Massacre escapees at Vavuniyaa hospital under strict surveillance

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 January 2009, 04:18 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) opened fire and massacred 7 civilians, including two children of a group of refugees who ended in the hands of the SLA in Murasumoaddai village in Ki'linochchi district on January 10, three days before the mass exodus of civilians towards Puthukkudiyiruppu. On the same day, the SLA blamed the Tigers for the killing of the 7 civilians. However, civilians who have been isolated into various detention camps run by the military, have revealed that the SLA soldiers had opened fire on them.
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What prevents Akashi and his ilk reaching out to people in need, asks IDP activist

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 January 2009, 03:48 GMT]
"The Colombo government has claimed that its forces have captured the 'last LTTE town', Mullaiththeevu. Its Army commander has said that 95% of the war is over. Therefore the LTTE must now be powerless in controlling the movement of civilians. But the people every time demonstrate their shudder at the thought of getting into the hands of the invading army and pull themselves into pockets further and further. In such a situation it is nothing but mischief for the visiting Japanese Envoy Yasushi Akashi to talk about the LTTE using civilians as human shield and The Hindu to highlight it," said an IDP activist from Vanni.
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SLA shelling kills 22 civilians, wounds 60, targets humanitarian supply centre

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 January 2009, 19:13 GMT]
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.
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Former UN diplomat urges global attention on Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 January 2009, 04:57 GMT]
Jan Egeland, the former UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, in a commentary article published in a leading newspaper in Norway on Saturday has called for world attention on forgotten conflicts where situation has deteriorated while the focal point of the world was centered on Gaza. "With catastrophic consequences to an already exhausted civilian population, the army of Sri Lanka has taken upon the guerrilla controlled areas," he writes.
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12 civilians killed, 87 wounded, SLA continues artillery attack on 'safety zone'

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 January 2009, 14:00 GMT]
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.
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Fleeing civilian youths misused to fabricate SLA propaganda

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 January 2009, 13:07 GMT]
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.
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Intent of Genocide provable in Sri Lanka - Fein

[TamilNet, Saturday, 24 January 2009, 11:54 GMT]
Bruce Fein, former U.S. Deputy Associate Attorney General and currently counsel for the US-based group Tamils Against Genocide, addressing a select gathering of media persons and intellectuals organized by the Max Foundation in Chennai Friday, told the audience that there is enough evidence to criminally convict U.S. citizen Gotabaya Rajapakse and U.S. Green card holder Lt.Gen. Sarath Fonseka in the U.S. Federal Courts for "intent to commit Genocide" in Sri Lanka, sources from Chennai said.
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'Safety zone' shelled again, 5 civilians killed, 83 wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 January 2009, 16:53 GMT]
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.
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India, Co-Chairs backing war: Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 January 2009, 16:29 GMT]
Sri Lanka said Friday its military offensive against the Tamil Tigers was supported by India and the Co-Chairs to the donor community – US, EU, Norway and Japan. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said the Co-Chairs and Sri Lanka had a common objective of a speedy solution to the conflict. Meanwhile, Japan’s special envoy Yashushi Akashi, was quoted by the Defence Ministry as “expressing satisfaction at the efforts by the Sri Lanka Government to safeguard the civilian population in the north.” Almost a hundred civilians died this week in the military’s deliberate shelling of populated areas, including a ‘safe zone’ Colombo announced.
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Artillery barrage continues, 3 killed, 33 wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 January 2009, 13:03 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) shells continued to target Tamil refugees in temporary settlements of Mullaiththeevu district Friday. Three civilians were killed around 10:00 a.m. and 33 were wounded.
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Tamil Nadu gears up for more protests

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 January 2009, 05:27 GMT]
A state-wide common front of college and university students' organisations in Tamil Nadu launched protests against New Delhi and the state government demanding immediate action in stopping the war, which seeks to subjugate Tamil people who have refused to surrender into the hands of the Sri Lanka Army despite the physical and psychological war on them. 200,000 students took part in the 32 districts of the state on Wednesday, according to Dr. Vengadachalam, the organisor of the College Students' Coordinating Committee, a newly formed alliance of the students' organisations.
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Germany calls for Ceasefire between GoSL, LTTE

[TamilNet, Friday, 23 January 2009, 01:51 GMT]
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called Thursday for an immediately negotiated ceasefire between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE), stating that the ceasefire should enable aid deliveries and medical care for the civilians in the disputed areas.
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SLA arrests 3 Tamil civilians in Ki'n'niyaa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 January 2009, 14:07 GMT]
Three Tamil civilians were taken into custody in a cordon and search operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police at Chinnath-thoaddam in Ki'n'niyaa division in Trincomalee district Wednesday evening.
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2 medical staff wounded in artillery barrage on hospital

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 January 2009, 14:03 GMT]
Fifteen civilians, including two female medical staff were injured in Sri Lankan army indiscriminate artillery and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher attack on Va'l'lipunam (Mullaiththeevu) hospital around 12:20 p.m. Thursday, according to the latest information obtained from the medical authorities of the hospital.
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Urgent medical transport facilitated after 14 days

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 January 2009, 13:36 GMT]
Nearly after 2 weeks, on Thursday ICRC escorted 44 civilians in 5 ambulances and buses to Vavuniyaa for medical treatments, initial reports from Vanni said. More than 50 civilians have been waiting for medical transport for the past two weeks and a child with head injuries died at Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital as the needed medical transport to Vavuniyaa hospital was not available.
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Military was provided with exact coordinates of hospital - Mullai RDHS

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 January 2009, 13:33 GMT]
The Government hospital of Mullaiththeevu was shifted to Va'l'lipunam 'Peace' Village and the Sri Lankan government as well as the military authorities were provided the Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates through the ICRC, Dr. T. Varatharajah told TamilNet, when asked to describe the status of security measures taken by the local medical authorities in the hospital. Three days ago, the ICRC Deputy Director was present at the hospital premises to assure it, he said. The ICRC was present Wednesday at the hospital to confirm the security.
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Hospital bombed, 5 killed, 15 wounded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 January 2009, 08:56 GMT]
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.
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66 civilians killed within 3 days - Mullai RDHS

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 January 2009, 08:11 GMT]
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.
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SLA attacks civilians in 'secure zone', several killed, dozens wounded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 January 2009, 04:44 GMT]
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.
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TNA urges IC to put an end to genocidal war

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 January 2009, 03:26 GMT]
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in a press release issued on Wednesday urged the International Community to prevail upon the Sri Lankan state to bring the war to an immediate end stating that It is the considered view of the TNA that the Sri Lankan State is prosecuting the current war in pursuit of an ideology, namely the assertion of Sinhala Buddhist supremacist nationalism, and in order to achieve that objective a process of Genocide of the Tamil people is in progress. The inhuman conditions and the daily killings to which the Tamil civilians in LTTE controlled areas are being subjected to are only the more obvious elements of this process, the statement by the TNA said.
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