Seventeen civilians, including 11 school children, were killed on Tuesday in an accidental explosion of LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorist's claymore bomb on a school bus in Mannar district. This territory is held by the LTTE.

All the passengers in the bus were either schoolchildren or teachers returning from a sporting event. Among those killed were two teachers and the school principal. One of the teachers killed is a Catholic nun. The attack took place one km from the famous Madhu shrine on the Madhu Thadsanamaruthamanu road. The school children are from Thadsanamaruthamanu and Chinnappandivirichchan,”.

Read more about LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists recent bus attacks

• Massacre of school children by the LTTE Tamil Tiger terrorists at Okkampitiya, Monaragala in Sri Lanka on 16 January 2008

• Easter Holidays Massacre in Sri Lanka - LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists attacked a passenger bus to massacre five Sri Lanka Army Soldiers, killing 8 civilians and injuring 28 (Tamil pilgrims of Madhu Church Easter Festival).(Full details in SPUR Web Page)

• LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorist suicide bomb blast one more bus: 15 killed & 40 injured in a crowded bus at Seenigama, Hikkaduwa, south of Colombo in Sri Lanka - 06 January 2007 (Read full details in SPUR)

• LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorist kill 6 innocent civilians and injures another 63, by exploding a bomb in a public passenger bus at Nittambuwa, near Colombo in Sri Lanka on Friday, 05 January 2007 (Read full Details in SPUR Web Page)

• Kebitigollewe Massacre (15 June 2006), Read full details and phots in SPUR WebPage. Carnage at Kebithigollewa (Photos in Island). Download in PDF 1.88 MB

 

Easter Holidays Massacre in Sri Lanka

LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists attacked a passenger bus to massacre five Sri Lanka Army Soldiers, killing 8 civilians and injuring 28 (Tamil pilgrims of Madhu Church Easter Festival).

http://www.spur.asn.au/LTTE_atrocities_20070407_Vavunia_Mannar_Road_Bus_Bomb.htm

Saturday, 07 April 2007

http://www.spur.asn.au/LTTE_atrocities_20070407_Vavunia_Mannar_Road_Bus_Bomb.htm

Five Sri Lanka Army Soldiers travelling in the bus was the target of the LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists.  During the claymore mine attack, six passangers died on the spot and the other two died on admission to the Vavuniya General hospital.  Six of the victims were identified as the driver of the bus, Ponnampalam Kirubaharan (Tamil), father of one, 44-year-old mother Nimal Kannahi (Tamil) from Madu Road, Murunkan, and her 14-year-old son Nimal Sasitharan (Tamil), Sagayanathan Soosai (Tamil) and Sri Lanka soldier. Some of the injured passengers are Bakkeer Mohaideen (Muslim), Ponniah Manickavasagar (Tamil) and Sagayathevi Jesunayagam (Tamil).

LTTE Tamil Tiger Terrorists suicide bomb blast one more bus: 15 killed & 40 injured in  a crowded bus at Seenigama, south of Colombo in Sri Lanka on Saturday, 06 January 2007.

15 School Children, several pregnant women, one Buddhist priest and many civilians massacred; Death toll is 64.

Kebithigollewa Massacre on 15 June 2006

The LTTE Tamil Tiger terrorists have carried out a claymore mine attack at a bus carrying at least 100 civilians at Kongollawa in Anuradhapura around 7.30a.m on Thursday, 15 June 2006. Fifteen (15) school children proceeding to schools and a few pregnant women going for pre-natal care clinics were in the ill-fated state owned bus that was ripped in the LTTE claymore mine attack.

At least 64 civilians were killed and more than 70 wounded in a claymore mine attack carried out by suspected Tamil rebels Thursday on a passenger bus in north-central Sri Lanka, prompting the government to fly air strikes on rebel targets.  Two mines were triggered off simultaneously as the overcrowded bus carrying mostly Singhalese civilians was passing the Thalgaswewa area, 200 kilometres north-east of the capital on Thursday morning. For more photos, please visit the website of Sri Lanka Defence Ministry

Does it matter to what community we belong? Let's unite to rid the nation of the scourge of terrorism that attempts to annihilate the flowers of our nation; our children; the future of our nation.

