Tens of thousands of civilians were killed in mass atrocities accompanied by a litany of systematic rights abuses that have since been outlined in UN reports.
Seven years on, not a single prosecution for these crimes has taken place and the military responsible for the atrocities remains deployed in the Tamil speaking areas.
11 Apr 2009 - Hospital records report 599 deaths and 3350 injuries in 3 days of attacks on No Fire Zone
Tamilnet reports from hospital records outlined at least 599 deaths and 33350 injuries amongst the Tamil civilian population in the No Fire Zone after 3 days of shelling.
11 Apr 2009 - 200,000 British Tamils march through London demanding a ceasefire
Over 200,000 British Tamils marched through London demanding a ceasefire in Sri Lanka, reported Tamilnet.
The demonstration, which was instigated by British Tamil students, broke all previous records of attendance at Tamil protests.
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10 Apr 2009 - Reporter Sans Frontiers demands that journalists be allowed into No Fire Zone, expresses concern over SL war crimes
Reporters sans Frontiers (RSF) warned that the death of two journalists in the No Fire Zone was yet another war crime that the Sri Lankan government would be held accountable for, and strongly condemned the Sri Lankan government’s banning of independent journalists from the No Fire Zone and Sri Lankan army front lines.
Extracts from the statement reproduced below.
“It is a disgrace that this war is being waged without independent journalists present. And by preventing thousands of innocent civilians from moving freely, the Tamil Tiger rebels bear a large share of the responsibility for these crimes. By limiting media coverage to guided tours with the purpose of confirming military victories, the armed forces are preventing the press from doing its job and are disregarding the public’s right to be informed in an independent manner."
“Reporters are unable to travel freely in the northern Vanni district, especially the coastal area were nearly 100,000 civilians and rebel combatants have been surrounded by the army."
10 April 2009 - Stop shelling No Fire Zone, HRW tells Sri Lanka
Human Rights Watch in a press release demanded that the Sri Lankan government stop firing heavy artillery into the ‘No Fire Zone, where they estimated some 100000 Tamil civilians were trapped.
The Asian director at Human Rights Watch described Sri Lanka’s No Fire one as ‘the most dangerous place in the world.’
Reaching out to Human Rights Watch, a doctor in the No Fire Zone, said,
"We have been reporting every day, every day providing reports to relevant authorities and to the international community, and still there are no real steps taken to save these innocent civilians."
See full Human Rights Watch press brief here.
10 Apr 2009 - US Tamil organisations urge state department to check reports of chemical weapons used in No Fire Zone
Eleven Tamil organisations in a meeting with the US state department urged the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert Blake, to investigate allegations and evidence of chemical weapon attacks against Tamil civilians and called for aid to be delivered to the No Fire Zone.
See press release from the US state department meeting here.
09 April 2009 - ICRC team leader killed in Vanni
A team leader for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Sinnathurai Kugathasan, was killed by Sri Lankan military shelling within the No Fire Zone, rescue workers told Tamilnet.
08 April 2009 - Child nutrition centre shelled by Sri Lankan military
411 civilians including 100 children were affected by the shelling of a child care centre and milk powder distribution centre at Pokkanai, within the No Fire Zone.
Reports given to Tamilnet alleged that three artillery shells were fired into the civilian facilities, leaving 129 dead and 100 children injured.
An survivor of the shelling in an eyewitness account to Human Rights Watch, said,
“There had been no distribution of milk powder for three months, and so when they announced that there would be distribution today, hundreds of people lined in queue. It was early in the morning. I heard the first shell, and hit the ground. I survived by miracle, but my 45-year old uncle died on the spot- he lost both legs.”
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report in to Sri Lanka’s mass atrocities (OISL) , released in September 2015 found:
On 5 February 2009, the United Nations, the ICRC, medical workers and Government officials relocated from PTK to Putumattalan and Valayarmadam, on the coast. As humanitarian agencies moved in convoy, they encountered shelling and airstrikes near Iranaipalai, and were forced to stop temporarily due to airstrikes along the road ahead.
Intense fighting continued in the NFZ, including around Putumattalan hospital, which the ICRC described as “nothing short of catastrophic”. The ICRC expressed particular concern about the impact on civilians of using weapons such as artillery, and called on both sides to take extreme precautions, describing the context as “exceptional in that combat is occurring in a very densely populated area.
