INDICTMENT AGAINST SRI LANKA
Sinhala Sri Lanka's War Crimes: Genocide & State Terrorism

The UN says that it estimates that thousands of civilians have been killed and wounded in the conflict in the north-east of Sri Lanka. The UN's US-based Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says civilians continue to lose their lives within the war zone. It says that they are also being killed in the no-fire area which has been hit by artillery attacks. The government says the UN's figures are "irresponsible and sensationalist". But UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has strongly deplored the mounting civilian death toll - which he said included children.."

The Politics of Humanitarian Intervention - Nadesan Satyendra

" The Sinhala owned Sri Lanka Sunday Times reported on 22 February that the donor Co-Chairs are working out a coalition humanitarian task force spearheaded by the United States, to evacuate civilians trapped in the fighting in the Vanni.  It appears that what I wrote on 29 January 2009 in Sinhala Sri Lanka's  Genocide of Eelam Tamils - a Crime Against Humanity, is now coming to pass -

"...the international community will wait till Tamil resistance is sufficiently weakened or  annihilated before it attempts to intervene 'on humanitarian grounds' and in seeming response to 'world wide Tamil appeals'.  Meanwhile the IC will even welcome such world wide appeals by Tamils as that will pave the way (and establish useful contact points amongst the Tamil diaspora) for IC's eventual intervention with 'development aid' with the mantra of not conflict resolution but 'conflict transformation'.

It was the Buddha who said that suffering is a great teacher. The Tamil people are being taught on the hard anvil of death and suffering appropriately enough in Buddhist Sri Lanka that human rights and humanitarian laws are more often than not, political instruments - instruments which States use selectively so that they may intervene to advance their own perceived strategic interests. After all the simplest thing that the international actors could have done to protect the Tamil people would have been to remove the ban on the LTTE so that the capacity of the people of Tamil Eelam to resist the genocidal onslaught launched on them by Sinhala Sri Lanka may have been strengthened. The simple and humane thing that the international actors could have done was not to taunt the struggles against terrorism with the label terrorism but to adopt a  principle centered approach which liberated political language and also helped to liberate a people who have taken up arms as a last resort in their struggle for freedom from oppressive alien Sinhala rule. .."

"It is with some hesitation that we publish these photographs of Sri Lanka's Genocidal onslaught on the people of Tamil Eelam - photographs which may offend the sensibility of many. But the brutal nature of Sinhala Sri Lanka's continuing genocidal onslaught on the people of Tamil Eelam must be exposed. 

Jean Paul Sartre was right when he declared in 1967 that "against partisans backed by the entire population, (occupying) colonial armies have only one way of escaping from the harassment which demoralizes them.... This is to eliminate the civilian population. As it is the unity of a whole people that is containing the conventional army, the only  anti-guerrilla strategy which will be effective is the destruction of that people, in other words, the civilians, women and children..."  

Each picture published here speaks a thousand words and exposes not only the horrific war crimes committed by President Rajapaksa and the Sinhala forces under his command but taken together they also  reflect the political reality that it is the unity of the entire population of Tamil Eelam in their struggle for freedom from alien Sinhala rule, that has led the Sinhala regime to believe that the ' only anti-guerrilla strategy which will be effective is the destruction of that people, in other words, the civilians, women and children...' President Rajapaksa and his ruling coterie may believe that they are being effective but they have fanned the flames of an enduring and deep rooted anger and resentment amongst more than 70 million Tamils living in many lands. "

"It is with distress and concern that TRO Headquarters – Vanni notes the departure of the expatriate staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross from the LTTE controlled Vanni.
 
The ICRC has been the only international organization functioning in the Vanni for the past four months after the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) ordered all of the United Nations Agencies (UN) and international Non-Governmental Organizations (iNGOs) out of the Vanni on 15 September 2008.
 
The departure of the ICRC removes the last international witness to the GoSL’s attacks on the over 300,000 Tamil civilians in the Vanni. The ICRC has, in the past two weeks alone, witnessed and reported to the international community via press releases, several incidents of bombing and shelling of hospitals, churches, temples and internally displaced persons (IDP) camps by the Sri Lanka Armed Forces which killed hundreds of civilians. In the past two months alone, the GoSL’s shelling and bombing has killed over 1000 civilians and more than 4000 have been seriously injured." more

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.

Civilians fleeing 'safety zone' further into LTTE held areas

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.

Sri Lanka Army Shells Hospital & Church - TRO

At least nine people were killed and at least 20 others injured as a result of the first three shellings. The hospital sustained direct hits three times in less than eight hours: twice between 3 and 4 p.m. local time, then again at 10.20 p.m. local time. On Monday evening at 6.40 p.m., the hospital was hit a fourth time.

On Sunday the hospital's kitchen was hit first, then its church and later a ward with women and children. On Monday it was another ward. It is likely that there were casualties outside the hospital, too, but we do not have the exact figures yet. Despite the shelling, people injured in the ongoing fighting continue to arrive at the hospital.

When it was hit the third time, more than 800 people, including 500 in-patients, were sheltering in the hospital.

Two other medical facilities in the Vanni region have also been hit by shelling in recent weeks, and again today. This is unacceptable. Wounded and sick people, medical personnel and medical facilities are all protected under international humanitarian law.
 

Sri Lanka fires shells into civilian refugee centres & hospitals
TamilNet, Monday, 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 could 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. “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.

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.

---

The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), in a statement issued from Colombo Sunday expressed shock at the shelling of Puthukkudiyiruppu Hospital a second time in a week, and said "wounded and sick people, medical personnel and medical facilities are all protected by international humanitarian law. Under no circumstance may they be directly attacked," pointing an accusing finger at the Government of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) without mentioning either by name.

Full text of the news release follows:

Sri Lanka: Vanni hospital shelled

"We're shocked that the hospital was hit, and this for the second time in recent weeks," said Paul Castella, head of the Colombo delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). "Wounded and sick people, medical personnel and medical facilities are all protected by international humanitarian law. Under no circumstance may they be directly attacked."

The hospital currently has over 500 in-patients, some of them still waiting to be transferred to the government-controlled area for more adequate treatment. Despite today's attack, people injured by the fighting continue to arrive at the facility.

The ICRC has been supporting the hospital's staff by setting up a makeshift structure for triage, receiving ambulances, and helping to clean the facility. It has also provided mattresses for patients who find themselves in the corridors because there is no longer any room in the wards.

"The staff are under acute stress, surrounded as they are by the sound of the ongoing fighting and the influx of new patients," said Morven Murchison-Lochrie, an ICRC medical coordinator, who is present in the hospital. "Ambulances are constantly arriving, but people are also being brought in by wagon, pick-up truck, tractor and even motor scooter." Despite this, she said, the staff remained inventive and committed to caring for the injured and sick who had made the dangerous trip to the hospital.

Appealing to those involved in the fighting, Mr Castella said: ''The ICRC calls on both parties to respect their obligation to spare medical facilities and activities, as required by international humanitarian law in all circumstances."

