View source for Anuradhapura massacre

{{Short description|Massacre of Sinhalese civilians in Anuradhapura in 1985 by the LTTE}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title      = Anuradhapura massacre
| image      = 
| map              = {{Location map|Sri Lanka
|width = 300
|float = right
|label = Anuradhapura
  |marksize = 8
  |lat_deg = 8 | lat_min = 18
  |lon_deg = 80 | lon_min = 24
}}
| caption    = 
| location   = [[Anuradhapura]], [[Sri Lanka]]
| coordinates = 
| date       = {{start date and age|1985|5|14}}
| time       = 
| timezone   = 
| type       = [[Massacre]]
| fatalities = 146 [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] men, women and children
| injuries   = 
| perps      = [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE) 
| perp       = 
| susperps   = 
| susperp    =
| weapons    = [[Gun]]s
| numparts   =
| numpart    =
| dfens      =
| dfen       =
}}

The '''Anuradhapura massacre''' occurred in [[Sri Lanka]] in 1985 and was carried out by the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/chronologiesofmo0000rubi/page/149|title=Chronologies of Modern Terrorism|quote=LTTE terrorist in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, massacre about 120 Sinhalese and injure 58 others, many of them pilgrims who were inside the sacred Bo Tree temple|author1=Barry Rubin|author2=Judith Colp Rubin|date=2015|isbn=9781317474654|publisher=Routledge|page=[https://archive.org/details/chronologiesofmo0000rubi/page/149 149]|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=blLVIW8sthYC&q=anuradhapura+massacre+LTTE&pg=PT97|title=Religious Nationalism: A Reference Handbook: A Reference Handbook: Contemporary World Issues|quote=LTTE commits the Anuradhapura massacre of civilians. This is one of the LTTE's largest massacres to date. |author1=Atalia Omer|author2=Jason A. Springs|date=2013 |isbn=9781598844405|publisher =ABC-CLIO|language=en}}</ref> This was the largest [[massacre]] of Sinhalese civilians by the LTTE to date; it was also the first major operation carried out by the LTTE outside a Tamil majority area. Initially, [[Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students|EROS]] claimed responsibility for the massacre, but it later retracted the statement, and joined the [[People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam|PLOTE]] in denouncing the incident. The groups later accused the LTTE for the attack.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/1995/communal/#P696_273703|title=GENERAL|website=www.hrw.org|access-date=2017-09-14}}</ref> Since then, no Tamil militant group has admitted to committing the massacre.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Pain, Pride, and Politics: Social Movement Activism and the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora in Canada|quote=Although no Tamil militant group openly claimed responsibility, some of the groups, including PLOTE and TULF, expressed revulsion at the attack  |last=Amarasingam|first=Amarnath|date=2015 |isbn=9780820348148|publisher =University of Georgia Press|page=38|language=en}}</ref> However, state intelligence discovered that the operation was ordered by the LTTE's leader [[Velupillai Prabhakaran]]. He assigned the massacre to the LTTE [[Mannar District|Mannar]] commander Victor (real name Marcelin Fuselus) and it was executed by Victor's subordinate Anthony Kaththiar (alias Radha).<ref name="gunaratna">{{cite book |last1=Gunaratna |first1=Rohan |title=Indian Intervention in Sri Lanka: The Role of India's Intelligence Agencies |date=1993 |publisher=South Asian Network on Conflict Research |isbn=9789559519904 |page=408}}</ref><ref name="richardson">{{cite book |last1=Richardson |first1=John Martin |title=Paradise Poisoned: Learning about Conflict, Terrorism, and Development from Sri Lanka's Civil Wars |date=2005 |publisher=International Center for Ethnic Studies |isbn=9789555800945 |page=76 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-sIRxpjfd-EC&pg=PA76 |access-date=13 June 2019}}</ref> The LTTE claimed the attack was in revenge of the [[1985 Valvettiturai massacre]], where the Sri Lanka Army killed 70 Tamil civilians in Prabhakaran's hometown.<ref name=":0" /> In 1988, the LTTE claimed that the massacre was planned and executed under the guidance of Indian intelligence agency, [[Research and Analysis Wing|RAW]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Sabaratnam |first=T |author-link= |date=1996 |title=The Murder of a Moderate: Political biography of Appapillai Amirthalingam|url= |location=Dehiwela |publisher=Nivetha Publishers |page=333 |isbn=}}</ref>

