Slave camp suspected in Ki'linochchi hospital building

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 February 2009, 17:34 GMT]
A slave camp consisting male and female members 'chosen' from the fleeing civilians by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is reportedly setup in the abandoned Ki'lnochchi hospital building, reported TamilNet correspondent in Vanni, citing unverified information reaching Mullaiththeevu from males who escaped from the camp. According to the sources, men are kept at the downstairs for forced labour and women kept in the upstairs for abuse by the SLA soldiers who are on temporary leave.

Wailing and screaming of women are commonly heard from the upstairs, the sources revealed.

The screening of the civilians who fled took place at two centres, in Visuvamadu and in Ki'linochchi.

Many youngsters were reportedly missing during the screening process.

Parents who asked the military authorities about the their children missing at the time of screening were not given with any answer.

When the UN official John Holmes visited an internment camp in Vavuniyaa last week, a woman inmate complained to him about a missing son who was taken by the SLA soldiers. But, the accompanying Sri Lankan Minister of Resettlement, Rishard Badurdeen, translated the complaint to Mr. Holmes that the woman was referring to her son taken by the Tigers.

A few days ago, reports of a top man directing the war giving a free hand to the soldiers about captured civilians, leaked from the army sources themselves.