
Navaly massacre ten years ago froze the hearts of people
Ten years ago on July 9th 1995 people from Valigamam north
and south regions in Jaffna were on the move due to the
“Leap forward” military operations of the Sri Lankan
armed forces. In their typical style the armed forces
announced continuous curfew only after they have already
started their military operations. There were non stop
shelling and bombing from very early in the morning. People
took refuge in bunkers and any other places they thought
maybe safer than their homes.
 When there was a break in the shelling people started moving
from Nelliyan, Moolai, Chulipuram, Paralai, and Pannaham
areas and moved towards Vaddukoddai, Mavadi and Sangarathai
areas and settled in the homes of friends and relatives, in
schools and temples and even under trees and felt a little
safer. That afternoon bombers circled these areas and frightened
the already exhausted people. They dropped four bombs at the
Vaddokoddai junction. People who have just been displaced to
this area and the people who were already residing in this
area started moving through Navaly towards Jaffna town.
There were more than 100,000 people on the move. People
moved through paddy fields and side lanes with their meagre
possessions and carrying the elderly and the invalids. They
settled around the Navaly church and in the preschool next
to it for a respite. 
Some individuals through their own efforts fed the people
bread and tea. Others were making arrangements to provide
food items for the huge number of displaced people. People
were tired by the long walk, afraid of the day long bombing,
and worried about the family members who were not with them.
Children sitting next to the parents were screaming and
crying in hunger and exhaustion. In this noise people did
not hear the sounds of bombing that were exploding nearby. It was in this situation that at 4.30 p.m. the bombers flew
over the church and dropped six bombs one after the other.
One hundred and fifty seven people including 38 children
died on the spot. More than 300 people sustained permanent
injury. A church, a temple, 13 homes and 4 shops were
destroyed. LTTE and young men gathered the remains of the bodies and
took it to Jaffna hospital in tractors and motorcycles.
09 July 2005
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