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.
15 May 2009 - Hellish conditions in No Fire Zone, Tamil cause will reignite unless self-rule is allowed says Financial Times
Medical personnel in Vanni told TamilNet, that over 100,000 Tamil civilians remained in the No Fire Zone.
“ Unless an external humanitarian intervention is carried out without delay, it would be difficult to avert an inhuman catastrophe. The ICRC has abandoned its missions, there is no food, no proper access to potable water to tens of thousands of civilians who are forced to stay under the bunkers, surrounded by dead bodies and wounded civilians who are dying without medical help," a medical doctor in the No Fire Zone said.Thousands of civilians were shelled by the Sri Lankan government as they escaped the No Fire Zone, found an UN Panel of Experts report.
“Civilians had nowhere to hide from the shelling which was coming from all sides. Many died and were buried under their bunkers or shelters, without their deaths being recorded. Black smoke and the stench of dead bodies filled the air. Some people begged for food for their starving children or for help for the wounded or dying. The scene was described as reminiscent of hell,” said the UN Panel of Experts report, published in 2011.The Financial Times in its editorial concluded that unless the Sri Lankan government allowed them to control their lives, the Tamil cause adopted by the LTTE would rise again.“The Tamil cause will reignite from embers of this war unless the Sinhala majority shows magnanimity and gives the Tamils control of their own lives,” said the editorial.
14 May 2009 - 1700 killed in 48 hours, accountability for rights violations needed says Amnesty, LTTE call on US to lead international intervention
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| Photograph: War Without Witness |
The International Committee of the Red Cross said its staff were witnessing an ‘unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe’ in the No Fire Zones that Tamil civilians were trapped within.
“Despite high-level assurances, the lack of security on the ground means that our sea operations continue to be stalled and this is unacceptable,” said the ICRC director of operations, Pierre Krahenbuhl.See press release here.
“ We need security and unimpeded access now in order to save hundreds of lives,” he further added.
Amnesty International welcoming the US president's statement on Sri Lanka also called on the UN Security Council to keep Sri Lanka on its agenda and ensure that those responsible for violations of international human rights law were brought to justice.
“The Security Council must now ensure that its demands are promptly implemented, that the situation in Sri Lanka is formally put on the Council’s agenda and kept under close review. It also needs to address accountability for the grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by both parties in future” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director.
See press release here.
The LTTE Peace Secretariat in a statement, said aid workers had estimated that over 1700 civilians had been killed and 3000 had been injured during Sri Lankan government shelling within the space of 48 hours.
Condemning the Sri Lankan government’s refusal to provide the ICRC safe entry into the No Fire Zone, the LTTE reiterated its calls on the international community to protect the civilians from the ‘ongoing carnage by taking whatever measure required.’
See full statement here.
The LTTE political head further welcomed the US President’s calls for a ceasefire and for international access to the No Fire Zone.
“Eelam Tamils earnestly look forward to President Barack Obama to lead the humanitarian intervention,” said the B. Nadesan.
See full statement here.
Meanwhile British Tamils continued their protests in Parliament Square for the 38th consecutive day, in what would eventually become the longest protest outside parliament in modern history.
13 May 2009 - Hospital bombed on consecutive days , Obama demands an end to indiscriminate shelling, TNA call for action against genocide
Mullivaikal’s make-shift hospital in the No Fire Zone was shelled for the second consecutive day, killing over 100 civilians including medical staff at the hospital reported TamilNet and the BBC.
| Aftermath of hospital shelling |
The US President Barack Obama, in a statement on Sri Lanka, urged the government to stop indiscriminate shelling of the No Fire Zone and allow international access to civilians.
Extracts from statement reproduced below.
“I'm also calling on the Sri Lankan government to take several steps to alleviate this humanitarian crisis. First, the government should stop the indiscriminate shelling that has taken hundreds of innocent lives, including several hospitals, and the government should live up to its commitment to not use heavy weapons in the conflict zone."
"Second, the government should give United Nations humanitarian teams access to the civilians who are trapped between the warring parties so that they can receive the immediate assistance necessary to save lives."
"Third, the government should also allow the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross access to nearly 190,000 displaced people within Sri Lanka so that they can receive additional support that they need.”
The US president also called on the Tamil Tigers to lay down their arms.
The TNA, speaking at a press conference, further added that 3000 Tamils had been killed in genocidal acts by the Sri Lankan government over the previous 3 days.