ICRC staff are present in the hospital and, together with the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, continue to support the Ministry of Health staff caring for the injured and sick there.

Victims of shelling in hospital - TRO Video

 "Oscar and Grammy award nominee, Eezham born music phenom, Maya Arulpragasam, in the PBS interview on Tavis Smiley show Thursday told the U.S. listeners and fans worldwide that "there's been a systematic genocide which has quiet thing because no one knows where Sri Lanka is. And now it's just escalated to the point there's 350,000 people who are stuck in a battle zone and can't get out, and aid's banned and humanitarian organizations are banned, journalists are banned from telling the story. "

This video shows the plight of Tamil civilians as the Govt of Sri Lanka bombs & shells them. There are scenes of injured persons. It begins with scenes of displacement, then shelling, then the injured are transported to the displaced hospital.

"..Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said no civilians had been killed, though some forced to build fortifications by the rebels - known formally as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam - might have been wounded in crossfire. "There were no civilians killed," he said. "We are targeting the LTTE. We are not targeting any civilians so there can't be any civilians killed."

However an internal U.N. memo sent from the office in Colombo to U.N. headquarters in New York said local workers and their relatives - 95 civilians in all - came under repeated artillery and machine gun fire as they sought refuge inside the government declared "safe zone" for ethnic Tamil civilians inside rebel territory.

The memo said the government ordered the group - which was stuck in rebel-held territory because the Tamil Tigers would not give them permission to leave - to relocate Saturday to the refuge. They quickly established a new base there complete with bunkers, but that evening, they were nearly hit by a shell..."

"Civilians who have been caught by the Sri Lanka Army recently in Vadamaraadchi East in Jaffna and from Murasumoaddai in Ki'linochchi district, who are confined to the 'detention camps' run by the Sri Lankan military, have complained to their relatives that the Sri Lankan soldiers have taken several women into their custody and were sexually abusing them, said Jaffna district parliamentarian S. Gajendran on Wednesday. Those who continue to justify and abet the on going war against Tamils and those who directly or indirectly advocate surrender of Tamil civilians to their adversaries are a party to war crimes, he further said.

Stating that the relatives of victims in Sri Lankan custody in Jaffna, Vavuniyaa and Mannaar have come with shocking stories of sexual violence meted out to their relatives and family members, the parliamentarian said there is a volume of allegations and a long history of sexual abuse by the Sri Lankan military, which consists of 99% ethnic Sinhalese.

Due to the long culture of impunity enjoyed by the Sinhala dominated military, the families being held under a continuous threat to their lives and honour in the Sri Lankan custody are unable to come out and complain the most inhumane crime of war that is taking place silently, charged the Jaffna district parliamentarian of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

It is an inherent culture in the Sinhala army to use the weapon of rape .. It is not only rape, but the open exhibition of Sinhala chauvinism’s insatiable desire to see Tamils naked, whether man, woman, dead or alive that needs attention of the civilized world, the MP commented. .."

Addendum by tamilnation.org The hundreds of Tamils raped by Sri Lanka armed forces include Ambalavanar Punithavathy, Thanuskodi Premini,  Ilaiyathamby Tharshini, Thambipillai Thanalakshmi, Velu Arshadevi - Mahendiran Nageswari - Vijayaratnam Subashini, Thangiah Vijayalalitha,  Sinnathamby Sivamany, Yogalingam Vijitha - Ehamparam Wijikala, Sathasivam Rathykala, Sarathambal, Ida Carmelitta, Koneswary, Velan Rasamma,  Velan Vasantha, Rajani Velauthapillai, Selvarajah Renuka, Krishanthi Kumaraswamy, and Lakshmi Pillai...

"Sri Lankan soldiers have raped both women and young girls on a massive scale, and often with impunity, since reporting often leads to reprisals against the victims and their families.." World Organisation against Torture

"The Sri Lankan security forces are using systematic rape and murder of Tamil women to subjugate the Tamil population... Impunity continues to reign as rape is used as a weapon of war in Sri Lanka." Asian Human Rights Commission

"..On average, a Tamil woman is raped by members of the Sri Lankan security forces every two weeks. The real number is inevitably higher since many cases are unreported. Every two months a Tamil woman is gang-raped and murdered by the Sri Lankan security forces." Statement by NGO, Women Against Rape, at United Nations Commission on Human Rights

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Over the last 24 hours over 300 civilians who were awaiting relief and medical assistance within the “Safety Zone” declared by the Government of Sri Lanka have been killed and several thousand injuredin Udaiyaarkaddu, Suthanthirapuram, and Vallipuram in the Mullaitivu District by Sri Lanka Army multi-barrel artillery and mortar shelling by the Sri Lanka armed forces.

Voice: Eyewitness account from S. Thayalini Part I  - Part II

"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.

SL Army Shelling of Suthanthirapuram on 24 January - Video by TRO

This video was made after the first shells fell and the cameraman continued to record the shells falling & the search for the injured. The video ends at a makeshift, displaced hospital.

URGENT APPEAL from the civilians in the Vanni to:
The Government of India, President Obama, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and the international community

TRO is making an urgent appeal to The Government of India, President-Elect Obama, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and the international community to appeal to the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to cease attacks on civilian targets; allow unfettered humanitarian access to the Vanni by the UN and international NGOs; and to allow all necessary essential humanitarian assistance into the area.

The Sri Lanka Armed Forces continue to bomb and shell civilian areas including: internally displaced person camps, hospitals, churches, temples, and school while the international community remains silent. These attacks have caused the deaths of over 50 civilians in the past month injuries to hundreds.

The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) also restricts and bans the transportation of essential humanitarian emergency relief to the 350,000 displaced persons in the Vanni. Currently there is not sufficient food, medicine, shelter, fuel, water & sanitation and educational materials to meet the bare requirements of these Tamil civilians.

Displacement continues from areas south of Mullaitivu and East of Kilinochchi due to ongoing military offensives by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. These displaced include internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have been displaced from other parts of the Vanni, some up to ten times and new IDPs who had been living in the villages where fighting is taking place. The population of the Vanni is approximately 450,000 persons. Currently, 350,000 of these persons are displaced.

TRO requests that the Government of India, President-Elect Obama, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the International Community pressure the Government of Sri Lanka to:

1.Cease all bombing and shelling of civilians and civilian institutions such as hospitals, schools, temples, churches and civil administration buildings;

2.Declare, in consultation with the LTTE and the ICRC, safe zones/havens for IDPs and other civilians;

3.Allow UN & international NGOs to enter the Vanni and remain there to assist civilian IDPs;

4.Open the border checkpoints so that ambulances can transport the severely wounded civilians to hospitals;

5.Allow the unfettered transportation of humanitarian relief to the Vanni. This includes: food, medicine, shelter materials (tents, tarpaulins, etc), fuel, and other essential items.

