February 19 in History
1986 – The Sri Lankan Army massacres 80 Tamil farm workers in the Eastern Province
On this day in 1986, approximately 80 Tamil farm workers in the town of Akkaraipattu in the Eastern Province were massacred by the Sri Lankan Army personnel.
Known as the Akkaraipattu massacre the incident came to light a few days later when community leaders visited the remote location near the town of Akkaraipattu, where the farm workers were shot.
According to community leaders, the farm workers were threshing the paddy in the fields when troops appeared from the nearby jungle firing into the air. The women were freed, but the soldiers rounded up the men, tied their hands and made them sit on the road. The farm workers were taken back to the paddy fields and shot.
Several empty cases of ammunition have been found in the field. Later the bodies were piled on top of the dry rice harvest and burned
-Wikipedia
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