“The government of Sri Lanka is mass killing Tamil civilians after denying them food and medicine. This is the reality. More bloodshed can happen in the next few days. We appeal to the international community to immediately stop this systematic slaughtering of civilians. There is a genocide taking place in Vanni. The entire international community is being silent.”
See full statement here
12 May 2009 - Hospital bombed, satellite photos prove shelling in No Fire Zone, US & UK call for cease-fire
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| Aftermath of hospital shelling Photograph:TamilNet |
47 civilians were killed during shelling of a No Fire zone hospital which was functioning at a school in Mullivaikal, reported TamilNet.
This hospital was set up in response to the shelling of a previous hospital the week before.
New satellite images, further proved that the Sri Lankan government was still using heavy weapons and shelling the No Fire Zone said Human Rights Watch.
“Recent satellite photos and witness accounts show the brutal shelling of civilians in the conflict area goes on, “ said the South Asia director of Human Rights Watch Brad Adams.
Witness accounts published by Human Rights Watch illustrated the adverse conditions of shelling and starvation that Tamil civilians were facing in the No Fire Zone.
See full report here.
The US and UK in a joint statement called on all sides to end hostilities and allow for the safe evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians in the No Fire Zone.
The US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, called on the Sri Lankan government to ‘abide by its commitment of April 27 to end major combat operation and the use of heavy weapons.’
See full statement here.
11 May 2009 -
3200 civilians killed overnight in No Fire Zone, British Foreign Sec calls on UN Security Council action, Westminster blockaded by Tamil protesters
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| Photograph: Demotix |
Over 3,200 civilians were killed in another night of indiscriminate shelling of the No Fire Zone by the Sri Lankan air-force and military, the head of a local NGO working in the Vanni area, reported.
Medical staff were not able to report to duty as areas around their residential huts had faced heavy shelling, local sources said.
The British Foreign Minister, David Miliband, speaking to the UN Security Council said that the conflict in Sri Lanka should be raised to the security council, reported Reuters.
“Our message Is a simple one, which is that the killing must stop. The civilians trapped in the zone, up to 50,000 in an area of just 3 square kilometres are the victims of what at the moment is a war without witness. I believe very strongly that the civilian situation in the northeast of Sri Lanka merits the attention of the United Nations at all levels, “ he said.Protests in the diaspora intensified across the UK, Norway, France, US, Australia, Germany Switzerland, and Denmark.
British Tamils, once again, blocked the streets of Westminster in a sit down protest calling for international action to stop the killings of Tamil civilians.
Over a thousand British Tamils blocked the streets with 36 protestors arrested, reported the Evening Standard.
A 19 year old student expressed outrage at the British government’s relative inaction on Sri Lanka.
“The police lost control. They tried to stop us but we are very angry. We have been here for 34 days and Sri Lanka are still killing out people. Britain must do more,” she told the Evening Standard.Meanwhile the United Nations spokesperson in Sri Lanka, called for international access into the No Fire Zone.
“We don’t have any independent assessment of the condition of people inside the zone but we understand that malnutrition levels are extremely high, not to mention of course battlefield casualties," said Gordon Weiss.The LTTE in a statement said that over 2,000 Tamil civilians had been killed in the recent night of shelling and called for the international community to stop the ‘genocidal tendencies’ of the Sri Lankan government.
See full statement here.
10 May 2009 -
Chemical burns and phosphorous injuries seen on fleeing civilians report doctors at French field hospital, Toronto brought to stand-still as Tamils protest against ensuing massacre
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Doctors at a French field hospital described seeing injuries consistent with chemical burns on civilians fleeing the No Fire Zone Civilians and "some with white hands, possibly caused by burns from phosphorus", AFP reported.
Rescue workers counted at least 1200 dead bodies following a night of intense shelling in the No Fire Zone, reported TamilNet.
Meanwhile the city of Toronto was brought to a stand-still as Tamils protesting against the ensuing carnage in the No Fire Zone, blockaded the city's roads, and brought traffic to a halt.
A protester, outlining that she would risk everything to draw attention to the suffering in Sri Lanka, speaking to Canadian press said,
"We don't care what happens to us. No one wants to cause an inconvenience but. members of the community have their blood relatives massacred and killed in the most inhuman ways."
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| Photo: The Star |
Former Special Rapporteurs for the United Nations Human Rights Council, condemning the worsening situation in Sri Lanka, called on the Council to establish an investigative commission.
“Shipments of food and medicine to the "no fire zone" have been grossly insufficient over the past month and the Government has reportedly delayed or denied timely shipment of life saving medicines as well as to chlorine tablets. As a result of the blackout on independent information sources, it is impossible to verify any of the Government's claims as to the number of casualties to date or as to the steps that it says it is taking in order to minimize the further killing of innocent civilians, and ensure delivery of humanitarian assistance,” said the former UN officials.The LTTE urged the international community to act and stop the killing of civilians.
