Estimated: 40,000 Dead, 250,000 forced migrations
Killing Fields
Area: Sri Lanka
Cause of Death: Gun shots, Explosions, Dismembering, Torture, Rape
Responsible: Sri Lankan Government, UN Peacekeepers
Death Count: 40,000
Time Period: 2009
Dharmic Faiths: Hindus & Indigenous People
Sri Lanka is now known for its beautiful scenery, beaches and tourism, but it hasn't always been so tranquil. 2009 saw one of the worst armed conflicts in this millennium in the Northern parts of Sri Lanka in a David and Goliath type battle between the Sri Lankan Government and the Tamil Tigers. The Tamil Tigers, pre dominantly Hindu but claiming to be a party free from religion had been fighting the Sri Lankan Government for almost 25 years, as they saw them being in support of the majority Sinhalese people of the Island. As a result Sri Lanka was essentially a two state country for some time, with the Tigers occupying and operating from their own capital Kilinochchi. The Tamil Tigers, also known as the LTTE had their own banks, government, police force, courts and even what appeared to be an official army.
The civil war lead into one of the worst bloodbaths seen, as both sides used increasingly desperate measures to get their way. The Sri Lankan government was tacitly supported by the international community, it was well funded, we armed with Chinese munitions and Israeli fighter jets. The Tamil Tiger army, although appeared as a regular army were largely just a ground force, increasing relying on guerrilla tactics like suicide bombings and the use of child and female soldiers.
Survivor carrying Elderly Woman
Key Events
Events Leading Up To Genocide
2008 - UN peacekeepers asked to leave Sri Lanka to safeguard their own lives
2008 - UN spokesperson in Sri Lanka Gordon Wiess, states that he believes the Sri Lankan government has asked them to leave so that the Government could complete their mission
2008 - Word gets out and the Tamil community flock to the Sri Lankan UN base to plead with them to stay and observe so that nothing bad happens
Jan 2009 - Tamil Capital Kilinochchi stronghold taken by force by Sri Lankan Government
2009 - 100's of thousands of Tamil civilians are on the move, trying to avoid shelling and heavy gunfire from Government forces
2009 - Sri Lankan government accuse the Tamil Tigers of using Tamil civilians as human shields
26 Jan 2009 - Three weeks after the fall of Kilinochichi Sri Lankan government set up a no fire zone, nurses and doctors who have just escaped bombed hospitals, set up another temporary hospital inside the zone and marked it's roof with red crosses. The hospital is bombed regardless
Tamil Community pleading with the UN Peacekeepers to Stay and observe!
Photo Gallery
