Commemorations were held across the North-East today to mark the 19th anniversary of the Sencholai massacre, when a Sri Lankan Air Force airstrike on 14 August 2006 killed 53 Tamil schoolgirls and four staff members at the Sencholai children’s home in Vallipunam, Mullaitivu.
The attack, which also left more than 100 seriously injured, remains one of the most harrowing war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan state. Despite widespread international condemnation at the time, no one has ever been held accountable.
Vallipunam: Remembering at the site of the atrocity
At the Sencholai complex in Vallipunam, relatives of the slain girls gathered alongside political leaders, community representatives, and local residents to pay tribute at the very site where the massacre took place.
The ceremony began with the ceremonial lighting of lamps and floral offerings before photographs of the victims. Those in attendance included Member of Parliament Thurairasa Ravikaran, Puthukudiyiruppu Divisional Council Secretary V. Karikalan, Divisional Council Member C. Guganesan, former Karaichi Divisional Council Member S. Juvarasa, community activist T. Yogeswaran, as well as numerous social activists and members of the public.
Jaffna: University students honour the dead
In Jaffna, the University of Jaffna Students’ Union held a commemoration on campus, where portraits of the victims were adorned with flowers.
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Vavuniya: Families of the disappeared join in remembrance
In Vavuniya, the Families of the Disappeared Association held their own memorial outside the Vavuniya Road Development Department — the site of their ongoing protest for truth and justice, which has now entered its 3,098th day.
Floral wreaths were laid, and tributes offered to the victims of the massacre.
