|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Sri Lanka rejects probes into slaughter of Tamil civilians[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 June 2009]Sri Lanka has no plans to investigate allegations that its security forces massacred 20,000 Tamil civilians in the final stages of an offensive against the Tamil Tigers, and neither is Colombo willing to eventually accept an international probe, trade minister G. L. Peiris said Wednesday in Tokyo. "No, we don't regard that attitude as acceptable. That is some kind of inquisition," Peiris, a former peace negotiator said, according to an AFP report. Last week, leading British and French newspapers published their investigations, including interviews with UN officials, into the massacre. Minister Peiris had earlier held talks with his Japanese counterpart Toshihiro Nikai and Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone. At a news conference, Minister Peiris reiterated that Colombo has no plan to probe allegations of war crimes and rejected international demands for a probe. The minister said: "The world should not try to... emphasise everything that is negative, make things as difficult as possible for Sri Lanka, threaten economic sanctions." Unnecessary pressure on the Sri Lankan government may even lead to a revival of terrorism in the country, he warned, without elaborating. "What the country needs this time is support, understanding, empathy, not condemnation, not judgement... not posturing," he said. Peiris said his government refrained from using heavy artillery and aerial bombardment attacks out of concern for civilians "at the expense of postponing the end of hostilities." The United States and other governments had repeatedly called on the Sri Lankan government (GoSL) to cease pounding a narrow strip of land in which 300,000 people had concentrated on the government’s advice. In mid-March, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephone President Mahinda Rajapakse “to express the United States' deep concern over the deteriorating conditions and increasing loss of life occurring in the GoSL -designated 'safe zone'.” “The Secretary stated that the Sri Lankan Army should not fire into the civilian areas of the conflict zone,” a State Department press release said. More pointedly, as casualties mounted amid relentless shelling – even as US satellites observed – President Barack Obama demanded on May 13, “the [Sri Lanka] government should stop the indiscriminate shelling that has taken hundreds of innocent lives, including several hospitals, and the government should live up to its commitment to not use heavy weapons in the conflict zone.” Last week, independent investigations by The Times and Le Monde newspapers found that up to 20,000 Tamil civilians had been slaughtered by government shells. The papers quoted UN officials as saying the UN knew, but sought to suppress reports to retain Colombo’s goodwill. Regarding the controversy over an IMF loan Sri Lanka is seeking, Minister Peiris said that a decision on the disbursement of the funds "should not involve political considerations," but should be "dependent upon technical criteria." Prof. Peiris was the chief negotiator for the then UNP government when it was in negotiations with the LTTE in 2002-3. The UNP was defeated by the SLFP in 2004 and he switched sides two years later, along with fellow negotiator Milinda Moragoda. Both men had been popular with Western backers of the peace process as was the UNP, given its enthusiasm for the neoliberal agenda for Sri Lanka. During the Norwegian-brokered negotiations, Prof. Peiris was famously associated, along with LTTE chief negotiator, Anton Balasingham, with the ‘Oslo Declaration’, an agreement between both sides to explore federalism as a solution to the conflict. At the time Peiris lauded the Oslo Declarations as a ‘paradigm shift by the LTTE’ and as a climb down by the Tigers from the demand of an independent Tamil Eelam state. However, after crossing over to the Sinhala-nationalist government of President Rajapakse in 2006, Prof. Peiris rejected federalism as a solution. "Today the intellectuals and experts worldwide agree that terms such as federalism, unitary and united have no clear definition and are indistinct at best," he was quoted as saying. He added, without elaborating, that what was required was a "practical solution" to the ethnic conflict. Vanni IDPs live under appalling condition: Sri Lankan Chief Justice[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 June 2009]"Vanni IDPs sheltered in transit centres in Cheddiku'lam cannot expect justice under the Sri Lanka’s law. Law of the country does not show any interest on these IDPs. I openly say this. The authorities can penalize me for telling this," said Sri Lanka's Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva when he addressed a public meeting which followed the ceremonial opening of a court complex at Marawila in Negombo district Tuesday. These transit centres are described as internment camps by human rights activists. Sarath N. Silva further said: “I visited 'relief villages' where Vanni IDP families are sheltered. I cannot explain their suffering and grief in words. It is an utter lie if we continue to say that there is only one race and no majority or minority in the country. I visited Cheddiku'lam camps where IDP families live. I cannot explain the pathetic situation they undergo. I was unable to console them. They survive amid immense suffering and distress. "We construct massive building on our side. But these IDPs live in tent-shelters. Ten IDPs live in one tent-shelter. They could stand straight only in the centre of the tent shelter. Their neck will break down if they move to aside of the tent-shelter. "IDPs are seen waiting in queues, extending from 50 to 100 yards to take their turn to answer a call of nature. This is the life of Vanni IDPs in Cheddiku'lam camp "I attempted to smile at these IDPs. But it was without success. I failed to express my feeling towards them. I was unable to tell them that we also were crying with them for their suffering. I was unable to tell them that I would supply new clothes to them. "They should be provided with enough relief. We would be blamed if we fail to supply them with enough relief. "They cannot expect justice from the law of the country. Their plight and suffering are not brought to the court of law in our country. I openly say this. I will be penalized for telling this”, said Mr.Sarath Silva who is to retire from the post of Chief Justice at the end June when he reaches 60 years of age. Sarath Silva's address was aired with Tamil translation Wednesday night in MTV News bulletin.
Aid workers forced to leave Sri Lanka under strict new visa
rules
The Times, Jeremy Page, South Asia
Correspondent
Sri Lanka is hampering international relief efforts by forcing dozens of
British and other foreign aid workers to leave the country because it
considers them sympathetic to the defeated Tamil Tigers, The Times
has learnt.
Aid organisations say that the policy is costing them tens of thousands
of pounds of donors’ money as they struggle to help 280,000 Tamil
civilians in internment camps.
“The NGOs are all extremely scared. If you raise your voice you’ll be
the next one thrown out,” a senior member of staff in one international
aid group said.
The Government deported the Norwegian head of Forut, an Oslo-based NGO,
on Saturday, and stopped a British employee of Forut from re-entering
Sri Lanka last month.
It has also refused to renew visas for dozens of other foreign aid
workers, citing new rules that prevent them from staying in Sri Lanka
for more than three years.
Two foreigners working for Care International, including a Briton, were
forced to leave last month because their visas were not extended, local
sources told The Times.
A Briton working for the Norwegian Refugee Council, an Ethiopian working
for the Save the Children Fund, and three foreign members of staff for
ASB, a German NGO, have been forced to leave.
The British head of Solidar, a consortium of NGOs, was ordered to leave
within seven days in December even though he had four children at school
in Sri Lanka. He managed to negotiate a short extension.
The programme manager of Zoa Refugee Care, a Dutch NGO, was expelled
from Sri Lanka in September and there are problems gaining visa
extensions for five of the NGO’s foreign staff.
Among those who are likely to be forced to leave in the next few months
are the country heads of Oxfam and the Danish Refugee Council.
“By September or October, 60 to 70 per cent of NGO heads will have left
the country,” said one aid worker.
The Government said that it was simply enforcing the new visa rules,
which were announced last year. Aid workers were granted one-year visas
previously, which they could renew as often as they wanted.
The new rules are designed to weed out Tiger sympathisers, according to
Sri Lankan officials. The head of Forut was deported because she stopped
staff from raising a Sri Lankan national flag in their office to
celebrate the defeat of the Tigers. She said that Forut should remain
neutral.
Government officials said that the visa rules were to encourage NGOs to
recruit more local staff.
“We need to build our own capacity,” Rajiva Wijesinha, the Secretary of
the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, told the UN Human
Rights Council last week. “We want NGOs who bring aid . . . but we also
don’t want people sitting around begging for the crumbs from the rich
man’s table.”
Aid workers said that the rules were being used to purge foreign critics
and to limit the ability of NGOs to operate and lobby the Government.
“The idea is to get rid of people with institutional and operational
experience,” said one.
Another said: “It’s easier for the Government if NGO people don’t have
the contacts, connections and experience.” Sri Lanka war crimes: Ban must speak, UN must investigate – The Times[TamilNet, Monday, 01 June 2009]Following on from investigations published last week which revealed the United Nations was aware as 20,000 Tamil civilians were being slaughtered by the Sri Lanka Army, The Times newspaper called Monday on the UN to investigate the war crimes, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to speak out, and UK Foreign Minister David Miliband to press Mr. Ban. Saying “there is a terrible augury for such inexplicable reticence [by the Secretary-General],” to speak out, the paper recalled the UN’s “insouciance and failure” over the Srebrenica massacre of Muslims by Serbs and asked if the UN would scotch parallels for it in Sri Lanka. “Mr Ban must speak; the UN must investigate. Nothing else will demonstrate a decent respect for the opinions of mankind,” The Times argued. The full text of The Times’ editorial, titled ‘Time for Witness’, follows: Ban Ki Moon the Secretary-General of the United Nations, visited Sri Lanka last week. He knew from his officials that at least 20,000 civilians had been killed by Sri Lankan troops in the offensive against the Tamil Tigers. Mr Ban never mentioned this figure to his Sri Lankan interlocutors. He saw, while travelling by air over a supposed “no-fire” zone, the evidence of a massacre of thousands of Tamil civilians caught between the army and the insurgents. Yet he has still not confirmed the authenticity of photographs taken from the same helicopter setting out that scene of carnage and mass makeshift graves. There is a terrible augury for such inexplicable reticence. The day after Bosnian Serb forces seized Srebrenica, deemed by the United Nations to be a “safe area”, in 1995, Boutros Boutros Ghali, Mr Ban’s predecessor, was asked whether this represented the organisation’s greatest failure in Bosnia. He replied: “No, I don’t believe this represents a failure. You have to see if the glass is half full or half empty.” The name of Srebrenica, in which 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were slaughtered, has become synonymous with insouciance and failure by the UN, and not only with the barbarism of the perpetrators. Any parallel for the UN with what has happened in Sri Lanka must be scotched now. That can be done only by Mr Ban speaking forthrightly about what he saw. He is a civil servant rather than an executive; and the cause of historical truth as well as international protest depends on the UN Security Council’s having full and public knowledge of what he saw. There is no case for restricting diplomacy to private channels. There is no confidential quality to what Mr Ban can testify. David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, was denied access to the north of the country when he visited Colombo a fortnight ago. He has a belated but important role now in pressing Mr Ban to speak. There is no question but that the defeated Tamil Tigers were guilty of numerous depredations and horrific acts of suicide terrorism. Vellupillai Prabhakaran, the slain leader of the Tigers, denied, among other murderous acts, sending the assassin of Rajiv Gandhi, the former Indian Prime Minister; few doubt that he was lying. But the shelling of civilians in a supposed safe area and their deaths by the tens of thousands are not a matter for the Sri Lankan Government alone. UN sources have described the offensive as a war waged without witnesses. However just the cause and brutal the adversary, there must always be disinterested witnesses to military campaigns. That is particularly so with adversaries that practise indiscriminate attacks: there is always a temptation, in response, to suspend the laws of war and the observance of due process in the name of a higher necessity. And that temptation must always be resisted. The Sri Lankan Government has much to account for. Yet it has responded with disingenuity and fantasy. It first denied the deaths of civilians and then claimed that the photographic evidence, repeated by independent witnesses, had been forged. In doing so, it is perpetrating sins of omission in order to obscure those of commission. Mr Ban must speak; the UN must investigate. Nothing else will demonstrate a decent respect for the opinions of mankind. Calls for war crimes inquiry over 20,000 civilian deaths in Sri Lanka [Times online, 29 may 2009]
Sri Lanka faced new calls for a war crimes inquiry today after
an
investigation by The Times revealed
that more than 20,000 civilians were killed – mostly by the army – in
the latter stages of the war against the Tamil Tigers.
The army dismissed that figure as an exaggeration and repeated the
Government’s assertion that not a single civilian was killed by
government forces in the final assault on the northeastern conflict
zone.
Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a military spokesman, declined to say how
many civilian deaths had been confirmed, but insisted that they had all
been caused by the Tigers, also known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE).
“This
is an exaggerated story. Whoever has put up this report has been paid by
the LTTE,” he told The Times.
“There can’t be any civilians killed by government forces in that area.
How can the UN know about this? It had no people on the ground.” The UN,
however, described its figures as “well-informed estimates”, adding that
it did not have “precise, verifiable numbers” because of a lack of
access to the conflict zone and the camps holding refugees from the
area.
“The UN has publicly and repeatedly said that the number of people
killed in recent months has been unacceptably high and it has shared its
estimates with the Government as well as others concerned,” said
Elisabeth Byrs, of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian
Affairs.
“The point is the UN has not been shy about the scale of human suffering
and civilian casualties,” she said. “It has been ringing the alarm bells
for a long time.”
Sri Lanka officially declared victory in its 26-year civil war with the
Tigers early last week after killing almost all of their leadership,
including Velupillai Prabhakaran, their founder, in a tiny patch of
coconut grove on the northeastern coast.
Backed by China, Russia and other allies, Sri Lanka also easily defeated
a proposal for a war crimes inquiry at a special session of the UN Human
Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The new civilian death toll figure has prompted new calls for an
inquiry, which could still be ordered by Ban Ki Moon, the UN
Secretary-General, or by Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights.
Managala Samaraweera, a former Foreign Minister who left the Government
to become an opposition politician in 2005, told The Times that
an inquiry was the only way for Sri Lanka to repair the damage to its
international reputation. “As Sri Lankans, we’re extremely concerned
about what happened during the last stages of the conflict,” he said.
“The Government must immediately initiate an independent inquiry. Only
by doing so will Sri Lanka be able to clear up its good name.”
Human rights groups, aid workers and numerous civilian witnesses have
accused the Tigers and government forces of repeatedly firing on
non-combatants in violation of international humanitarian law. The
Tigers have also been accused of using civilians as human shields and
recruiting children forcibly, while the army has been accused of
deliberately shelling hospitals in the conflict zone.
Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch, told The Times:
“There’s no doubt there’s a need for a war crimes inquiry. The whole
operation has been done in secret and the scale of deaths is so large
that it has to be investigated. This is not going to go away.” Stench of dead bodies permeate Vanni, wounded allowed to die without medical attention[TamilNet, 16 May 2009]An uncounted number of dead bodies between 2,000 and 3,000 are lying all over the places in civilian congested area and the civilians are all struck by a heavy stench of dead bodies, said a volunteer doctor from Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal. "Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has destroyed all medical facilities by targeted attacks, and the SAL was continuing inhuman and indiscriminate attacks on civilians providing only two options, death or surrender," he added. The volunteer doctor himself witnessed more than 100 deaths Saturday morning. All the government doctors and the top officials have fled the shelling. Civilians are in shock at the continuing carnage in Vanni. "We need a pause from continued cannon and mortar fire to treat the wounded. There is a serious need for external medical crew to take care of the seriously wounded, who are allowed to die without medical attention," the volunteer doctor told TamilNet over a satellite phone. "Above all, the wounded and the remaining civilians need food and water urgently. There are people dying within the bunkers without food." Meanwhile, the veteran doctors T. Saththiyamoorthy and S. Varadarajah, who are the Regional Directors of Health Services of Ki'linochchi and Mullaiththeevu districts and the Additional Government Agent K. Parthipan have entered Sri Lanka Army controlled territory, sources in Colombo said. Both Dr. Sathyamoorthy and Dr. Varadarajan have been recommended by the UN for special honours for their part in carrying out their professional duties under difficult and trying conditions in the war front so far. Earlier, the government defence spokesperson and minister Kehiliya Rambukwella told journalists in the Colombo that the two doctors were not attached to the Government service. 2,000 civilians feared slaughtered in a single night[TamilNet, 10 May 2009]Indiscriminate barrage of shelling by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on the 'safety zone' starting from Saturday night to Sunday morning slaughtered more than 2,000 civilians including large number of women and children, medical sources in Vanni said quoting the injured who managed to reach the makeshift hospital. Dead bodies are scattered everywhere and 814 wounded managed to reach the makeshift hospital up to 9:25 a.m., doctors said. Every kind of lethal weapon such as the internationally banned cluster shells and shells fired from Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers and Cannons were used turning the so-called safety zone into a killing field. The SLA usually chooses weekends for its massacres to minimise international attention. The entire family of a devoted nursing officer, Gracian Tharmarasa, has been wiped out in the shelling. Dead bodies are found in bunkers and inside the tarpaulin tents. The exact number of the killed and injured is yet to be ascertained. 257 dead bodies, including 67 that of children, have been brought to the hospital. 112 of the injured brought to the hospital were children. The makeshift hospital which is now running in junior school in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal is struggling beyond words to cope with the situation, the medical sources said. "This is the first time in history where the International Community and the UN have politically experimented such a mass killing of civilians in a single day by giving an almost open consent to a government," described a human rights professional in Colombo upon hearing the news. The large scale slaughter is believed to be a result of India prodding Colombo to finish the war before the change of government, political circles in Colombo said adding that it seems that the 'war on terror' has been translated into 'war on civilians' in the time of Obama Administration. SLA massacres patients with targeted shelling, 64 killed in hospital[TamilNet, 02 May 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Saturday attacked the only remaining makeshift hospital twice, killing 64 patients and attending relatives, and causing injuries to 87. Two artillery shells fired by the SLA hit the hospital at Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal around 9:00 a.m. killing 23 and maiming 34 and later several shells were fired at 10:30 a.m., killing 41 and maiming 53. The attack has taken place, after the Sri Lankan military was provided with the exact coordinates of the hospital premises three days back through the ICRC, and as Sri Lanka Air Force Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was monitoring the hospital area. The massacre is calculated to coerce the civilians said a rescue worker citing leaflets air dropped Friday with Mahinda Rajapaksa's message asking civilians to come to the SLA side dropped on Friday. A female volunteer doctor was killed on the spot. Three medical staff sustained injuries, one of them paralysed. The main OPD of the makeshift hospital was attacked at 9:00 a.m. when the hospital was very busy with outpatients. There were more than 400 wounded patients accommodated in and around the building. The second attack came as the medical staff and volunteers were engaged in clearing the attacked area of the hospital. A medical staff who coordinates with the ICRC confirmed providing the coordinates of the hospital to the Sri Lankan defence ministry three days ago when the hospital was attacked last time. Targeted attacks on hospital happens every time when the government wants to relocate the civilians, the rescue worker added. The hospital continues to function.      Events unfold typical of Nazi concentration camps[TamilNet, 30 April 2009]Food parcels were thrown to people after making them run like dogs, and two children were killed in the melee in the barbed-wire camp at Menik Farm, Vavuniyaa. A 12-year-old boy on Monday and a 7-year-old boy on Tuesday were crushed to death in the melee, media sources in Vavuniyaa said. Meanwhile, around 300 Tamil youth from several camps in the area were forcefully taken by the Sri Lanka army, in the name of arrest, amidst protests of family members on Tuesday. Recently, 60 people have died of sickness in the camps, the sources further said. A total of 154,368 Vanni civilians are in captivity by the SLA up to Wednesday and out of them, 90, 181, were captured after 20 April.    “The pattern is typical of the Nazi concentration camps, questioning the credibility of all the ‘international guardians’ who wanted the civilians to end up in camps in the name of the freedom of movement of people”, said a Tamil official in Vavuniyaa. The family members turned agitated and violent in the camp at Ne'lukku'lam, from where 98 youth were taken by the army. It is feared that around 300 youth have been arrested on Tuesday alone from the 24 camps. The SLA officials later guaranteed that they were responsible for the safety of the arrested. Meanwhile, of those youth arrested on suspicion of having connections with the LTTE are taken to a separate camp located in a technical college for an 'undisclosed agenda', military sources said on condition of anonymity. In the meantime, SLA has announced in the camps that all those who worked in various capacities for Tamileelam civil administration, had to submit themselves for a separate registration. The elderly are suffering, despite announcements that people over 60 can go out of the camps to stay with relatives, if the relatives take responsibility. But this is applicable to only those who have relatives in Vavuniyaa. The other elders are in a condition of destitution. One of them died of sunstroke Wednesday.    No assistance has so far come from the government for the IDPs. Whatever provided was from the foreign and international organizations. Besides, the SLA is exploiting the sentiments of the Tamil residents of Vavuniyaa in supplying food and clothing to the IDPs. Tents have been recently provided. But a tent that is meant for five people is accommodating seven to twenty. Sanitary conditions are one of the worst problems, in the absence of proper toilets, etc. Women have to use tissues that come with food parcels as sanitary napkins. All civilians captured during last week arrived past of Oamanthai, officials said on Wednesday. A total number of 143,221 individuals of 32,734 families are now staying in the camps of Vavuniyaa, district officials said Wednesday. 58,412 individuals of 18,135 families were registered in Vavuniyaa camps prior to 17 April. The remaining has come during the last week. 11,147 individuals of 3698 families of the Vanni civilians are registered in the camps of the Jaffna peninsula, up to Wednesday. Out of them 5775 individuals of 1907 families were already staying there two weeks ago. Figures indicate that a total of around 90,181 were captured by the SLA since 20 April. Reliable sources put the figure remaining in the so-called safety zone to at least 120,000. Colombo and New Delhi earlier insisted a figure of only 70,000 civilians in the safety zone. Mahinda Rajapakasa now says only 5 to 15 thousand civilians remain in the safety zone. Colombo’s figures are aimed at hoodwinking international concern of the gravity of the situation and to reduce food supply in order to starve people, observers said.    Hospital under attack, SLN naval crafts fire artillery pieces[TamilNet, 29 April 2009]Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) attack crafts fitted with 100 mm cannon began firing artillery pieces along the shore of Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal Wednesday around 4:00 p.m. Meanwhile, the makeshift hospital in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal was hit by artillery shells. At least 20 deaths were reported by medical sources, according to initial details. Shells are being fired at the hospital as this report is being filed. The attack comes as U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner were meeting Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo Wednesday. Both the ministers had urged for immediate ceasefire earlier in the day. Gunboats, with deck mounted machine guns, were also firing along the shore, initial reports further said. Meanwhile, medical sources reported more than 150 dead bodies of civilians, killed in close-range gunfire, were brought from Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal north in the morning. SLA fired 5,600 shells within 15 hours: LTTE[TamilNet, 28 April 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired at least 2,600 Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) rockets, more than 1,000 artillery shells and at least 2,000 heavy mortar shells from 6:00 p.m. Monday till 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, LTTE officials in Vanni told TamilNet. Most of the shells fired by the SLA hit civilian shelters in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal, Thaazhampan, Ottaip-panaiyadi and Iraddai-vaaykkaal areas.The Tiger officials put civilian casualty figures at more than 200 killed and said three medical centres treated hundreds of wounded civilians throughout the day. Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked Ottaip-panai and iraddai-vaaykkaal areas by deploying cluster bombs, LTTE officials further said. LTTE medics, two Thileepan medical centres with first-aid facilities and the makeshift hospital in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal run by the RDHS of the two districts, have treated over thousand wounded within the past 3 days, according to Tiger officials. Independent verification of casualty figures was not possible as shelling continued throughout the day.   500 grams rice, 20 grams sugar per person to reach Vanni[TamilNet, 28 April 2009]Despite the shelling, an ICRC ship which arrived to transport the wounded civilians brought 30 MT foods with rice, oil, and sugar to Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal Tuesday morning around 7:00 a.m., according to medical officials at the makeshift hospital in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal. Another 30 MT is promised to be brought in Wednesday and Thursday. If the 60 MT was divided to the remaining 165,000 people, each civilian would get only 500 grams of rice and 20 grams of sugar, health officials complained, urging the authorities to allow shipment of more food items. 204 civilians were admitted at the hospital on Tuesday. 29 of them died at the hospital. The injuries were caused by shelling of cluster munitions, Multi-Barrel rockets and artillery fire as well as gunfire. Many dead bodies were still lying on the roads north of Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal.   LTTE announces unilateral ceasefire[TamilNet, 26 April 2009]"In the face of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and in response to the calls made by the UN, EU, the governments of the USA, India and others, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has announced an unilateral ceasefire. All of LTTE’s offensive military operations will cease with immediate effect," said a press statement issued by the Political Head Quarters of the LTTE Sunday. "We have taken into account the recent declarations by the G8 nations, the Whitehouse, Indian Ministers and the EU and other members of international community. We are in full agreement that the humanitarian crisis can only be overcome by declaration of an immediate ceasefire," the statement said calling upon the international community to pressure the Sri Lankan Government to reciprocate it. Full text of the LTTE statement follows: Media Release Political Head Quarters, Liberation Tigers of TamilEelam. 26.04.2009. Announcement of Unilateral Ceasefire In the face of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and in response to the calls made by the UN, EU, the governments of the USA, India and others, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has announced an unilateral ceasefire. All of LTTE’s offensive military operations will cease with immediate effect. The suffering inflicted on our people by the Sri Lankan armed forces in violation of all international humanitarian laws has now reached its peak. Over 165,000 people living within the coastal area under our control in Mullaitivu are being subject to continuous attacks by Sri Lankan Navy, Air Force and Infantry. Death and destruction continues unabated. This has been made worse by the deliberate withholding of food and medicine over many months. Deaths due to starvation is imminent. Those who were moved out of the war zone have been detained and are held in concentration camps where they are subjected to torture in violation of all international conventions. These IDP population are not permitted to return to their homes. Instead, some are being used as human shields by the Sri Lankan forces. We welcome the attempts by the UN and its agencies to assist the civilian population and are ready to engage and cooperate with them to address the humanitarian needs of the population. We have taken into account the recent declarations by the G8 nations, the Whitehouse, Indian Ministers and the EU and other members of international community. We are in full agreement that the humanitarian crisis can only be overcome by declaration of an immediate ceasefire. As the first step we have now announced this unilateral ceasefire and call upon the international community to pressure the Sri Lankan Government to reciprocate it. We are of the view that only such a ceasefire can end the humanitarian crisis and help avert the long term impact of this crisis on the region and on the peoples of the island. Colombo steps up air strikes, safe zone targeted 39 times Sunday[TamilNet, 26 April 2009]Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) fighter jets bombed Sunday the so-called safety zone where tens of thousands of civilians have sought refuge at least 39 times in six sorties so far on Sunday. The indiscriminate bombardment by the Sri Lankan state has been intensified despite the call from the White House on Saturday to stop attacking the 'safety zone' and to stop the fighting immediately. Exact casualty details were not available at the moment. Heavy bombardment by SLAF bombers has caused panic and tension among the civilians, who are facing imminent starvation as Colombo has blocked the shipment of humanitarian supplies facilitated by the ICRC. Safety zone was attacked 12 times between 7:55 and 8:25 a.m., 3 times between 9:55 and 10:05 a.m., 3 times around 10:25 a.m., 10 times between 10:55 and 11:15 a.m. and at least 3 times around 1:10 p.m. 4 Kfir bombers unloaded several bombs 8 times between 1:45 and 2:15 p.m. On Saturday, the SLAF bombers had attacked the zone at least 25 times throughout the day. Sri Lanka intensifies bombardment, 'safe zone' bombed 22 times Saturday[TamilNet, 25 April 2009]Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) unloaded two bombs at 5:20 p.m. (seven minutes ago) and another 4 at 4:27 p.m. one hour ago, bringing to total 22, the number of times the SLAF hit targets inside the "Safe Zone" on Saturday, as the SLAF intensified air attacks where tens of thousands of civilians have sought refuge. SLAF fighter jets have hit several locations inside the 12 square kilometres zone at least 4 times around 10:00 a.m. and 12 times in the afternoon around 2:30 p.m., according to latest reports from Vanni. The attacks intensified a day after Indian diplomats visited Colombo and discussed the war with the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Tension and chaos prevails inside the safety zone. Exact casualty details were not available. The SLAF also attacked the safety zone twice on Thursday and Friday Civilian casualties top 20,000 in Vanni: Leaked UN document[TamilNet, Friday, 24 April 2009]A new document originating from the UN and circulated among the diplomatic missions in Colombo this week has put the figures of the civilians killed in Vanni since January as at least 6,432 and 13,946 wounded, according to a news report by the Associated Press Friday. "The casualties were reported as 'verified data' in the document," the AP said. The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has been firing thousands of artillery and mortar shells, including internationally banned cluster munitions and chemical warheads, into the so-called no-fire zone or 'safety zone' killing and maiming thousands of Tamil civilians, constituting a grave war crime and crime against humanity. Tamil activists worldwide have blamed the International Community, including the UN, for silently abetting and indirectly approving the killing of Tamil civilians being carried out by the Sri Lankan shelling and starvation, leading to their capture. The stand taken by the UN Security Council, and also echoed by the US state department Wednesday, welcoming the capture and detention of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians by the Sri Lanka Army is the first step of direct approval for the genocide, Tamil circles commented Thursday. Earlier, a leaked document by the UN had put civilian death toll at 2,683 as of 07 March. More than 3,700 civilian have been killed within a period of 40 days in March and April. It is not known whether the document includes the civilian casualties from this week when the figures crossed 1,000 on a single day alone as SLA entered the safety zone to capture the civilians. The LTTE has blamed the Sri Lanka Army for killing at least 1,500 civilians in the beginning of this week. "The U.N. has declined to publicly release its casualty figures and had no immediate comment on the document," the AP reported. Deliberations to get UN approval for Tamil genocide[TamilNet, 23 April 2009]Statement diplomacy and behind the screen deliberations of Colombo, India, and the International Community are heading for tacit UN approval for the Tamil genocide in the island of Sri Lanka, news reports indicate. The stand taken by the UN Security Council, and also echoed by the US state department Wednesday, welcoming the capture and detention of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians by the Sri Lanka Army is the first step of direct approval for the genocide, Tamil circles said. All this time they were indirectly approving the killing of civilians by shelling and starvation to lead to their capture. By twisting the ethnic-oriented humanitarian situation as an issue of ‘terrorism’, the UN is approving the genocide, the Tamil circles said. “The Security Council members, we welcome the news that the tens of thousands of civilians have escaped from the conflict area in the past few days and urge that further steps be taken to allow the safe evacuation of the remaining civilians to provide to them the necessary protection and assistance”, said Claude Heller, who chairs the Security Council this month in his statement or comments to the press, Inner City Press (ICP) reported. “The Security Council members, we strongly condemn the LTTE terrorist organization for the use of civilians as human shields and for not allowing them to leave the area of conflict. In this regard, the Security Council members, we demand that the LTTE immediately lay down arms, renounce terrorism, allow a UN assisted evacuation of the remaining civilians in the conflict area, and join the political process through dialogue in order to put an end to the conflict”, Claude Heller was further quoted by the ICP. It is a gross violation of truth and definitely not humanitarian on the part of the UN to shield the genocidal nature of the humanitarian situation and twist it as a terrorism-related issue. This attitude will never resolve the crisis, Tamil circles said. When asked by the ICP whether the Security Council had gotten a broad enough range of information, Mr. Heller spoke of “appropriate channels” that he would not discuss. Earlier Heller thanked Mr. Vijay Nambiar for briefing the Security Council of his recent visit and discussions with the government of Sri Lanka. Sources in Colombo said Wednesday that Mr. Nambiar might have been influenced by India on his way back from Sri Lanka. On Wednesday in the informal Security Council meeting, “as Heller spoke at a microphone in the UN's basement, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's envoy Vijay Nambiar slipped quickly past the press. He left the UN's humanitarian deputy Catherine Bragg, who did not visit Sri Lanka, to speak for the Secretariat”, ICP reported. The deputy avoided giving any figures of the latest casualties, saying that they have only estimates, as the government has not provided them with any figures so that they can verify. But she didn’t give an estimate either. “This creates a situation in which it is in a government's interest to not provide information to the UN, because then the UN will be silent”, ICP said. This is an example how the genocide is meticulously worked out to by-pass UN scrutiny, Tamil sources commented. Meanwhile, even being a UN worker gives no immunity if the worker is a Tamil, is line of argument of Sri Lanka’s Ambassador Palihakkara. Answering an ICP question on the UN workers who came out of the safety zone and are detained in camps by the SLA, Palihakkara said: “These are our nationals, Sri Lankan nationals employed by the UN who have come out of the LTTE hold and now, like any other normal civilians, they are in the IDP centers, and they are not held like in a detention camp, but they need to be screened like others”. Any doubt about the UN agenda when the UN is not prepared to challenge the genocidal attitude of Colombo, even in the case of its own workers, ask Tamil circles. SLA cluster bombs kill doctor, medical staff at Valaignarmadam[TamilNet, Tuesday, 21 April 2009]A doctor at the makeshift hospital in Valaignarmadam and several other medical staff including civilians were killed Tuesday afternoon when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired cluster bombs on them, TamilNet correspondent in Vanni said citing a fleeing patient who escaped from the attack. The slain doctor was Siva Manoharan. Dr. Siva Manhoharan had refused to flee as he was focused on serving the civilians as casualties were mounting due to indiscriminate shelling by the SLA. The details are yet to emerge. Casualties cross 1000 in SLA's attempt to capture civilians[TamilNet, Monday, 20 April 2009]Hundreds of dead bodies and wounded civilians were still lying in Maaththa'lan and Pokka'nai, and more than 600 seriously wounded have been brought to a makeshift hospital functioning at a school in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal in LTTE held area throughout Monday, TamilNet correspondent reports from Vanni. The correspondent personally witnessed nearly 300 dead bodies while fleeing from the area. Cluster shells and smoke or white-dust-emitting shells that made people to faint were widely deployed on civilians by the Sri Lanka Army in its effort to capture them. However, a large majority of the civilians fled towards LTTE held areas while around 8,000 were trapped and captured by the SLA.          