Kumudini boat massacre
The Kumudini or Kumuthini boat massacre (Tamil:குமுதினி படகுப் படுகொலைகள்) happened on 15 May 1985 when at least 23 minority Sri Lankan Tamil men, women and children on a ferry boat named Kumudini sailing from the island of Delft to the island of Nainathivu were killed by Sri Lankan Navy personnel.
| Kumudini boat massacre | |
|---|---|
jetty from which ferry boats known as Launches are launched to neighboring islands in the North of Sri Lanka. The Jetty is renamed Kumuthini jetty in memory of the victims of the massacre | |
| Location | island of Delft, Jaffna District, Sri Lanka |
| Date | May 15, 1985 (+6 GMT) |
| Target | Sri Lankan Tamil village residents |
Attack type | Armed massacre |
| Weapons | Automatics rifles, Knives, axes |
| Deaths | 23 |
| Perpetrators | Sri Lankan Navy |
According to eyewitness accounts six men believed to be from the Sri Lanka navy, dressed in T-shirts and blue longs and some in shorts, boarded the ferry boat. One by one the passengers were called to the aft section of the boat and told to shout their name, age, address and the destination of their journey. Then they were hacked to death.
The incident was sparked by the Anuradhapura massacre, where 146 Sinhalese civilians were gunned down by the LTTE, in revenge for the 1985 Valvettiturai massacre. In the ensuing weeks dozens more Tamil civilians were also killed.