Forces had no hand in claymore attack in Madhu LTTE sympathisers spreading canard - Minister: - Government Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella yesterday hit out at certain elements whom he charged with making baseless allegations that the Security Forces were responsible for the claymore mine explosion which killed 10 persons including nine school children and injured 17 others in Periya Madhu on Tuesday. Addressing the weekly security news briefing Minister Rambukwella said the Madhu area was declared as a No War Zone area at the request of the Bishop. The Government and defence authorities adhere to the declaration since it is considered a sacred land. “Out of sheer respect for the Bishop of the area the Government accepted its status as a No War Zone and is bound by the declaration”, he added. He denied the allegation made by certain elements that the Security Forces were responsible for the claymore mine which was detonated by the LTTE in the Periya Madhu area on Tuesday killing 10 civilians and injuring 17 others. “Some of the comments made by certain people on the claymore mine explosion was baseless. We have reliable information that the LTTE are moving around and carrying out their activities in the No War Zone. The Security Forces are not operating in the area since the declaration was pronounced out of sheer respect to the Bishop”, Minister Rambukwella said. “We totally deny the allegations levelled at the Government and we have reason to deny it. It is not that we aren’t capable to control the area but we are purely respecting the declaration made by the Bishop of Madhu being a sacred area”, he added. He charged certain elements who were backed by LTTE sympathisers of using the opportunity to place the blame on the Government and defence authorities.”Without any hard evidence or investigations, how can one place the blame on the Government”. Rambukwella also querried as to how the SLMM would identify the perpetrator as if they were monitoring the area? Basically, the SLMM was based in Colombo and were reporting the incidents that took place in the conflict areas like a scoreboard in a cricket match. They never identified the perpetrator (full report in Daily News).

Sri Lanka Denies Soldiers Attacked School Bus (Update1) - By Paul Tighe - Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Sri Lanka's military rejected a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam statement that soldiers attacked a school bus killing 18 people, 12 of them children, in the northwest of the country. An army Deep Penetration Unit carried out a mine attack on the bus yesterday in the Mannar district, the LTTE Peace Secretariat said in an e-mailed statement. Two teachers and a school principal were among those killed, it said. There were no military operations so far inside rebel-held territory yesterday, said Brigadier Udaya Nanyakkara, a military spokesman, according to the Defense Ministry Web site. The army is attacking LTTE bases in the north after driving the Tamil Tigers from the east in July. Sri Lanka's government ended a 2002 cease-fire with the LTTE on Jan. 16, prompting the United Nations to call on the two sides to prevent the conflict escalating and human rights violations increasing. The LTTE beat back a pre-dawn army offensive today in the northern Jaffna peninsula, LTTE spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan said in an e-mailed statement. The army destroyed 35 LTTE bunkers in the Muhamalai and Nagarkovil areas of Jaffna, according to the Defense Ministry. Soldiers captured the village of Viyattankulam near Mannar yesterday, killing 10 Tamil Tigers, the army said on its Web site. At least 12 rebels were killed in a clash in the Pallakkuli area when six LTTE bunkers were destroyed, it said (Full report in Bloomberg).

17 killed in claymore explosion in THE LTTE held area of Mannar - 17 killed and another 17 were severely injured when a claymore bomb exploded in a passenger bus in the LTTE controlled Thadsanamadu in Mannar. School children and teachers were among the casualties. The explosion took place yesterday at 2.30 pm. The place of incident is 10 kms away from Vilathikulam Army FDL. The displaced students of Sinnapandivirichan Government School, the principal and two teachers are reported killed in the explosion. The bodies of the dead are lying at the Pallamadu Hospital and the injured are being treated at the same hospital. The seriously injured are transferred to Kilinochchi Hospital according to hospital sources. 11 dead bodies are of the students and 9 are of civilians the same sources said. The passenger bus was operating from Thadchanamadu. Intensified battle is going on in the Mannar area. Land mines and claymore mines are planted in many places by the LTTE. This disaster could have been caused by one of such mines. But the LTTE blames the Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol of the Army for this disaster. However, they do not explain as to how the LRRP men could have escaped after setting the claymore without attention being attracted by the LTTE men, in an LTTE controlled area (Full report in EPDP).

