1984 Point Pedro massacre
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| Point Pedro massacre | |
|---|---|
 Location of Northern Province, Sri Lanka | |
| Location | Point Pedro, Jaffna District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka |
| Date | September 2, 1984 |
| Target | Sri Lankan Tamil Civilians |
Attack type | shooting, arson |
| Weapons | guns |
| Deaths | 18 |
| Injured | many |
| Perpetrators | Sri Lankan Police |
1984 Point Pedro massacre refers to the massacre of ethnic Sri Lankan Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan Police in Point Pedro, a town in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Police violence resulted in the deaths of at least 18 Tamils and also a high damage to the local property. The Hartley College library was burned down along with its laboratory reminiscent of the Burning of Jaffna library.[1][2][3][4]
Following the deadly violence against Tamils during the Black July pogrom, that resulted in 3000 deaths of Tamil civilians and widespread migration of tens of thousands out of the country, the Sri Lankan government began to engage in a full-scale war against several of Tamil militant groups who had taken up arms to liberate or acquire greater autonomy in the country's north and east, considered the traditional homeland of the island's Tamil populace. Civilians in the north and east were often subjects to torture, forced disappearances and even extrajudicial killings by the Sri Lankan military and other agencies.[4][5]
