Victims of Sencholai massacre remembered in the North-East

The 20th anniversary of the Sencholai massacre was remembered in the North-East last Friday. 

On August 4 2006, four Sri Lankan air force jets flew over the Vanni and dropped sixteen bombs over the Sencholai childrens home for orphans, killing 53 school girls and 4 teachers. 

The childrens home had been designated a humanitarian zone and its GPS coordinates had been passed to the Sri Lankan military via the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, and the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC).

At a remembrance event in Vallipunam, Selvam Mary Pushpalatha, the mother of Selvam Nirojini who was killed in the massacre, lit the main memorial flame. Family members, activists and politicians placed flowers by the portraits of the 57 victims and observed a moment of silence. 

A remembrance event was also held in Vavuniya where Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi MP P. Sathiyalingam delivered a speech to honour the victims of the attack. 

Municipal Council Mayor S. Kandeepan, former cadres, relatives of the forcibly disappeared, representatives from civil society organisations, and members of the public attended the event.