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Madhu church shelling
Location of Sri Lanka
Location	Madhu, Sri Lanka
Date	November 20, 1999 (UTC+05:30)
Target	Sri Lankan Tamil civilians
Attack type	Shelling
Weapons	Tank or Mortar shells
Deaths	40
Injured	60

Madhu church shelling or Madhu church massacre is the name for the shelling of the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu in Sri Lanka during the Sri Lankan civil war on November 20, 1999. The shelling resulted in the deaths of approximately 40 minority Sri Lankan Tamil civilians, including children, and more than 60 non-fatal injuries. The exact cause and nature of the event is disputed between the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan government. According to Bishop Rayappu Joseph, the attack was carried out by the LTTE. The church is a Roman Catholic Marian shrine in Mannar district of Sri Lanka. With a history of over 400 years, this shrine acts as a center for pilgrimage and worship for Sri Lankan Catholics and others. The site is considered as the holiest Catholic shrine in the island.

Background information

During the British colonial period, when Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon, most civil service jobs were (roughly 60%) held by minority Sri Lankan Tamils who were approximately 15% of the population. This was enabled due to the availability of western style education provided by American missionaries and others in the Tamil dominant Jaffna peninsula. The preponderance of Tamils over their natural share of the population was used by populist majority Sinhalese politicians to come to political power by promising to elevate the Sinhalese people. These measures as well as riots and pogroms that targeted the minority Sri Lankan Tamils led to the formation of a number of rebel groups advocating independence for Sri Lankan Tamils. Following the 1983 Black July pogrom full scale civil war began between the government and the rebel groups.

During the 1990s the church was established as a safe and neutral zone by the UNHCR. It was free of rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadres and Sri Lankan Army soldiers. The church had housed thousands of civilians as a refuge. In May 1999, the Sri Lankan Army breached the longstanding agreement of “no guns, no uniform” and took control of a formerly neutral area. The army also cleared the shrine of all refugees.

The event

By early November 1999, the LTTE began a counterattack that saw it advance toward Madhu. Thousands of persons seeking to escape expected fighting sought refuge in Madhu. UNHCR was asked by the LTTE to transfer about 3,000 displaced residents of nearby Palampidy camp to Madhu church. But initially this was prevented by government troops based in Madhu. They later relented and allowed the displaced persons to reach the church. Following the reestablishment of refugee camp, the military withdrew from the church.

On November 20, government troops began to reestablish their positions in Madhu. This led to an exchanged of fire with LTTE cadres stationed nearby. Number of shells landed in the church, killing approximately 40 displaced civilians, including 13 children, and injuring nearly 60 others.

Reactions

Responsibility for the attack could not be easily determined. The government and LTTE blamed the other for the deaths. The UK.-based Tamil Center for Human Rights said, "An armored column of Sri Lankan Army tanks opened fire on Madhu Church Shrine." However, the then President Kumaratunga said, "The deaths of these refugees were caused by mortar attacks carried out by the LTTE directed at the Madhu Church”. Bishop Rayappu Joseph admitted that it was the LTTE that carried out the attack.

The Catholic Church, local human rights groups, and international organizations blamed both sides for not respecting the long established neutral zone . Following the incident both the government troops and the LTTE withdrew from the immediate area. They continued to fight in nearby areas, causing approximately 14,000 people to seek refuge in the Madhu church again. By the end of the year approximately 17,000 displaced persons were housed at the church. UNHCR, which had shut down its camp at the church following the shelling, returned to assist the newly displaced refugees. With the escalation of violence in 2007-2008, the civilians sheltered in the premises had to flee further north and the holy statue of Virgin Mary itself had to be moved because of repeated shelling.

See also

Similar incidents in the Northern province of Sri Lanka.

• Chencholai bombing
• Madhu school bus bombing
• Navaly church bombing
• Pesalai church attack
• St.Phillip Neri church bombing

References

1. ^ United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. "U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 2000 - Sri Lanka". Retrieved 2009-01-13.
2. ^ Society of St.Pious. "Madhu Shrine stands as a sign of hope amidst the fury of war". Retrieved 2009-01-13.
3. ^ "UNIVERSITY TEACHERS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (JAFFNA)". uthr.org.
4. The British Refugee Council. "Battle Cry in the Vanni". Archived from the original on 2007-08-02. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
5. ^ Harrison, Francis (2008-04-08). "Tamil Tigers appeal over shrine". BBC. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
6. "Tamil Alianation". Russell R. Ross. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
7. ^ Lorente (edit.), Beatriz (2006). Asian Migrations: Sojourning, Displacement, Homecoming And Other Travels. National University of Singapore. ISBN 981-05-3914-2. p.34
8. "Sri Lanka, Rebels trade blame in Shrine attack". San Jose Mercury News. 1999-11-22. pp. 5A. Retrieved 2009-01-13.