Defence spokesman denies army involvement in Madhu bomb blast - Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, the government Defence Spokesman today said that it is baseless to accuse security forces over the recent bomb blast in Periya Madhu, since army would not operate in a no-war-zone. He pointed out that the security forces have refrained from securing the area even though it is a relatively an easy task, due to their commitment to professional ethics. He made these comments at the media briefing held at the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS), Colombo. Speaking further, the Minister condemned the bomb attack that took 17 lives in a no-war-zone, proclaimed by the both parties to the conflict. He highlighted that due to the absence of the security forces in the area, LTTE terrorists are free to carry out their activities without any restrictions. The Minister also expressed his regrets over Mannar Bishop's Statement regarding the issue that the SLMM could have identified the perpetrators of the attack. The Minister pointed out that the SLMM had been mainly based in Colombo during the latter part of its existence and would not be able to make any contribution for identifying the perpetrators. Defence observers hint a strong possibility that LTTE terrorists have carried out the heinous crime to revive dwindling public support to the outfit. They say that LTTE had shown similar behaviours in the past also to set up justifiable background to commit more brutal acts, instigate racial hatred and to boost recruitment drive. LTTE is a ruthless terrorist outfit fighting for a mono ethnic separate homeland for the Tamils in Sri Lanka since 1983. Also, the outfit is in the United Nation's list of shame for using children for terrorists activities (Full report in Sri Lanka Defence Ministry).

Sri Lanka government denies military involvement in Madhu bomb blast - Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, the government Defence Spokesman strongly denied any military involvement in yesterday's bomb blast that had reportedly taken place in Tamil Tiger held areas in Madhu. Minister Rambukwella reiterated that Sri Lanka Army being a professional military would not operate in a no-war-zone proclaimed by the government. He made these comments at the media briefing held today at the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS), Colombo. The Minister pointed out that the military has so far refrained form wresting control over the territory despite it being a relatively easy task, due to its respect for the existence of the no-war-zone. The Minister also expressed his regrets over Mannar Bishop’s Statement regarding the issue that the SLMM could have identified the perpetrators of the attack. The Minister pointed out that the SLMM had been mainly based in Colombo during the latter part of its existence and would not be able to make any contribution for identifying the perpetrators. Pro Tamil Tiger media quickly blamed the Sri Lankan army for the roadside bomb blast that killed at least 17 people and injured many. An army Deep Penetration Unit carried out the mine attack on the bus killing 18 people, 12 of them children, the LTTE Peace Secretariat said. Both the government and the Tamil Tigers have jointly proclaimed the Madhu area as a no-war-zone due to the presence of the holy Madhu Church (Full report in Colombo Page).

Sri Lanka denies hand in Mannar massacre - The Sri Lankan government Wednesday denied responsibility for the bus blast in the northwestern district of Mannar in which 11 civilians, including nine schoolchildren, were killed. "The blast (Tuesday) took place in an area controlled by the LTTE terrorists. Our troops do not operate there," said government defence spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella. He told newspersons that the blast took place near St Mary's Church in Madu, an area the Sri Lankan forces had been treating as "sacred" at the request of the bishop of Mannar. "We have stuck to this assurance despite the fact that the LTTE has been moving in the Madu area freely, regardless of its sanctity," Rambukwella said. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had said that a deep penetration unit of the Sri Lankan Army had set off a claymore mine targeting a school bus plying between Thachchanamarutha Madu and Madu town in the northwestern district of Mannar, killing 11 people - nine children and two teachers. The government spokesperson objected to Bishop Royappu Joseph's statement that the perpetrators of the crime could have been identified if only the Scandinavian truce monitors were there. The monitors were withdrawn after the Sri Lankan government unilaterally abrogated the truce pact with the LTTE Jan 16. "The bishop's statement seems like an attempt to get the monitors back," Rambukwella charged. "And at any rate, the truce monitors had no mandate to investigate and name perpetrators." (full report in Indian Muslims).

