1989 Kandy massacre

Attacks on villages in Sri Lanka September 2018 August 2018 August 2018 the 1987–1989 JVP insurrection 1989 Kandy massacre Sri Lanka 7 18 35.5 N 80 42 35.0 E 7 18 N 80 42 E inline,title Kandy District, Sri Lanka Civilians, potential JVP sympathisers 1989 09 14 y 100+ Eagles of the Central HillsSri Lankan Armed Forces (allegedly)Sri Lanka Police (allegedly) The 1989 Kandy massacre was a series of retaliatory attacks on the villages of Menikhinna, Arangala, Mahawatta, and Kundasale in the Kandy District of the Central Province, Sri Lanka during the 1987–1989 JVP insurrection. While the massacre was officially attributed to an anti-communist paramilitary group known as the Eagles of the Central Hills,Athas Iqbal 5 October 1989 Vigilantes kill 14 at university residential complex https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/10/05/Vigilantes-kill-14-at-university-residential-complex/7696623563200/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20180913040203/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/10/05/Vigilantes-kill-14-at-university-residential-complex/7696623563200/ 13 September 2018 20 August 2018 dmy-all United Press International other reports and eyewitness accounts claim that it was a joint operation conducted by the army and police.Sri Lanka: Extrajudicial Executions, 'Disappearances' and Torture, 1987 to 1990 Amnesty International September 1990 United Kingdom 29–30 0862101867 https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/200000/asa370211990eng.pdf 12 August 2018Government-Supported Death Squads Quash Sri Lanka Insurrection Research Starters EBSCO Research https://www.ebsco.com/ 2025-12-08 EBSCO en It was one of the largest single incidents reported to Amnesty International during the JVP insurrection. Background section August 2018 1987–1989 JVP insurrection Since 1987, the Sinhalese Marxist–Leninist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) had been engaged in a low-intensity conflict with the Sri Lankan government in response to the presence of the Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF) in the country amidst the Sri Lankan Civil War. The JVP garnered much sympathy from impoverished Sinhalese and university students, especially among young to middle-aged men. In response, the army and police, operating both on-duty and off-duty as vigilante groups, would arrest, torture, and kill people suspected of being sympathetic to the JVP. When the JVP killed servicemen or their families, vigilante squads, made up of off-duty policemen and soldiers, would kill JVP members and/or supporters in retaliation. Incident In Kundasale on 13 September 1989, the JVP allegedly killed sixteen family members of three security forces personnel. The following night, armed men in uniform set fire to a number of residential dwellings in Menikhinna, killing approximately 52 people. The Menikhinna area was a stronghold of members of the Bathgama caste, who were known to be supporters of the JVP.Sri Lanka, the years of terror: the J.V.P. insurrection, 1987-1989 Chandraprema, C. A. Lakehouse Bookshop 1991 296 9789559029038 The armed group then moved onto the villages of Kundasale and Aranagala, where they killed a further 30 people. Residents of Kandy found over 100 bodies floating in the river, and it was suspected that there were at least 50 additional deaths. Sri Lanka Gunmen Massacre 82 Civilians in Village Rampages https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-17-mn-501-story.html 17 August 2018 Associated Press Los Angeles Times 17 September 1989 https://web.archive.org/web/20180401165212/http://articles.latimes.com/1989-09-17/news/mn-501_1_sri-lanka 1 April 2018 live dmy-all Gunmen Kill 82 Sinhalese in Sri Lanka https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/17/world/gunmen-kill-82-sinhalese-in-sri-lanka.html Associated Press New York Times 17 September 1989 17 August 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180917152032/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/17/world/gunmen-kill-82-sinhalese-in-sri-lanka.html 17 September 2018 live dmy-all It is believedSeptember 2018 that the killers were pro-government vigilantes seeking revenge for the earlier murders. Amnesty International later estimated that over 100 villagers were killed. See also List of attacks on civilians attributed to Sri Lankan government forces References Category:Anti-communist terrorist incidents in the 1980s Category:Battles and operations of the 1987–1989 JVP insurrection Kandy massacre Category:Right-wing terrorist incidents in the 1980s Kandy massacre