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Thampalakamam massacres 1985, 1986

Thampalakamam is a famous village in the Trincomalee district. The main
economic base of this village is agriculture. On 12.11.1985, Sri Lankan military rounded up
Thampalakamam and 9 people were shot dead. On 26.11.1985, three farmers
were shot dead and their bodies were burnt by the military. In another incident near the temple five people were shut in shop and burnt.

Two, Kubenthiran and Navaratnam died. The other three were rescued with severe burns. On 25.05.1986, three refugees, a mother and two sons, who went to check on their homes, were shot dead. On 30.05.1986, military in black uniform entered the home in Thampalakamam and killed the father, mother and two children. A 13 year
old girl and another woman escaped with injuries. On 17.06.1986, 8 farmers disappeared from their fields in Puthukkudiyiruppu in Thampalakamam. On 20.06.86, the Sri Lankan Air Force and the Sri Lankan Army, stationed
at the Thampalakamam junction, made a joint attack on the Thampalakamam village. People were forced to displace. More than 25 of the displaced villagers took refuge in the Potkerni rice mill in the village. The military that arrived at the
rice mill arrested all the people in the rice mill and took them. The owner

was spared. The bodies of those taken were recovered in the forest nearby. 34 people died in this incident.
On the same day in Sampalthivu five civilians were shot dead. One Thankarasa was set alight inside his car.
Available names of victims (name, occupation, age)
1. Kanapathipillai Sithambaranathan, Worker
2. Suppiah Santhakumar, Sheller
3. Kanapathipillai Sabanayakam, Worker, 51
4. Segar Kanapathipillai
5. Kanagasabapathy Puvaneswary
6. Kanagasabapathy Ranji
7. Kanagasabapathy Thasan
8. Kanagasabapathy Theesan
9. Kanagasabapathy Theepan
10. Subramaniam Selvarani
11. Suvramaniam Suthakaran
12. Kanthasamy Kanagasabapathy
13. Subramaniam Jeyananth
14. Muniiya Lexsumy, -, 37
15. Segar Vanitha
16. Segar Rathiga
17. Segar Kanthamuthu
18. Subramaniam Sasikaran
19. Subramaniam Jeyarani