of many surrendered including a child, of execution and war crimes during the final phase of the war.
▪️political wing leaders Balasingham Nadesan and Seevaratnam Puleedevan
▪️Balachandran Prabhakaran, the 12-year-old son of Prabhakaran
▪️Tamil TV presenter Isaipriya
There are many videos that have been released, captured by LK army on their phones, as they execute naked and tied up Tamils. Many laugh & joke as they shoot Tamils in the head. Yet no panel, no accountability. @UN @ICRC According to UN panel reports, rape and sexual violence against Tamil women AND men went underreported. Human Rights Watch reported one woman’s experience [Picture 2]Whereabouts of many of these women in the picture (& those who were not captured in pictures) are unknown till today - surrendered and taken for 'rehabilitation'.
Many Tamils who were able to leave the war zone ended up in camps. It was indicated that > 300,000 were in this camp & thought to be the largest displacement camp in the world. Many stayed in this camp for YEARS without basic necessities.
LK army did its best to cover up & hide war crimes committed yet the truth always prevails.
As they celebrated in sri lanka, Tamils in East were fighting to stay alive, Tamils in North cried behind doors, diaspora Tamils protested, screamed & begged Intl Community to help but none did. The face of these people & their cries will haunt us forever.
May is the month to grief. reflect. educate. our stories to others. TamilGenocide is part of the Tamil identity. We fight till we get the accountability we need!
▪️Mullivaaikkaal and Vadduvaakal areas where more than 130,000 civilians have sought refuge without adequate bunkers and shelters Gordon Weiss, @UN spokesman in Sri Lanka said “The large-scale killing of civilians over the weekend, including the deaths of more than 100 children, shows that that bloodbath has become a reality.”
Mr @stevecrawshaw of @hrw commented: “If the Security Council stays silent on this issue any longer, it will be a failure of historic proportions… It is already late, but lives can still be saved”.
Tamil diaspora came together to lend their voices to their loves who were being massacred. Protests continued in capitals across the world, where the Tamil diaspora had taken to the streets to demand a ceasefire. Tamil Canadians protest blocking Gardiner Expressway
Tamils protest outside the White House demanding a ceasefire.
May 12. 2009
▪️LK army advanced into the NFZ
▪️According to a cable released by WikiLeaks:
Army advanced into the south & north of the conflict zone. The post received reports of continued shelling & heavy fire in the conflict zone through the morning of May 12.
▪️Makeshift hospital was hit again- around 2,000 wounded patients within the last 3 days were waiting for the @ICRC to be transported on the ship
▪️OISL indicated patients had burns that were unusual - with skin like “black charcoal”, indicating the use of chemical bombs
▪️Many were dying in the conflict zone, and increased death of the elderly also took place in camps in Vavuniya due to starvation and illness
▪️ US Secretary of State @HillaryClinton & UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband urged the UN to facilitate 'safe evacuation of civilians
MP Sampanthan:
there is genocide taking place in Vanni; the entire international community is being silent; we don’t want just statements of condemnations and pledges without any action; the killings of civilians must immediately be stopped; this is our urgent request. Also, on this day in 2009, Sri Lanka sought the IMF loan to help meet a balance of payments deficit, support post-war development, and boost foreign exchange reserves hovering around six weeks of import cover.
May 13. 2009:
President @BarackObama Obama calls for action to ease the Sri Lanka crisis. He asked the LK State to “stop the indiscriminate shelling that has taken hundreds of innocent lives”.
The members of the Security Council @un expressed concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka, in particular the reports of hundreds of civilian casualties in recent days, and called for urgent action by all parties to ensure the safety of civilians. Released cable indicated that UK Special Envoy for Sri Lanka Des Browne visited New Delhi to consult with Indian officials on possible collaboration on the humanitarian and political situation in Sri Lanka.
Once again, on this day in 2009, LK army shells struck a makeshift hospital in Mullivaaikal again. One surviving witness indicated an @ICRC worker, Sivakurunathan Majuran, was also killed in this attack. This was the 3rd time this same makeshift hospital was hit.
Tamil diaspora around the world continues to protest against this genocide. In Toronto, Tamil Canadians protested in front of Queen's Park calling for an immediate end to the killing of Tamils.
Then Ont Premier @Dalton_McGuinty asked @UN Security Council to find a way for Canada & other countries to help. "According to the UN, what is unfolding in northern Sri Lanka is a bloodbath & this is not a time for the international community to be silent," he said.