Extracts from the statement issued by the LTTE are reproduced below:
“The Sri Lanka government has unleashed its ferocious military aggression against the hapless Tamil civilians living in the so called ‘Safe-Zone in Vanni. More than 2,000 innocent civilians have been killed in the last 24 hours.”
“The international community and UN have an obligation to protect the Tamil people facing genocidal aggression directed in a manner against ll international humanitarian laws. It is clear that the Sri Lankan government has prevented all aid agencies and humanitarian organisations from visiting the conflict zone.”
“We would like to point out that the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, constitutes an act of genocide and a war crime.”
“Throughout the entire existence of our liberation struggle, we have always extended our most courteous cooperation to the humanitarian relief organisations that have sought to provide relief of our people.”
09 May 2009 - At least 30 incidents of hospitals bombed report HRW, international journalists expelled
Human Rights Watch, listing at least 30 incidents of hospitals being shelled in the No Fire Zone, alleged that Sri Lankan armed forces had repeatedly shelled hospitals in the Northern Vanni region in indiscriminate attacks.
“Hospitals are supposed to be sanctuaries from shelling, not targets, said the Asia director at Human Rights Watch.”A witness from the No Fire Zone gave Human Rights Watch the following account:
"I was in the hospital. Right after 12:30 p.m., I noticed a Sri Lanka military drone conducting reconnaissance above the hospital. The people in the hospital suspected that an attack was imminent, so they lay down on the ground. Shortly thereafter, we heard a loud explosion in the air, followed by several smaller explosions on the ground. One of the explosions took place only a couple of meters from me. One of the doctors, who was lying just next to me, was killed by a shrapnel piece that hit him in the head. Four or five people were killed and more than 30 were wounded in the attack."Journalists with Channel4 News, reporting from Trincomalee were arrested and sent back to Colombo after filming horrific conditions in the government run IDP camps, reported Channel 4 News.
The Sri Lankan government announced that it would move displaced people from Vanni into permanent detention centers* in Thenmaraadchi.
(*Tamil civilians were kept in permanent detention centers for over 2 years and some still wait to be resettled in their original areas.)
The assault on the No Fire Zone continued with the make-shift hospital in Mullaitivu seeing another influx of injured Tamil civilians, reports TamilNet.
08 May 2009 - Civilians and ICRC bombed in No Fire Zone, UN urged to fulfill duty and stop genocide of Tamils
The No Fire Zone faced continuous bombardment by the Sri Lankan air-force, leaving at least 242 civilians injured and countless dead, reports Tamilnet.
ICRC vehicles transporting civilians were also hit by Sri Lankan military bombs.
Meanwhile Professor Boyle of University Illinois College of Law, warned that the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, had a charter obligation in ‘promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms,,’ by doing all in his power to halt the on-going genocide of Tamils.
See full statement here.
07 May 2009 - Humanitarian situation worsens, LTTE welcomes ICRC, British Tamils enter second month of continuous protest
The LTTE in a letter to the ICRC, thanked the organisation for its humanitarian efforts despite facing shelling from the government and reaffirmed its commitment to the safety of humanitarian workers.
See full letter here.
British Tamils continued to demonstrate outside Parliament with demands for an immediate ceasefire and action to address the humanitarian crisis faced by the Tamils in Vanni and IDP camps.
The protesters who had demonstrated in parliament square for a month, reaffirmed that there endless actions were intended to highlight the need to end the humanitarian crisis.
British Tamil students in a statement, said,
“Humanitarian intervention has taken place in many parts of the world to save people that have been subject to violence, ethnic cleansing and starvation by blockade.”
“It is only because of the Diaspora that the international community is paying attention to the suffering Tamils in Sri Lanka. But what is needed now is action by the international community not merely words of sympathy.”
See extracts from statement here.
06 May 2009 - IDP death toll rises, call for UN war crimes probe
Amid intense shelling of civilians trapped by advancing Sri Lankan forces, at least 10 elderly people in government-run Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps died this day due lack of a lack of proper medical care and psychological stress, TamilNet reports.
Meanwhile, amidst the escalating death tolls, 125 academics from Canada and elsewhere signed a petition calling on the Canadian government to take urgent steps to stop the intensifying humanitarian crisis.
