Mullaithivu incident

In May 2009, thousands of people (40,000 according to the UN) were killed in the Mullaithivu district on the north-eastern coast of Sri Lanka. The people had gathered on a narrow land strip between a lagoon and the sea as it was declared a ‘No Fire Zone’ by the Sri Lankan Army. But the last of the battles between the army and the LTTE were fought here. Many jumped into the water to escape the falling shells and drowned. The incident has been a sensitive point in the current Tamil question in Sri Lanka. Recently, a memorial to the incident, in Jaffna, was demolished, sparking widespread criticism.