Gomarankadawala massacre

Gomaranakadawala massacre
Location of Sri Lanka
Location	Gomaranakadawala, Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka
Date	April 23, 2006 (+05:30 GMT)
Target	Sinhalese civilians
Attack type	Firing
Weapons	Guns
Deaths	6

Gomarankadawala is a tiny village in the Trincomalee District of Sri Lanka, where 6 Sinhalese civilians were gunned down by suspected LTTE cadres in an incident known as the Gomarankadawala massacre.

Incident

The Gomarankadawala massacre occurred on April 23, 2006, at Kalyanapura, Gomarankadawala when the 6 victims were trying to retrieve a tractor that had got stuck in the mud in a paddy field. Suddenly, a group of LTTE cadres raced from the nearby forest and indiscriminately fired on them. One Home Guard, who was engaged in farming during his leisure time, was also among those slain farmers.

Victims

6 civilians, including 4 school boys, lost their lives in this incident. All victims died on the spot before other villagers could rush into the paddy field to aid them.

The list of the dead civilians includes,

• M.D.Chaminda Prasanna Bandara (27 years, a Home guard attached to the Gomarankadawala police)
• A.Anura Shantha Abeysena (19 years, a student of Kalyanapura School)
• R.Eranda Sandaruwan Rupasena (15 years, a GCE Ordinary level student )
• D.Lalith Bandara Dissanayake (15 years, a GCE Ordinary level student),
• Ajith Kumara Ariywwansa (19 years, a student of Kalyanapura School)
• D.Wasantha Kumara (24 years, a Farmer from the village)

References

• Gunananda, A.T.M. "Gomarankadawala: “We need more security say villagers“ ", The Sunday Times, April 30, 2006.

Further reading

• "Kalyanapura, Gomarankadawala Massacre on 23 April 2006"