Remembering the People who sacrificed their lives in an aerial bomb attack 30 years ago
More than 145 Tamil war orphans in the North in Sri Lanka who were massacred by the Sri Lankan Air Force in a Catholic church bombing three decades ago have been commemorated with floral tributes. Area Catholic Priests attended the memorial service.
Relatives of the victims and residents of the area attended the commemoration held on Wednesday, 09th of July to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the bombings that killed 147 people, including children, women and the elderly, on July 9, 1995, at St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Navaly, Jaffna, Kataragama Hindu Temple and residential areas, provincial correspondents say.
They have arranged to hold an evening memorial service in memory of the deceased at the renovated St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Navaly and to pay their respects by laying flowers and lighting candles at the memorial monument set up in the premises of the Navaly Church.
According to eyewitnesses and survivors, in July 1995, the St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic Church in Navaly, Jaffna, was packed with Tamils seeking refuge and protection from the war when the air force bombed the church.
The people had gone to the places of worship in response to a public announcement by government security forces to move to public places for safety.
They said that, on July 9, 1995, during the Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga regime, a “Pukara” aircraft dropped 8-13 bombs on the Navaly Mosque, the Kataragama Murugan Hindu Temple, and residential areas, killing hundreds of people and injuring many more.
The North and East Human Rights Office reported that 155 bodies were found after the attack. Among the dead were a 4-year-old child and two 68-year-olds.
It is estimated that about 45 of those killed were residents of Navali, with most of them fleeing from other areas displaced by the war.
The government’s issuance of death certificates stating “death due to injuries caused by aerial bombing” confirms beyond a doubt the allegations made by residents that the Sri Lankan Air Force carried out the bombing.
According to the testimonies collected by the ICRC, “According to eye-witness accounts, this church and several adjacent buildings were hit by further air force strikes at 4.30 p.m. the same day. During the attack 65 people were killed and 150 wounded, including women and children. That evening and into the night Sri Lanka Red Cross staff evacuated most of the wounded by ambulance to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. Delegates of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) present the next morning at the scene of the attack noted the widespread damage and measured the extent of the tragedy: many of the bodies had not yet been removed from the rubble.”
Also, on the 11th of July , 1995 the ICRC had expressed its concern over the dead and said, “Thirteen babies were among the 65 dead found under the rubble of a Catholic church bombed by the Sri Lankan air force, an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) official said on Tuesday.”
“The military, which said it was not aware of any church being bombed, had dropped leaflets warning civilians in the rebel-held peninsula to seek refuge in temples and churches to minimise the chance of death or injury in air strikes.
`This is really a violation of humanitarian law if a civilian area has been deliberately targeted,” Henry said, adding that he had no information on whether the attack was deliberate or an accident.”
The Reuters news on the 12th of July 1995 quoted the statement of Pope John Paul II on this massacre, saying that Pope John Paul II was suffering along with the families of people killed when the air force bombs hit a church in Sri Lanka.
“I want to express my deep-felt sharing in the suffering of so many people involved in the ethnic conflict that is tearing Sri Lanka apart,” he told pilgrims and tourists at his weekly general audience. “I share the grief of those who lost their loved ones in the bombing of the church and school of Navali,” Pope had said further.
“I very much regret to report to you the tragic killings of innocent civilian refugees who had gathered at the above Church on the instruction of your Defence Ministry,” written to the Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga by the Bishop of Jaffna, Thomas Savundranayagam, on the 10th of July, 1995.
“A ‘Pukkara’ Air Craft had dropped a cluster of many bombs on this crowd of refugees who had taken shelter in the church, resulting in the death of over 65 civilians, including women and children, and over 150 were seriously injured, sustaining the loss of limbs.”
“Besides, many were rendered homeless as many houses were razed to the ground and others heavily damaged, including our church and the priest’s house. All the people in this village have fled to safer areas as refugees.”
“Therefore, we very earnestly appeal to Your Excellency to kindly instruct your forces to desist from bombing, strafing, and artillery-rocket attacks on civilian targets like Kovils, Churches, Schools, and Hospitals,” said Bishop Thomas Savundranayagam to President Chandrika Kumaratunga.
Pictuers:The Leader Sinhala