SLA shelling kills 22 civilians, wounds 60, targets humanitarian supply centre

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has continued artillery shelling on densely populated 'safety zone,' in Chuthanthirapuram, Udaiyaarkaddu and Thearaavil in Visuvamadu throughout Sunday, at least twice attacking the vicinity of the supply centre, located at Chuthanthirapuram playground, the only centre in Vanni where humanitarian supplies brought in by the UN World Food Programme are distributed. Two shells exploded in the premises, killing five members of a single family of Mr. Jegatheeswaran, owner of a saloon displaced from Visuvamadu. Five more civilians, including children and women, were also killed. Body parts were scattered across the locality and not all of them could be identified, according to medical sources. At least 13 civilians were wounded at the site.

At least 22 civilians have been killed in various localities inside the 'safety zone' throughout Sunday. More than 60 civilians, including children and women, have been wounded in a number of artillery attacks from 2:45 a.m. till 9:15 p.m. Sunday, according to TamilNet correspondent in Vanni.

Heavy fighting was heard throughout Saturday night at distance in Mullaiththeevu town, which has been vacated by civilians.

But, without any provocation from densely populated civilian areas, the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stepped up shelling on Chuthanthirapuram playground, where WFP humanitarian supplies are stockpiled for distribution to the civilian population. Officials responsible for food distribution were stationed at the centre and their vehicles were also parked in the playground.

As this report was being filed, a fresh attack was reported Sunday evening around 9:15 p.m. in front of the food supply centre where a Pi'l'laiyaar temple is located. Artillery shells exploded in the environs of the temple. At least 25 civilians were wounded and civilian volunteers were struggling to transport the wounded to hospital. It was not possible to gather a clear picture of the total casualties in the latest barrage.

Earlier in the day, 3 civilians were killed at Thirukkangkaadu near Thearaavil in Visuvamadu. 9 civilians were wounded.

Artillery shells exploded inside the 100-houses-scheme settlement at the centre of Chunthanthirapuram. 6 civilians were killed and 12 wounded in the colony Sunday noon.

The breakdown of the remaining casualties was not known.

"The message the Sri Lankan forces were passing to the civilians of Vanni, by repeated and unprovoked attacks, is that they should subjugate themselves by walking into the territories in the hands of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA)," commented the TamilNet correspondent. " People are not prepared to surrender themselves. They seem very concerned of the future course of the struggle and were concerned of their sons and daughters."

"The Sri Lankan military is testing the breaking point of the people."

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) continued artillery shelling on Udaiyaarkaddu on Saturday killing at least 7 civilians. At least 87 civilians have been wounded in the indiscriminate shelling up to 5:25 p.m. Shells exploded inside the hospital premises of Udaiyaarkaddu. At least 60 shells exploded behind the hospital premises (Udaiyaarkaddu school) around 3:45 p.m. Four civilians were killed on the spot. Vehicles were seen on fire at Udaiyaarkaddu junction. Medical authorities said the hospitals were struggling to cope with a high number of civilian casualties.

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.

SLA launched artillery fire Friday around 6:00 a.m on the IDP settlement in Mayilvaakanapuram killing a Saiva priest, Sivam Kurukkal, 56 and seriously injuring four including the priest’s son, Kukaran, 17.

The three others injured are Lembert, 46, R. Ravichandran, 46 and Mariyamma, 36. The injured are admitted to Mallaavi hospital displaced to Moongkilaa’ru due to SLA shelling.

Village Officer P. Sabaratnam, 48, Ketheeswaran, 51, A. Prasath, 14, K. Thevi, 50, Isayarasi, 11 Isaivaa’ni, 10 and Isaiyarasan, 7, were seriously injured in the above shelling.

SLA shelled the IDPs in the ‘safety zone’ declared by the government Friday at 10:45 a.m and again at 11:00 a.m killing an elderly person and seriously injuring 34 IDPs.

The seriously injured IDPs are Pushpavathy, 65, Perumal Kurukkal, 71, K. Kowsitha, 20, K. Balabaskaran, 42, Kangampikai, 30, Vijay, 12, Visihithira, 10, Vithusan, 04, T. Piriyarasa, 30, S. Vikinarasa, 52, V. Senamitha, 17, Kowthami, 17, Kamalampikai, 45, Yarlnilavan, 09, Laxsumy, 60, Neyanathan, 24, Kiri, 35, Vadivalakan, 21, Mathivanan, 28, Thayalini, 19, Pushpathevi, 65, Yogalingam, 42, Uthamani, 50, Yarlinpan, 19, Kiritharan, 26, Yarlanpan, 26, Latheepan, 20, Sathiyasoroopan, 29, Eelavan, 19, Kiruban, 12, Mathiyalakan, 22, Thambirasa, 30, Piratheepan, 23 and Alexan, 13.

Two IDPs were killed Friday in the SLA artillery fire on the IDP settlements in Va’lipunam and Theavipuram areas. One of the two killed was identified as Thuraisingam Paranthaman and the other is not identified.

The IDPs injured in the above shelling are Veerabahu Kanapathipillai, 72, Nakuleswaran Jeyakumari, 40, Baskaran Shanthakumari, 40, Veeratheeran Thanusalini, 03, Asaipillai Deluxi, 11, R. Pirabathevi, 50, V. Pirasath, 16, Nirusan, 12, Arunthathi, 42, Anusa, 03, Jeyakumari, 40, Thanabalan, 32, P. Shanthakumari, 37, T. Sobana, 28, T. Thamilventhan, 24, K. Jeyakumari, 30, P. Rathi, 42, Jenifet, 32, S. Selvaroopan, 28, K. Jegatheeswaran, 42, Nadarasa Narenthiran, 22, Jeganathan Sarswathy, 47, Paramalingam Losini, 40, Kanagalingam Mathusa, 14, Nallathamby Parameswaran, 30, A. Sasikumar, 30, Nitharsan, 19, K. Visuvalingam, 52, Nagalingam Nadarasa, 56, Nadarasa Nagendran, 22, Nallamma, 71, Ulageswari, 50 and P. Kularany, 50.

The two IDPs injured in the SLA shelling Friday around 6:00 p.m in Udayaarkaddu are Panugopan, 21 and Rajeev Thamilini, 23.

 

Sri Lanka Army Shelled a civilian settlement. This TRO video is of the civilians at the Hospital
 

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.

TRO Interviews victims after children's home shelling by Sri Lanka

The Iniya Valvu Illam is a children's home for the vision, hearing and/or speech impaired in Vallipuram, Mullaitivu. The children's home is registered with the Govt of Sri Lanka. On 22 Jan 2009 the Sri Lanka Army shelled this childrens home injuring 6 people. ICRC had informed the Govt of SL of the GPS location of this children's home.
 

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 Chenchoalai 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.

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'nikkapuram areas in Mullaiththeevu district Tuesday, sources in Vanni said. SLA continued its artillery barrage on the IDP settlements Monday from 11:00 a.m till 12:30 p.m in Chuthanthirapuram and Theavipuram areas in Vanni killing two IDPs and seriously injuring nine including children.

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 Alagan 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 Chuthanthirapuram East killing 11 innocent civilians including 3 children.