Amongst other things they called on Canada to “Urge the UN Security Council to authorize timely and decisive measures to halt mass atrocities in the Vanni region of Sri Lanka, including the dispatch of a special envoy to the region, and the creation of a commission of inquiry into crimes under international law committed by any person or entity.”
See the report here and the full text of their appeal here.
05 May 2009 - Vanni starves, LTTE condemns genocide and calls on international community to support diaspora aid initiatives
A NGO providing food to civilians within Vanni, in a monthly situation update, said that over 100 Tamil people had died of starvation.
See full report here.
The LTTE in a statement condemning the Sri Lanka government’s denial of aid to No Fire Zone’s urged the international community to support diaspora initiatives to provide aid directly the Tamil civilian sin the No Fire Zone, reported TamilNet.
Professor Boyle of University of Illinois College of Law, warned that the Sri Lankan government’s genocide against Tamils could exceed the atrocities of Srebrenica.
Speaking to TamilNet he said,
“The World Court later found that the Serbian extermination of 8000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica was genocide in violation of the Genocide Convention. Since the outset the latest crisis in January, the GOSL has exterminated about 7000* Tamils in Vanni, certainly a ‘substantial part’ of the Tamil population in Vanni and Sri Lanka. If not stopped now, the GOSL’ toll of genocide against Tamils could far exceed recent horrors of Srebrenica."
(*The Internal Review Panel Report on Sri Lanka, published by the UN in 2012 estimated the total civilian death toll to be around 70,000.)
Sonali Wickrematunge in a statement made after receiving her murdered husband’s UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize, condemned the Sri Lankan government’s ‘racist war’ against Tamils.
Highlighting dominant government war slogans relating to race, she said,
“That this is a racist war is not a secret. The government itself has plastered the countryside with enormous placards lauding the military with the slogan, in Sinhala, the language of the Sinhalese majority which I too, belong, stating: ‘Soldiers, our race salutes you!’ Not ‘the people’, not ‘the country’, but the race. Interestingly, none of these hoardings are in Tamil, the language of the people the government claims it is seeking to liberate.”
“I beseech you and anyone who will listen not to allow Sri Lanka's government, under the cover of a war against terror, to engage in acts of terror or crimes against humanity. Soon it will be too late, and history will not forgive us if we do not act now,” she added.
04 May 2009 - Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Tamils Against Genocide (TAG) urge international action, Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict is not 'war on terror' says UK Foreign Office minister
The International Criminal Court Chief prosecutor, Moreno-Ocampo, was urged by an advocacy group to open investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by four high-ranking officials in the Sri Lankan government, reports TamilNet.
Tamil Against Genocide (TAG), in a letter to Moreno, urged the ICC to open investigations against Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, MP Basil Rajapaksa and Army Commander Sarath Fonseka.
“The quartet should be investigated for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide of Sri Lankan civilian Tamils unconnected with the conflict between the government and the LTTE,” the letter read.In an opinion piece on Sri Lanka and the need to address Tamil grievances, the Human Rights Watch Legal and Policy Director, James Ross, wrote,
“The current government is unlikely to take up these initiatives on its own. The United States and other concerned states have an important role to play in Sri Lanka's future. Otherwise the bloody fighting on the sandy strip will not be marking the end of the current war, but sowing the seeds of the next one.”Speaking on the conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE at the House of Commons, the Foreign Office Minister, Lord Malloch-Brown, said,
“I share the view that ‘the war on terror is a much abused and overused phrase. Obviously, this is a quarrel that has ancient roots. It is also an extremely violent quarrel, with appalling things being done by both sides.”
03 May 2009 - Fears that military is preparing to use illegal weapons, after report of a shipment of gas masks being imported, TNA warns international aid will be used in war against Tamils
The Sri Lankan Military deployed heavy and prohibited weapons to the front lines in preparation for a final onslaught on the No Fire Zone, sources in Colombo told TamilNet.
Further reports detailed the shipment of gas masks to soldiers in what was thought to be preparation for the use of illegal chemical weapons.
In a meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Yasushi Akashi, a team of TNA parliamentarians warned the diplomat that any aid given to the Sri Lankan government would be used against the Tamils.
TNA parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran, in a press brief shortly after the meeting said,
“We told the Japanese Ambassador that Sri Lanka government plans to place the Internally Displaced Tamils held in detention centres permanently in sheds for at least five years and we asked him not to give aid meant for Tamils rehabilitation to the government as it is certain that the money will be use din the war against the Tamils instead.”See full statement here.
Eastern Province parliamentarians from the TNA accused the government of appropriating land of displaced persons and colonising Tamil traditional areas on the border of Trincomalee and Batticaloa.
