On November 8, 2006, in the early morning hours, Tamil civilians in Kathiravelli, northern Batticaloa, became the tragic victims of a deadly artillery exchange between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan military. The conflict in the Vakarai area had been intensifying for weeks, with both sides shelling each other's positions. But for the 2,000 displaced Tamil civilians taking refuge in the Vigneshwara Vidyalayam school compound, this day would end in unspeakable tragedy.
The LTTE began firing artillery from near Kathiravelli that morning, targeting Sri Lankan military positions. The military responded shortly after, at 11:35 a.m., with artillery and multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) salvos. This retaliatory strike unleashed devastation on the Kathiravelli school, where hundreds of Tamil families had been living since August after fleeing violence in nearby regions.
Witnesses recalled the horror vividly. The shells fell without warning. “Before the shelling I heard nothing. It was sudden, we didn’t expect it,” shared a woman living next to the school. Another woman, who had been tending to her children, recalled, “Our children were playing and people were moving about.” A father, whose son and daughter were injured, asserted, “There were no [LTTE] cadre or terrorists there. I don’t know why the army attacked.”
The civilian casualties were heartbreaking. A mother recounted how her young son and daughter, who were bathing at a well when the shells struck, were gravely injured. “I saw my son running and then my daughter. Both were wounded. My son was hit in the leg. My daughter was wounded on the head and chest. They were bleeding.” Tragically, her daughter succumbed to her injuries later that day.
A father who lost his wife and found his younger daughter injured remembered the explosion and the sight of smoke filling the air. “I heard one big boom and saw smoke. Smoke was everywhere and I ran out to look for my wife but I couldn’t find her through the smoke.” He eventually discovered her body near the well where she had been bathing.
The military's attack left devastation and loss in its wake. Villagers rushed the wounded to a nearby health clinic, but their access was blocked by military forces until the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) finally arrived with ambulances at 4 p.m. and evacuated the most critically injured to the hospital. In total, 62 people lost their lives, with 47 others, including many children, suffering injuries from shrapnel and the relentless shelling.
The Sri Lankan government labeled the massacre a “tragedy,” explaining that the attack was justified under the laws of armed conflict, as LTTE forces had allegedly been using the civilians as “human shields.” However, 12 survivors interviewed by Human Rights Watch contradicted this narrative. None of them observed any LTTE artillery fire that morning, and multiple witnesses said the closest LTTE military camp was at least two kilometers away. International organizations familiar with the region also reported finding no credible evidence of the LTTE using civilians as human shields.
The military claimed to have located LTTE positions near the school, but humanitarian groups and witnesses refuted this, maintaining that no LTTE military activity occurred inside the camp. The LTTE did, however, have a small sentry presence, though they reportedly carried only rifles and posed no immediate threat. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, which entered Vakarai on the afternoon of the attack, confirmed these accounts: “Our monitors saw there were no military installations in the camp area,” remarked SLMM spokeswoman Helen Olafsdottir, “so we would certainly like some answers from the military regarding the nature and reasons of this attack.”
Even if LTTE forces were located nearby, international law obligates militaries to exercise restraint and differentiate between military targets and civilians. Firing indiscriminately into a civilian camp without confirming LTTE military activity was not only unjustifiable but ultimately catastrophic. The Sri Lankan government’s actions inflicted disproportionate civilian harm, and in their pursuit of military gain, they violated the principle of proportionality under the laws of armed conflict.
This tragic event stands as a painful reminder of the cost borne by civilians in conflict zones, especially children and families simply trying to find safety. To this day, the survivors, the Tamil community, and human rights advocates continue to call for accountability and for these civilian lives to be honored with the justice they deserve.