Only 60 wounded went to the hospital at Puthumaaththa'lan, which is almost not functioning at the moment. The hospital at Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal comes under Mullaiththeevu Regional Director of Health Services (RDHS). By Monday afternoon, the SLA was pushed back from parts of the civilian areas it had boxed earlier in the day. However, civilians fear waves of attacks similar to the one on Monday to follow in the forthcoming days. The exact condition of the civilians captured by the SLA is not known. Meanwhile, schools in Northern Province scheduled to start after term holidays on Tuesday were ordered by Colombo not to be re-opened until further orders. It is speculated that the SL government plans to accommodate captured civilians in the schools. SLA attacks continue to target 'safety zone'[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 April 2009] Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued indiscriminate shelling on the so-called 'safety zone' Friday and Saturday killing at least 60 civilians, according to local NGO workers. The SLA shelling targeted Iraddai-vaaykkaal and Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal. Meanwhlie, medical authorities at Puthumaaththa'lan hospital reported that 63 wounded were admitted Friday at the makeshift hospital and 55 on Saturday. Of the 118 injured, 67 were wounded in shelling and 51 in gunfire, according to medical sources. Two died at the hospital Friday. 30 of the wounded are children and two of them succumbed to their injuries Saturday..jpg) .jpg) .jpg) .jpg) SLA-fired shells and Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) rockets hit Pokka'nai, Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal and Valaignarmadam, causing at least 60 deaths on Friday and Saturday. The medical authorities do not report death toll in the villages since the dead bodies of the victims were not being brought to the hospital under the prevailing circumstances. 470 wounded patients and their helpers were sent in ICRC ship on Friday. 'Starvation poised for worse killings than shelling'[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 April 2009]While around 60 civilians killed Friday and Saturday by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelling, civilians have already started dying and many more thousands are at the verge of death due to starvation that is silently taking its toll within the so-called safety zone, TamilNet correspondent reported Saturday. The imminent victims are elderly, children and women. "Gruel has become the staple food to keep soul and body together for a vast majority of the civilians for weeks now. If there is no instant action, more starvation casualties can be expected in the next few days than the hitherto known total of casualties caused by shelling," warns TamilNet correspondent citing health and administrative officials staying inside the so-called safety zone. Meanwhile, listening to starvation-afflicted weak and instable voices of those who manage to make telephone calls, has become a regular experience in recent days for relatives and friends outside, diaspora sources told TamilNet. Medical sources at the makeshift hospital said Friday there were 92 children in the children ward and most of the children are under nourished.        According to a request from the District Secretariat of Mullaiththeevu, received by the Country Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Colombo, only 1,000 MT of food supplies, only adequate for one week, were received by the local authorities within the so-called safety zone on 02 April. The request, made on 11 April said 74,634 families consisting of 305,219 persons has urged the WFP to send 3,578 MT of Dry Rations urgently in order to alleviate the hunger of the IDPs. The letter ended with the word, 'please', said a UN official in Colombo on condition of anonymity. An earlier situation report, for the month of March, issued by the District Secretariat said that ships brought only 1079.902 MT of food items whereas the requirement was 4950 MT for the month of March. TamilNet correspondent on Saturday said people were only eating once a day for the last 4 weeks and that there are people who have become completely dependent on gruel being supplied by the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO). Some extracts from the situation report (March, 2009) of Mullaiththeevu District Secretariat follow: "There is a severe shortage for Essential Food, Supplementary Food including Milk Food, Vegetables and Fruits items in the District. On one hand the essential food and other important food items are not available in the District and on the other hand the people do not have income / money to buy the items. Thus, the distribution of food is entirely depending on arrivals of ships and the quantity brought. "The innocent people including children and women are in a pathetic condition. They are unable to get needed Milk Food, biscuits and any other important food and supplementary food items. "A nutrition survey conducted by the Department of Health, Mullaitivu District in last week of March, 2009, indicates that 69.91 % of children were under weight and acute under nutrition is very much increased. The report requests for immediate intervention in supply of food." UK Tamil hunger striker 'ready to die' [9news, 07:39 AEST Fri Apr 17 2009]
Paramesweran Subramaniyam, 28, is surviving on sips of water and his condition could soon become critical, doctors say. But he says death is a price he would pay to force the British government to intervene in the conflict. Asked on Thursday how long he was willing to continue his hunger strike, he said, "Until I die or when I get my demands. "More than me, my country, my people are suffering from the war so for me, it's nothing," he added. The Sri Lankan government is advancing into an area in the northeast of the country where up to 100,000 civilians are trapped with Tamil Tiger rebels, according to the United Nations. Colombo says the rebels are using the civilians as human shields. As Subramaniyam lay starving himself in a makeshift tent pitched directly opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, several hundred people around him kept up a peaceful protest which has been going for some ten days. They chanted and held up banners with slogans like "Tamils Want Freedom, Tamils Want Justice" and "Ceasefire! Ceasefire!! Now." The protesters want Britain, the former colonial power, to intervene to bring about an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Demonstrator Raji Nesa, 20, urged the British government to listen to their message. "There are signs that he's going to slip into a coma soon because he's not drinking the recommended amount of water and he's not eating," she said. Volunteer Tamil doctors are monitoring Subramaniyam around the clock. One, who did not want to give his name because his father is still in Sri Lanka, described his condition as "not very good". "His fluid intake is very low, his fluid output is proportionate. He's not drinking enough water," he told AFP. "He can go on another couple of days and then we're slipping into a critical situation," he added. Srilankan government killing zone               Norway urges attention on precarious situation for civilians in conflict zone[TamilNet, 16 April 2009]"All attention must now be directed towards the precarious situation for the civilians trapped in the conflict zone, and to end the fighting without further bloodshed," said a press statement issued by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Colombo on Thursday, stating that Norway strongly condemned and regretted the incident in Oslo where the Sri Lankan Embassy building was subjected to a mob attack on 12 April 2009. "Norway has a long-standing friendship with Sri Lanka, and all our efforts have been to work for peace within a united Sri Lanka," the statement said. The Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs has personally conveyed his regrets through the Sri Lankan Embassy in Oslo and the Norwegian Police have strengthened the security at the premises of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Oslo, the press statement said adding that the police are doing everything they can to bring the culprits to justice. "Norway has a long-standing friendship with Sri Lanka, and all our efforts have been to work for peace within a united Sri Lanka. All attention must now be directed towards the precarious situation for the civilians trapped in the conflict zone, and to end the fighting without further bloodshed." SLA, SLAF intensify offensive targeting safety zone[TamilNet, 16 April 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) intensified its offensive targeting to bifurcate so-called saftey zone Thursday at 6:50 a.m. with fire support provided by Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) helicopter gunships attempting to break the defensive bunds of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) for the fourth day. The SLA and the SLAF were deploying maximum fire power in the fighting. SLAF bombers began attacking the bunds at 7:40 a.m. Civilian settlements in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal were being targeted by long-range artillery and cannons. Civilian zone has been turned into a war zone by the indiscriminate barrage and firing by the SLA that has been continuously deploying artillery, heavy mortars, 40 mm cannons, Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) launchers and 50 Calibre machine guns to attack the civilian areas. Civilians in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal area remain under bunkers continuously for second day. There are civilian casualties. Details are yet to emerge. Unprecedented carnage, SLA turns firepower on civilian zone[TamilNet, 15 April 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Wednesday morning turned its artillery, mortar, 40 mm cannon, Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) and gunfire ranging from 50 caliber machine guns to LMG fire into the so-called safety zone, causing a carnage within a short period of time between 7:40 and 10:40 a.m. killing and maiming hundreds of civilians, according to the latest update by TamilNet correspondent in Vanni reporting from the area under attack. Civilians were struggling to transport the wounded to the hospital and many of the injured were lying along the roadside as gunfire and artillery barrage by the SLA continues. "It is impossible to assess casualty details, but at least 180 civilians are feared killed within 3 hours in the area between Mu'l'livaaykkaal to Pokka'nai." The wounded civilians who attempt to move towards the hospital whenever they sense a break between the attacks, are getting blocked by targeted gunfire from SLA positions from the outer perimeter of the so-called No-Fire / Safety zone. "The seriously wounded civilians are dying as their transport has been blocked by the SLA firing on medical transport carrying white flags. The casualty figures are expected to rise," said TamilNet correspondent. As he was filing this report, SLA gunners shot a man who was trying to transport a wounded victim while holding a white flag. "He was badly injured in his head." "On another incident, 9 wounded civilians who were being transported in tractor from Mu'l'livaaykkaal, carrying white flag, were killed when a shell fired by the SLA landed on the tractor." "Many wounded civilians are lying along the sides of the road, awaiting help." The dead were being buried on the spot. "There are civilians lying dead and wounded inside their tarpaulin shelters, said civilians arriving from Valaignarmadam," TamilNet correspondent said, reporting amidst shelling and gunfire. "Thousands of civilians are lying on open terrain, as there are not enough bunkers in the area between Valignarmadam and Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal, that has come under SLA barrage." "Almost all the bunkers are open bunkers and those who remain inside them are experiencing untold trauma as the 'no fire zone' has been turned into 'fire zone' by the SLA." The SLA was firing artillery from all the corners, from Mu'l'liyavazhai, Nedungkea'ni, Oddichuddaan, Puthukkudiyiruppu, Theavipuram and Chaalai. RPGs, 40 mm cannons and 50 caliber guns were targeting the road from Puthumaaththa'lan hospital to Mu'l'livaaykkaal. The confrontation between the LTTE and the SLA was taking place in the outer perimeter and at one of the last bunds close to the gateway to the so-called safety zone. After heavy fighting along the frontiers, the SLA turned its firepower onto the civilians. People have not eaten anything since Tuesday evening. "There are no words to describe the plight of the children," concluded TamilNet correspondent in his update filed at 10:40 a.m. local time. Meanwhile, medical sources at Puthumaaththa'lan makeshift hospital said they only received 38 wounded and said 12 more wounded were dead when their relatives managed to bring them to the hospital. SLA attacks kill 23 Tamil civilians within 12 hours[TamilNet, 13 April 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired shells and gunfire killed at least 23 civilians within the last 12 hours from 8:30 p.m. Sunday to 8:00 a.m. Monday, according to TamilNet correspondent reporting from the safety zone in Vanni. Most of the killings, numbering between 15 - 20, occurred in the early hours of Monday when SLA stepped up a fresh ground push to advance into the safety zone. The SLA is trying to advance during the night aiming for bifurcating and capturing northern or southern part of the so-called safety zone contradicting the announcement by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa that he had instructed his ground forces to "restrict their operations during the New Year to those of a defensive nature." Most of the civilian casualties have been reported within Valaignarmadam and Mu'l'livaaykkaal. Sporadic shelling and gunfire was reported after 8:00 a.m. when the fighting ceased. SLA attacks kill 129 civilians, 282 wounded in 'safety zone' on Wednesday[TamilNet, 08 April 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells claimed the lives of 129 civilians inside the so-called 'safety zone' throughout the day on Wednesday, according to the latest reports. Three artillery shells targeted a child care / nutrition centre at Pokka'nai Wednesday morning where many civilians were waiting to obtain humanitarian milk rations for children. The shelling on child care centre was the single "most cruel carnage" on civilians within the safety zone, a rescue worker at the makeshift hospital in Puthumaaththa'lan said adding that exact casualty figures of children were yet to be reported from the site of the carnage, due to continued attacks till the evening. A high number of victims were children, numbering between 40 to 80, according to latest reports. There are over 5,000 people at the protest now, many have sat on the streets demanding urgent action. [ Monday, 06 April 2009 ] This is to let you know that there is a large crowd of Tamil Diaspora gathering outside the UK Parliament at Parliament Square to protest about the lack of real action taken by the international community in implementing a ceasefire in Sri Lanka. Yesterday’s announcement by the Government of Sri Lanka that they have now ‘captured’ all of the land controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and that members of LTTE are now cornered within the ‘no fire zone’. This announcement has made the already anxious and worried friends and relatives of the innocent Tamil civilians of the Vanni around the World even more concerned for their safety and security. By this announcement and by not heeding to international calls for a ceasefire the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) has openly acknowledged that it is going to continue with the massacre of Tamils even within the ‘no fire zone’. Many aid agencies, foreign governments and international institutions have already condemned indiscriminate bombing of civilians by the Government Forces in the recent past.   There have been on average at least 40 to 50 innocent civilians including children being killed every day since the war intensified in the past few months. Head of United Nations Human Rights Council has gone on record to state that there is credible evidence of over 2,800 innocent lives including children have been lost and over 7,000 people have been injured in past two months to middle of March. We kindly urge you to bring the plight of Tamils of Sri Lanka to the wider world by reporting such mass actions taken by the Tamil Diaspora. Reporting from the conflict zone is banned by the GoSL to avoid their atrocities being reported internationally. Sri Lanka is also ranked as one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. GoSL has been implicated in many such killings and disappearances. SLA intensifies attacks on Safe Zone, 71 civilians killed, 143 wounded[TamilNet, 05 April 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA), which has been blaming that the Tigers were using civilians as 'human shields' on Sunday contradicted its claims saying that main LTTE fighting formations were inside a territory outside the safe zone, besieged by the SLA and claimed that the area has now been brought under its control, causing heavy casualties to the LTTE. Meanwhile, the SLA has stepped up attacks on civilians inside the safety zone from 8:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the latest reports from the civilian safe zone. At least 71 civilians were killed and 143 sustained injuries and the doctors at Puthumaaththa'lan makeshift hospital were struggling to save a one month old baby, seriously wounded in SLA shelling.       Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) helicopter fired rocket killing 8 civilians near Pokka'nai Pi'l'laiyaar temple Sunday afternoon. Heavy shelling by the SLA targeted Maaththa'lan, Pokka'nai, Valaignarmadam, Iraddai-vaaykkaal and other areas of the safety zone. At least 23 of the civilians rushed to Puthumaaththa'lan makeshift hospital have succumbed to their injuries. Local aid workers expressed fear of SLA stepping up its attacks on civilians inside the safe zone with the aim of forcefully subjugating them. Recognize our freedom: Vanni civilian leader[TamilNet, 04 April 2009]How can a people trust a government that has instructed them to get into a safety zone and then kills, maims and starve them continuously for months now, asks Pararajasingam Kanagalingam, president of the Vanni People Welfare Organization (VPWO), in a recorded affidavit on the civil situation of Vanni sent to TamilNet Wednesday. “ Right to live is the most fundamental right guaranteed by the UN. But, even after assurances, people are killed here everyday by government forces. Is it a government that can’t guarantee the fundamental right? If the government can’t care for us it should leave us free. What is wrong if the Tamils think of self-determination? Even now the people of Vanni are firm in this aspiration for freedom”, said Mr. Kanagalingam. He spoke at length without break, but with coherence. He was insightful and was well informed of the happenings inside, trends outside and the global perspectives of the whole issue, despite being herded into a pocket blockaded of everything, including information. His tone was brimming with anxiety whether he would get another chance to tell the outside world of the plight faced by his people. But, what he said reflected the calibre of the true civilian leadership emerging from the ground realities of Vanni and the determination of a people with which the entire world has to deal with, in resolving the crisis. On the physical milieu of the so-called safety zone, he said that around 360, 000 people were herded into an uninhabitable region in the hot season of the year to live in tarpaulin tents, without adequate food, potable water, medicine and amidst constant fear of getting killed en masse in SLA shelling. There is no food virtually. No supplies came in January and February. What was received later was just a token. When they said a shipload was sent, it was just a boat bringing only a handful for each. People, standing in long queues, were depending on the gruel (Kagnchi) provided by the LTTE. The quota of food stipulated by the UN was never cared for. When we appealed to our kith and kin in the diaspora and when there was an effort by them to organize direct assistance, then only 500 metric tons of food was sent. This is enough for a week only to 32.000 families, where as there are 81,000 families staying here. The requirement is 1500 metric tons per week. Food is not merely the dry rations. There is no sight of vegetables. Onions, dry-chillies tamarind and cooking oil are sold for 5,000 rupees per kilo / litre, where as a coconut is priced 250 rupees. A packet of milk powder is 3,000 rupees. But, there is no money and no work. People trusted the government and came to the safety zone abandoning all their savings. They will not trust it anymore. On medical conditions Mr. Kanagalingam said, the three make-shift medical facilities functioning in Puthu-maaththa’lan, Mu’l’li-vaaykkaal and Valaignar-madam are mere first-aid centres, without medicine or facilities for regular treatment. But, it is an emergency situation. The injured have no facilities. The injured are getting again injured in these hospitals in SLA shelling. 53 patients evacuated to Trincomalee died. They could have been saved, had there been enough facilities here. Around 25 percent of the people here are suffering from heart ailments and diabetes, manifested by the stress of life. They need regular medicine and no medicines for months to these patients. If they can’t send medicine they should tell why. In the absence of hygienic facilities, the seashore is completely polluted with human excreta, causing contagious diseases. Above everything, potable water - where to find it? There are around 67,000 children among the civilians and about 7,000 of them are nursery school kids. They have no education. Five educational zones of Vanni are not functioning for months now. Yet, despite all hardships, there is a strong reason why people have chose to stay. They don’t trust the government. The Sri Lankan state cannot be said functioning adhering to the UN Charter. It is not prepared to assure life and livelihood to its people and it deliberately sabotaged UN assistance to its people. On the role of the International Community, Kanagalingam said: War is not the way, the IC always says. But they contribute to this war. If war can’t solve the problem why don’t they talk? We trusted Norway, but it left us on the seashore now. We were disillusioned. Eric Solheim was not neutral. That is our suspicion. This is not the problem of our generation. It is at least 60 years old. We are not the only people responsible to it. Nearly a 100,000 Tamils have been killed already. Isn’t it enough to call it genocide? We are an ancient people of humanity. Why don’t the world give us an opportunity, concluded Mr. Kanagalingam. SLA attacks kill 90 civililans within 3 days, 195 wounded[TamilNet, 03 April 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued artillery and mortar shelling during the past 3 days in addition to firing Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) shells and Fifty Calibre rounds inside the so-called safety zone, killing 90 civilians and causing injuries to 195, according to medical and humanitarian workers within the 'no-fire zone'. Medical staff at the makeshift hospital Friday said they still lack many medicines and that only 7 types of medical items were brought in ICRC ship on Thursday. 33 civilians were killed and 78 wounded on Wednesday, 31 were reported killed and 70 wounded on Thursday and 26 civilians were killed on Friday when 47 civilians were admitted at the makeshift hospital in Puthumaaththa'lan. Around 450 patients wounded and sick civilians together with their attendants were transferred in another ship to Pulmoaddai in Trincomalee district from Puthumaaththa'lan. 1000 MT food items, which included milk powder, Thriposha and Corn Soya were also brought by the ICRC. Meanwhile, medical staff at the hospital said malnutrition was increasingly observed among the children. People were seen in long queues to obtain humanitarian supplies. SLA attacks kill 88 Tamils, including 21 children on Monday[TamilNet, 31 March 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelling on Monday claimed the lives of 70 civilians as Fifty Caliber gunfire from the SLA positions across the lagoon also killed 18 civilians on the road, which links the makeshift hospital with IDP settlements. 21 of the slain victims and 31 of 156 wounded civilians were children. 63 tarpaulin huts were destroyed in SLA attacks. TamilNet correspondent witnessed that four children were orphaned as they lost both their parents and siblings. The civilians were struggling to take their wounded to the hospital as the entire stretch of the road has come under 50 Caliber machine gun fire. Four civilians, including a worker of the fishing union that arranges boats to transport the patients from the coastal point Thidal to the ICRC ship, were wounded in SLA gunfire. The ICRC ship to transport the patients didn't come close to the shore since it came under gunfire last time. The patients had to be transferred by boats under very difficult circumstances to the ship. ICRC officials who arrived in the ship were not able to reach the shore due to the attacks. 59 of the victims were killed within the three areas of Iraddaivaaykkaal, Mu'l'livaaykkaal and Valiagnarmadam. 9 civilians were killed when a shell hit the road between Valaignarmadam and Iraddaivaaykkaal. The shelling continued throughout the day. Several huts along the road were destroyed or blown away in SLA shelling. 6 minor shops along the road were destroyed. 3 of the slain victims were owners of these shops. Seven of 18 civilians killed on the road were not identified. The unidentified bodies were relocated for identification by the volunteers of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO). 39 of the victims including 17 women, 9 children, 1 baby and 8 elderly, killed in Valaignarmadam and Mu'l'livaaykkaal area were buried by their relatives. SLA attacks kill 53 civilians inside 'safety zone' Sunday[TamilNet, 30 March 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued artillery, mortar and long-distance gunfire throughout Sunday killing at least 53 civilians and causing injuries to around 119. At least 17 civilians were killed in Maaththa'lan, 18 in Pokka'nai, 15 in Valaignarmadam and 3 in Pachchaip-pulmoaddai, reports TamilNet correspondent from Vanni. Meanwhile, around 1,192 civilians including 275 children, belonging to 298 families have lost their shelters within last 5 days as their tarpaulin huts were completely destroyed in SLA attacks. The civilians who lost their huts are staying along the sea side and along the sides of the road and have become fully dependent on 'ilaik-kagnchi' (gruel with leaves) supplied twice by the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) for their food. In addition to the 298 tarpaulin huts that have been fully destroyed, 550 huts need immediate repair in Maaththa'lan, Pokka'nai and Valaignarmadam areas. The families rendered without shelters find themselves more exposed to attacks by the SLA. 179 civilians including 76 children killed within 3 days inside 'safety zone'[Tamilnet, 28 March 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) attacks have claimed the lives of 179 civilians within the three days of Thursday, Friday and Saturday, according to the casualty figures collected by TamilNet correspondent in Vanni. At least 76 of the slain victims were children below the age of 15. At least 16 pregnant mothers were among the slain. More than 109 children below the age of 15 have sustained injuries. Around 45% of the thousands of shells fired by the SLA have hit the safety zone. Meanwhile, a foreign staff of the ICRC, who came in the ship on Saturday to transport the wounded civilian had a narrow escape when the ship was hit by long distance gunfire by the SLA damaging a window of the ship. On Friday, a local ICRC worker, P. Satheeskumar, was reportedly injured in SLA shelling. The wife of another Red Cross (ICRC or SLRC) worker was reportedly killed on Friday.   The ICRC ship that arrived on Thursday and on Saturday to transfer the wounded patients from Maaththa'lan hospital managed to transport around 950 persons. Five wounded patients being treated at the Intensive Care Unit of the makeshift hospital were killed Thursday morning when Rocket Propelled Grenades fired by the SLA hit the hospital. A 7-month-old foetus was slain Friday when a 25-year-old pregnant mother, Paasamalr, sustained injuries in her lower abdomen. Civilians in Maaththa'lan and Pokka'nai had to stay inside the bunkers continuously for 13 hours from 10:00 p.m. Thursday till 11:00 a.m. Friday as SLA stepped up artillery, mortar and gunfire. Bullets were whizzing over the main road which links the various villages of the safety zone. 59 civilians were killed on Thursday, 63 including 21 children on Friday and 57 on Saturday. At least 109 children below age 15 have sustained injuries. 31 of them were below 10 years of age. 9 of 16 slain pregnant mothers were in their final stage of pregnancy, according to medical sources. Most of the deaths of pregnant mothers have been reported in Pokka'nai and Maaththa'lan areas. The SLA deployed cluster-fitted shells Thursday night to target IDP shelters between Valaignarmadam and Pokka'nai, and between Maaththa'lan and Pokka'nai during the day time of Friday. 498 persons were transferred from the hospital by the ICRC ship on Saturday and 443 on Thursday. Two shells that hit a well between Pokka'nai and Maaththa'lan have claimed the lives of 10 IDPs who were washing their bodies. An entire family of four members was wiped out Thursday in rocket fire that came from SLA positions across the lagoon. RPG fire targeted Pokka'nai - Maaththa'lan border. A female village (GS) officer, Ajantha Abarajithan, was killed in Valaignarmadam Thursday. There have also been air strikes carried out by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) inside the safety zone. Carnage continues, 131 civilians including 32 children killed Wednesday[TamilNet, 26 March 2009]131 civilians, including 32 children were killed in various types of attacks carried out by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) inside the safety zone throughout the day on Thursday, according to data collected from various local NGO workers and medical authorities within the civilian pocket besieged by the SLA. 49 of 252 wounded were children. SLA fired RPG shells, deployed long-range gunfire and mortar shells targeting the 4 km stretch from Puthumaaththa'lan to Valaignarmadam. 7 members of a family, including 4 children below the age of 10, were killed in RPG attack by the SLA in Maaththa'lan. 31 travellers were killed in gunfire and mortar attacks on Wednesday. Meanwhile SLAF bombardment claimed the lives of 27 civilians.                 Medical authorities reported that 185 wounded were admitted to the makeshift hospita in Maaththa'lan on Wednesday. Multi Barrel Rocket Fire (MBRL) was also reported inside the safety zone at Pokka'nai around 3:00 p.m. Wednesday. 16 civilians, including 4 children, were killed by a single MBRL rocket that hit an IDP hut in the coastal side of Pokka'nai. 9 of the 27 wounded were children. Many of the dead succumbed to burn injuries caused by MBRL fire. 33 more civilians including 11 children were killed and 72 wounded included 27 children in Pokka'nai area in MBRL and artillery fire. Many tarpaulin shelters and properties were destroyed in MBRL fire. 3 shops were destoryed in Pokka'nai. The SLA opened fire from the other side of the lagoon towards the 4 km stretch of the road from Maaththa'lan to Valaignarmadam, killing 17 civilians including 9 travellers. Mortar attack was reported along the same stretch from 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. At least one mortar shell hit the area every 5 to 10 minutes, causing 23 deaths. Many of the wounded succumbed to their injuries due to the lack of medical transportation as the road was being continuously targeted by the SLA which used RPG rockets, gun and mortar fire to attack the road and the surrounding tarpaulin huts of the IDPs. TRO and Tamileelam police officials were struggling to save the lives of the wounded. Meanwhile, SLAF bombers attacked the area within the 'safety zone' at least 6 times. Two SLAF bombers attacked Pachchaip-pulmoaddai and Mu'l'livaaykkaal, dropping around 29 bombs, killing 27 civilians including 6 children, 12 females and 3 elderly on the spot. The attack destroyed 37 tarpaulin shelters. 85 tarpaulin huts with the properties were destroyed in the attacks inside the safety zone by the SLA and the SLAF on Wednesday.acks inside the safety zone by the SLA and the SLAF on Wednesday. SLA attacks hospital, 2 patients killed, 11 wounded[TamilNet, 26 March 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) attacked the makeshift hospital at Puthumaththa'lan with Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) in the early hours of Thursday between 4:00 and 4:30 a.m., killing two patients inside the hospital and causing injuries to 11 including two medical staff. Six patients who were already being treated for their injuries from shell attacks and 3 other civilians who were with the injured patients at the hospital were also wounded in the RPG attack.  Article 18 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that the civilian hospitals organized to give care to the wounded and sick, the infirm and maternity cases, may in no circumstances be the object of attack, but shall at all times be respected and protected by the Parties to the conflict. Sri Lanka (Ceylon) is a signatory to the First, Second and Third Geneva Conventions and it ratified the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, by accession to it, on 23.02.1959. Hospitals have come under attack several times. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Defence Secretary of Sri Lanka has openly stated that hospitals outside the 'safety zone' were legitimate military targets earlier. However, hospitals functioning within the 'safety zone' have also been attacked earlier. 42 civilians killed, 80 wounded in Vanni Saturday[TamilNet, 22 March 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells into the 'safety zone', also on Saturday, killing 42 civilians and causing injuries to around 80 civilians, including a GS (Village officer), initial reports from Vanni said Saturday. Meanwhile, the SLA and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) were using heavy explosives in their clashes with the LTTE defensive units in Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK) area. At least 7 civilians who ventured into Iranaippaalai to collect coconuts were reported killed in SLAF air strike. SLAF bombers were engaged in bombing Ira'naippaalai area at least five times on Saturday. The SLA was avoiding direct confrontations and was relying upon heavy use of artillery barrage and the fire support of the SLAF, according to the sources close to the LTTE. On Friday, SLA soldiers attempted to advance in Ira'naippaalai following heavy artillery barrage and air attacks, but were forced withdraw leaving behind dead bodies and military hardware, the Tigers said claiming that at least 20 SLA soldiers were killed and 120 sustained injuries in the confrontation. SLA shelling kills 102 civilians within 3 days inside 'safety zone'[TamilNet, 21 March 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery shelling killed 46 civilians Friday inside the safety zone in the besieged pocket in Mullaiththeevu. SLA-fired shells hit 6 tarpaulin shelters of the IDPs in Maaththa'lan Friday, killing 16 civilians. Meanwhile 4 civilians were killed around 11:00 a.m., 300 meters near the coastal spot, where the ICRC was transporting wounded civilians. On Thursday, 39 civilians including 11 children were killed and at least 17 civilians were reported killed inside the safety zone on Wednesday.   6 civilians were killed in Pokk'anai when a single shell hit an IDP hut around 1:00 p.m. on Friday. The remaining casualties were reported in Mu'l'livaaykkaal, Iraddaivaaykkaal, and Valaignarmadam. Heavy shelling was reported in Pokka'nai and Maaththa'lan areas within the safety zone since 11:00 p.m. Thursday 'Safe zone' under encircling fire, 137 killed in 3 days, ICRC worker wounded[TamilNet, 17 March 2009]137 people have died and more than 200 injured since Saturday night in Sri Lanka Army shelling and gunfire inside the 'safe zone' of Vanni. At least 18 of them have died hit by long-range gunfire coming from SLA attacking the civilian zone. Meanwhile, massive bunker buster bombs numbering around 50 dropped by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) on the fringes of the 'safe zone' on Tuesday caused untold panic among the civilians.   58 civilians were killed on Sunday in SLA shelling. 12 civilians succumbed to injuries caused by long-range gunfire. On Monday, 29 were killed in shelling and 6 in the gunfire by the SLA, which reaches the safe-zone from all the directions. 73 civilians were wounded on Monday. 32 civilians were killed Tuesday morning in shelling. The casualty details of SLAF bombardment is yet to emerge. An ICRC worker, K. Pulenthirarasa, was wounded in SLA gunfire on Monday near Maaththa'lan hospital and was taken on board the ICRC ship that transferred the wounded.  Meanwhile, medical authorities at Maaththa'lan hospital said 52 civilians were admitted Monday including 12 children below 15 years of age. Five succumbed to their injuries after admission. “The people of Vanni have started seriously suspecting that the ultimate aim of the international community is promoting their capture by Colombo which exerts pressure using all means including food and medicine. The choices are limited to either immediate death inside the 'safe zone' or subjugation and genocide outside." An NGO worker in Vanni, reflecting the mood of people told TamilNet correspondent that whatever that may happen, the civilians who are experiencing the untold misery at present and the Tamils in general who are watching the plight of their brethren are not going to have any respect or pay credibility to those who have extended their support to the genocidal war, which aims subjugation of the Tamils. "The open defiance of Colombo to all international calls for ceasefire and, on the contrary, intensification of its attacks, have made civilians to suspect the integrity and credibility of the IC." Shelling doesn't spare even babies in wombs[TamilNet,15 March 2009]While four pregnant mothers were killed in SLA shelling on Friday inside the safe zone, another mother who was admitted to the makeshift-hospital after injuries in her lower abdomen gave birth Saturday to a baby girl, but the hospital staff noticed the child having shrapnel on her left thigh. The newborn child went through a small surgery even before her first feeding, according to the medical staff at the hospital in Maaththa'lan.   The mother who gave birth to the baby girl is 24-year-old Prasad Sivatharsany from Thearaavil, Visuvamadu. She was injured in a shell attack on 02 March. Another pregnant mother aged 28, with shell blast injuries admitted to the hospital on Wednesday went through abdominal surgery. The 6 months old foetus was found truncated of both feet. The following day, the mother also died. A pregnant mother delivering dead twins was already reported on Thursday Medical sources in the makeshift-hospital said pregnant mothers who lack nutritious food and face continuous trauma in addition to the physical stress are having a difficult time, especially after mini-cyclone hitting the safe zone last week. Civilian casualties mount as intense bombing and shelling continues[Tamil,15 March 2009]69 civilians were killed, including 19 children, and scores wounded within the safe zone in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelling and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombardments Saturday in Mullaiththeevu. The SLAF bombers have been attacking the zone continuously for the 5th day, despite the call from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Friday to the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa that the SLA "should not fire into the civilian areas of the conflict zone." A video clipping of a wounded child who lost his father while inside a bunker narrating the carnage is annexed in this story for record purposes despite its strong content, because Colombo government denies all attack inside safe zone and even condemns the UN and other humanitarian agencies for bringing in accusations based on what it describes as 'pro-rebel proxy websites'. SLAF bombers attacked twice safe zone near Maaththa'lan lagoon, around 8:00 a.m. and later around 11:30 p.m. 29 civilians were killed in Maaththa'lan where the makeshift-hospital is located. The shelling was reported also close to the hospital. The remaining were killed in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal and Iraddai-vaaykkaal in the safe zone. As the hospital area was especially targeted by the SLA shelling and long distance gunfire, civilian access to hospital became seriously afflicted. A mother was killed in long-distance gunfire that reached Maaththa'lan junction. Two men, a young boy and a father were also reported in killed hit by rounds inside the safe zone. The gunfire by the SLA had come 3 km away from the safe zone. Meanwhle, the only operation theatre and the outpatient's section of the hospital in Maaththa'lan couldn't function Saturday as it has gone empty of all medicines. Doctors and the medical staff present at the hospital were helpless. As even bandages and pads needed for the first aid of fractures were not available, the patients were seen applying old cloths for bandaging and Palmyra palm pads (panai maddai) to support fractures. A couple of days ago, the hospital authorities complained of non-availability of bags needed for blood donated to the blood bank. The long awaited ICRC ship transporting seriously injured civilians arrived only on Saturday. 