02 May 2014 - No Fire Zone hospital shelled, international investigation needed for enduring peace says LTTE
The Sri Lankan Army shelled the final remaining No Fire Zone hospital twice killing 64 people, after receiving the exact location coordinates of the building, reported TamilNet.
A worker at the hospital, 3 days earlier, confirmed the hospital’s location with members of the ICRC who intended to pass the location on to the Sir Lankan government to stop them from shelling hospitals.
The LTTE, citing their declaration of a ceasefire on April 26, warned that Sri Lanka was a ’to eradicate a distinct Tamil identity,’ and that international intervention would now be needed for ‘enduring peace on the island.’
The statement further said,
“It is in the face of this situation that we seek the recognition and the support of the international community for our struggle. It is a struggle for democracy and an enduring peace based on our aspirations as a people. Should the Sri Lankan regime be permitted to continue with its ultimate objective of imposing a ‘final solution’ through military means, we have no doubt that it will destabilize the region.”See full statement here.
1 May 2009 - Indiscriminate shelling continues in No Fire Zone, shocking failure to protect civilians says British Foreign Sec
The Sri Lankan Army, ignoring calls by the visiting British Foreign Secretary for a ceasefire and immediate international access to the No Fire Zone, continued the relentless shelling of the No Fire Zone killing and injuring scores of civilians in Mullivaaikkal.
Sources on the ground told TamilNet that 110 injured civilians had been admitted to the makeshift civilian whilst 27 injured civilians had passed away during the night.
The previous day saw 200 civilians brought into to the hospital with 39 deaths.
Sources from makeshift hospital were only able to give accounts of people that died in care as severely injured civilians and dead bodies were being left in the fields by this stage.
The British and French envoys speaking on their visit to Sri Lanka, said,
"Time is running out for those trapped or displaced by the fighting. Our mission was simple: to make, in person, the case for the humanitarian relief that the UN, the EU and the G8 have called for."
"Here the refusal to allow the UN, the aid agencies and the media full and proper access is quite wrong."
"As members of the UN Security Council we do not shy away from the responsibility of sovereign governments and the international community to protect civilians
30 April 2009 - Satellite images confirm shelling of No Fire Zone, over 7000 Tamils killed in 3 months alleges TNA
Leaked satellite imagery from the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), revealed evidence of Sri Lankan shelling in the No Fire Zone, where 100000 Tamil civilians were estimated to be, reported the Inner City Press.
The Tamil National Alliance, in a briefing to the British Foreign Secretary, alleged that over 7,000* civilians had been killed in Vanni with at least 14,000 injured over the previous three months.
Speaking at a press meet, TNA MP Suresh Premachandran said,
“Sri Lanka government which had deceived the Tamils for the last 30 years is now deceiving the International Countries. It is killing its own citizens in violation of all the conventions of the UN including the one on Human Rights which the Sri Lanka government has ratified.”The Tamil Guardian in its editorial wrote,
“Why should the international community which had successfully made Kosovo an independent state for the killing of 1500 people remain passive though more than 7000 Tamils have been killed in the last 3 months alone?” he added.
“Those who think that the LTTE will be destroyed in the coming weeks and that then it is a question of 'peace building' and 'development' for the next few years are gravely mistaken. The foundations for a cataclysmic civil war are being inexorably laid today. The kind of polarisation that sustain not decades, but generations of struggle has become widespread and embedded.”(*The TNA estimates which echoed published UN estimates were later found to be drastically inaccurate. Anonymous UN officials, speaking to a French foreign correspondent in June 2009, said,
"We rang the alarm bells for some months but no-one ever took the Sri Lankan government to task publicly.It gave the government a blank cheque to carpet bomb the whole area."The United Nations in an internal review panel report later found that,
'Seen together, the failure of the UN to adequately counter the Government’s under-estimation of population numbers in the Vanni, the failure to adequately confront the Government on its obstructions to humanitarian assistance, the unwillingness of the UN in UNHQ and Colombo to address Government responsibility for attacks that were killing civilians, and the tone and content of UN communications with the Government on these issues, collectively amounted to a failure by the UN to act within the scope of institutional mandates to meet protection responsibilities.')
29 April 2009 - Hospital attacked in No Fire Zone, British Foreign Sec calls for ceasefire, Sri Lanka downplays casualty figures
The Sri Lankan Navy fired artillery at a make-shift hospital within the No Fire Zone, in Mullivaaikkal, killing patients, TamilNet reported.