External links

• Shell shocked: As shells rained on the Madhu church the cries of the dying and the injured filled the air
• Chandrika orders army out of church premises
• Madhu church massacre
• Madhu inquest held
• Apostolic Nuncio Briefed: Shelling of Sacred Madhu Church a Brazen Canard

v t e Sri Lankan civil war (1983–2009)
Origins	Sri Lankan Tamil nationalism Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism Sinhala Only Act 1956 1958 Vaddukoddai Resolution 1977 1981 Burning of Jaffna Library Black July
Combatants	Sri Lanka Army (LRRP) Navy Air Force Police Special Task Force Home Guards Attacks on civilians Assassinations LTTE Divisions Air Tigers Sea Tigers Black Tigers Attacks in the 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Assassinations Suicide bombings Other militants (list) ENDLF ENLF EPRLF EROS PLOTE TELO  India Indian Peace Keeping Force Paramilitary groups EPDP TMVP
Phases	Eelam War I Indian intervention Eelam War II III IV Eastern / Northern theatres
Major battles	Kokkilai Vadamarachchi Poomalai Pawan Jaffna University Helidrop Balavegaya 1st Elephant Pass Pooneryn Riviresa 1st Mullaitivu Weli Oya Sath Jaya Vavunathivu Jayasikurui Thandikulam–Omanthai 1st Kilinochchi Oddusuddan A-9 highway 2nd Elephant Pass Bandaranaike Airport attack Point Pedro Jaffna Thoppigala Vidattaltivu 2nd Kilinochchi 2nd Mullaitivu Puthukkudiyirippu
Major events	Air Lanka Flight 512 Indo-Sri Lanka Accord Expulsions from Northern province Assassination of Lalith Athulathmudali Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi Assassination of Ranasinghe Premadasa Temple of the Tooth attack Lionair Flight 602 Bandaranaike Airport attack Expulsions from Colombo 2009 suicide air raid on Colombo
Leaders	Sri Lanka Military Army Tissa Weeratunga Nalin Seneviratne Hamilton Wanasinghe Cecil Waidyaratne G. H. De Silva Rohan Daluwatte Srilal Weerasooriya L. P. Balagalle Shantha Kottegoda Sarath Fonseka Navy Asoka de Silva H. A. Silva Clancy Fernando D. A. M. R. Samarasekara H. C. A. C. Thisera Daya Sandagiri Wasantha Karannagoda Air Force Dick Perera Andibuduge Fernando Makalandage Gunawardena Oliver Ranasinghe Jayalath Weerakkody Donald Perera Roshan Goonetileke Civilian J. R. Jayewardene Ranasinghe Premadasa Dingiri Banda Wijetunga Chandrika Kumaratunga Mahinda Rajapaksa LTTE Militant Velupillai Prabhakaran Pottu Amman Soosai Karuna Amman Political Selvarasa Pathmanathan Anton Balasingham S. P. Thamilselvan India Military Harkirat Singh Ashok K. Mehta Kulwant Singh Depinder Singh Dalvir Singh Krishnaswamy Sundarji Civilian R. Venkataraman Rajiv Gandhi V. P. Singh Jyotindra Nath Dixit J. Jayalalithaa M. Karunanidhi Vaiko
Aftermath	Genocide Films NPC resolution LLRC Reactions (Protests) Remembrance Day UN Panel on Accountability War crimes Chemical weapons
Related topics	Casualties Assassinations Massacres Child soldiers Disappearances Office on Missing Persons Human rights Popular culture Terrorism Non-state State PTA Sexual violence Sixth Amendment Thirteenth Amendment 1988 Maldives coup attempt 1987–1989 JVP insurrection
Sri Lankan civil war at Wiktionary    Source texts at Wikisource    Textbooks at Wikibooks   Images and media at the Commons    Quotations at Wikiquote    News stories at Wikinews

• Massacres in 1999
• 1990s massacres of the Sri Lankan civil war
• Church massacres in Asia
• 1999 murders in Sri Lanka
• Catholic Church in Sri Lanka
• History of Mannar District
• 1999 building bombings
• Church bombings in Sri Lanka
• 1999 in Christianity
• Massacres of Catholics
• Holy See–Sri Lanka relations
• Unsolved murders in Sri Lanka
• Unsolved mass murders