Mass Graves and Forgotten Massacres in the East – We Tamil Social Service Union
20-Jul-2025.
The government's attention has turned once again to the Chemmannai (Chemmani) Massacre in Jaffna. As excavations continue, the skulls and bones of innocent young children, along with numerous bodies believed to be buried there, are being uncovered.
The National People's Power (NPP) government, which currently has the support of Tamils in the Northern Province, especially represented by three Members of Parliament, is now giving focus to the issue of the Chemmannai mass grave. This attention is welcome, and justice must unquestionably be established in this matter.
Similarly, in the Eastern Province, there are still many mass killings that have not yet been investigated and many more mass graves that need to be excavated. It is for the sake of justice for these incidents that our Naam Tamilar Social Service Union is holding this press conference today, said Mr. Gopalan Prasad, the General Secretary of the Union.
He made these remarks during a press briefing held in Kalmunai. He further stated:
Particularly in the years 1990 and 1991, a number of mass killings were planned and executed by an organization known as Muslim Jihad. The purpose of this media briefing is to bring these atrocities to both the national government and the international community.
For instance:
On 20.06.1990, in the Veeramunai Pillaiyar Temple massacre, 60 Tamils were murdered.
On 05.07.1990, 13 Tamils were killed in Veeramunai.
On 10.07.1990, 15 Tamils were killed in the same region.
On 16.07.1990, in Malwatte, a combined force of military personnel and Muslim Home Guards raped 8 women and massacred 30 people.
On 26.07.1990, in Veeramunai, 32 youths, including 23 children, were brutally arrested, disappeared, and later killed by the Muslim Home Guard forces.
On 29.07.1990, a teacher and his family were abducted and have since gone missing.
On 01.08.1990, 18 people were arrested in Savalakkadai and have not been seen since.
On 12.08.1990, in Veeramunai, Muslim Home Guards stormed a refugee camp with machetes and swords, killing 14 people including temple trustee Thambi Muthu Sinnathurai, and injuring many others.
In Veeramunai alone, 600 Tamil houses were burned down. Additionally, in villages such as Sammanturai, Mallikaithivu, Valathapitty, Kanapathipuram, and Malwatte, 1,352 Tamil homes were completely torched by Muslims.
Between 20.06.1990 and 15.08.1990, in Veeramunai alone, 232 Tamils were murdered, and over 1,600 homes were burned.
Muslims from neighboring villages like Sammanturai, in collaboration with the Sinhalese military, were involved in the mass killings of Tamils. Villages in the Eastern Province, such as Valaichenai, Chengalady, Arayampathy, Neelavanai, and Pandiruppu, were subjected to brutal attacks.
Due to these Muslim Jihad attacks in the Ampara District, many Tamils were murdered. Justice must be delivered by the current government. The murderers must be prosecuted and punished. That is our demand.
Villages that were traditionally inhabited by Tamils for generations are being looted by Muslims. Among those destroyed are villages such as:
Paalamunai, Paanama, Meenodakkattu, Oluvil, Nintavur, Sammanturai, Karavahu, Theekavavi, Manthottam, Kondavattuvan, Ourani, Chemmannikulam, Thangavelayuthapuram, and Udumbankulam.
Many Tamil ancestral villages have been wiped out by Muslim extremists and turned into Muslim villages. Gradually, in Ampara District, Tamil villages like Attapallam, Savalakkadai, and Veeracholai have fallen into Muslim control.
All these massacres were carried out by Muslim armed groups under the name of Jihad, operating in collaboration with the military under the banner of "Home Guards." These perpetrators must be punished.
Mass graves must be exhumed. While mass graves of Muslim victims are being unearthed and witness testimonies are being recorded, these Muslim Jihad groups and the extremists who acted under their name must also be identified and investigated. The government must investigate and punish these individuals.
Even today, those who operated as Home Guards and were paid government salaries continue to live in these very villages. They must be arrested. They cannot escape justice. Those responsible must be identified, investigated, and punished. That is our demand.
In Parliament, MPs such as Chanakyan, Kodiswaran, Sreenesan, and Sreenath from the Eastern Province must speak up on these matters. The Batticaloa District Lawyers Association and public organizations must file a public interest litigation to seek justice. Everyone must cooperate to ensure that justice is served.
Additionally, justice must be served to the Kali temple in Ottamavadi, which was demolished by Jihad elements.
M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, former Minister, former Governor, and current MP, has given a sworn statement admitting:
“I personally demolished that Kali temple. I transferred the judge who opposed it. I demolished the temple and built a fish market in its place, placing a beef shop in the sanctum sanctorum.”
Therefore, the government and the Speaker of Parliament must investigate this matter. The Kali temple destroyed under the influence of MP Hizbullah must be rebuilt in the same place.
As he still serves as a parliamentarian and used his position as the Chairman of the District Development Committee to commit this act, justice must be served. We trust this government will deliver it.
As mass graves like Chemmannai are now being excavated and as investigations into the injustices faced by Tamils are underway, it is essential that the Muslim extremists who massacred Tamils under the banner of Jihad be investigated and punished. Many of them still live freely in the villages.
Regarding the Kali temple issue, we urge MPs from the Batticaloa District — Chanakyan, Sreenesan, and Sreenath — to raise their voices in Parliament and demand the reconstruction of the Kali temple in its original location.
Furthermore, civil organizations, Tamil nationalists, and Tamil lawyers must unite to file a public interest lawsuit on this issue. That is my humble appeal. If no one steps forward, then we — the Naam Tamilar Social Service Union — will surely file a case ourselves to ensure justice is upheld. That is the commitment we make to this government, concluded Mr. Gopalan Prasad.
