19th anniversary of Trinco 5 student massacre commemorated

The 19th anniversary of the massacre of five Tamil students in Trincomalee in 2006 was commemorated at the site of the killings last week. 

The commemoration was led by K. Senthuran, President of the Ravana Sena Organisation, where candles were lit and emotional were paid to honour the victims.

The massacre occurred on January 2nd, 2006, on the beach in Trincomalee, carried out by members of Sri Lanka’s notorious Special Task Force (STF).

At the time, young Tamil people often gathered near the Gandhi statue at the Beach Junction on Dockyard Road, Trincomalee, to chat and socialise. In this brutal attack, five Tamil students were killed, and others were seriously injured.

The five slain students, who were all 20-years-old when killed, are:

Manoharan Ragihar (22.09.1985)
Yogarajah Hemachchandra (04.03.1985)
Logitharajah Rohan (07.04.1985)
Thangathurai Sivanantha (06.04.1985)
Shanmugarajah Gajendran (16.09.1985)

Speaking to the media at the commemoration, K. Senthuran condemned the killings of innocent Tamil students, describing them as a barbaric act. He emphasised that the commemoration was held to ensure that the memory of this tragedy is passed on to future Tamil generations. 

“We also stand with the grieving relatives of the victims,” he said.