Sinnathurai Mathanakumar, 33 is one of the three killed and others whose bodies brought to Udaiyaarkaddu, Naddaangka’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.

The two killed in Theavipuram Monday are V. Kirupakaran, 40, displaced from 7, Old Colony in Maangku’lam and Nanthakumar, 30, displaced from Madduvil.

The seriously injured in Theavipuram are K. Chanthirasekaran, 38, A. Saraswathy, 59 and Vekananthan, 35.

The IDPs who sustained serious injury in Chuthanthirapuram are R. Thurairasa, 75, M. Sivakamy, 55, Chudaravan, 04, Kanimozhi, 08, Chinthuja, 07 and Ponnambalam, 74.

The bodies of three IDPs killed in the SLA shelling earlier in Visuvamadu area are kept in Ki’linochchi hospital which is now displaced to Visuvamadu due to relentless SLA shelling.

Two of the bodies were identified as of Sri Pathmanathan Subakaran displaced from Aananthapuram in Ki’linochchi and Arunasalam Kanapathipillai, 72, displaced from Uruththirapuram.

The third body is of an elderly person around 60 years of age.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) fighter jets bombed Chuthanthirapuram area Monday around 12:30 p.m while SLA shelled the IDP settlement again around 3:00 p.m Monday.

"The Government of Sri Lanka’s land, air, and naval military operations over the past year have created a humanitarian crisis unprecedented in the history of the 25-year conflict. This crisis has gone largely unreported in the international media due to the fact that the government has banned the media from the Vanni (LTTE controlled area) and ordered the United Nations (UN) and international NGOs out of the area in September 2008. This military offensive has resulted in over 362,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). Some of these civilians have been displaced repeatedly, some up to 10 times.

In 2008 the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) unilaterally withdrew from the Cease Fire Agreement that it had entered into with the LTTE in 2002, and embarked upon the current military offensive. It is the civilians who have been most severely affected by this return to war.

In the Vanni alone thus far, the bombing and shelling by the GoSL military forces over the past year has killed 352 civilians. Most of these civilians have been babies, young children, school students and women. Overall, 2632 civilians have been confirmed killed and more than 6700 injured over the past 2 years in the NorthEast as a result of military actions by the GoSL. Additionally, over 6,000 people have been disappeared or extra-judicially killed by GoSL forces or paramilitaries affiliated to the government."

Catholic priests and other religious leaders in Vanni, in an urgent letter appealed to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, to "take immediate steps to stop the senseless war and put an end to the untold sufferings of the innocent civilians," and said that the "root of the on going war is the Structural Injustice, a vehement denial of equality and dignity of the Sri Lanka Tamils..."

"Displacements continue unabated as a result of aggressive artillery poundings and aerial bombardments in and around civilian settlements," and nearly half a million people are forced to live in Mullaitivu district alone, the letter said.

"Even schools, hospitals, places of worship, civilian settlements etc., the security and safety of which are guaranteed in the Geneva Convention on the Conduct of War, are not spared in this aggressive war," the letter said.

With shrinking geographical territory "it is becoming almost impossible for the people even to move towards "safer" areas, away from the battle fields. A great human tragedy has exploded in Wanni. Such a gruesome experience is unprecedented in the recent history of these people," the Priests said in the letter.

The Priests urged the Secretary General to "kindly take the necessary steps to bring the parties to the conflict to the negotiating table in order to find a humane and just and lasting political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka."

Jaffna Bishop Rt. Rev. Thomas Saundaranayagam has urged the Sri Lankan President and Commander-in-Chief of the Lankan armed forces to stop all shelling and aerial bombings at civilian places in Vanni, in an urgent letter sent to President Mahinda Rajapaksa Monday, before the latest mass exodus towards Puthukkudiyiruppu. "It is the duty of the Government to open a safe corridor for the safety of the civilians. Please stop all shelling and aerial bombings at civilian places," the Bishop said in his letter titled "Humble but urgent request to stop shelling on civilian places in Vanni."

Owing to the ongoing shelling and aerial bombings by the Sri Lankan forces on civilians who have taken refuge on the Paranthan Mullaiththeevu A35 Road, the people are getting killed and many sustain injuries daily, the Bishop said in his letter to Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The displaced innocent people are in terrible plight, the Bishop said and noted that he had urged the people to gather in the churches and temples. The preists are also with the people, he said. "Churches and temples are traditionally places of refuge in time of danger in our country," the letter said. However, the situation has worsened to deadlier scales within the last three days, after the letter from the Bishop. The scale of displacement is such that all the civilians could not be accommodated only in churches and temples. The whole area is full of displaced civilians, according to latest reports.

There are also reports of artillery shells exploding inside the premises of Athisaya Vinaayakar temple in Visuvamadu. Earlier, Colombo had announced the whole area as a secure zone, but later intensified attacks inside the region, also dropping cluster bombs on civilian settlements.

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.

"All cases of deaths and injuries caused by bombing and shelling in Vanni are taken to either Kilinochchi or Mullaithivu hospitals. Both districts have a
Regional Director of Health Services (RDHS) under whose supervision the government hospitals in that district function. Many of these hospitals are
presently functioning in displaced locations. All the information provided in this report is obtained through the above mentioned hospitals and in some
cases the homes of the victims are visited to obtain further details. If anyone wishes to confirm the reports of incidents noted in this report they can contact
the respective Regional Director of Head Services (RDHS) by the phone number provided below."

"..There have been no reports of fighting in densely populated areas. However, the SLA has been continuing artillery attacks and gunfire. The adjoining areas of makeshift hospitals in Visuvamadu and Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital have also come under artillery fire by the SLA, which is driving civilians away from Tharmapuram and Vaddakkachchi by intensifying bombardment.

Meanwhile, hospital authorities in an urgent appeal issued Tuesday afternoon have urged the ICRC to at least take efforts to safeguard the hospital premises from the Sri Lankan shelling.

28 civilians have been killed from within the 13 days from 01 January and 185 wounded. Blood was not available at Puthukkudiyiruppu and makeshift hospitals.

As hospitals were displacing to relatively safer areas, there are more wounded from all corners being rushed to the makeshift hospitals functioning in schools and under trees.

Puthukkudiyiruppu Road was fully busy with displacing civilians."

Tamil civilians displaced by Sri Lanka Army millitary offensive -  Video by TRO
 

"53,273 families have been displaced in Mullaitvu District. In that 35,268 families are receiving WFP dry rations. For the month of November only 11.5 days of dry rations have been provided to the above number of IDPs by WFP convoys. In the month of December, as there was no stock in hand first week dry ration was not distributed. Only the second week quota was given. Third week has come. But so far food convoy has not come. As on 15th December our stock in our hand is 341 Kg. rice, 3124 kg of flour, 16,458.32 kg of dhal, 12,187.04 kg of sugar and 437.09 kg ofc vegetable oil. People are facing severe hardships with out food while there is heavy rain and there are no work opportunities. Every month in 202 lorries with 2021 metric ton food items should come in the WFP convoys. For a week 473 metric ton food in 48 lorries should come, according to GA’s office of Mullaitivu."

