Students, parents, and teachers have suffered immensely as a result of attacks on education in Tamileelam. Education has become one of the greatest casualties of the genocidal war, crushing the hopes of hundreds of thousands of Eelamtamil children for a better future.

The site bombed by Sri Lankan jets on 14 August 2006  had been designated a humanitarian zone and the LTTE had passed its coordinates on to the military via the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, and the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), NGO sources said . The Sri Lankan military had been given precise coordinates of where ‘Peace village’ comprising the Senchcholai home hit by airstrike and other humanitarian centres is located.

The GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) details were passed to the Sri Lankan military during the last period of genocidal war, before the 2002 ceasefire, as part of efforts to ensure protection of humanitarian spaces during conflict, NGO sources told.

On 14.08.2006, four Kfir jet bombers dropped 16 bombs directly on the children’s home, destroying several buildings and killing scores of teenagers and wounding 150 others. The Sri Lankan government says it targeted an LTTE training camp, killing “50-60 terrorists”.

But UNICEF chief in Colombo JoAnna VanGerpen told AFP: “As of this time, we don’t have any evidence that they are LTTE cadres.” “These were children from surrounding schools in the area who were brought there for a two-day training workshop on first aid, by whom we don’t know yet,” Ms. VanGerpen told AFP.

Sri Lankan officials had briefed some journalists claiming the Senchcholai home had a firing range and fortifications. But the international monitors overseeing the 2002 truce disagreed.  “We couldn’t find any sign of military installations or weapons,” Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Ulf Henricsson said. “This was not a military installation, we can see [that from our visit]”

But the Sri Lankan government’s official spokesman, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, insisted the bombed site was a Tamil Tiger training camp. He said the accusations that innocent schoolgirls had been killed “was purely a propaganda exercise [by the LTTE] to counter their defeats in the North and East.”

The Grama Sevaka (a civil servant) of Vallipunam, Mr. Sivarajah, told reporters  that the area around the “Sencholai” home where 61 children were killed and 129 wounded by Sri Lankan bombers was a well identified civilian zone with other residential homes, including those for the disabled, sources in Mullaitivu said.“[The Sencholai] compound was established eight years ago and is well known to international agencies,” Mr. Sivarajah said. “Many UN seminars, including those conducted by UNICEF have been held here.”

“The Sencholai building has been for the past 8 years used to house girls who had lost one or more parents. Several other institutions providing humanitarian services are located close to Sencholai.
“Iniya Valvu Illam,” a house for the severely disabled, “Gandhi Illam,” a children’s home for boys, “Vasantham,” another children’s home are located within 1 km from the Sencholai building that witnessed the carnage today,” Mr Sivarajah said.

“Administrators of the Iniya Valvu Illam have informed me that the disabled children in their home are severely traumatized, and their staff has been consoling and counselling the children,” Mr Sivarajah added.

The TNA, a coalition of Sri Lanka’s four largest Tamil political parties, condemned the airstrike in which four Kfir jets dropped a total of 16 bombs, and appealed to the international community to restrain Sri Lanka’s armed forces.

According to reports received thus far 61 children – all girls – students in GCE (O/L) and GCE (A/L) classes in different schools in Mullaitheevu have been killed as a result of heavy aerial bombardment by Kfir jet bombers of the Sri Lankan Air Force, on the premises of the “Senchcholai” at Vallipunam, on the Paranthan – Mullaitheevu Road, at Mullaitheevu. Over 150 other children, all girls, also students in GCE O/L and GCE (A/L) classes in different schools in Mullaitheevu have been seriously injured.

Paranthan Hindu Mahavidyalam student, Mary Arulappan Juliet, 18, a survivor of the August 14, in an interview to TamilNet , said the attack was a “cowardly act,” and appealed to the International Community to unreservedly condemn the Sri Lanka Government for the attack on school girls.

“We were into the second day of our workshop on First aid and Disaster management skills. More than 400 school girls were in attendance at the 10-day workshop,” Juliet said.

“It was 7 a.m., we were by the compound well, when we saw the Kfir jets far-away and thought that they heading to the battle theater elsewhere. Within a seconds we saw them heading directly to our centre and suddenly started bombing our premises.

“As the bombs fell, the girls ran in all directions, and took cover by lying on the ground face down, hoping that the bombers will go away after attacking once. But the Kfir jets returned firing additional munitions directed to our facility,” Juliet added.

“There was chaos within the Sencholai premises with each round of bombing, as more students were getting wounded severely and getting killed. In between air strikes, the girls changed their cover locations by running to other positions to take better cover,” said Juliet.

During lull periods in bombing, girls would run out to the aid of the wounded girls and to carry them to safer locations. Rescue efforts got interrupted several times by the sudden return of Kfir jets.

“It was on one such rescue attempt that I got injured in my hand, although slightly, when a stray shrapnel hit my hand, I still have memories of the jets and the desperate calls of the girls for help. Earlier, I feared at nothing, but after witnessing this horrific masscre, even slight noises frighten me,” Juliet said.

When asked what message she would like to give to the international community, the 18 year-old, Ms Mary Arulappan Juliet, replied: “I would urge the international community to unreservedly condemn the Colombo government for the aerial attack, and to exert pressure on the GoSL to adhere to basic humanitarian principles.”

