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Allaipiddy massacre 13 May 2006

Allaipiddy is one of the islets off the coast of the Jaffna peninsula and is located 15 kilometers south west of Jaffna town. During the period of the massacre, this and the other islets near it were under the full control of the

Sri Lankan Navy. The EPDP paramilitary group was also working with the Sri Lankan Navy in this region. Even after the CFA agreement, people were allowed into this area only after checking their identity card and after putting the people through a body search.
The home of Sellathurai Amalathas is located near the PhilipNeri Catholic church in Allaipiddy. People in the neighbourhood were gathering in this home to spend the night due to the prevailing fear of arbitrary killings and executions that had begun in Jaffna following the election of President Rajapakse. On 13 May 2006, people were gathered in this house as usual when the men from the EPDP paramilitary group arrived at the house and ordered the people in the house to switch off the lights.
This was followed by indiscriminate shooting of the residents in the house. Eight out of the eleven people who were sleeping in the house were killed. Four people from one family that included a baby and a four year old child were killed in this shooting. One of the injured died because the Sri Lankan Navy prevented the injured from being taken to the hospital. All of the eight people killed in this shooting are members of one extended family.
Some other Sri Lankan Navy men entered the home of Shanugalingam in the neighbouring village of Puliyankoodal and shot dead three people from that family. This was followed by the shooting of the tea shop owner Senthuran in his own home in the nearby village of Vankalavadi. A total of 14 civilians were shot and killed that night in this area. Many more civilians were injured. Many shops and property were damaged. See also: Amnesty report, ASA 37/014/2006, 16 May 2006
Available names of victims (name, age)

  1. Abraham Robinson, 28
  2. Joseph Anthonymuttu, 64
  3. Kanesh Navaratnam, 50
  4. Ketheeswaran Anex Ester, 23
  5. Ketheeswaran Thanushkanth , 04
  6. Ketheeswaran Yathursan, 0
  7. Palachamy Ketheeswaran, 25
  8. S. Sivanesan, 46
  9. Sellathurai Amalathas, 28