At least 23 Tamil civilians were killed by Sri Lankan Navy personnel aboard the ferry Kumudini on 15 May 1985, marking a documented atrocity of the Sri Lankan civil war.
Key Facts
- Date
- 15 May 1985
- Minimum victims killed
- 23 people
- Vessel name
- Kumudini (ferry boat)
- Route
- Delft island to Nainathivu island
- Perpetrators
- Six men believed to be Sri Lankan Navy personnel
- Victims
- Sri Lankan Tamil adults and children
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The massacre occurred amid the Sri Lankan civil war, a conflict between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil groups. Ethnic tensions and military operations targeting Tamil civilians in the northern islands created conditions in which armed personnel could board civilian vessels with impunity.
On 15 May 1985, six men believed to be Sri Lankan Navy personnel, dressed in civilian-style clothing, boarded the ferry Kumudini sailing between Delft and Nainathivu. Passengers were called to the stern one by one, made to identify themselves, and then killed. At least 23 Tamil adults and children died.
The Kumudini massacre became one of the documented incidents of violence against Tamil civilians attributed to Sri Lankan security forces during the civil war. Eyewitness accounts provided evidence of the killings and contributed to international scrutiny of human rights conditions in Sri Lanka.