Over 160 civilian bodies were recovered following intense gunfire earlier in the day, with another 150 feared dead by the evening.
The British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, during a one day visit to the island, called on the Sri Lankan government to declare an immediate ceasefire.
"Now is the time for the fighting to stop. protection of civilians is absolutely paramount in our minds," he said to press in Sri Lanka.(*Leaked diplomatic cables revealed a year later that Miliband's trip to Sri Lanka to call for a ceasefire was part result of the strong protests and 'vocal' presence of Tamils in parliament square.)
Mahinda Rajapaksa in a statement said that 15,000* civilians remained in the No Fire Zone.
(*UN estimates published in the Panel of Exports Report in 2011 stated that over 127,177 civilians remained in the No Fire Zone.)
Meanwhile internally displaced peoples demanded that they be resettled in their original homes.
Members of the Tamil diaspora continued to protest and demand their governments to take action to stop further deaths of Tamil civilians. Tamils in London, Paris, Toronto, Switzerland and several other cities protested outside buildings of governance.
28 April 2009 - Carnage ensues in No Fire Zone
Unprecedented levels of shelling and aerial bombardment were reported by medical facility workers within the No Fire Zone, who said that the wounded were left to die as shelling was so intense that people could not move out of their bunkers to retrieve bodies.
The LTTE told TamilNet that over 5,600 shells had been fired into the No Fire Zone within the space of 15 hours, in what was the most intense day of shelling the No Fire Zone had seen to date.
27 April 2009 - Aerial bombardment of No Fire Zone, UK politicians warn of carnage of unimaginable magnitude
The Sri Lankan Air Force continued the onslaught in the No Fire Zone, dropping at least 23 bombs and countless shells into the civilian population, reported TamilNet.
Earlier assurances to stop using heavy weapons around the No Fire Zone by the Sri Lankan government proved futile as hundreds of Tamil civilians were injured and several killed by the areal bombardment.
The LTTE Director of the Peace Secretariat, Pulidevan, speaking to TamilNet, said that Sri Lanka was “attempting to deceive the International Community.”
Meanwhile the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPGT), a cross-party committee of MPs in Britain, called on the international community to prevent the ‘final onslaught’ of the Sri Lanka Army which would result in “carnage of unimaginable magnitude.”
See full APPGT statement here.
26 Apr 2009 - Relentless bombing of No Fire Zone, Sri Lanka rejects LTTE ceasefire announcement, British Tamil enters 20th day of fast
Over 200 civilians were injured and several died after the Sri Lankan air force indiscriminately bombed the No Fire Zone 39 times, reported TamilNet.
Sources in the No Fire Zone also reported an increasing number of military personnel around the borders of the No Fire Zone, spreading fears of an imminent aerial and ground assault into the No Fire Zone.
In a statement that acknowledged international concerns, the LTTE political division announced a unilateral ceasefire.
See full statement here.
The Sri Lankan government responded immediately, rejecting the idea of a ceasefire as a ‘joke’ reported The Guardian.
Meanwhile a British Tamil activist, entered the 20th day of his hunger strike in Parliament Square, calling for an end to the genocide of Tamils. Protests in Parliament Square continued day after day, calling for international intervention to stop a genocide.
25 Apr 2009 - Sri Lankan government denies vital aid to the No Fire Zone
A 1.5 Mega Tonne World Food Programme (WFP) shipment that was scheduled to arrive at the coastal region of the No fire Zone, Mullivaikal, was diverted to Jaffna at by the Sri Lankan government, reported Tamilnet.
The diversion came as earlier reports from the No Fire Zone suggested that 165000 Tamil civilians were about to face a humanitarian disaster.
25 Apr 2009 - Jayalalitha concludes independent Eelam is only solution
The Tamil Nadu opposition party leader, Jayaram Jayalalitha, after seeing evidence of mass atrocities in the No Fire Zone, concluded that an independent Tamil Eelam was the only solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.
“Till today, I have never said that a separate Eelam is the only solution. I have spoken about political solution this and that. But, now I emphatically say, a separate Eelam is the only permanent solution to the Lankan conflict,” she said.
See full statement here.
24 Apr 2009 - UN confirms at least 20000 casualties, SL rejects aid envoy
United Nations documents confirmed that at least 6500 civilians had died and 14000 wounded over the previous three months, reported The Guardian.
UN officials told The Guardian that April had seen at least 2000 civilians killed and an increasing rate of death.
The Internal Review Panel Report on Sri Lanka, published by the UN in 2012 estimated the total civilian death toll to be around 70,000.
