Doctors quit safety zone, volunteer medics remain with injured

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 May 2009, 23:48 GMT]
Medical Superintendent Dr. Shanmugarajah who was attending the wounded at the makeshift hospital at Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal junior school, his family, Regional Director of Health Services (RDHS) doctors, Dr Varatharajah and Dr Sathiyamoorthy, and three other doctor,s have entered the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled checkpoint at Omanthai. Dr Varatharajah has been seriously wounded during his passage out of the Safety Zone, and reports from Vanni say, he has been air-lifted for medical treatment. His whereabouts are not known.

Additional Government Agent, K. Parthipan, who also left the Safety Zone, has been transferred to the Internment camp in Vavuniyaa by the SLA, informed sources from Colombo said.

The other doctors have been detained at the Omanthai checkpoint and are being interrogated by the SLA.

The volunteer medics still remaining in the Safety Zone are unable to provide any effective treatment, without adequate medicine or medical facilities, to the 2000+ civilians severely injured still remaining within the zone in the temporary hospital at Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal east.

Chronology: