Killing of five students in Trincomalee, 2006

Details

What: Five Tamil high school students were detained briefly while playing by the beach, then shot dead, as reported by Colombo Gazette in 2013
Security forces’ account: Daily FT reported in 2019 that the Special Task Force said one of the students carried a hand grenade that exploded
Status: A Trincomalee magistrate discharged 13 security personnel on 3 July 2019, saying there was insufficient evidence; the Attorney General’s office said a prosecutor would seek a fresh trial, as reported 13 July 2019
Appears on: Disappearances and wartime killings
Last checked: 14 Oct 2026 (what this means)

Special Task Force (police) / Personnel remanded in 2013 over alleged involvement in / Killing of five students in Trincomalee, 2006Allegation
- Reports that the Trincomalee Magistrate remanded 12 Special Task Force personnel over alleged involvement in the murder of the five students.6 Jul 2013 · Colombo Gazette (via Daily FT) · Trinco student killings: 12 STF personnel remanded after 7-year hiatus
- Reports that a magistrate discharged 13 security personnel, including 12 STF commandos, on 3 July 2019 saying there was insufficient evidence, and that the STF said one student had a hand grenade that exploded while medical records showed the students were shot dead.13 Jul 2019 · Daily FT · Sri Lanka seeks fresh trial over student massacre
Dappula de Livera / Ordered police to trace key witnesses; prosecutor to seek a fresh trial, July 2019 / Killing of five students in Trincomalee, 2006
- His spokeswoman announced that he had ordered police to trace three key witnesses and that the State prosecutor would seek a fresh trial after the case was dismissed. The article does not give his reasons.13 Jul 2019 · Daily FT · Sri Lanka seeks fresh trial over student massacre