The massacre of twenty civilians, including eleven school children in Vanni by a claymore attack by the Sri Lankan army in 2008 was remembered on Tuesday by families of the dead.
Local Sri Lankan intelligence officers threatened families, warning them not to hold the event. Families remained defiant however, and held a remembrance event at the site of the claymore attack.
On January 29, 2008, 11 school children, a teacher of Thadchanaamaruthamadu Roman Catholic Tamil Mixed School, the driver, conductor and two hospital workers were killed and 14 wounded when a Deep Penetration Unit of Sri Lanka army triggered the claymore mine, targeting the bus carrying school children in Madu division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam controlled territory. Eight school children were among the wounded.
Dr Vettinathan, a local medical official told the BBC News website: "There are about 20 casualties (in hospital)...four or five of the victims are in a serious condition. There is one doctor in the hospital."
Read more here from Tamil Guardian's original coverage of the attack.