420 wounded were transferred from the hospital while 600 - 800 more seriously wounded are still awaiting for transport. An ICRC representative who came in the ship was taken to the hospital to see the conditions SLA shelling targets relief supplies and hospital, patients wounded[TamilNet, 13 March 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells hit the area close to the makeshift-hospital in Puthumaaththa'lan inside the 'safe zone' Friday around 4:10 p.m., causing injuries to four patients who were already wounded. The artillery attack intensified while ICRC ship was unloading humanitarian supplies. Seven civilians were killed and 32 wounded in shell explosion near the ground where the humanitarian supplies were being stored around 3:00 p.m. Totally, 31 civilians were killed during the daytime on Friday inside the 'safe zone'. The shelling targeted Valaignarmadam, Iraddaivaaykkaal, Mu'l'livaaykkaal and Maaththa'lan.    Meanwhile, two Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers carried out 3 aerial missions close to the lagoon, dropping 24 bombs throughout the day. Casualty details of the SLAF bombardment were not known.    SLA shelling targets humanitarian supplies in 'safe zone'[TamilNet, 13 March 2009]A pregnant mother delivered two dead twins Thursday and her husband was wounded when Sri Lanka Army fired bullets reached their hut in Maaththa'lan, across the lagoon. Meanwhlie, SLA-fired shells hit the ground 300 meters away from the spot where the humanitarian supplies were being unloaded. Five civilians were killed and 20 sustained injuries in the attack that occurred around 8:20 a.m. Later in the evening, another shell attack targeted the ground where the supplies were being stored. 62 civilians were killed and more than 129 wounded throughout the day and the night inside the safe zone. The attacks have taken place as a surveillance aircraft of the Sri Lanka Air Force was continuously engaged in monitoring the area. The ICRC officials who were in a boat on their way towards the coast had to return to the ship as shelling targeted the coastal stretch in the morning. The ship was later moved to mid-sea. Although the weather conditions have improved, the ICRC ship facilitating medical transport was yet to arrive. The makeshift-hospital was struggling to cope with the situation.  More than 40 civilians sustained injuries in Mu'l'livaaykkaal and Valaignarmadam. Some shops at Maaththa'lan junction were seen burning in the evening after SLA shelling targeted the area. Two SLAF bomber jets were also continuously engaged in bombardment in areas close to safe zone. The bombers carried out four bombing missions, dropping 32 bombs throughout the day from the morning till evening 3:45 p.m. Medical sources in the makeshift-hospital said pregnant mothers who lack nutritious food and continuous trauma in addition to the physical stress are having a difficult time, especially after the min-cyclone hit the safe zone this week 50,000 families affected by floods in 'safe zone'[TamilNet, 12 March 2009]Health officials in Vanni said Wednesday that civilians inside the 'safe zone', urgently need at least 50,000 temporary shelters and temporary toilets as they live under worn out tarpaulin tents. There is a severe shortage of food and medicines. Scarcity of drinking water and sanitation facilities add to the woes of the people, health officials said. The makeshift hospital in Puthumaaththa'lan was struggling to accommodate patients under its roof. Many patients were earlier staying outside the building. The ICRC ship, which uses to transport the seriously wounded did not come due to the bad weather conditions, the officials further said.   About 81,000 families consisting of about 330,000 persons displaced from Mullaiththeevu, Kilinochchi, and part of Vavuniyaa, Mannaar and Jaffna Districts are staying in the Safe Zone in Mullaiththeevu proclaimed by the Sri Lankan government. Their situation was worsened by the onslaught of heavy rains and strong winds on 09th and 10th March, 2009. As a result about 50,000 families are directly affected and have nowhere to go.   Sri Lankan cluster shelling kills 129 civilians within 7 hours[TamilNet,10 March 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells fitted with cluster munitions and fire-bombs into civilian 'safety zone' killing at least 129 civilians between 2:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Around 200 civilians were wounded. 300 tarpaulin huts burned down to ashes in Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fired rockets. The medical store at Valaignarmadam has sustained damage and the son of a doctor was reported killed there, according to initial reports. A local NGO official, who was coordinating the rescue of the wounded described the carnage as "Colombo’s show of open mockery at international concern," reports TamilNet's Vanni correspondent. "The attack was criminally deliberate as it was timed for the aftermath of a mini cyclone and floods, at the stranded civilians," the NGO official said. "In a show of open mockery at the mounting international concern for civilians in Vanni, the Colombo government indiscriminately attacked all parts of the ‘safe zone’ using every kind of lethal shells, some of them banned in many countries." The low-lying and inhospitable coastal terrain, bereft of vegetation, was the choice of the government as the safe-zone for herding civilians. The government has now turned it into a killing zone, where civilians every day die in hundreds due to shelling and starvation. Commenting further, the NGO official who didn't wish to be named said: "What the Colombo government is committing is not ordinary genocide, but mass torture and genocide." "Why Colombo is doing this is quite obvious. Because, in truth, the war waged by Colombo is against the Tamil people, aiming at their subjugation," he says. "Let the criminal minded international pundits, who argue in favour of the Colombo government for its right to wage this war tell us in what way the killings in the ‘safe zone’ are different from the proven genocides elsewhere in the world." "The alternative suggested to the civilians is a worse form of concentration camps intended for years." A civilian who escaped the shelling, but witnessed people standing nearby killed, came out with a touching statement on Sunday that he was 'unfortunate to survive'. Comments from the NGO official tells the extent of the resentment and anger among the civilians in Vanni: "The Indian Establishment and the Co-Chairs countries share responsibilities for the genocide and war crimes taking place in the island. "With a stroke of pen they declared the fighting force of the Tamils as ‘terrorists’ and tilted the balance in favour of the genocidal government. "They provided money, weapons and diplomatic leverage to Colombo. "The war waged by Colombo is a proxy war of all of them. "Are they in a position now to stop the real terrorism of Colombo and genocide? "All these years they couldn’t even lift a finger to all the human rights abuses taking place in the island. "What we see even now is only lip services, meaningless statements, sabotage at UN and dodging tactics. "While the US Pacific Command is planning how to handover the people into the murderous hands of Colombo, the US Ambassador in Colombo is seen pleading the chauvinists even for subservient concessions, rejected by Tamils long back," commented the NGO worker. Colombo's shelling carnage of flood-hit civilians, 25 children killed[TamilNet, 10 March 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) intensified indiscriminate shelling on the 'safe zone' throughout Monday, continuing into Tuesday morning to the time of this reporting, killing 74 civilians and injuring more than 100, TamilNet correspondent reported from Vanni. 25 of the victims killed were children. "The inhuman shelling deliberately targeted all the areas of the 'safe zone' where civilians are already victims of flood and a mini-cyclone that hit them Monday." All lethal ammunitions such as artillery-fired cluster shells, fire-shells and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) shells were used in the SLA attack. High casualties were reported in Ampalavanpokka'nai. 56 civilians were killed on Monday. 18 of them were children. 12 civilians including 4 children were slain in Ampalavanpokka'nai, 11 were killed and 3 of them were children in Pachchaip-pulmoaddai. 5 of the 9 civilians slain in Valaignarmadam and 3 of the 7 killed in Maaththa'lan were children. 2 of the 9 killed at Iraddaivaaykkaal were children and one of the 8 reported killed in Mu'l'livaaykkaal was a child. Shelling continued Tuesday morning from 2:30 a.m. So far, 18 civilians were reported killed, 9 in Ampalavanpokka'nai, 4 in Pachchaip-pulmoaddai, 3 at Valaignarmadam and 2 in Mu'l'livaaykkaal. The casualty figure is expected to rise, according to local NGO workers helping the displaced. Sri Lankan attacks kill 155 civilians Thursday and Friday[TamilNet, 07 March 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelling killed 86 civilians on Friday from the early hours of the day and more than 100 civilians were wounded. Thousands of civilians within the 'safety zone' were forced to remain inside the bunkers. Dead bodies were not brought to the hospital as shelling continued. 69 civilians were killed on the previous day in the indiscriminate shelling and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombardments. More than 220 civilians have been wounded on Thursday and Friday. 31 civilians were killed at Aananthapuram in I'ranaippaalai in SLAF bombardment and SLA shelling on Thursday. Two bombers dropped 8 times in two rounds throughout the day. Sasi Mathan, 27, Mullaiththeevu District Distribution Manager of Eezhanaatham Daily, the only newspaper published in LTTE controlled territory, was among the victims at Aananthapuram. He is a native of Mu'l'liyava'lai. Four civilians were killed Thursday when SLA shelling targeted an area where government vehicles were parked was also subjected to shell attack at Valaignarmadam. A fire-bomb shell claimed the lives of 4 more civilians in Pokka'nai on Thursday. Around 30 civilians were killed in the remaining places, including Mu'l'livaaykkaal on Thursday. The SLA also fired from Chaalai using long-range machine guns into the sea on Thursday. At least one bullet hit the ICRC ship, according to informed sources. ‘UN must protect civilians in Sri Lanka’ – Tutu, British academics[TamilNet, 06 March 2009]Demanding that the UN protect civilians in Sri Lanka, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and several leading scholars at British universities have written an open letter to the British government urging it to press for a UN Security Council Resolution authorising a fact-finding mission to the island’s Northeast. “The deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation throughout the war-afflicted areas of northern and eastern Sri Lanka warrants immediate attention and action by the Security Council,” the letter, published in the Times newspaper, said. The letter was signed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Dr Louise Arimatsu (LSE), Dr Chaloka Beyani (LSE), Professor Bill Bowring (Birkbeck), Professor Mathew Craven (SOAS), Professor Malgosia Fitzmaurice (Queen Mary), Professor Guy S. Goodwin-Gill (Oxford), Muthupandi Ganesan (barrister), Dr Krishna Kalaichelvan, Professor Mary Kaldor (LSE), Naomi Lumsdaine, John Mcnally, Dr Roger O’Keefe (Cambridge), Andrew Price (barrister), Professor Martin Shaw (Sussex), Mannan Thangarajah (barrister) and Professor Nigel White (Sheffield). The full text of the letter, addressing the letter of The Times, follows: Sir, We call upon the UK Government to press for an urgent Security Council resolution on the situation in northern Sri Lanka, with the view to dispatching a fact-finding mission there under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, in furtherance of the Security Council’s primary responsibility under the Charter of the United Nations for the maintenance of international peace and security. We urge the UK Government, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to recognise the underlying importance of taking measures aimed at conflict prevention and resolution, and to draw its attention to its commitment under the Security Council resolutions 1265/1999 and 1296/2000 on the protection of civilians in armed conflict; resolution 1366/2001 on the role of the Security Council in the prevention of armed conflict; resolution 1325/2000 on women, peace and security; and resolution 1460/2003 on children in armed conflict. The deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation throughout the war-afflicted areas of northern and eastern Sri Lanka warrants immediate attention and action by the Security Council. An armed conflict entailing widespread and serious abuses continues in these areas. Calls for all sides to exercise restraint and respect international humanitarian and human rights law remain unheeded. Accurate and timely information about the situation of civilians in these areas remain scarce because of government-imposed restrictions on independent observers, including the UN, most human rights organisations, journalists and others, from accessing the combat zones. A few remaining independent observers have placed the total civilian casualties at 7,000, with 2,000 fatalities, within a four-week period between January and February this year. The total number of civilians trapped by the fighting is conservatively put at a quarter of a million. The real figures are likely to be much higher. The alleged abuses are being carried out with total impunity and include serious and indiscriminate violations of international humanitarian law. Humanitarian assistance and protection remain minimal owing to both targeted attacks and generalised insecurity. In the absence of concrete improvements in the security situation, each day adds to the toll of civilian deaths and injuries. Security Council action is urgently needed to ensure an end to persistent abuses by all parties to the conflict, to protect the civilians still at risk of attacks and to help to improve conditions by demonstrating the United Nations’ continuing commitment to the wellbeing of civilians caught up in armed conflicts around the world. Only 2.2% of humanitarian supplies reached Vanni in February - RDHS[TamilNet, 06 March 2009]Dr. T. Sathiyamoorthy, the Regional Director of Health Services (RDHS) of Ki'linochchi district, in a situation report issued on Thursday said that only 109.71MT of food had been received for the month of February 2009 through the ships with the help of the ICRC. The real requirement per month, according to the RDHS is 4950 MT. "Consequently people are threatened with starvation unless the food condition is urgently rectified," the doctor said in his situation report adding: "Particularly children, women, elders and those who are seriously ill become vulnerable to the onslaught of starvation."   "Only a few people could be satisfied with this amount of food received. Even to receive this, people wait in winding queues in the scorching son." "In fact, 13 people have died of starvation in the latter part of February alone." The water facilities in the 'safety zone' have been naturally limited because of the landscape. The sudden increase in the population had made the situation worse. The available open wells and the water provided by the bousers are not enough at all to provide sufficient water to the people, the report said. People wait in long queues for a long time even to collect a few pots of water provided at 10 places. Due to the non availability of materials to construct toilets, open defecation has become common among the majority of the people. The report by the Ki'linochchi RDHS, citing the Government Agent's statement on 28 February 2009, said around 330,000 persons from about 81,000 families were living in and around the 'safety zone' and more than 90 percent of the people are living under substandard tarpaulin shelters. The last UN food convoy reached Vanni by land route on 17th January. ICRC worker killed in SLA shelling[TamilNet, 04 March 2009]A staff worker of the ICRC in Vanni was killed Wednesday around 5:00 p.m. while he was returning after sending some of the seriously wounded patients from Maaththa'lan hospital in ICRC ship, reported TamilNet correspondent from Vanni. The victim, K. Vijayarasa, has been serving in the ICRC since 1997 and became a Team Leader in year 2000, according to a former ICRC Field Officer. The ICRC is yet to release details of the incident. Mr. Vijayarasa who worked in Water and Sanitation section of the ICRC in Mallaavi was also engaged in Relief Assistance work by the ICRC, according to the source. He is a native of A'laveddi, Jaffna. SLA in killing spree in the 'safety zone', 73 killed, 160 wounded[TamilNet, 04 March 2009]Sri Lanka Army fired artillery shells and air attacks by the Sri Lanka Air Force have claimed the lives of at least 73 civilians, most of them inside 'safety zone' on Tuesday in Mullaiththevu district, according to the details from medical and local aid workers in the district. More than 160 civilians have sustained injuries. Around 35 cluster-fitted artillery shells were fired within the last 3 days. 15 cluster shells were fired into civilian areas Tuesday alone. 11 children below age 10 have been killed, 4 in the morning, 5 in the night and one of the two children missing in morning was later identified as the child's mother recovered a fragment of its head. Maaththa'lan hospital was full of weeping mothers who were begging the doctors to save their wounded children from death.  The hospital is struggling to cope with the situation without enough medicine as shelling continued throughout Tuesday night. Recently, a woman was rushed to Maaththa'lan hospital from Pokka'nai with a cluster bomblet in unexploded state inside her leg, according to the doctors, who had to amputate her leg to save her life. Several children have sustained injuries in cluster explosions. People identify cluster explosions when they hear a different kind of blast than that of an artillery shell or mortar shell, followed by a spider like blast pattern with fireworks like noise. 33 civilians were killed in Maaththa'lan area. At least 16 of them were killed near the makeshift-hospital. Four of the slain victims were children. At least 15 civilians were slain in Pokk'ani area close to the lagoon-side on Wednesday. More than 18 civilians were killed in Iranaippaalai. At least 4 civilians were killed in Mu'l'iivaaykkaal. SLAF bombers also attacked Chaalai in the morning and Ira'naippaalai in the evening around 4:30 p.m. Sri Lankan commandos sexually abuse 14-year-old Tamil girl in Batticaloa[TamilNet, 02 March 2009]Special Task Force (STF) commandos in Vellaave'li police division in Batticaloa are alleged to have sexually abused a 14-year-old Tamil girl in front of her mother during a cordon and search conducted Sunday early morning in Vallaave’li, sources in Batticaloa said. The medical officer who examined the girl admitted to Batticaloa Teaching Hospital confirmed that she had been sexually abused. The STF commandos, having ordered all the men in the area to go to a temple, interrogated the women who were left alone in the houses collecting particulars about members of the family besides sexually abusing them. The neigbhours had heard women screaming and when they had tried to go for their help STF commandos had obstructed them, the sources further said. Meanwhile, Batticaloa police interrogated the sexually abused girl in the hospital for many hours Sunday. The residents of Vellaave’li are gripped in terror following the above incidents. Hunger claims lives in Vanni[TamilNet, 02 March 2009]Four children below the age of 15 and their parents were admitted to Maaththa'lan makeshift-hospital Monday in serious condition after consuming Adampan leaves (Beach Morning Glory) as nothing else was available for them to eat, according to medical sources. Meanwhile, at least six people have already died due to hunger inside the 'safe zone' in recent days, the sources further said adding that many more are feared dead due to starvation but not accounted for. "What prevents the world powers to set aside their diplomatic maneuvering and arrange enough food and medicine to reach us immediately," ask the people of Vanni reports TamilNet correspondent. People understand very well that practically there is no problem other than the Colombo government, the correspondent said. People grab waste paddy husk of the last season heaped in the rice mills, in the hope of getting at least some grains and tiny fragments of rice to make little gruel. After labouring for 8 hours, winnowing the husks, even half a kilo of grains couldn't be obtained, lamented a displaced civilian from Mannaar, Karthikesu Sivalignam, who lives in Pokka'nai, according to Eezhanatham daily on Sunday. "The proud cultivators of Vanni are now reduced to scavengers in their own land," said TamilNet correspondent citing the news clipping. "How do the Colombo government and its abettors expect the civilians to have any respect for them or their agenda," was a response in fury from an NGO worker. Children vulnerable to SLA shelling in new 'safe zone'[TamilNet, 24 February 2009]Every shell being fired by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) into the 'safe zone' inflicts civilian casualties as the entire area is tightly populated, reported TamilNet correspondent on Tuesday. A single artillery shell fired around 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday claimed the lives of 6 civilians, including two teenage boys. The attack has taken place near the makeshift hospital at Puthumaaththa'lan. Many of the wounded were children among the 98 injured civilians admitted Sunday and Monday, according to medical authorities.     Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired an artillery shell Tuesday morning around 5:00 a.m. in the vicinity of the only functioning makeshift hospital inside the 'safety zone', killing 6 Tamils who had displaced from Ira'naippaalai and settled there Monday night. Four of the six victims killed Tuesday morning, identified as relatives, were N. Iyalavan, 12, Sreetharan Kirithas, 17, Jeyabalasingam Parthipan, 20 and V. Kamalesvary, 40. They had moved into Puthumaaththa'lan only Monday night from Ira'naippaalai. The other two killed were yet to be identified and their dead bodies were taken to Puthumaaththa'lan hospital, situated nearby. On Monday, 3 dead bodies of civilians were brought to the hospital with 11 wounded, including many children. 10 more civilians were feared killed Monday, according to medical authorities. But, according to local media reports 32 civilians were killed on Monday. 50 Tamil civilians killed, 130 wounded within 48 hours[TamilNet,22 February 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery barrage has killed 33 civilians on Saturday and 73 were brought to the makeshift hospital at Maaththa'lan with injuries. 14 deaths were registered by the hospital. On Sunday, around 20 civilians were killed in the SLA barrage and 60 wounded were brought to hospital, according to medical sources. Medical staff were struggling to cope with high number of patients admitted to the hospital. Following the air attack by the Tigers on Colombo, the SLA stepped up shelling during the night killing 14 persons within the Safety Zone at Valaignarmadam, Mu'l'livaaykkaal, and Pokka'ani. 19 more were killed during the day time on Saturday. Intense shelling targeted Ira'naippaalai, Aananthapuram and Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaiththeevu district on Sunday, killing more than 20 civilians. 30 families wiped out in massive attack Wednesday, shelling continues[TamilNet, 19 February 2009]Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) fired 32 bombs, both cluster and bunker busters and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired more than 200 artillery shells, wiping out more than 30 families along the Iranaippaalai Ananthanpuram Road where humanitarian institutions including orphanages, houses of displaced and elders were located, TamilNet correspondent in Vanni reported on Thursday. More than 180 huts were destroyed in the massive bombardment. Meanwhile, 24 civilians were killed in Puthukkudiyiruppu in SLA artillery barrage in the early hours of Thursday. 10 more civilians were killed in Ira'naippaalai, Aananthapuram and Valaignarmadam villages.   70 civilians were wounded on Thursday. There are more than 350 wounded patients at Maaththa'lan hospital. Most of the patients are being treated under the trees in the vicinity of the makeshift hospital. An ICRC official who came to Vanni with inadequate humanitarian supplies on Wednesday was invited to the makeshift hospital and made to witness the plight of the wounded, a doctor at the hospital said. On Thursday, 3 members of a single family were killed in Valaignarmadam, which comes under the new security zone. The artillery attack was reported from 2:00 a.m. in the morning. A deputy planning director attached to the Mullaiththeevu District Secretariat, 43-year-old Sriskandarajah Shanthi, has lost her left leg in the Sri Lankan attack. Most of the slain civilians have been buried by the relatives without any inspection or registration. Also, dead bodies that were brought to hospital in Maaththa'lan were buried, including the bodies that were not identified, as there was no proper mortuary facilities for the preservation of the dead for identification. Massive air attack on civilian targets, scores killed[TamilNet, 18 February 2009]At least 50 civilians were killed Wednesday around 12:50 p.m. when four Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers dropped cluster bombs on Internally Displaced Civilians at Aananthapuram in Ira'naippaalai, according to initial reports from medical sources. More than 70 wounded were rushed to hospital so far and 10 of the victims have died on the way to Maaththa'lan hospital. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched an artillery barrage blocking transportation of wounded to hospitals. Doctors in the makeshift hospital told TamilNet that unless the seriously wounded were not evacuated by the ICRC to Trincomalee or elsewhere, many would die at the hospital. There is no medicine at the hospital as Colombo has refused to allow medical supplies to Vanni since December 2008.  'Tamileelam Vaanoli', the commercial broadcast of the Voice of Tigers (VoT) in its news broadcast said several humanitarian installations are situated at the location of the attack. Orphanages, elders' homes, houses of disabled and a centre for prisoners of war were reportedly in the target area. Medical sources said at least 50 civilians were killed in one of the bombardments but expressed fear that the death toll could be more than 100 and that around 300 could be wounded. A rescue worker who brought wounded to the hospital said there were bunkers that have been busted and exact casualty figure would emerge only after the the rescue operation is complete. Maaththa'lan hospital is already overcrowded with the injured civilians. The latest bombardment came at a time where the internally displaced people were moving from one location to another to escape from the indiscriminate artillery shelling and multi barrel rocket attack. At least 160 people were killed within the last 10 hours in Mullaiththeevu said a doctor at Maththa'lan hospital. SLA artillery fire hits new 'safety zone', 108 killed, 200 wounded[TamilNet,18 February 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched indiscriminate artillery barrage into the newly announced 'safety zone' killing at least 108 civilians and causing injuries to more than 200, according to initial details from the medical sources in the area. Every shell that hit the area seemed to have caused casualties, said a doctor at the makeshift hospital at Maaththa'lan. More than 100,000 people have been forced into a plain and narrow strip along the coast, north of Mullaiththeevu town, without potable water. Meanwhile, relentless artillery barrage by the SLA has boxed Theavipuram and Va'l'lipunam villages within the old zone, trapping thousands of civilians preventing them from moving to the new 'safe zone'. The artillery barrage lasted from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. and targeted Maaththa'lan, Pokka'nai, Mu'l'livaaykkaal within the safety zone and Ira'naippalai.   Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) fighter jets have also attacked Ira'naippaalai, the new centre for humanitarian and basic facilities, located between the new and old safety zones.   On Tuesday, at least 15 people, fleeing from the old 'safety zone' towards Maaththa'lan, were killed in artillery barrage.   260 killed, SLA shells and boxes civilians, preventing movement to safer areas[TamilNet, 16 February 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery barrage has boxed Theavipuram and Va'l'lipunam villages within the old 'safety zone,' trapping thousands of civilians preventing them from moving to the new 'safe zone'. Around 275 civilians are feared killed since Saturday and the roads remain continuously under heavy artillery barrage, civilians who managed to flee the area said on Monday. At least 5 humanitarian workers were killed while serving the needs of the civilians trapped inside the 'Theavipuram box'.   Three workers attached to Karaithu'raippattu Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society (MPCS) were killed Monday at Theavipuram while they were distributing humanitarian supplies. Four days ago, two humanitarian workers, a male and a female, were killed within the Theavipuram, Va'l'lipunam box while they were helping civilians trapped in artillery barrage. Most of the civilian casualties are reported within the boxed area and along the roads. The SLA, which unilaterally announced a new safety zone, within a narrow strip from Vadduvaakal to Puthumaaththa'lan, did not stop artillery barrage to enable displacement to new safety zone. At least 30,000 civilians remained within the bunkers in the old safety zone while more than 70,000 fled the area amidst continuous artillery barrage.    The SLA also targeted the two roads used by civilians to flee from the old safety zone with artillery barrage. Surveillance aircrafts were flying over and giving coordinates to the SLA, which targeted fleeing civilians claiming several lives and causing injuries to many more. Seriously wounded, unable to move, were left behind to face their fate on their own due to the relentless artillery barrage. They were only given initial first-aid. Humanitarian workers who fled the area said they feared more than 250 civilians were killed within the last 3 days. 16 civilians, most of them belonging to three families were killed in Ira'naippaalai, located between the new and old safety zones Saturday night around 8:30 p.m. when artillery-fitted cluster bombs hit their makeshift huts. 8 civilians were killed in Pokka'nai within the new safety-zone Sunday night. 3 fishermen were reportedly killed in the seas off Mullaiththeevu Sunday morning around 10:00 a.m. when the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked their boats near an abandoned ship. RSF accuses Colombo of "War Crime"[TamilNet,16 February 2009]In an unprecedented move, Reporters sans frontières (RSF), a Paris-based media watchdog, in a press release issued today, expressed "revulsion at the death of Tamil journalist" Sathyamurthy in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) bombardment, and accused Colombo of committing war crimes, asserting "Army air strikes and artillery fire on areas where there are tens of thousands of civilians, including Tamil journalists, are war crimes." Sathyamoorthy was killed inside the "Safe Zone" demarcated by Sri Lanka late last week. Several hundreds Tamil refugees herded into the safe zone by the Government of Sri Lanka have been killed by targeted artillery and air-attacks inside the safe zone. Full text of RSF's press release follows: Reporters Without Borders today expressed revulsion at the death of a Tamil journalist in a Sri Lankan Army bombardment on the north of the country, which it described as a "war crime". Punniyamurthy Sathyamurthy was killed during an air raid on 12 February on Thevipuram, Mullaithivu district in the region of Vanni, being fought over by the army and rebel Tamil Tigers (LTTE). He had recently filed news of the plight of civilians in the latest wave of fighting. "Army air strikes and artillery fire on areas where there are tens of thousands of civilians, including Tamil journalists, are war crimes" the worldwide press freedom organisation said. "The death of Sathyamurthy shows the extent to which witnesses to the military offensive have no protection. We call on the international community to secure a ceasefire to save the lives of these civilians," it added. Based in Vanni, controlled until recently by the LTTE, he worked with a number of Tamil media, mainly in Canada. One of his colleagues told Reporters Without Borders that he "cared passionately about the plight of the Tamil people and was not afraid of anything.(...) We cannot rule out that he was deliberately targeted", he added. The journalist had worked for five years for Canadian Tamil Radio, Canadian Multicultural Radio and Tamil Vision International television, all based in Canada. His articles were regularly carried by websites and media of the Tamil diaspora. He was born in 1972 in the Polanaruva district and lived at Mandatheevu. He entered journalism after studying political science at the University of Jaffna. He was married and was the father of a six year old girl. Colleagues held a memorial gathering for him in Toronto, Canada. Grand scale murder, rape of screened civilians feared, TNA MP alerts[TamilNet, 14 February 2009]Around 190 males were murdered and 130 females were taken for sexual abuse among the thousands of civilians so far fled and screened by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), accused Tamil National Alliance MP S. Gajendran Saturday, citing information he received from the inmates of internment camps and from his contacts in Vavuniyaa. The sources informed him that murdered were secretly buried in Anuradhapura. "Unless there is no immediate international supervision and international monitors, situation turning into another Yugoslavia cannot be prevented," the MP said. The separation of young men and women 'wanted' by the SLA reportedly takes place during the screening process at the so-called 'IDP rescue centres' in the war zone, entirely manned by military personnel. In mid-90's hundreds of civilians who got into the hands of the SLA in Jaffna were missing. Mass graves of the massacred became known later in a place at Chemma'ni in the Jaffna peninsula. Several instances of rape and murder were proven, whilst the vast majority were not investigated. Those convicted were later released. The MP expressed fear that a worse situation is faced today. There are news agencies and websites who claim that the civilians interviewed in the camps accused the LTTE for firing on them and preventing them fleeing. How far these news agencies can expect the civilians living under such terrified conditions to tell the truth other than what is wanted by those who have detained them, asked the MP. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports received from Vanni allege a person directing the war without uniform giving an open licence to the SLA to every form of atrocity, according to sources within SLA, who spoke about it. 75 feared killed in SLA shelling, elders home[TamilNet, 14 February 2009]More than 50 civilians were feared killed in Theavipuram and Va'l'ipunam in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery barrage on Friday, according to people who were reached Puthukkudiyiruppu Friday night. Meanwhile, medical staff at Maaththa'lan hospital said fifteen civilians were killed and 35 wounded at Ira'naippaalai Saturday morning and that an elders home and the surrounding area came under artillery fire where four elders were killed and around 50 persons wounded.   Eezham Tamil immolates himself to death in front of UN office in Geneva[TamilNet, 13 February 2009]A 26-year-old diaspora Eezham Tamil from UK has self-immolated himself to death in front of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) in Switzerland Thursday night around 8:20 p.m., according to police spokesman Eric Grandgean. The man has identified himself as Murukathasan in a letter left behind by him 10 meters away from the scene, the Police officer said when contacted by a Tamil journalist in Switzerland on Friday. The copy of the letter in English and Tamil, received by Tamil journalists, with the identical name, said: "I believe the flames over my body, heart and soul will help the world community to have a deep human look over the great sufferings of the Sri Lankan Tamils. 2009_Murukathasan_1.jpg) 2009_Murukathasan_2.jpg) "Till this moment the genocide activities against the Tamils by the Sri Lankan government is silently accepted by the International Community by helping Sinhala state terrorism [..]," the letter said. The letter in English, received by media was verified with the name revealed by the Police officer. Police is trying to trace the family and establish his full identity. The act of self-immolation was witnessed by three individuals and police was on the spot when Murukathasan died. Herding people by terror: Intense shelling, dead bodies on roadside in Vanni[TamilNet, 13 February 2009]More than 150 civilians were feared killed Thursday alone and around 90 in the preceding two days in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelling in Mullaiththeevu district. Most of the casualties are reported along the sides of two roads through which the civilians are forced to flee in yet another mass exodus to a new 'safety zone' unilaterally announced by Colombo. Dead bodies were lying along the roadside from Theavipuram to Puthukkudiyiruppu and the fleeing civilians were forced to bury their dead along the roadside amid intense shelling, initial reports from Vanni said. The new 'safety zone' declared by Colombo is nothing but an assembling ground to herd 300,000 civilians in a small stretch of land along the lagoon and the sea coast, north of Mullaiththeevu. Hundreds fo the wounded were struggling for their lives. Many of the wounded have been abandoned after first-aid as they could not be transported. The SLA was deliberately shelling the fleeing civilians as Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) surveillance aircraft was circling over the region, providing coordinates for the SLA to direct artillery shelling on the fleeing civilians, IDP activists in Ira'naippaalai told TamilNet. Thousands of shells were fired. All the vehicles of the entire Vanni region were queued through the narrow roads, unable to move, as shelling continued throughout the night. Even those who were fleeing in motorbikes said it took around two hours pass 2 km. No one was able to gather details of the casualties till Friday morning. There are many civilians still unable to move from Chuthanthirapuram and other areas as they were forced stay inside the bunkers due to the intense shelling. Many civilians were killed in Theavipuram. The civilians were fleeing after learning through radio news broadcasts that a new area along the coast had been demarcated as 'safety zone'. However, there was no break in the artillery barrage that targeted the civilians as they were fleeing. On Wednesday, more than 60 people were killed. Casulaties were low only on Tuesday when around 30 civilians were killed. TamilNet correspondent witnessed Wednesday the death of a number of civilians, including children, by artillery shelling where he was staying. More than 50 wounded were rushed to Va'l'ipunam hospital, 15 of them died upon admission. 8 persons were killed at Aachiththoaddam in Va'l'lipunam on Tuesday. Relentless shelling expels civilians from 'safety zone'[TamilNet, 10 February 2009]Thousands of civilians were seen Monday fleeing in all directions from the 'safety zone' as mortar, artillery and Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) rockets hit the entire area demarcated by the Colombo government as safety zone. At least 36 civilians were killed and 76 wounded throughout the day in Va'l'lipunam, Chuthanthirapuram and in Maaththa'lan. The entire 100-houses-scheme located in Chuthanthirapuram was burning following MBRL attack with shells that caused immediate fire.   Many had fled the 100-houses-scheme already and the remaining stayed inside the bunkers throughout the barrage. The settlement, initially set up for refugees from Mannaaar, is located on Udaiyaarkaddu Chuthanthirapuram Road.  Several thousand people were fleeing safety zone further into LTTE controlled areas. But, not all have fled the security zone as most of the casualties were reported on the roads on Sunday. Casualty figures from 100-houses-scheme was not known. 6 civilians were killed and 12 wounded when they were fleeing Chuthanthirapuram and Theavipuram. 4 dead bodies of civilians were brought to Chuthanthirapuram hospital. At least 16 civilians were killed in Maaththa'lan and 49 were reportedly wounded. Five members of a single family were among the victims, the reports said. 7 civilians, including 3 children, were rushed to hospital with serious burn injuries following the artillery and MBRL barrage. 3 more civilians were killed in Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) attacks and 15 sustained injuries. 250 patients evacuated, return of ICRC to Vanni urged[TamilNet, 10 February 2009]ICRC officials left Vanni Tuesday around 5:00 p.m. in a ship transporting 250 seriously wounded patients, including 50 children, all wounded in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fire. The patients were taken on board the ship at LTTE controlled Puthumaaththa'lan in Mullaiththeevu to Trincomalee. The two ICRC officials who were remaining in Vanni had received instructions to be present in Trincomalee and it is not known whether they would return to Vanni, according to informed government officials. Patients were transported in 2 ambulances, 3 buses and a lorry from a makeshift hospital at Puthumaaththa'lan to the coast, 1 km away from the hospital. The patients were taken in small boats from Puthumaaththa'lan shore to the ship anchored in mid-sea, the sources further said. The armed forces of the Government of Sri Lanka, in gross violation of international law, have been refusing medical supplies to be transported into Vanni. Several hundred patients are struggling for their lives in Vanni without proper medical care. The makeshift hospitals of Vanni look like slaughtering houses, commented a doctor and was concerned of the presence of ICRC in Vanni. "Without ICRC officials, we would lose even the possibility of bringing out our concerns to relevant mechanisms," he said. Tragedy of civilians as international mechanism backs out[TamilNet, 09 February 2009]Eight died and forty injured among fleeing civilians, reportedly caused by a human bomb according to news released by Sri Lankan military Monday. 