Poonakary

Poonakary பூநகரி விமான நிலையம், පූනෙරිය
Village
Poonakary
Coordinates: 9°30′0″N 80°12′0″E
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Northern
District	Kilinochchi
DS Division	Poonakary

Poonakary (Tamil: பூநகரி, romanized: Pūnakari; Sinhala: පූනෙරිය, romanized: Pūneriya), is a strategically important village situated on the Jaffna Lagoon, directly across from the Jaffna Peninsula in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka.

Situated in the Vanni region, the town was colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century, and a fort was constructed in the town due to its strategic location on the Jaffna Lagoon. It was later taken and expanded by the Dutch, and in 1770 it was recorded that it was square-shaped with two bastions at opposite corners; the ramparts on each of the sides were about 30 metres in length. It was garrisoned until the late 18th century. The British built a rest house in 1805.

Since 1983, due to the Civil War, it was garrisoned by the Sri Lankan Army. In 1993, the town was the site of a major battle during the war, in which the LTTE attacked and failed to take the town, but managed to capture equipment such as assault rifles, ammunition, machine guns, mortars, and even two T-55 tanks, which would prove to be vital to their forces. The town was later evacuated by the Sri Lankan Army due to tactical reasons in 1996, after which the LTTE occupied the town and maintained a garrison due to its strategic location. The fort would be used during the Second Battle of Elephant Pass, where the LTTE bombarded Elephant Pass from Poonakary, and bombarded soldiers who retreated to Jaffna. The town was recaptured by the Sri Lankan Army on November 15, 2008, as the LTTE was beginning to collapse. The town has since then been garrisoned by the Sri Lankan Army, however, the fort itself has been abandoned and left to the elements. The fort is accessible to the public.