The United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon announced the dispatch of a humanitarian team to the conflict zone. The UN announcement was immediately rejected by Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, who said,
“It is not a sensible thing at the moment. There is a civilian rescue operation going on in the area and allowing aid agencies inside the conflict zone is not matching with the ground realities."
24 Apr 2009 - LTTE call on international community to provide aid for over 165000 starving civilians
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in a statement to the international community ,said that over 165000 Tamil civilians faced a humanitarian disaster due to denial of food and humanitarian supplies by the Sri Lankan government, and urged actors to ensure that immediate and continuous aid to the Tamil civilians.
See full statement here.
23 Apr 2009 – Further shelling of churches and ICRC regions
The church in Valaignarmadam was shelled for the second consecutive day, injuring and killing several social welfare personnel, reported Tamilnet.
Further instances of shelling of coastlines where injured Tamil civilians were looking to be evacuated by the ICRC ship were reported from the ground.
23 Apr 2009 – India calls for political solution and an end to killings of Tamil civilians
The ongoing carnage came as the Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, calling for the killings to stop, warned that only a political solution would ensure true lasting peace.
Speaking to media after an hour long meeting on the situation in Sri Lanka he said,
“We are very unhappy at the continued killing of innocent Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka. These killings must stop. The only lasting solution will come from political efforts to address the real concerns of the Tamil people, giving them a life of dignity within the Sri Lankan mainstream.”
22 Apr 2009 - ICRC intimidated, churches shelled and US reiterates calls for international access into No Fire Zone
The Sri Lankan Military fired shells in close range of an ICRC ship a short time after exact co-ordinates of the evacuation ship were given to the Sri Lankan government, sources on the ground told TamilNet.
Further reports from the No Fire Zone, said that prominent places of refuge such as a church in Valaignarmadam had been shelled by the Sri Lankan military.
The US state department, in a press brief on Sri Lanka, repeated calls on the government to allow international aid agencies and observers into the No Fire Zone.
The US official also stressed the need to ascertain the number of people remaining in the No Fire Zone.
Meanwhile, an official from the LTTE political division estimated that over 200,000 Tamil civilians remained in the No Fire Zone.
21 Apr 2009 - Sri Lankan government delays aid to Vanni
The Sri Lankan government delayed the departure of a World Food Programme (WFP) aid ship to take supplies to conflict affected regions in Vanni.
The government had stopped the ship form leaving despite having the exact co-ordinates of the docking point in Vanni, officials from the Vavuniyaa District Secretariat told Tamilnet.
Situational reports for the previous month showed that only a quarter of the required aid had reached Tamil civilians in the conflict regions.
21 Apr 2009 - South African political party members condemn ethnic cleansing and stress need to consider political solution
The Solidarity Group for Peace and Justice in Sri Lanka, which consisted of members of the African National Congress (ANC), Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and South African Communist Party (SACP) groups condemned the ‘ethnic killings’ Tamil civilians by Sri Lanka government forces.
The South African organisation in their statement warned,
“The pursuit of a military solution not in favour of a viable political framework addressing the legitimate grievances of the Tamil people and their aspirations for self-determination remains the fundamental barrier between permanent peace amid an unfolding humanitarian disaster."See full statement here.
“If a policy of ethnic cleansing continues to be pursued by the Sri Lankan administration, the Solidarity Group and its affiliates will be poised to take strong measures in pressuring the state to accept an unconditional ceasefire."
20 Apr 2009 - Shells, cluster bombs and hospital attacks leave thousands injured
The Sri Lankan military in one of the most deadly offensives of the 2009 conflict bombarded the No Fire Zone with shells and cluster bombs injuring over 1000 civilians and leaving countless dead, sources on the ground told Tamilnet.
Further reports said that the Puthamathalan makeshift hospital within No Fire Zone had been hit by several shells causing severe injuries.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Country Chief, also expressed concern over the lack of medical aid for the people in the No Fire Zone.
“The situation there is very difficult. The makeshift health facilities that are still existing are not immune of the effects of the hostilities.” Paul Castella told the BBC.
“The Ministry of Health staff still working there is really worn out - these people are working for months now without any break, they work day and night. And medical supplies are lacking,” he added.