Students who were killed

School: Puthukkudiyiruppu Mahavidhyalayam

1. Thambirasa Lakiya DOB: 26-03-89, Mullivaikal west 2. Mahalingam Vensidiyoola DOB: 07-10-89, Mullivaikal west 3. Thuraisingam Sutharsini DOB: 28-07-89, Ward 10, PKT

School: Visuvamadu Mahavidhyalayam

1. Nagalingam Theepa DOB: 29-03-87, Puthadi, Visuvamadu 2. Thambirasa Theepa DOB: 07-02-87, Valluvarpuram, Redbarna 3. Thirunavukkarasu Niranjini DOB: 29-11-88, Puthadi, Visuvamadu 4. Raveenthirarasa Ramya DOB: 14-11-88, Thoddiyadi, V. madu 5. Kanapathipillai Nanthini DOB: 05-10-88, Koddiyadi, Visuvamadu 6. Vijayabavan Sinthuja DOB: 24-05-88, Koddiyadi, Visuvamadu 7. Naguleswaran Nishanthini DOB: 11-04-89, Thoddiyadi, V.madu 8. Tharmakulasingam Kemala DOB: 09-09-87, Kannakinagar, 9. Arulampalam Yasothini DBO: 18-01-88, Puththadi, Visuvamadu

School: Udayarkaddu Mahavidhyalayam

1. Muthaih Indra DOB: 08-08-88, Suthanthirapuram centre 2. Murugaiah Arulselvi DOB: 14-07-88, Suthanthirapuram centre 3. Sivamoorthy Karthikayini DOB: 13-02-88, Vallipunam 4. Santhanam Sathyakala DOB: 20-08-86, Vallipunam 5. Kanagalingam Nirupa DOB: 11-02-89, Visuvamadu 6. Kanagalingam Nirusa DOB: 11-02-89, Vallipunam 7. Navaratnam Santhakumari DOB: 28-05-88, Kaiveli 8. Nagalingam Kokila DOB: 12-02-87, Vallipunam 9. Sivamayajeyam Kokila DOB: Kuravil 10. Shanmugarasa Paventhini DOB: 11. Balakrishnan Mathani DOB: 09-05-88, Vallipunam

School: Mullaitivu Mahavidhyalayam

1. Sivanantham Thivya DOB: 30-05-88, Vannankulam 2. Thambirasa Suganthini DOB: 18-02-88, Alampil, 3. S Vathsalamary DOB: 20-11-86, Manatkudiyiruppu 4. Thanabalasingam Bakeerathy DOB: 03-02-87, Mullivaikal west 5. Thanikasalam Thanusa DOB: 02-12-87, Kallappadu 6. Pathmanathan Kalaipriya DOB: 23-09-88, Kovilkudiyiruppu 7. Markupillai Kelansuthayini DOB: 14-07-88, Vannankulam 8. Rasamohan Hamsana DOB: 29-05-87, Alampil.

School: Kumulamunai Mahavidhyalayam

1. Vivekanantham Thadchayini DOB: 31-01-88, W 10, PTK 2. Santhakumar Sukirtha DOB: 08-08-87, Ward 7, Kumulamunai 3. Uthayakumaran Kousika DOB: 22-08-87, Kumulamunai 4. Nallapillai Ninthija DOB: 03-03-88, Ward 6, Kumulamunai 5. Veerasingam Rajitha DOB: 28-02-88, Ward 5, Kumulamunai

School: Vidhyananda College, Mulliyavalai

1. Thamilvasan Nivethika DOB: 02-12-88, Ward 2, Mulliyavalai 2. Suntharam Anoja DOB: 12-09-89, Kumulamunai 3. Puvanasekaram Puvaneswari DOB: 06-06-89, W 4, Mulliyavalai

School: Chemmalai Mahavidhyalayam

1. Mahalingam Vasantharani DOB: 23-03-88, Alampil, Chemmalai 2. Thuraisingam Thisani DOB: 06-12-88, Alampil, Chemmalai 3. Vairavamoorthy Kirithika DOB: 12-07-87, Alampil, Chemmalai 4. Chandramohan Nivethika DOB: 04-01-89, Alampil, Chemmalai

School: Oddusuddan Mahavidhyalayam

1. Sellam Nirojini DOB: Koolamurippu, Oddusuddan

School: Muruhananda Mahavidhyalayam

1. Tharmarasa Brintha DOB: 06-01-89, 189/1 Visuvamadu 2. Thevarasa Sharmini DOB: 09-03-89, 90, Periyakulam, Kandavalai.

School: Tharmapuram Mahavidhyalayam

1. Varatharaja Mangaleswari DOB: 24-07-89, 577, 13 U, T.puram 2. Rasenthiraselvam Mahilvathani DOB: 04-12-88, Tharmapuram 3. Nilayinar Nivakini DOB: 04-04-89, Kaddakkadu, Tharmapuram.

School: Piramanthanaru Mahavidhyalayam

1. Kubenthiraselvam Lihitha DOB: 05-02-87, Kalaveddithidal, Puliyampokanai

Names of staff killed

1. Chandrasekaran Vijayakumari (Age 27) 2. Kandasamy Kumarasamy (Age 48) 3. Solomon Singarasa (Age 65) 4. S Jeyarubi (Age 20)