Rebels blamed for bomb that kills 18 people - Several children were among 18 people that were killed in a roadside bomb attack in northern Sri Lanka on Tuesday. Militants from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were blamed for the bombing which took place in the district of Mannar where heavy fighting has occurred since a six-year truce ended on 16 January. But the pro-rebel TamilNet website claimed the Sri Lankan army was responsible for the attack. The army, which pulled out of a ceasefire earlier this month, denied any responsibility. "Those are fabricated stories. We don't have any way of getting the details as it is in uncleared area, so the LTTE should take the responsibility for it," said Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara, a military spokesman. He also claimed that the Tamil Tigers were being challenged by government forces on several fronts. The army claimed it had taken control of territory in the north-west killing 22 Tamil rebels while another 40 rebels were killed on Monday. There were no independent accounts of the clashes. Earlier this month, at least 26 people were killed and more than 60 injured in a bomb attack in the town of Buttala, south-east of the capital, Colombo. The army blamed Tamil Tiger rebels for the attacks, which came after the ceasefire ended (Full report in Adnkronos).

Sri Lanka Denies Soldiers Attacked School Bus Killing 18 People - Sri Lanka's military rejected a Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam statement that soldiers attacked a school bus killing 18 people, 11 of them children, in the northwest of the country. An army Deep Penetration Unit carried out a mine attack on the bus yesterday in the Mannar district, the LTTE Peace Secretariat said in an e-mailed statement. Two teachers and a school principal were among those killed, it said. There were no military operations so far inside rebel-held territory yesterday, said Brigadier Udaya Nanyakkara, a military spokesman, according to the Defense Ministry's Web site. The army is attacking LTTE bases in the north after driving the Tamil Tigers from the east in July. Sri Lanka's government ended a 2002 cease-fire with the LTTE on Jan. 16, prompting the United Nations to call on the two sides to prevent the conflict escalating and human rights violations increasing. Soldiers captured the village of Viyattankulam near Mannar yesterday, killing 10 Tamil Tigers, the army said on its Web site. At least 12 rebels were killed in a clash in the Pallakkuli area when six LTTE bunkers were destroyed, it said. The LTTE said its forces prevented an advance by army units in the Mannar area yesterday, killing five soldiers, TamilNet reported on its Web site. The LTTE is fighting for a separate homeland in the South Asian island nation in a 25-year conflict that has killed more than 70,000 people. President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government says it won't consider any peace settlement that would divide the country of 20 million people where Tamils make up 11.9 percent of the population and Sinhalese almost 74 percent, according to a 2001 census (Full report in Bloomberg).

Names of the students killed in the Claymore blast:

1. Samson
2. Milton
3. Bernard George
4. Jude CostonAnton Sathees
5. Tesmon
6. Ajith
7. Rony
8. Ganarthan
9. Bruno
10. Rohan

1. Jerad (driver of the bus)
2. Stanley Lambert (conductor of the bus)
3. Sundaram (security guard of the Madu hospital)Latha (teacher at Thadcha'naamaruthamadu RCTMS)
4. arasi
5. Reeta (hospital employee)

1. Antony Jacintha, 58,
2. Dharsika, 14, student
3. Reverend Sister Ranjani, 35,
4. Duluxan, 15, student
5. S.M.G. Lambert, 46, principal of Chinnna Pa'ndivirichchaan school
6. Francis Xavier Mathusa, 15, student
7. Sivalingam Anita, 16, student
8. Ranjan Udoxika, 11, student
9. Gunaseelan Boin Tharshana, 12, student
10. Jeyaganesan Sobana, 23
11. Fuline, 08
12. Packiyanathan, 55
13. Jenistan Peiris, 12, student
14. A. Consida, 12,
15. Nirushanthan, 08,
16. Gunaseelan Gunaseeli, 48,
17. A. Ganansooriyan, 35,