Video of aftermath of SL Air Force bombing of Kalaru IDP Camp -

"Between 1:30 and 1:55 am on Saturday 29 November 2008 the TRO Kallaru Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp (also called: Tharumapuram Kallaru Ranimayanathan Scheme or Ulavanoor Kudiyiruppu settlement) was bombed by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF). The SLAF dropped 16 Russian made cluster bombs killing two civilians (a 5 year old child and an 80 year old man) and injuring 19 others (10 children were among the injured). A 77-year-old woman lost her left arm and a 39-year-old man lost his left leg.

The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) ordered departure of the UN and international NGOs from the Vanni on 15 September 2008 has removed the independent, international witness to attacks such as these against civilians. TRO appeals to the international community and the Tamil Diaspora to pressure the GoSL to allow the UN and international NGOs to return to the Vanni on a permanent basis so that they may provide humanitarian assistance to the 300,000 IDPs, conduct needs assessments, and serve as a witness to the sufferings of and attacks on Tamil civilians."

There were five major bombing and shelling attacks on civilians in Vanni during November 2008 and also one on 1 December. All five attacks caused large number of injuries among children and caused two child deaths. In total there were three civilian deaths in these attacks and a total 26 civilians were injured, including nine children. A claymore attack also took the lives of three civilians including that of a child. Details of these six attacks are described in this report. There were several other injuries and destruction caused by artillery shelling..

A  bomb  with Russian markings dropped on 29 November that did not explode is pictured above. Other pieces of the unexploded bombs are also shown below.

Note that the left picture appears to be a parachute. These bombs are considered to be of the type cluster bomb which contain several smaller bombs inside and cause damage to wide area thus often having disastrous effects on civilian population. For this reason there is currently an international push to ban this type of bomb. Several countries have already announced that they will not use these bombs. Sri Lanka is counted among a few countries that have a stockpile of these bombs and are continuing to use them.

Sri Lanka Army DPU Claymore Mine attack on Civilians

"gruesome, terrorist attack by a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) on a civilian bus travelling to Paalampiddi from Madhu at 2:25 on 29 January 2008. The attack killed 20 people, 11 of whom school children, and injured 14, eight of whom were children." says Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation

"In violation of International Humanitarian Law (IDL) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL) the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) continues to deny Humanitarian Agencies, including the UN and ICRC, access to the 15,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Vaharai Division of Batticaloa District in the NorthEast.  These IDPs were displaced from the Muttur, Sampoor, and Eachchilampattu Divisions of the Trincomalee District beginning in August 2006."

"One may wonder whether this indiscriminate killings of innocent people is the will of God. Man was created by God to live in peace, happiness and freedom. Denying freedom to anyone cannot be the will of God. To survive in this world one has to be strong. We must learn to strengthen ourselves in unity and face any hardships to gain our freedom. Let us pledge ourselves to fight for our freedom and happiness as we pay our deepest love and respect for the innocent lives robbed so cruelly,"  Rev. Fr. James Pathinathar in his address at the funeral of the Padahuthurai victims of Sri Lanka's crime against humanity

 "...Under human rights law, there is a recognised right to adequate and available food......whatever the full contours and permeations of the right to food might be, it is clear that it constitutes a violation of the human rights law to deny adequate food to a given population. Moreover, it would be especially unlawful and egregious to deny the right to adequate food as government tactic to control certain persons or as a weapon of war. The most egregious violations include denials of food and medicine or medical supplies, especially for children.… If food is likely to be used by both the general population and enemy combatants, the destruction or denial of food, in circumstances where one can reasonably foresee that the general population will suffer, will necessarily involve the indiscriminate use of food as a weapon. [these] denials also violate related prohibitions under the laws of war, and constitute serious war crimes... Fear of food falling into the hands of enemy combatants is not an excuse for denying food to the civilians... It is time for the international community to recognise that, in addition to medicine and medical supplies, food should always be treated as neutral property during an armed conflict. Because of highly predictable consequences, both short term and long term, food should never be used as a weapon of war. ."  Professor Jordan J. Paust, Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, May ’98

Vaharai 8 November 2006

"scores of civilians were killed Wednesday around 11:35 a.m. when Sri Lanka Army fired Multi-Barrel Rockets and artillery shells targeting Kathiraveli, a coastal hamlet 15 km north of Vaaharai, hit a school where five thousand Internally Displaced People had sought refuge. 40 dead bodies have been recovered. Six babies below 6-month were killed, said medical sources stating that 30 dead bodies had been brought to Vaaharai hospital. SLMM officials and the ICRC visited the area where more than 120 houses were severely damaged. An area with 2 km perimeter was indiscriminately bombed. 60 severely wounded civilians were brought to Valaichenai hospital. 2 civilians succumbed to their wounds while being transferred to Valaichenai."

Killinochchi, 2 November 2006

"On 2  November 2006, scarcely three days after Sri Lanka's pledge in Geneva that it will not launch any military offensive, the Sri Lankan air force launched an attack on the town of Killinochchi which lies in the area of control of the LTTE  within lines of control recognised by the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement."

Vallipunam, 14 August 2006 in Streaming Video

"Sixty-three schoolgirls in children's home, killed in airstrike,
screamed headlines on websites,
mind goes numb and blank and suddenly the world makes no sense
when children's lives are snuffed out with such cruelty and ease..."

Muthur, 5 August 2006

"...security forces had been present in Muttur at the time of the killings... the government had prevented the truce monitors from going to the crime scene to investigate immediately after the discovery of the bodies and ...confidential conversations with highly reliable sources had pointed to the culpability of security forces... The Security Forces of Sri Lanka are widely and consistently deemed to be responsible for the incident... the killings are one of the most serious recent crimes against humanitarian aid workers worldwide..."  Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, 30 August 2006

Pessalai, 19 June 2006

" Today we buried the six  Tamil civilians [Manaval Claramma Leela (75, Jesuthasan Jude Nixon (23), Cyrilappar St.Jude (22)  Turairaja Vijekumar (39), Kodalingham Linganathan (20), Abdul Raheem Latheep (28) Mary Medaline (27)] murdered by the (Sri Lanka)  Navy at Pesalai yesterday by shooting them through their mouths and blowing off their heads and I spoke of Jesus Christ cruelly crucified and his Eternal words “Father forgive them for they do not know what they do”.

Vankalai - 8 June 2006

"SLA soldiers armed with bayonets and knives entered the house of a family of four and slaughtered 35-year-old father, 27-year-old mother, 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son Thursday midnight in Vankalai, 12 km southeast of Mannar."