Witnesses alleged the use of cluster-type munitions by the Sri Lankan armed forces in their attacks on Putumattalan hospital and the United Nations hub. Medical staff reported that they amputated the leg of a woman who had suffered injuries allegedly as a result of a “cluster bomb”
07 Apr 2009 - Sri Lankan military uses chemical weapons, says LTTE
A senior commander of the LTTE, who witnessed attacks in the No Fire Zone said that the Sri Lankan Military was extensively using chemical weapons, reported Tamilnet.
The Sri Lankan government had already received criticism for the purchase of weapons banned under international law.
Video footage obtained in 2014, showed Sri Lankan soldiers confirming that they used chemical weapons against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and Tamil civilians during the final stages of the war.
See related articles:
Video of Sri Lankan soldier describing use of chemical weapons - India's News X (16 Mar 2014)
Controversial weapon meant for genocide alleges MP (17 August 2001)
07 Apr 2009 - Shelling starvation and death in the No Fire Zone
A wounded Tamil civilian speaking from the No Fire Zone described the hellish conditions that the people faced under relentless shelling from the Sri Lankan army.
Describing a shell attack that killed his son, the wounded civilian, Subasan, said,
“I was thrown by the blast and both my ears were blocked by the explosion. When I recovered from my initial shock, I realised that I was injured. I tried to save a badly injured 14 year old boy lying nearby but the boy succumbed to his injury.”
“I have two children, but the food we have is inadequate to feed the family. The food we have here is enough for only one person, but we share," he further added speaking to Tamilnet.
6 Apr 2009 - Thousands of Tamil protestors occupy parliament square demanding international action as slaughter of Tamil civilians in North-East escalates
6 April marks the anniversary of the parliament square protests. Following 2 weeks of protest outside British parliament the number of demonstrators escalated to thousands in response to the intensified shelling of Tamil civilians in the North-East. Thousands of protestors took to the streets and staged a sit down demonstration in front of the Houses of Parliament.
The protests that happened in response to the shelling of Tamil civilians in the No Fire Zone, were eventually documented as the longest ever continuous mass protests outside the Houses of Parliament in its recorded history.
For an eye-witness account of the events see here.
Protests in London were followed by protests around the world calling for international governments to act to stop the killing of Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka.
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| Thousands of protestors take to the streets |
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| Veteran British politician Tony Benn joins demonstrations |
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| Photographs: The Guardian |
The regional officer of the Mullaitheevu Regional Director of Health Services (RDHS), outlined an obvious pattern of shelling within the No Fire Zone.
The officer reported that conservative estimates placed at least 250,000 people within the No Fire Zone.
6 Apr 2009 - UN Sec-Gen on IDPs warns of disproportionate collateral damage among civilian population in No Fire Zone
After a visit to Sri Lanka in April 2009, the Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on the Human Rights of IDPs warned that the second NFZ “essentially overlaps with the conflict zone as LTTE forces have been pushed back into it. This creates an extreme and deadly risk for the remaining civilian population. Due to the zone’s limited size and high population density, any military operation – even if undertaken with the utmost caution and with respect for the principle of distinction between civilians and combatants – is highly likely to be indiscriminate by nature and cause disproportionate collateral damage among the civilian population."
5 Apr 2009 - Sri Lankan Airforce intensifies attack on civilian No Fire Zone
Over 200 civilians were either killed or wounded due to Sri Lankan Air-force bombardment of the No Fire Zone on this day.
Areas of Maaththalan, Pokkanai, Valaignarmadam, Iraddai-vaaykkal and other areas of safety zone were shelled
4 Apr 2009 - Tamil Eelam Bank official warns of atrocities happening in Vanni
In a message to the international community and the Tamil diaspora, the head of Finance at the Tamil Eelam Bank in the Vanni outlined dire conditions that Tamil civilians were living in due to military bombardment by Sri Lanka’s military.
Mr Balakrishnan said that 350,000 people were being fed with supplies that could only cater for 70,000 people. The official accused Sri Lanka’s government of denying aid to the Tamil areas and killing at least 50 people a day through its military activity.