==Incident==
The LTTE hijacked a bus on May 14, 1985, and entered Anuradhapura. As the cadres entered the main bus station, they opened fire indiscriminately with automatic weapons killing and wounding many civilians who were waiting for buses.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070224224606/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,957036,00.html Sri Lanka Tamil Terror: Blood flows at a Buddhist shrine]</ref> The cadres then drove to the [[Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi|Sri Maha Bodhi]] shrine and gunned down nuns, monks and civilians as they were worshipping inside the Buddhist shrine.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The LTTE attack on Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi marks 28 years |url=https://www.hirunews.lk/goldfmnews/58966/ltte-attack-on-jaya-sri-maha-bodhi-marks-28-years |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=Gold FM News |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gunatilleke |first=Nadira |title=The LTTE’s brutal attack on Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi |url=https://archives1.dailynews.lk/2022/05/14/features/278822/ltte%E2%80%99s-brutal-attack-jaya-sri-maha-bodhi |access-date=2023-12-04 |website=Daily News |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=LankaWeb – On Wesak 14 May 1985 Tamil Terrorists killed 146 civilians. On Easter Sunday Islamic Terrorists killed 300 civilians |url=https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2020/05/13/on-wesak-14-may-1985-tamil-terrorists-killed-146-civilians-on-easter-sunday-islamic-terrorists-killed-300-civilians/ |access-date=2023-12-04 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=posl>{{cite news|author=Daya Gamage| url =http://www.asiantribune.com/node/61818| title =(The West) Eyes Wide Closed: Revisiting Tamil Tiger massacres in Sri Lanka| newspaper = [[Asian Tribune]]|date =1 March 2013| access-date = 19 September 2017}}</ref> The attackers had massacred 146 [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] men, women and children in total, in Anuradhapura.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

According to HRW,
<blockquote>
Initially, a small militant organization, the Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students (EROS) claimed responsibility for the massacre, but it later retracted the statement, and joined the People's Liberation Organization for Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) in denouncing the incident. The groups accused the LTTE.”<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/1995/communal/|title=General}}</ref>
</blockquote>

Before they withdrew, the attackers entered the [[Wilpattu National Park]], taking the park warden Abraham hostage, they rounded up and massacred 24 employees of the [[Department of Wildlife Conservation (Sri Lanka)|Department of Wildlife Conservation]]. Only one survived.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Yatawara |first1=Dhaneshi |title=Wilpattu National Park springs to life |url=https://archives.sundayobserver.lk/2010/06/20/spe05.asp |access-date=5 December 2023 |publisher=Sunday Observer}}</ref>

==Retaliation==
Anti-Tamil riots broke out in Anuradhapura town soon after the massacre. Sinhalese mob went on a rampage, burning and looting 8 Tamil-owned shops. Kathiresan Hindu temple and several Tamil houses were also burned. Between 15 and 20 Tamil civilians were brutally killed and burned to death. More Tamils were killed the following day.<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 28, 1985 |title=Anuradhapura Diary: a dark day |pages=34-35 |work=[[Frontline (magazine) | Frontline]]}}</ref> An angered army corporal shot dead 9 Tamil civilians who had sought refuge in the army camp, who kept shooting until he was killed by his commanding officer.<ref name=":0"/> On the two days following the attack, 75 Tamil civilians [[Kumudini boat massacre|lost their lives]].<ref>{{cite thesis |type=PhD |last=Gassbeek |first=Timmo |date=2010 |title=Bridging troubled waters? Everyday inter-ethnic interaction in a context of violent conflict in Kottiyar Pattu, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka |publisher=Wageningen University |url=https://edepot.wur.nl/138278 |page=152}}</ref>

== Aftermath ==
As the first massacre of Sinhalese civilians carried out by the Tamil militants outside the northern and eastern provinces, the Sinhalese public at large became conscious of the fact that the violence could be brought to their territory as well. The public shock was the primary reason that led to the cease-fire agreement between the government and the Tamil militant groups. The realization that the conflict couldn't be solved by purely military means softened the Sinhalese opposition to accommodation with the Tamils, thereby enabling the government for the first time to seriously consider a political settlement based on regional autonomy to the Tamil areas.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Tempest |first=Rone |date=1985-06-21 |title=Massacre That 'Woke Everybody Up' Helped Bring Truce in Sri Lanka |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-06-21-mn-11531-story.html |access-date=2023-07-27 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of attacks attributed to the LTTE]]
* [[1998 Temple of the Tooth attack]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== References and further reading ==
* [[Rohan Gunaratna|Gunaratna, Rohan]]. (1998). ''Sri Lanka's Ethnic Crisis and National Security'', [[Colombo]]: South Asian Network on Conflict Research. {{ISBN|955-8093-00-9}}
* [[Rohan Gunaratna|Gunaratna, Rohan]]. (October 1, 1987). ''War and Peace in Sri Lanka: With a Post-Accord Report From Jaffna'', [[Sri Lanka]]: Institute of Fundamental Studies. {{ISBN|955-8093-00-9}}
* Gunasekara, S.L. (November 4, 2003). ''The Wages of Sin'', {{ISBN|955-8552-01-1}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070224224606/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,957036,00.html Sri Lanka Tamil Terror] ''Time'' May 27, 1985

{{Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam}}
{{Sri Lankan Civil War}}

{{coord missing|Sri Lanka}}

[[Category:1985 crimes in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Attacks on civilians attributed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]]
[[Category:1980s massacres of the Sri Lankan civil war]]
[[Category:Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attacks in Eelam War I]]
[[Category:Massacres in 1985]]
[[Category:Mass murder of Sinhalese]]
[[Category:Terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka in 1985]]