15 military personnel also died and 24 injured in an 'IDP rescue centre' north of Visuvamadu, the military said. There were children among the dead as seen in the video released by the Sri Lankan military. The US Embassy in Colombo was quick to condemn the LTTE, based entirely on the Sri Lankan military version of the story. What exactly happened is difficult to be asserted since no independent source is available in the war frontier to verify the claims or the sequence of the tragedy. There are reports that nearly 4000 civilians were forcibly chased towards the side of the military by a unit of SLA which came near the side of the safety zone. Everyone including the civilian side, international humanitarian agencies, international media and several countries, except only the Colombo government, have been demanding all these times for an International Rescue Mission and independent monitoring agencies. However, no power in this earth is being able to materialise that. "Such a tragedy of the already suffering civilians could have been averted easily by the presence of an effective International Rescue Mission," said a Colombo based NGO official. For nearly three weeks now, when the Sri Lanka Army has been deliberately firing artillery at civilian targets and at hospitals, using cluster shells and killing even patients to the full knowledge of the ICRC, the international agencies didn't know 'from where the shells were coming'. There were no comments or condemnation from the US Embassy either for the virtual genocide that was going on and is continuing to this hour 80 killed, 200 wounded, carnage continues inside 'safe zone'[TamilNet, 08 February 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued indiscriminate barrage of artillery shelling on the 'safety zone' killing more than 80 civilians and causing injuries to 200. Most of the casualties were reported along the roads. Every single shell fired by the SLA was exploding in densely populated civilian area and people were forced to stay inside bunkers. However, as people feared ending up in the hands of the SLA which is close to Chuthanthirapuram, they were fleeing in thousands further into LTTE territory amid shelling, facing deaths and injuries on their way, said TamilNet correspondent in Vanni. According to eyewitness reports, 40 dead bodies of civilians, including children and women, were seen along the 2.5 km stretch of Paranthan Puthukkudiyiruppu Road between Chuthanthirapuram and Theavipuram.   20 more bodies were seen along 1.5 km stretch of Vaakeesan Road. At least 20 civilians were killed in Va'l'lipunam. Thousands were fleeing from Chuthanthirapuram where the SLA mortar and artillery attacks were targeting civilians. A shell exploded inside a bunker in Va'l'lipuan, killing 3 inside the bunker and causing injuries to 4. The victims, buried inside the bunker, were recovered amid relentless shelling. It takes more than 7 hours to bring the wounded to makeshift hospitals functioning. More than 500 houses and huts were damaged on Sunday. SLA fires MBRL rockets on IDP camp, several feared dead[TamilNet, 02 February 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) rockets exploded inside a refugee camp of the Internally Displaced People Monday night around 10:00 p.m. killing several IDPs, initial reports said. The camp, located in Chuthanthirapuram is on fire. No one is able to access the camp to gather more details as shelling continues to target the roads. TamilNet correspondent has witnessed several artillery-fired flying fireballs coming from SLA positions into the safety zone. The shells cause immediate fire. Thousands of artillery and MBRL rockets have been continuously fired inside the safety zone throughout the whole day. All the people of Vanni have been staying inside the bunkers throughout the whole day. Nurse killed in Udaiyaarkaddu hospital, ICRC staff wounded in PTK[TamilNet, 02 February 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells on both the hospitals in Vanni again on Monday. A nurse who was attending a wounded patient at Udaiyaarkaddu makeshift hospital (Ki'linochchi hospital) was killed when 3 shells hit the hospital. 10 civilians, including ICRC/SLRC staff stationed in the vicinity of Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK), were wounded, according to a civilian source. Hospital authorities were unreachable to verify the details. No one was able to transport the wounded to hospitals as the roads and the area surrounding hospitals have come under continuous artillery fire. More than 5,000 shells fired on civilians, casualties uncountable[TamilNet, 02 February 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells throughout the whole day on Monday from all directions into civilian refuges. At least one hundred civilians would have been killed or maimed in the indiscriminate barrage. The casualties are uncountable as the whole population is forced to reside inside the bunkers throughout the whole day, reports TamilNet correspondent from the safety zone. "Monday was the worst day of SLA shelling so far within the safety zone." More than 5,000 artillery shells and Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) rockets have been fired by the SLA. Both the hospitals at Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK) and Udaiyaarkaddu have been hit by the shelling also on Monday. Thousands of shells have hit Theavipuram, Va'l'lipunam, Chuthanthirapuram, Udaiyaarkaddu and Puthukkudiyiruppu. Heavy fighting was reported in all the frontiers. SLA shells PTK hospital, 9 killed, 15 wounded[TamilNet, 02 February 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelled Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK) hospital Sunday night killing nine civilians, including patients and their family members in the ward. More than 15 civilians were injured. The indiscriminate attack on the hospital has caused panic and tension among the hundreds of wounded civilians at the hospital. The shelling has come despite repeated calls from the medical authorities not to fire shells on the civilian medical facility and within a few hours of a public statement from the ICRC, which said it was shocked by the shelling on hospital twice in recent days. Meanwhile, a source at Vavuniyaa District Secretariat told TamilNet Monday that it was a premeditated massacre as the military was given instructions by the SL Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to isolate hospitals from civilian access by artillery barrage.   "Three artillery barrages struck a hospital in Sri Lanka’s chaotic war zone, slamming into its pediatrics ward and its women’s wing and killing nine patients," Associated Press report said quoting ICRC. Earlier, the Sri Lankan military commander of Vanni SF-HQ had instructed the Government Agent of Mullaiththeevu district to shift the hospital to safety zone, giving an ultimatum to the officials. However, as the attacks continued, the ICRC and UN officials had to seek refuge at the hospital in PTK. Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital has also been the place of refuge for the ICRC officials and the UN staff. Article 18 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that the civilian hospitals organized to give care to the wounded and sick, the infirm and maternity cases, may in no circumstances be the object of attack, but shall at all times be respected and protected by the Parties to the conflict. Sri Lanka (Ceylon) is a signatory to the First, Second and Third Geneva Conventions and it ratified the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, by accession to it, on 23.02.1959. Sri Lanka warns interfering Westerners[TamilNet, 01 February 2009]Sri Lanka’s hardline government warned Sunday that Western ambassadors, news agencies and INGOs of "dire consequences" if they attempt to give the LTTE a second breath of life. "They will be chased away (if they try) to give a second wind to the LTTE terrorists at a time the security forces, at heavy cost, are dealing them the final death blow," Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa told The Sunday Island. The paper said Rajapaksa did not mince his words when he said that some ambassadors, specially the German and Swiss ambassadors, and some news agencies were behaving irresponsibly. He named, CNN, Al-Jazeera and especially the BBC of trying to sensationalize civilian hardships by telecasting video clips which he said came “from LTTE websites.” "These video clips do not indicate bombings or explosions," Rajapakse said. "It was irresponsible not to talk about civilians held in the war zone by the LTTE while making comments that only helped the Tigers," Rajapaksa said. He accusing BBC Anchor Chris Morris of being known for partisan support to the LTTE from the 1990s. "If he does not act responsibly and attempts to create panic, I will have to chase him out of the country," Rajapakse, brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse, warned. Rajapaksa warned that members of the international community, specifically the German and Swiss ambassadors, who are trying to create panic will be similarly treated. Journalists and aid workers have been barred by the government from going to the conflict zone. For much of the conflict International reports have, however, reported the government’s account of events, with the qualification that there is no way to verify these. Sri Lankan media has been subject meanwhile to a campaign of state-terror. At least 14 journalists and Sri Lankan staff working for the media have been killed since the beginning of 2006, according to Amnesty International. Another 20 have fled the country after getting death threats, the London-based rights group said. However, Tamil media and politicians in Sri Lanka has suffered a strong of murderous attacks for much longer. The Jaffna-based Uthayan newspaper has been repeatedly attacked, with gunmen once storming its offices in the Army-controlled Jaffna town, brazenly walking from room to room killing and wounding staff. In 2005 the island’s leading defence analysts, Sivaram Dharmeratnam, was abducted from a street in the fortified capital Colombo and body was dumped the following day. That “spectacle killing” spread terror through the ranks of Tamil media – largely to muted criticism from Sinhala media and, by and large, the international community. Four years later, Sinhala journalists are facing the same murderous terror. Whilst many Sinhala nationalists in the media are enthusiastically backing the brutal war to the island’s north, others are being careful how they report. The latter are kept disciplined by repeated warnings from the state and occasional “spectacle killings” like that earlier this month of Lasantha Wickrematunge, editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper. Artillery-fired cluster shells, aerial bombing on safety zone, 39 civilians killed[TamilNet, 31 January 2009]For the first time within the safety zone, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers Saturday attacked Moongkilaa'ru and Chuthanthirapuram. Relentless artillery fire also continued throughout the day on civilian targets. 39 civilians were killed and 128 wounded in the indiscriminate attacks. Artillery-fired cluster munitions were used in the attacks by the SLA against civilians targets, blamed LTTE's Political Head B. Nadesan. Meanwhile a doctor attending the wounded at Udaiyaarkaddu hospital described the situation as a two-pronged genocide, one through military operations and the other by refusing medical supplies. The 48-hours ultimatum of Rajapaksa was wrongly interpreted in a section of political circles and media in India as a temporary ceasefire allowing civilians to move. But it was in fact a period of intensified attack on the civilians to terrorise them to submit, Mr. Nadesan charged. The environs of Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK) hospital had come under artillery barrage on Friday and Saturday. A civilian was killed in PTK on Saturday. Four civilians were killed in Pokka'nai and another four at Chuthanthirapuram, according to medical sources. The remaining dead in different locations were not brought to the hospitals, sources said. More than 300 civilians feared killed, people bleed to death on streets[TamilNet, 26 January 2009]In a scene of carnage of untold proportion on civilian targets hit by hundreds of Sri Lanka Army fired artillery shells, more than 300 people have died and several hundreds are bleeding to death within the last 24 hours, amidst pouring rain inside the 'saftey zone' declared by the Colombo government. Houses and vehicles burn for a stretch of three km between Va’l’lipunam Kaa’li temple and Moongkilaa’ru towards Paranthan road, reports from Vanni said on Monday. Unattended bodies and injured people unable to move are lying around everywhere, while a remaining doctor fled and helpless ICRC officials virtually cried at the scene from their bunkers, TamilNet correspondent said. Nearly 400,000 people have been told by the army to confine themselves to a stretch of 30 square km. A part of this terrain is marsh and jungle. People have flocked themselves in the remaining patches of coconut groves and they stay there without any amenities or food and with the risk of being attacked even in the ‘safety zone’. There is only one road in the locality, which is choked by fleeing people. Even this road is targeted by barrage of shells and people have died. The shelling prevents even people from fleeing. The exact number of people died could be more, as it is not possible to take a count in the other places. Those who are injured are sure to die, as the remaining two hospitals, which were functioning at Udaiyaarkaddu and Va'l'lipunam (Mullaiththeevu hospital), are defunct now. The injured, if cannot move on their own, are left unattended to bleed to death. The fleeing people, including infants had nothing to eat, mother of a three months old child, S. Thayalini, told TamilNet correspondent. "It is not merely a humanitarian crisis, but a shame on human civilization. What a world, watching and abetting the whole thing, having no conscience, said K. Kamalanthan," a social activist who talked to TamilNet while fleeing Udaiyaarkaddu. In the mean time, Indian and International News Agencies operating from Colombo publish no accounts of the mass genocide, taking place in Vanni. They continue to eulogize Colombo’s military victories, painting a picture of LTTE ‘terrorists’ using civilians as human shield. These news agencies, which had no guts of finding out what is happening on their own, are spinning stories for the government and are a shame to the profession of journalism and to the Information Age. They cannot deny their role of being a party to the war crime, said a Tamil journalist among the IDPs. 'Biased UN official misleads humanity, safely sitting in Colombo' - Vanni journalist[TamilNet, 26 January 2009]The UN spokesman in Colombo, Gordon Weiss, reported by AFP put the number of dead civilians inside safety zone on Monday only at ten, adding that he could not say who was responsible for the civilian casualties. “ We don’t know where the firing came from”, AFP quoted him saying. The UN, which has a universal franchise to intervene on behalf of civilians trapped in war has not only forfeited all its rights, including the right to monitor what is happening, to the genocidal government of Colombo, but also comes out with blatant lies aimed at protecting the perpetrator of war crime, accused Mr. Ravi, a journalist in Vanni. The AFP on Monday highlighted the military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara dismissing TamilNet report of 100 civilian deaths, as ‘cheap propaganda’. The latest TamilNet report, based on eyewitness accounts and doctor’s accounts put the civilian deaths at 300 and the number of injured at thousand, which has been confirmed by the office of the Regional Director of Health Services (RDHS), Mullaiththeevu. International News Agencies such as AFP, which every time lament “battlefield claims from either side cannot be verified as independent journalists are barred from traveling to the conflict zone” have never taken any initiative to uphold the spirit of journalism by sending their journalists even defying authorities. Rather they willingly accepted the reduced status to report what the government says and these agencies depend on a biased lot sitting in Colombo for the news they project to the world. The war in the island of Sri Lanka is one of the rare occurrences in the contemporary human civilization in which a brutal war of genocide takes place not directly monitored by media and international agencies. For the first time in known history all international institutions of humanity handed over everything to a state that has a track record of genocidal intent. Fleeing civilian youths misused to fabricate SLA propaganda[TamilNet, 24 January 2009]Six Tamil youths who recently moved from the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) controlled area to Vavuniyaa were arrested by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers, taken to a nearby army camp where they were given LTTE military uniforms and were forced to give video and voice cuts saying that they were LTTE cadres, who were fed up with the Tiger hierarchy and decided to hand over themselves to the SLA, legal sources in Vavuniya said. Vavuniyaa Magistrate has instructed the Police to approach the families of the youth through Government officials and to initiate family re-union. Vavuniyaa Police produced the six youths before the Vavuniyaa magistrate on Thursday. The youths made a confidential confession to the magistrate and said that they were not from the LTTE but were civilians who fled due to military operations and explained what the SLA did for them. The victims were identified as Mahalingam Nishanthan, Charles Kingsley Alexjenette, Mahalingam Sothisvaran, Selvarasa Senthuran, Annarasa Jeyarajan and Vasanthakumar Nathan. Until the arrangements are made the youths have been temporarily provided shelter at Nelukku'lam detention camp in Vavuniyaa, according to the legal sources. 7 civilians killed, 27 wounded, SLA continues artillery attack on 'safety zone'[TamilNet, 24 January 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued artillery shelling on Udaiyaarkaddu on Saturday killing at least 7 civilians. More than 27 civilians have been wounded in the indiscriminate shelling up to 5:25 p.m., according to initial reports. Medical authorities said the hospitals were struggling to cope with a high number of civilian casualties. Further details were not available at the moment. 'Safety zone' shelled again, 5 civilians killed, 83 wounded[TamilNet, 23 January 2009]Five civilians, including a10-year-old girl and a 56-year-old Saiva priest, were killed and 83 civilians wounded Friday when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells targeted 'safe zone' areas such as Iruddumadu in Udaiyaarkaddu and Va'l'lipunam in Mullaiththeevu district at least four times, according to medical sources in the region. More than 20 of the wounded people were children. More than 20 of the wounded victims are children. The shelling and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) rocket fire targeted the villages Thearaavil, Mayilvaakanapuram, Iruddumadu, Va'l'lipunam and Theavipuram at 10:45 a.m., 11:00 a.m., around 2:30 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. A 10-year-old girl was killed Thursday night around 11:00 p.m. at Moongkilaa'ru where Ki'linochchi district Government Agent's office is situated. A Saiva priest, identified as Sivam kurukkal, was killed at Mayilvaakanapuram at 6:00 a.m. Friday. Two dead bodies of civilians, killed in Va'l'lipunam and Theavipuram, were taken to Putukkudiyiruppu (PTK) hospital mortuary. One of the slain victims was identified as Thuraisingam Paranthaman. An elderly man was killed and 34 civilians were wounded in the shelling at Iruddumadu around 10:45 a.m. Hospital bombed, 5 killed, 15 wounded[TamilNet, 22 January 2009]The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the surgical site of the Mullaiththeevu hospital, functioning as a makeshift hospital at Va'l'lipunam school, were damaged in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery fire Wednesday night and Thursday around 12:20 p.m., after the Sri Lankan government declared that the area where the hospital is situated is a "secure zone", medical authorities at the hospital said Thursday. Five civilians were killed within the hospital premises Thursday, according to Dr. T. Varatharajah, the Regional Director of Health Services (RDHS). The RDHS confirmed that the ICRC had verified that the Sri Lankan military had received the GPS coordinates of the hospital and said he was in constant touch with the ICRC, located just 1 km away from the hospital. Meanwhile, TamilNet correspondent who visited the hospital after the attack, witnessing the situation said that the medical facility which was serving scores of wounded civilians was rendered completely out of function following the attack and that he witnessed one of the worst inhuman scenes at the 'Peace Village,' which has been the village of one of the most cruel civilian casualties of Sri Lanka's so-called 'War on Terrorism'. The hospital resumed its activities as ICRC visited the site again. The RDHS confirmed to TamilNet that two shells exploded inside the hostel of the hospital at 12:20 p.m. The ICU and Surgical Units were attacked Wednesday night, he said. There are several dead bodies on the sides of the road and under the trees of the hospital, TamilNet correspondent said. All the medical staff and the patients who managed to move themselves sought refuge in the bunkers and continued to remain there as shells exploded. 53 school girls were killed in the old Chegnchoalai premises, which came under Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombardment on 14 August 2006. Despite repeated calls from the medical authorities, placed through the ICRC, there has been no improvement in Sri Lankan forces conduct on attacks against the hospital in recent months. Article 18 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that the civilian hospitals organized to give care to the wounded and sick, the infirm and maternity cases, may in no circumstances be the object of attack, but shall at all times be respected and protected by the Parties to the conflict. Sri Lanka (Ceylon) is a signatory to the First, Second and Third Geneva Conventions and it ratified the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, by accession to it, on 23.02.1959. 