"..Neither party to the CFA has a right to adopt retaliatory measures. The parties must report any violation to the SLMM for appropriate action or give two weeks' notice to terminate the agreement. Defying this stipulation, unilaterally commencing a retaliatory attack is a gross breach of the CFA. In addition, the attack by government forces on civilian targets, causing death and extensive damage to civilian property, making people destitute is a humanitarian violation and is a war crime under Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Article 2 ( c ) and 2(e). International Humanitarian Law does not permit warring parties to attack civilian targets and civilian lives. The "retaliatory action" directed on civilian targets in Trincomalee-Batticaloa areas on 25-26 April are the actions of a terrorist state intent on terrorising the Tamil people into submission..." more

"..Many areas in the region are virtually a sea of rubble after the intensive attack. Apart from bombs dropped in six different air force sorties, there were at least 80 shells by the Navy and over 160 shells by the Army. Rescue work is currently underway and many of the affected houses, dwellings and other buildings are yet to be cleared. The casualty toll may go up when all the debris and rubble are cleared.The areas affected are Sampur. Muthur, Senaiyoor, Kadatkaraichenai, Kattaiparichhaan, Iraalkuli, Soodaikkudaa, Ilakkanthai, Santhoshapuram, Paattaalipuram, Koonitheevu and Uppaaru. These villages are in Muthur East and largely adjacent to the coast.People have fled their homes and sought refuge in the Muthur division interior areas after the attack. Massive displacement has occurred. 43, 158 people from 10, 718 families are currently displaced in Trincomalee district. The bulk of these are from the Muthur region.. A human tragedy may occur if their needs are not met on time..." more

 "..Thousands of persons from Ralkuli, Kadakaraichchenai, Senaiyoor, Sampoor, Ilakkanthai, Sudaikuda, Paddalipuram and Upparu in the Trincomalee district have been displaced due to the ongoing air, sea, and ground attacks by the Security Forces of Government of Sri Lanka. The IDPs affected by the previous week’s communal violence are also streaming into LTTE controlled areas from the government controlled areas. The number of IDPs has passed the 30,000 mark and continues to rise. Due to extensive and continuous shelling and bombing the relief and rescue efforts are being severely hampered and travel to the affected areas to carry out humanitarian work has been nearly impossible..."

"..More than fifteen thousand Tamil people of about four thousand and five hundred families from Chenaiyoor, Kaddaiparichchan, Koonitheivu, Soodaikuda, Kadatkaraichenai, Santhoshapuram and several hamlets in the Muttur east Wednesday morning gathered in the village Pattalipuram in Muttur east fearing of more air strike and artillery fire. These families started walking toward Pattalipuram while SLAF Kfir jet resumed its bombing  26 April, Wednesday  early morning.." more

"..Initial reports from Muttur east in Trincomalee district 26 April, Wednesday morning said at least twelve bodies of Tamil civilians including men, women and children killed in Tuesday evening air strike by Kfir jets, and artillery attack by Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) were recovered from Muttur east area. More casualties are expected from Tuesday attack by government troops, a NGO source in the affected area said. Five bodies have been identified as belonging to K. Meiyan and his two year old son Meiyan Kishanthan, Ms Nagiah Rukmani, Ms Pathiniyan Nagamma and Ms Veerapathiran Pagawathipillai. All were from Sampoor, Muttur east, according to civil sources.

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) launched air strike on several villages in the LTTE held Muttur east village Tuesday evening following the bomb attack on Lt.General Sarath Fonseka, Commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Colombo.

Three-pronged attack launched by the SLA, SLAF and Sri Lanka Navy on Muttur east villages commenced around 5.30 evening Tuesday ceased around 10 p.m. in the night. But the attack resumed around midnight Tuesday for about an hour, civil sources said.

Groups of people searching for causalities in the Tuesday attacks said at least twelve bodies of Tamil civilians were recovered so far. The death toll is expected to increase. Large number of injured is seeking treatment in Sampoor government hospital where acute shortage medical facilities prevail, sources said."

"Bodies of 12 victims, all Tamils were counted so far in Kadatkaraichenai, Kaddaiparichaan, Senaiyoor and Eachilampatrai. Bodies of women and children were also found among the dead. Many are wounded. Damage to property is extensive. In the air-attack on a Muslim village in Muthur, a Muslim was killed and 9 wounded. On Tuesday alone, the SL Forces had bombed at least in 150 places."

"The armed Forces of Sri Lanka - Army, Navy and Air Force are conducting a joint-non-stop attack on Tamil civilian areas in Trincomalee. Dr. Kohona, the Director-General of the Sri Lanka government Peace Secretariat said the navy shelling and air strikes should not be counted as violation of CFA. He called it a fair reply to the suicide bomb blast earlier in the day in Colombo (on a military target). Condoning the attack on Sampur and adjoining villages in Trincomalee... the Sri Lanka Peace Secretariat boss called the attack by state armed forces on its unarmed civilians, justifiable...  The International community, neighbouring India and the so-called Co-Chairs and the Diplomatic community in Colombo have not thundered "Halt!" nor denounced the violation of the humanitarian laws of armed conflict by the Sri Lanka State." more

"war crimes" means - Intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population as such or against individual civilians not taking direct part in hostilities..." Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Article 2(e)(i)

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers shot and killed five Tamil civilians Tuesday night close to an SLA 51-1 Division camp located at Vatharavathai, 13 km north-east of Jaffna. The soldiers took the five civilians, a Municipal Council official, an electrical mechanic, a farmer and two auto-rikshaw drivers, into their camp and later brought them out to an open terrain and gunned them down, villagers said. A terror-campaign, let loose on the civilians in Puthur in October 2005, when the villagers spoiled a rape attempt by the soldiers, triggered a series of Claymore attacks in Jaffna. Tuesday's killings come a few hours after Australia commending Colombo for "not retaliating in kind."

 "...The plan is to destabilize the Tigers, bait the group into confrontation and ultimately launch an offensive aimed at destroying the fractured Tamil movement once and for all," the analysts at Strategic Forecasting (Stratfor) said quoting unnamed sources inside the Sri Lankan government....Colombo probably hopes a renewed guerrilla war will be tempered by internal struggles and that, once weakened, the Tigers can be destroyed, the US analysts said....According to the US analysts, in the event of a renewed war “the Tigers will likely end up weaker - perhaps no longer in a position to make the demands for autonomy that helped cause the internal strife in the first place. 'On the other hand, baiting a wounded tiger could be a dangerous game',  they cautioned. Colombo promoting Karuna to destroy LTTE with tacit approval of US  says US based think tank Stratfor 

"the intentional withholding of medicine and medical supplies from LTTE controlled areas  is a clear violation of common Article 3 and is a war crime." Professor Jordan J. Paust

"The MEPs, Richard Howitt and Robert Evans, say the government has not done enough to protect civilians caught up in the war against Tamil Tiger rebels and is covering up their suffering. The men accuse the authorities of implementing an oppressive press-censorship policy and of not allowing essential supplies, including baby food and medicine, to be distributed in areas controlled by the Tamil Tigers..."