May 14. 2009:
▪️100000s of civilians are still stuck in a narrow space & trying to stay alive in spite of continuous shelling, bombing, airstrike, lack of food & meds
▪️ @ICRC was unable to offload food from or evacuate patients
▪️last makeshift hospital, at a school, stopped functioning due to heavy shelling
▪️Tamil Tigers request the International Community to protect the civilians from the ongoing carnage by taking whatever measures required
▪️Tamil Tigers wanted to lay down arms to protect injured cadres and civilians
▪️Tamils MPs conveyed to @basilrajapaksa who told them the army is notified & people should surrender holding up white flags
▪️At the same time, many Tamil youths were being arrested without a cause, across the island
▪️ From this day onwards, many civilians, along with Tiger political wing leaders and cadres who laid down weapons walked along the A35 road to get out of the conflict zone
May 15.2009:
▪️LK army closes in on 'No Fire Zone' & the entire safety zone area is in smoke as shelling was destroying all the structures within a narrow strip of coastal land which has 100000s people pushed into it
▪️Same day Indian election results came out
The @icrc raised the alarm that an "unimaginable humanitarian disaster" unfolding in the conflict zone
and called on the Government to enable assistance to reach trapped civilians.
UK minister @D_G_Alexander said “appalled that ICRC is no longer able to cont its operations in SL…Denying life-saving evacuation & medical Tx is a fundamental violation of Intl Humanitarian Law…There is simply no justification for allowing such needless suffering”
The @ICRC abandoned its missions, there was no food, and no proper access to potable water for tens of thousands of civilians who were forced to stay under the bunkers, surrounded by dead bodies and wounded civilians who died without medical help
The @UN genocide experts requested a ceasefire, and UN investigators wanted war probes. Francis Deng, the UN special advisor, called for both sides to “pursue a reconciliatory & peaceful path with the ethnic Tamil population.” By now, Tamil Tigers have laid down arms.
@wakaelin, Secretary-General’s Representative for the Human Rights of Displaced Persons, called on Colombo to allow @UN & other agencies “full and unfettered access to all civilians and detainees.” But this request was denied.
2 months prior, @UN's human rights official, @Navi_Pillay, called on SL govern & Tamil Tigers to suspend hostilities, warning # of civilian deaths could reach catastrophic levels. Tamil Tigers announced a unilateral ceasefire on April 26, but Sri Lanka rejected it & intensified the bombardment of the sliver of land where over 160,000 civilians were concentrated.
High Commissioner's spokesman, @RColville, then stated that "there has to be the accountability of what has gone on in Sri Lanka. There has to be clarity and there cannot be impunity."To date, no one has been held accountable for the genocide.
As the beginning of May is a celebratory month for many around the globe, for many Tamils, it's the month of mourning and incapacitation. Sri Lankan extremist state ended the war by killing over 150,000 Tamils within days.
May 1st:
As the Sri Lankan state tried its best to hide its human rights violation and continue to massacre Tamils, Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona admitted to @AlJazeera that they did indeed bomb no-fire zones.
War against Tamils was building momentum from January of 2009 and the month of May saw the most horrifying crime against humanity committed in this century - we can call it the 'Tamil holocaust'. On this day, this genocidal state also targeted and bombed the ONLY remaining makeshift hospital twice, killing patients, attending relatives, and causing injuries to many. @ICRC was on the field & communicated this area as a hospital, later this place was bombed.
May 2
Doctor Varatharajah was working & witnessed this horrendous crime. To date, he continues to be a voice to bring justice for #TamilGenocide.
May 1, President
@BarackObama's administration released a statement for 'World Press Freedom Day', acknowledging lack of press freedom. As the diaspora protested around the world to save our loved ones, no international community intervened to stop the war.
Today, in 2009, as hospitals were bombed, shells were landing in No Fire Zone, 1000s of Tamils continued to be injured and dying. Tamil Tigers once again urges the international community to implement a ceasefire.
May 3rd 2009
Many forms of protests around the world to stop the genocide against Tamils, activists from the pro-Tamil nationalist Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam (PDK) & MDMK attacked military trucks of the Indian Army allegedly transporting weapons to LK.
May 3rd 2009
As the State continued to commit genocide, it also prevented the flow of food and medicine. As Tamils were dying from non-stop shell attacks, the ones who are able to escape are dying due to a lack of medical care for the wounded and starvation.
May 4th 2009
According to reports, Government officials responsible for food distribution claimed they only received 60 MT food supplies after 02 April. 2,475 MT supplies are needed for a month for 165,000 civilians according to World Food Programme (WFP) specifications.