Deploring the fact that Sri Lanka had exiled international NGOs and journalists from the Tamil areas to cover its crimes and prevent information from leaking to the outside world, the official called on the Tamil diaspora and others to raise international awareness about the atrocities happening in Sri Lanka.
The official added that the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were workign to provide aid to Tamil civilians but needed further aid resources from the diaspora as the Sri Lankan government was with holding aid.
13 Mar 2009 - UN Human Rights Chief warns of potential war crimes
The High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement on 13 March 2009, expressing her concern for the civilian population in the conflict zone, suggesting war crimes and crimes against humanity may have been committed.
6 Mar 2009 - Doctors warn of severe shortage of medicines in Vanni
The Regional Director of Health Services (RDHS) of the Kilinochchi district, Dr Saththiyamoorthy, accused the government of Sri Lanka of systematically blocking medical supplies to the Vanni region, causing several Tamil civilians to die.
In a situational update, Dr Saththiyamoorthy said the region had not received medicine for 4 months prior to his report.
"There is a severe shortage of medicines, particularly anesthetic drugs, surgical items, IV fluids, Oral antibiotics, Paediatric syrups, Arv, toxoid and Vaccines," said the report.
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report in to Sri Lanka’s mass atrocities (OISL) , released in September 2015 found:
“OISL has reasonable grounds to believe that the Government knew or had reasons to know the real humanitarian needs of the civilian populations in the concerned areas, including from its own Government agents who were organizing assistance in the conflict zone, and yet it imposed severe restrictions on the passage of relief and the freedom of movement of humanitarian personnel.”
13 Feb 2009 - Tamil civilians face intense shelling as they flee to 'No Fire Zones'
Over 150 civilians were feared killed by Sri Lankan Army shelling roads that were being used by civilians to flee from conflict areas and reach newly defined ‘no fire zones.’
Several casualties and fatalities were reported along roads side from Teavipuram to Puthukkudiyiruppu, with the fleeing civilians forced to leave their dead on the side of the roads or bury them under intense shelling.
A further 90 civilians were reported killed by similar circumstances two days prior.
11 Feb 2009 - Hospitals bombed, relentless assault on Tamil civilians and calls for international protection
February 11th saw the Jaffna Government Agent (GA) made an urgent appeal to international non-governmental organisations to provide food and protection to over 2400 internally displaced people (IDP) that were in held across three Sri Lankan Military run camps.
The LTTE Divisional Political Head in Vanni, C Ilamparithy, whilst rebuffing Sri Lankan military claims that the LTTE were responsible for the slaughtering of civilian, urged the international community to protect Tamil civilians.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in a statement released the previous day, expressed ‘shock’ at the lack of protection and absence of international aid reaching the Tamil population in Vanni.
Speaking at an ICRC press release, the head of the delegation in Sri Lanka, Paul Castella said,
“We are shocked that patients are not afforded the protection they are entitled to.”
In a statement LTTE official Ilamparithy said,
“The ‘safety zone’ unilaterally announced by the Colombo government has been turned to a killing field by the Sri Lanka military. The Sri Lankan military machinery, which has relentlessly killed and maimed thousands of civilians during the past four weeks, is now engaged in a propaganda drive to divert mounting pressure on the Colombo government by the international community.”
“Colombo is committing the worst crimes of humanity, by killing and maiming hundreds of civilians every day with the ‘safety zone’ and by indiscriminately bombing medical institutions.”
“The international community must ensure the presence of international protection and the monitoring authorities to assure the safety of the civilians, including the wounded patients and their guardians who accompany them.”The ICRC press statement also read,
“Most of the population is now displaced and completely depended on outside aid, yet none has reached the area since 29 January.”
In a statement made at the start of the month the ICRC expressed dismay at the Sri Lankan Airforce’s repeated bombing of hospital and medical facilities in Vanni, stating,
“We’re shocked that the hospital was hit, and this for the second time in recent weeks. 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 staff are under acute stress surrounded as they are by the sound of ongoing fighting and the influx of new patients. Ambulances are constantly arriving, but people are also being brought in by wagon, pick up trucks, tractor and even motor scooter.”