"I am given to understand that the attitude of the armed forces is that " it is better to kill the people than allow them to go into the LTTE controlled areas". "

"International Educational Development/Humanitarian Law Project requests that the Commission take immediate steps to secure the release of 5114 Tamil women, children and elderly who are trapped in St. Mary’s Church and school at Kilali near the Sri Lankan Army’s (the SLA) Elephant Pass military base. ..We fear that the SLA is trying to use them as human shields. We consider this action by the SLA to be "hostage-taking" under the Geneva Conventions and hence a serious violation of humanitarian law. If they are killed in the course of the armed conflict, the SLA would be the chargeable party based on its refusal to let them flee..."

"..Twenty one Tamil civilians were killed and 35 wounded when the air force carried out a bombing raid in northeastern Sri Lanka, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Thursday (16 September 1999). Fifteen civilians, including women and children, died during the attack while another six died in hospital in the district of Mullaitivu on Wednesday, an ICRC spokesman in Colombo said. He said the bombs fell just two kilometres away from the ICRC office in the district of Mullaitivu. "We can confirm that 21 civilians were killed consequent to the air strike at Manthuvil junction," the spokesman said. "The ICRC deplores the fact that the air strikes were carried out in a civilian area." 

In a letter to President Chandrika, Batticaloa MP Joseph Pararajasingham says, "despite many written complaints to her, indiscriminate shelling of populated areas continues. According to reports, 75 civilians were killed and over 185 were injured in 1998 in security force attacks."

"Sri Lanka is using civilians as a human shield for transporting troops and materials to and from the war zone, a Tamil parliamentarian alleged ... The government thinks security personnel may have more cover if they are transported with civilians in the same ship or aircraft. "

"On 9 June, under cover of the press censorship, Sri Lanka launched a calculated bombing raid on Tamil villages in the Mullaitivu District... The attack launched by Sri Lanka follows an earlier pattern. On 22 September 1996, the Sri Lanka airforce bombed the Nagar Kovil school within hours of Sri Lanka imposing a Press Censorship. The British Refugee Council, Sri Lanka Monitor commented on that occasion: "Hours after the Sri Lanka government imposed military censorship on press reporting ... on 21 September, aircraft bombed a Jaffna school yard crammed with 750 children on their lunch break, killing 34 and seriously injuring over 150 others"

"Are the denial of adequate and available food and the denial of adequate and available medicine and medical supplies violations of human rights law? This Essay demonstrates that such denials are not only violations, but are quite serious violations of basic human rights. Such denials of food or medicine and medical supplies tend to be among the most egregious types of human rights violations, since those who can least afford to suffer tend to be victims... As the authoritative commentary by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC} adds, the duty to respect and protect the wounded and sick is "a categorical imperative which cannot be restricted.  Therefore, the intentional withholding of medicine and medical supplies from LTTE controlled areas, as recognised by the State Department, is a clear violation of common Article 3 and a war crime. "

"..Military operations have damaged 80% of the 176,300 houses in the peninsula. Over 17,000 houses have been completely destroyed.... A number of houses and schools are occupied by the Army. People complain that a large number of trees, including coconut and palmyrah trees providing livelihood, are being cut down for military use..."

"Another humanitarian crisis is looming as Sri Lankan forces shell and aerial-bomb Tamil border villages on the edges of Vavuniya and Mannar districts in their latest offensive. Heavy artillery fire is raining down on a number of villages causing civilians to flee in massive waves.."

" I have been struggling in my mind against the conclusion that the SL government is trying to kill or terrorize as many Tamil people as possible; that the government is trying to keep the conditions of the war unreported internationally, because if those conditions were reported, the actions of the military would be perceived as so deplorable that foreign nations would have no choice but to condemn them. And this would be embarrassing to everybody.  But it seems now that no other conclusion is possible... "

"When we first head the noise of the jets, we ran into the air-raid shelters which had been dug into the ground. Two bombs exploded near our bunker. I fainted. When I regained consciousness, I found my father had had his head blown off. My sister's body had been torn apart and pieces of her child were near by. "

"Seventeen Tamil civilians, mostly children and the aged were killed by Sri Lanka helicopter gunships on 16 March 1996 in the village of Nachchikuda in the East. About sixty were seriously injured..."

 "...you are actually steamrollering through the area. Step by step. Do a certain distance first, then clean up, converge on the next one. Any building from which resistance comes or where there is likely to be resistance, bring it down with air bombing or with tank fire. You clean up. But then as you pass -- you're leaving behind rubble as you go. So that was the other problem for which they have resorted to censorship so that this doesn't come out. .. they have made sure that there is no adverse publicity (world opinion, the press, doesn't know what is happening there, because it's all controlled). .."

"The military's artillery shell machine at Neerveli was switched on at 3.00 AM. on the 29th, and the frequency of shelling (sometimes four to six shells were blasted within a single minute) was so frightening that most of the staff ran for its safety to the University that was already crowded with people rushing from Uduvil, Marutanamadam, Enuvil, Urumpurai, Urelu, Kokkuvil, Kondavil, Kulappiddy and other villages of the Valigamam area. A Supersonic and two Puccara bombers began encircling the Tirunelveli-Kondavil area and suddenly began to fire rockets, the impact of which was like a powerful strike of lightening and thunder.More than ten persons died in and around Tirunelveli, among them three children belonging to one family..."

"Hours after the Sri Lanka government imposed military censorship on press reporting of its bitter and unpredictable war... on 21 September, aircraft bombed a Jaffna school yard crammed with 750 children on their lunch break, killing 34 and seriously injuring over 150 others. Two surgeons from French medical agency Medecins Sans Frontierers (MSF) worked through the night at Point Pedro's Manthikai hospital carrying out 22 amputations, four cases of both legs. Ten of the amputees were under 12. The LTTe says 71 Tamil civilians were killed in bombing raids in Nagarkoil and Vadamaratchy areas in a 24 hour period. Military sources first denied the attack then claimed Nagaroil was a Sea Tiger base where LTTE cadre had gathered to honour Tiger martyr Thileepan..  Civilians are unidentifiable from the air - unless perhaps there are 750 of them all dressed in spotless white school uniforms."

Sri Lanka armed forces contravened Geneva Convention says NGO

"..Bombing by high flying supersonic jets continue to cause considerable civilian casualties… Sustained shelling from the Palaly army camp has compelled tens of thousands of Tamils to leave their homes. Several houses have been flattened. At the sametime the Sri Lanka Government has imposed an economic blockade on the transport of goods to the Tamil homeland including essential food items and medical supplies.The actions of the Sri Lanka armed forces are a clear contravention of the Geneva Convention relating to non international armed conflicts.."

"Having dropped leaflets asking the people to move to places of worship the Sri Lanka air force there after attacked the places of worship where Tamil civilians had sought refuge. St.Peters Church and St.Peters School in Navaly at a great distance away from the line of battle and where hundreds had sought shelter was deliberately bombed on 9 July 1995." "Thirteen babies were among the 65 dead found under the rubble of a Catholic church bombed by the Sri Lankan air force, an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) official said.."

