The 26th anniversary of the Manduvil massacre was marked in Puthukudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu yesterday, as families gathered to mourn the 24 Tamil civilians who were killed in a Sri Lankan Air Force bombardment in 1999.
The commemoration began with the lighting of a common flame, followed by relatives garlanding portraits of the victims, laying floral tributes, and lighting sacrificial flames. The grief of the families was palpable as they wept for their loved ones, many still demanding justice more than two decades on.
Parliamentarian Thurairasa Ravikaran, Puthukudiyiruppu Pradesha Sabha member Sivapatham Kuganesan, Karaithuraipattru Pradesha Sabha member Gnanathas Youth Prasad, former local councillors, activists and local residents joined the memorial, underlining the collective determination to remember.
The massacre, which saw 24 Tamil civilians slaughtered when Sri Lankan aircraft bombed Manduvil junction, remains unaccounted for. No one has ever been prosecuted for the attack, and Colombo continues to reject any international role in investigating war crimes and atrocities committed against Tamils.