66 civilians killed within 3 days - Mullai RDHS[TamilNet, 22 January 2009]The roads of Va'l'lipunam and Theavipuram are full of blood and dead bodies are spotted all over the places in the area that has come under attack by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) fire. The carnage worsened after the SLA declared the area as "safe haven". On Tuesday, 16 civilians were killed, 20 reported killed Wednesday and around 30 civilians within the past 12 hours of Thursday, according to Regional Director of Health Service (RDHS) for Mullaiththeevu district. Dr.T.Varatharajah. Many more are feared dead and wounded in the indiscriminate bombardment which has been stepped up on densely populated IDP areas within the secure zone. Meanwhile medical staff at the hospital said there were more than 200 wounded within the last 3 days. SLA attacks civilians in 'secure zone', several killed, dozens wounded[TamilNet, 22 January 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) unilaterally announced a "secure zone" for civilians Wednesday, but turned its Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers and Artillery guns towards the so-called secure zones in the early hours of Thursday, continuing the carnage, killing and maiming innocent civilians. The inhumane attack on Thursday has targeted an institution for disabled children, the 'Sweet Life Home' (Iniya Vaazhvu illam), and the tightly populated settlement in front of the children home, which is located at Va'l'lipunam. More than 100 civilians have been rushed to hospitals within the last 24 hours. At least 11 dead bodies and more than 25 wounded have been brought to the makeshift hospital (Mullaiththeevu hospital) functioning at Va'l'lipunam school Thursday morning alone. The 11 dead bodies have been placed under trees of the school and are yet to be approached by the families as the indiscriminate shelling on civilian settlements was continuing.    Unprecedented civilian carnage in Vanni[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 January 2009]Fifteen civilians including 5 children were killed and 29 seriously injured in the relentless artillery barrage that Sri Lanka Amy (SLA) kept pounding the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Visuvamadu, Udaiyaarkaddu, Chuthanthirapuram and Maa'nikapuram areas in Mullaiththeevu district Tuesday, sources in Vanni said. SLA targeted the IDP settlements behind the Pi'l'layaar Koayil in Chuthanthirapuram junction Tuesday around 1:45 p.m, killing two including a boy.   Two civilians killed were identified as 12-year-old Algan Pirasanthan and Manickavasagar Sivayogam. A girl and a youth were blown to pieces while 29 persons including children were seriously injured in the SLA artillery shelling on the IDP settlements in Kuravil area in Udaiyaarkaddu. The seriously injured IDPs are: Mariyathas, 52, Akamathi, 11, Manonmani, 68, Kavitha, 30, Jeyarooban, 14, Anbarasan, 07, Kirubakaran, 18, Pathmanathan, 44, Raveenthiran, 36, Kalyani, 34, Ravichelvan, 33, Arulanantham, 53, Kankamma, 63, Ravichandran, 39, Paramalingam, 40, Vaksala, 17, Chandiraraj, 14, Sasitharan, 30, Thineshkumar, 30, Rathinakumar, 28, Y. Suresh, 32, S. Rejitha, 15 and Niroshini, 37, Lyon, 47, Sivakumar Ratha, 36, Seeralakan, 23, S. Pirabu, 32, I. Nagarasa, 50, I. Sutharsini, 52 and S. Kalyani. SLA shelled Tuesday around 4:45 p.m the IDP settlements in Suthanthirapuram East killing 11 innocent civilians including 3 children. Sinnathurai Mathanakumar, 33 is one of the three killed and others whose bodies brought to Udaiyaarkaddu, Naddangka’ndal medical clinic remain unidentified.   Some of those killed are persons belonging to one family. Nine IDPs seriously injured in the above shelling are, Kannan, 25, Karuna, 38, Kugathas, 30, Saithanya, 18, Thevan, 22, Vasantha, 42, Kanesan, 36, Velautham, 52, Yogalingan, 46. Meanwhile, an IDP from Maa’raailuppai was killed in the SLA shelling on Theavipuram Tuesday while 10 were seriously injured. Kaathi Shanmugasuntharam is the person killed and the 10 seriously injured are, K. Ravi, 36, M. Kalaichelvan, 31, R. Sulakshan, 07, Kanagalingam, 55, Vekavanam, 25, Jeyaratnaa, 11, Anbarasan, 07, Thangaiah, 57, Mahinthan, 29, Nagarasa, 39. The above are admitted to Mullaiththeevu Public Hospital functioning in Va’l’lipunam. The IDPs on the run lack food, drinking water and medicine as these essential items have become scarce in Vanni. Sri Lankan shelling kills 4 civilians, children among 11 wounded[TamilNet, Sunday, 18 January 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells claimed the lives of four civilians in Puthukkudiyiruppu and Visuvamadu on Saturday, according to medical sources. Four children were among the wounded.   The names of the slain civilians were not available at the time of the reporting.   The wounded were identified as:
Humanitarian tragedy in Vanni enters deadlier phase[TamilNet, Friday, 16 January 2009]Indiscriminate artillery, multi-barrel and mortar fire by the Sri Lanka Army from all the corners of shrinking territory centering Puthukkudiyiruppu town, its suburbs and adjoining jungles in the Mullaiththeevu district, which is overcrowded with civilians, has worsened the humanitarian tragedy that has been unfolding in Vanni during the last 4 days. There are deaths and injuries caused to the civilians fleeing the onslaught of the SLA. Medical authorities said the situation was beyond control Friday noon and the hospitals have come under attack and ambulances were not operating. Access route from Vadamaraadchi East has been cut off by the SLA that has entered Chu'ndikku'lam area. Mullaiththeevu Puthukkudiyiruppu land route also remained blocked due to indiscriminate mortar attacks. The entire area with civilians has come under artillery range. Gunfire was heard in all the directions. Unless the shelling is stopped, every shell being fired into the overcrowded area would cause civilian casualties. The fate of the patients and staff at Kallaa'ru hospital is not known. The access route for civilians to cross over into Vanni mainland from Vadamaraadchi East has been blocked by the SLA, according to initial reports. Medical personnel at the hospital in Visuvamadu said the situation was pathetic as SLA-fired shells were exploding in the close vicinity. SLA shelling has targeted Vallipunam, Chuthanthirapuram. There are reports of civilian deaths and casualties in Visuvamadu town being vacated by the civilians. Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) attacks targeted Athisaya Vinayakar temple area in Visuvamadu, causing panic among the fleeing civilians. Detailed reporting and verification of casualties have become difficult under the prevailing circumstances. 5 civilians killed, 7 killed in Sri Lankan artillery attack[TamilNet, Friday, 16 January 2009]Sri Lankan artillery attack on overcrowded Kaiveali and Koampaavil, and also on Visuvamadu, from where civilians were fleeing Friday, killed five civilians, including a 14-year-old girl, and caused injuries to a 8-year-old boy and six others, according to the reports from Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital. Four of the victims killed were identified as Yogeswaran Gajendiny, 14, Mohandas, 25, Ramanathan Kumaran, 30, and Thambiah Yogeswaran, 50. 8-year-old Yogeswaran Prasath, Gnanarooban Vasanthakumar, 30, Nanthakumar Thabothini, 30, and Babukaran Jeyanthini, 33, were identified among the wounded. Further details were not available. Land mine blast injures civilian in Vadamaraadchi north[TamilNet, Thursday, 15 January 2009]A family man on his way to E’luthumadduvaa’l from Chu’ndikku’lam in Vadamaraadchi north sustained serious injury stepping on a land mine sown along the foot track he was walking along, sources in Jaffna said. The injured family man was rushed to Chaavakachcheari hospital first and then transferred to Jaffna Teaching Hospital for further treatment. The victim is identified as Kidinapillai Sureshkumar, 32, a native of Thaazhaiyadi in Maruthangkea’ni, displaced to Chu’ndikku’lam area due to Sri Lanka Army (SLA) attacks. Sureshkumar was trying to escape from Chu’ndikku’lam area due to the ongoing war. 4 killed, SLA artillery targets civilian settlement in Puthukkudiyiruppu[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 January 2009]Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells killed four displaced civilians, including the parents and the daughter of a family, residing in the settlement located behind the hospital of Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaiththeevu district Saturday night, according to medical sources. Two of the killed victims were 17-year-old students. Four civilians, including a 5-year-old child were wounded in the indiscriminate artillery attack. Meanwhile, artillery barrage on Vaddakkachchi and Pu'liyampokka'nai in Ki'linochchi district continued, disrupting the access roads for civilians to move away from the areas that have come under artillery barrage.       The families had displaced from Chlaavaththai in Mullaiththeevu to 9th division of Puthukkudiyiruppu after SLA offensive in the district. The victims killed in the artillery attack which took place around 11:00 p.m. Saturday were: Kaaththan Thuraisamy, 61, the father, Sinnamma Thuraisamy , 55, the mother and their daughter Thamilini Thuraisamy, 17, and S. Thavakumar, 17. Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital authorities identified the wounded as Manchu Kalatheepan, 26, Divya Kalatheepan, 5, Mariyamma, 60 and Suppiah, 62, Tension prevails in Puthukkudiyiruppu. Old man killed, four TRO workers injured in shelling [Saturday January 10 2009] A sixty year old man, V Sinnarasa, who was herding his cows, in Tharmapuram was killed and four TRO workers helping the displacing people were injured at 12.45pm on Friday by SLA artillery fire directed towards Tharmapuram that is crowded with IDPs. Also, extensive artillery fire towards Puthukkudiyiruppu in Mullaithivu on Friday night caused panic among the permanent as well as the IDP population in the area who hastily attempted to displace as a result. Entire families with small children trying to carry whatever they could in bicycles and motorbikes were depressing sight. Both Tharmapuram in Kilinochchi and Puthukuduyirppu in Mullaithivu have become substitute towns for Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu towns serving large IDP populations. The District Secretariats and the District Hospitals that were in Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu towns are presently functioning in Tharmapuram and Puthukkudiyiruppu respectively. A result most of the displacing people from Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu are crowded in Tharmapuram and Puthukkudiyiruppu. Any artillery fire directed towards these two areas is bound to cause great panic, death and injury. 7 killed, Sri Lankan artillery attack targets civilian centre of Vanni[TamilNet, Thursday, 08 January 2009]The Sri Lanka Army fired artillery shells targeting Tharmapuram Junction, the remaining centre of displaced civilians in Vanni killing at least four and causing injuries to many around 1:20 p.m. on Thursday, after artillery shelling killed three, including a child in Vaddakkachchi. Two of the slain victims were children. The attack has targeted Tharmapuram Junction, which is located 75 meters from the hospital. Tension and chaos prevailed in the hospital, which was full of the wounded civilians, as they were forced to seek shelter from the artillery barrage.     The shelling on the civilian administrative centre in densely populated Vanni comes in the wake of SLA denial of medical transport and humanitarian supplies to the civilian population in Vanni. 11 of the victims on Thursday were children. Two of them were kililed. One of the children is yet to be identified. The dead and the wounded were taken to the hospital, which has been struggling to cope with the civilian casualties. The civilian infrastructure including banks and administrative bodies serving the Internally Displaced People of Vanni, are located in Tharmapuram. Ki'linochchi district Government Agent's office is located a few hundred meters away from the attack site. The residence of the GA is around 200 meters from the Junction. The main school at Tharmapuram is situated 350 meters from the Junction that was targeted by the Sri Lankan artillery. Two of the killed in the carnage at Tharmapuram were identified as 19-year-old Tharsha Yogan, 78-year-old Nachchippillai Balanayagam. Another young boy and a man killed in the attack are yet to be identified. A 11 months old baby boy, Sasikaran Chudarnilavan, was killed in the SLA artillery attack on Vaddakkachchi. The other two killed females were 20-year-old Pratheepa Krishnakumar and 45-year-old Kamala. 
   Wounded in Tharmapuram were:
  Wounded civilians in Vaddakkachchi:
  4 civilians killed, SLAF bombs petrol station, bus depot in Mullaiththeevu[TamilNet, Friday, 02 January 2009]Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked a petrol station and a bus depot killing four civilians and causing injuries to 8 close to Mullaiththevu hospital, 1 km away from the town. 8 buses were destroyed, the depot building damaged and the petrol station completely destroyed, initial reports from Mullaiththeevu said. The indiscriminate bombardment by the SLAF has taken place at 5:00 a.m. Friday. Rantheepan, Nisantharoopan (Mu'l'liyava'lai, Ka'nukkea'ni), Gajan (Visuvamadu) and Thaya from 3rd division in Mu'l'liyava'lai were the civilians who were killed in the bombardment which has taken place 250 meters from the hospital. The wounded civilians were identified as Sivalingam Mahesavaran, 35, father of three, Uthayakumar, 26, in critical state with injuries to his stomach, Thanes Kathiraimalainathan, 32, from Kalla'ru, Visuvamadu, Murukan Rasenthiram, 28, father of one from Koampaavil Puthukkudiyiruppu, I. Ranganathan, 40, from 7th division, Antony Kamalathas from 10th division in Puthukkudiyiruppu, M. Karunanidhi, 40, from Puthukkudiyiruppu and Jeevendran from Muththaiyankaddu. The wounded were admitted at Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital. SLA shelling blocks ambulances from Puthukkudiyiruppu to Vavuniyaa[TamilNet, Friday, 02 January 2009]Two ambulances with 13 civilians with serious injuries, being transferred from Tharmapuram and Puthukkudiyiruppu hospitals to Vavuniyaa hospital, after getting clearance through the ICRC, were forced to turn back a few kilometers away from Puthukkudiyiruppu Friday morning, as Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stepped up artillery fire on the road, initial reports from Vanni said. Meanwhile, the hospital in Ki'linochchi town has become totally defunct since Thursday as Sri Lankan forces were approaching the abandoned centre of Vanni. It was the second time within the past 48 hours that the ambulances were unable to proceed to Vavuniyaa hospital, according to medical authorities. Hospitals have been attacked and the movement of patients in ambulances have been repeatedly blocked in direct contravention to the Fourth Geneva Convention. Child injured in SLA gunfire in Batticaloa[TamilNet, Friday, 02 January 2009]A one and a half year old child was seriously injured Wednesday around 2:30 a.m in the indiscriminate gunfire by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers from their camp located in Makilloor Ka’n’nakipuram in Ka’luvaangchchikudi police division in Batticaloa district. The seriously injured male child is Sothilingam Arasan. The child was asleep in his home when he was struck by the bullet. Arasan is admitted to Ka’luvaangchchikudi hospital. Tharmapuram hospital struggles to cope with victims of air strikes[TamilNet, Friday, 02 January 2009]The hospital located at Tharmapuram, the new administrative centre of Vanni, struggles to cope with a high number of patients as Sri Lankan air strikes and artillery barrage on Wednesday and Thursday killed 10 and caused injuries to more than 50 civilians. The hospital, originally a village level hospital, has to cope with the inpatients of Ki'linochchi hospital, with its short space and lack of medical equipment, was forced to dispatch its vehicles on Thursday seeking blood donors to come forward to donate blood as all blood types in were at critical level. Five dead bodies were placed at the hospital mortuary, which was constructed to house one dead body. Victims who received treatment on Thursday said it was the compassionate and exemplary service provided by the medical staff and the civilian volunteers, that keep the hospital functioning. Spontaneous action by the civilian volunteers in Murasumoaddai in rushing the seriously wounded to the hospital amid shelling by the SLA has saved many victims. 4 civilians killed, 17 wounded in air strikes, hospital reports blood shortage[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 December 2008]Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked a civilian settlement near Murugananda school in Murasumoaddai on Paranthan - Mullaiththeevu Road killing two females of a family and a male on the spot. Another man, who was seriously wounded, succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. 14 civilians, including a couple, were wounded. The attack has targeted three civilian settlements in Murasumoaddai Wednesday around 8:00 a.m. The indiscriminate bombardment on fleeing civilians, Internally Displaced Person's huts, close to the ICRC Karaichchi branch office, a school, temple and agricultural lands aims at instilling fear at the minds of the civilians in Vanni, observers said.     A motorcyclist escaped with wounds, but his bike was thrown 70 meters away from the road. Medical Superintendent of Vanni's main hospital at Tharmapuram, Dr. S. Sathiyamoorthy, has placed the hospital and the surrounding area on red alert for blood shortage as Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched artillery attack on the village after the carnage by the SLAF. The Sri Lankan air strike targeted civilian houses behind Murugananda school, two settlements of refugees, one at Chelliah Shop Junction and the other behind Cheaththukka'ndi Amman temple at Murasumoaddai. A few hours later, the SLAF fighter jets returned to the same village and dropped bombs while a cow herder, was moving away with his cows from Paranthan to his native village, Tharmapuram. Two others were also wounded in the second bombardment. The cow herder wounded in the second bombardment was identified as Mayalaku Vijayaratnam, 24. The other two civilians wounded were Nadarasa Thavanesan, 36, and Columbus, 24, Meanwhile, a 29-year-old male, T. Sasikaran, was seriously injured when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells targeting settlements in 2nd Mile Post. Mr. Sasikaran wounded in his head was rushed to hospital in unconscious state. A 37-year-old civlian identified as Kannan was also wounded. 24-year-old Juda Margarat Aseervatham, 55-year-old Asservaatham Maryamma and Markandu Sivanandan were killed on the spot. 52-year-old Chandrabose, one of the 14 wounded who were admitted at Tharmapuram hospital, succumbed to his injuries at the Intensive Care Unit. The wounded civilians in the first bombardment on three localities were identified as I. Nirmalan, 15, S. Ragulan, 21, Arumaiththurai Jesinald, 26, Ramachandran Kumanan, 30, Selvarajah Kulendran, 33, K. Jeyasri, 38, Somasundaram Chandrakumar, 43, Annakkodi Chandramary, 45, Vellaichamy Annakkodi, 49, S. Balasundaram, 51, Palaniayappan Subramaniyam, 52, Ranjithamalar, 58, and Saravana Bavananthan, 62.    2 students, child wounded in SLAF attack[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 December 2008]Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers Saturday noon bombed a locality, at 9th division in Puthukkudiyiruppu of Mullaiththeevu district, where refugees are settled with ICRC provided shelters, causing injuries to at least three civilians, initial reports from the medical authorities at Puthukkudiyiuruppu hospital said. Two teenage students and a 4-year-old child were the wounded victims rushed to the hospital.    The victims were identified as 4-year-old Sevarajah Selvaranjan, 10-year-old Amirththasan Vithusalini and 18-year-old Saththiyaseelan Saththiyarajah. SLA artillery shells hit Ki'linochchi Hospital[TamilNet,26 December 2008]Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells landed within the compound of Ki'linochchi General Hospital at 7:30 p.m. on Christmas day damaging three hospital buildings and narrowly missing several hospital staff, including Medical Superintendent of Ki'linochchi, Dr Sathiyamoorthy, sources in Kilinochchi said. Glass panes of the New-born nursing section for mothers, Outpatients Department, and the Hospital Reception building were damaged in the attack, according to hospital sources.   Hospital officials said despite repeated requests through the locally present International Red Cross officials SLA has been violating international norms in targeting hospital serving the critical needs of war affected people. Shells fired by SLA in the last two days have further caused damages to educational establishments located along A9 including Ki'linochchi Technical College, and the Ki'linochchi District Educational Secretariat buildings. Mullaiththeevu hospital was also came under SLA fire on three days last week 15th, 19th, and 20th which injured two patients and two medical staff in addition to causing damages to hospital buildings. Article 18 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states that the civilian hospitals organized to give care to the wounded and sick, the infirm and maternity cases, may in no circumstances be the object of attack, but shall at all times be respected and protected by the Parties to the conflict. Sri Lanka (Ceylon) is a signatory to the First, Second and Third Geneva Conventions and it ratified the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, by accession to it, on 23.02.1959.    SLAF bombers attack Christian orphanage for girls[TamilNet, Friday, 26 December 2008]Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers targetted 'Karuna Nilayam', a Christian center and center for orphaned and disabled girls located close to the A9 highway in Ki'linochchi town, at 4:30 p.m. on Christmas day, sources in Ki'linochchi said. The resident girls have been relocated to a different building and no one was injured in the attack, the adminstrators said.    The area was designated as a 'safety zone,' and administrators said they are confounded on why their institution became a target for the SLA. Karuna Nilayam is managed by the Jaffna Catholic diocese.    Sri Lanka Air Force attacks convent in Vanni, deploys cluster bombs[TamilNet, 24
December 2008]
Karaichchi North Co-Operative society building
located between the junction and the convent was also attacked by the
SLAF bombers, causing the remaining civilians to flee the area.
ICRC worker shot dead in
[TamilNet, 23 December 2008]
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
A
Sri Lankan hunger striker in London who has gone 10 days without
food says he is prepared to starve himself death to highlight the
plight of Tamils, as hundreds of people protest.