"Indiscriminate and continual night shelling on 9, 10 and 11 July of Kokuvil, Thalayady, Maruthanamadam, Thavadi, Uduvil, Manipay, Anaicottai, Sangarathai, Vaddukodai, and Navaly areas led tens of thousands of Tamil civilians to evacuate their homes. During certain periods shells were fired at the rate of almost one per minute... During the first six days of the onslaught, 245 Tamil civilians including almost one hundred women and children were killed"

"The Batticaloa (Tamil) civilians are being used as Claymore mine detectors by the (Sri Lanka) forces. The farmers in the Vantharamulla area are being forced to walk ahead of the soldiers and sometimes even asked to dig with bare hands for buried mines, the Batticaloa TULF M.P. K.Thuraisingham told the 'Sunday Leader'. "On the 2nd of May I complained to Brigadier Igadagolla who is in charge of the Kalkudah district about these human rights violations... Also some farmers reported to me that they were forced to feel the ground for hidden mines through a hooked wire, a routine task for the soldier..."

"Reports say 116 people died in the Jaffna hospital in the Jaffna Hospital, the majority of septicaemia. Only a fraction of the 300 lorry loads of food required for 200,000 people has reached Killinochchi District and reports say the GA has no reserve food stocks. Kerosene is hard to obtain even at a high price." - British Refugee Council Publication, Sri Lanka Monitor

"Sustained shelling from Sri Lanka Army Camps in the North has compelled over 5000 Tamil civilians to evacuate from their homes in Panipulam and Chulipuram. In these areas many houses have been badly damaged..."

"..On 12 November 1993, at about 2.30 p.m. Sri Lankan supersonic jets bombed the safety zone around the Jaffna Hospital. The bombs were dropped within 50 yards of the main entrance to the Hospital. This area is under ICRC control. Doors, windows and tiles of the Hospital were broken and fell in pieces. The outer wall of the OPD came tumbling down. Glass shutters of some vehicles within the hospital were shattered. Two security guards of the hospital, a Red Cross volunteer worker, and an infant in the hands of a woman who rushed into the hospital for safety were injured..."

"Following the overrunning of the Pooneryn camp by the LTTE on 11 November 1993, on the morning of 12 November at about 8.30 a.m. Sri Lanka supersonic planes bombed the Jaffna Secretariat premises. The first bomb hit the Kacheri and splinters caused injury to Mr.K.Manickavasagar, the Government Agent who was at his desk attending to his duties. As the shrapnel hit Mr.Manickavasagar he ran out of his room and down the stairs to reach the lower floor..."

"..On Friday, 26 November Sri Lanka Airforce jet dropped two bombs at Kalasalai Road in Thirunelvely. The houses of Sivapatham and Vijayaratnam were badly damaged. Immediately after this attack the supersonic jet targeted the Sri Ramakrishna Saratha Ladies College in Kokuvil. The Vice Principal of the school , Mrs. T.Sri Pathmanathan, a teacher and some students, six in all, were injured. The Science laboratory was damaged..."

"..At about 8.40 a.m on Monday, 28 December 1993, two Sri Lanka Airforce bombers dropped five bombs in Alampil, a village in the Manal Aru area. Five houses were damaged. The Multi Purpose Coop Society building was completely destroyed. Siyamani Komala (aged 4) and her brother Siyamani Theepan (aged 12) were killed. Another young girl Priya (aged 18) was also killed by the attack. Siyamani Jayaranjani (aged 8), a sister of the deceased Komala and Theepan, and who was taken to the Killinochchi Hospital, later succumbed to her injuries and died..."

"On 13 November , Sri Lankan supersonic bombers attacked St.James Church at Gurunagar at about 7.30 a.m. St.James is one of the largest and oldest Roman Catholic churches in Jaffna. The church was completely destroyed. A nursery school nearby, two shops and ten houses in the neighbourhood were also destroyed. Ten persons were killed and over 30 injured. Of the dead three belonged to the same family. The bodies of the dead were torn and charred. The blown up parts of all the bodies were collected and buried together. "

'We religious leaders from the North, belonging to the Hindu, Christian and Catholic religions... strongly protest against the actions of the Sri Lankan Air Force which seems guided by the sole motive of revenge and striking terror among the Tamil people.Following on the recent Pooneryn operations, the Air Force has used its supersonic bombers to bomb the Jaffna Secretariat killing and injuring several. The Government Agent of Jaffna, Mr.K.Manickavasagar being one of those injured. It has bombed a place of worship, the St.James Catholic Church in Main Street, Jaffna destroying that large and venerated house of God and killing and injuring several innocent citizens. It has dropped its bombs within the protected zone around the Jaffna General Hospital damaging the hospital and striking panic among the patients and the public. We have reports that the hospitals in Killinochchi and Mulaitivu have also been bombed. The market block in Chavakachcheri has also been bombed and destroyed..."

"... Over 200 have been killed in air and navy attacks this year. In one attack in January which killed 50, a man feigned death while sailors boarded boats mutilating dead bodies to steal jewellery. Another 17 people drowned in August when their boat capsized during shelling. Defence sources in Colombo usually describe the attacks as clashes with the LTTE.''

'"Daily life in Jaffna is conditioned by the distant drone of aircraft engines and the run to the bunkers behind almost every house...Over 1,000 civilians have been killed in the three years bombing of Jaffna and almost 1,500 have died from gruesome injuries. Another 1,000 children died needlessly in 1992 because Jaffna hospitals lack basic drugs and medical equipment to save them… "

"..Last summer (1990),  I spent five weeks in Sri Lanka reporting on the civil war in the North and East. I am not a scholar of Sub continental politics or history, nor am I a think tank or development agency intellectual -- my work is more a glorified form of visiting with people than anything so respectable. When in Afghanistan, Kashmir, Amritsar and the Middle East, my job description has been amended to visiting with people who are fighting for independence. In my work, I have seen horrific torture, beatings, bombings and shootings, but nothing so terrible as I witnessed in Sri Lanka last year. "

"The Sri Lankan government has begun bombing and machine gunning civilians in Jaffna and other cities in the Tamil dominated north after its failure to contain the rebels from the ground. The attacks began before dawn on Monday, a day of intensive fighting. Bombers and Bell helicopter gunships flew sorties of and on throught the day until 9 p.m. The government forces have been sporadically bombing the outskirts of the city for several days but Monday was the first time the centre was the target .." Christopher Lockwood, reporting in the Independent

"Fifty two villages have been destroyed in the Trincomalee district in the last two months by the Sri Lankan armed forces according to an eyewitness who fled the country. The middle aged person who claims that he was helped by the Sri Lankan Government to escape from Trincomalee, told PTI many shops and houses in the district had been razed to the ground rendering thousands of Tamils homeless in the Government's bid to "drive away Tamils from the strategic port town of Trincomalee". The person, a non Tamil belonging to a group settled in Trincomalee for generations who wanted to be anonymous said he fled from the town following the ghastly attack by the Sri Lankan Home Guards on September 4 in Trincomalee town. Virtually, the entire town was wiped out in the attack driving away.."