May 4th 2009
ICRC who was on the ground was asking and waiting for State's support from Colombo to send a supply ship. According to some ICRC officials, a ship with 1500 MT supplies was diverted to Jaffna, as the government purposely starved people.
Tamil Tiger's political wing leader B. Nadesan continued to reach out to the world, asking them to stop the genocide against Tamils. Pictures below are his communication earlier in 2009 with @KanimozhiDMK
requesting her assistance to stop the horror against Tamils.
May 4th, 2009:
- shelling & bombing of the No Fire Zone continued
-100s of Tamils were dying hourly
-lack of medical care as the hospital was bombed numerous times
-lack of food & medicine was further aiding in the death of many
- Kanji was the only meal for all tere
Tamil diaspora organization called 'Tamils Against Genocide' urged @IntlCrimCourt to open an investigation for war crimes and crimes against humanity. After 13 years, there is still no prosecution and no accountability for #TamilGenocide.
May 5th, 2009:
▪️ Colombo’s starvation weapon continues
▪️ French & British governments claimed this genocide was a war against terror, while China dismissed it as an internal matter
▪️ World watched as the humanitarian crisis unfolded
May 6th, 2009:
▪️ Rising death toll due to continuous shelling, starvation, & lack of medical supply for the wounded
▪️ every time, hospital locations were informed to the SL army so it won't shelled, those areas were targeted purposefully
May 7, 2009:
▪️ No Fire Zone continuously attacked, incl. usage of cluster munitions
Though some indicated Tamil Tigers have not guaranteed safe passage to the ICRC to bring in humanitarian relief, political head B. Nadesan gave assurance that they reiterate full commitment & support to @ICRC in its humanitarian & mandated activities
@ICRC managed to evacuate 495 sick & wounded by ferry. "Heavy fighting is taking place near the medical assembly point at Mullavaikkal, which puts the lives of patients, medical workers & ICRC staff at great risk," said Jacques de Maio
▪️ Due to continuous shelling, airstrike, & cluster bombs, Tamils were continuously pushed into a smaller area & Sri Lankan army declared a final No Fire Zone.
▪️LK Army was on 1 side of a lagoon, Tamils on the other
▪️ LK army attacks towards Tamil Tigers usually landed in the No Fire Zone & civilians were hurt
▪️ people fled when family members were killed – they had no time to mourn or bury the dead
▪️ No food, no medicine
▪️ According to the US government, a supply ship reached the shores but LK Navy prevented supplies to be offloaded
▪️ Life-saving medications & food supplies were continuously denied & many died due to this
According to an eyewitness:
Mothers were crying at the hospital and asking for milk powder. They had not eaten and were unable to feed their children, but the hospital did not have milk powder in stock. Internment camps, the last influx of captured civilians of Vanni were held in temporary tents, in Vavuniya were flooded by heavy rains. But, as 'war prisoners' they didn't have the freedom to move to dryer places.
▪️ Carnage on civilians continues:
"Each time a hospital was established in a new location, GPS coordinates of the facility were transmitted & on many occasions, attacks occurred on the day after the coordinates had been transmitted.”
May 9. 2009
three Channel4 journalists, @npwcnn, producer Bessie Du and cameraman Matt Jasper, were arrested as they compiled a report on the conditions of war refugees and alleged sexual abuse in camps for those who fled the northern war zone.
lack of basic nutrients available to lactating mothers caused severe cases of jaundice & hepatitis-A in the newborns & babies inside NFZ where ~120,000-165,000 Tamils were struggling to stay alive. As the @ICRC ship left Mullaitheevu with the wounded, the Sri Lankan army increased the shelling in all directions into the No Fire Zone (NFZ). The shelling caused heavy civilian casualties, despite the LK state assuring the international community that civilians were not targets.
May 10, 2009:
▪️Another day of large-scale slaughter by the LK army
▪️Air strikes were directly directed at No Fire Zone
▪️Sri Lankan state terrorism was continuously being overlooked by the international community
Soniya Gandhi sharing a platform with MKK indicated that "Our government had done everything possible to bring an end to the hostilities and it was due to our resolute efforts that Sri Lanka announced the conclusion of combat operations and people moved to safer places"
This is an outright lie as NFZ was continuously under attack the LK army. This is confirmed by Father Francis Joseph who wrote to the Pope asking the Church to break its silence on the massacre of Tamils. Father is also 1 of the disappeared after surrendering.