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 notes with grave concerns the repeated shelling of hospitals in the Vanni. Hospitals and other medical units and personnel enjoy special protection under IHL and cannot be made object of attack. Their protection does not cease unless these are used to commit hostile acts, outside their humanitarian function. The recurrence of such shelling despite the fact that the security forces were aware of the exact location of hospitals raises serious doubt that these attacks were accidental. Other civilian facilities in the NFZs were also impacted, notably humanitarian facilities and food distribution centres. The information available to OISL indicates that in none of the incidents reviewed were there any grounds that could have reasonably led the security forces to determine that these facilities were used for military purposes. These facilities therefore maintained their civilian character and could not be directly targeted. Directing attacks against civilian objects and/or against civilians not taking direct part in hostilities is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and, depending on the circumstances, may amount to a war crime.
Another concern is that security forces employed weapons that, when used in densely populated areas, are likely to have indiscriminate effects. This is reinforced by the fact that the security forces reportedly had the means to use more accurate weapons and munitions so as to better respect their legal obligations, notably the requirements of distinction and precaution. In addition, the security forces publicly declared that they had means at their disposal, such as real-time images from drones, that would have helped them accurately target military objectives.
20 Apr 2009 - LTTE welcomes US statement, say it's willing to discuss key issues with international community
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, in a statement by its political headquarters, welcoming the US state department’s calls for a ceasefire, urged the Sri Lankan government to stop military actions and commit to an immediate ceasefire.
The LTTE further added that they were committed to meaningful negations with the international community on issues related to humanitarian access, security and the movement and welfare of the Tamil civilian population.
See full statement here.
20 Apr 2009 - Thousands of Tamil protestors blockade roads in London
After witnessing a weekend of carnage in the No Fire Zone, thousands of Tamil demonstrators swelled onto roads outside the Houses of Parliament in London.
Over 2500 protestors temporarily blocked the roads leading up to Westminster Bridge in desperate attempts to force international action to stop the ongoing slaughter of Tamil civilians.
Apr 19 2009 - Tamil Civilian deaths and casualties continue in No Fire Zone
Civilian casualties and deaths continued to escalate as reports suggested that Sri Lankan military shelling killed 60 civilians and left over 100 injured.
Medical authorities from makeshift hospitals said that death tolls were inaccurate as dead bodies were not being brought back to hospitals, reported Tamilnet.
470 wounded patients were sent to ICRC aid ships at the end of the week. Speaking to The Guardian a doctor on the ship, Gnana Gunalan, said,
“Most of the people have shell blast injuries and gunshot injuries. Some people have lost their limbs, other people have lost other parts of the body, some people have wounds in the abdomen, some in the chest."
Apr 19 2009 - British Foreign Secretary calls for an immediate ceasefire
The British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, in a statement, maintained calls for an immediate ceasefire in Sri Lanka, and for Tamil civilians to be allowed to leave the conflict area.
“Protests and demonstrations around the world have highlighted the tragic loss of life of innocent civilians in Sri Lanka. Further loss of life will only compound the tragedy. We have heard their voice and will keep listening. We are committed to do all we can to bring this terrible conflict to an end,” said the Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
The Australian capital of Canberra earlier that week saw over 8500 Tamils take part in a rally to demand an immediate ceasefire in Sri Lanka and an end to atrocities committed against the Tamils.
Tamilnet reported that a peace activist, Lara Pullin, who came to see the demonstrations that week, said,
“The rallies by the Tamils have gathered the same momentum that I saw during the pre East-Timor independence time and Anti-apartheid movement; one gets the feeling where Tamils have come to a stage where they are saying ‘Enough is Enough’
Meanwhile, Tamilnet reported that 67 social welfare Tamil diaspora organisations in France, in a secret ballot, showed unanimous support for the Independence struggle of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
18 Apr 2009 - Tamil civilians on verge of dying of starvation in No Fire Zone
Thousands of Tamil civilians were on the verge of dying by starvation in the No Fire Zone , sources on the ground told Tamilnet.
A United Nations official in Colombo further said, that the situational report by the Mullaitheevu District Secretariat had requested for food and rations to feed at least 305,219 people. Humanitarian aid figures suggested that only 22% of the aid needed had reached the No Fire Zone in the month of March.
Highlighting the extent of malnutrition in the No Fire Zone, the report said,
“A nutrition survey conducted by the Department of health, Mullaitivu District in last week of March, 2009, indicates that 69.91% of children were under weight and acute under nutrition is very much increased. The report requests for immediate intervention in supply food.”
18 Apr 2009 - Rape, torture and violence prevalent in state run IDP camps
A human rights activist, Thomas Seilbert, returning from a trip to Sri Lanka, expressed extreme concern regarding the welfare of Tamil civilians run in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps run by the government.
Describing the welfare of Tamil civilians in government hands, he said,
“Many are tortured or simply shot. There are also reports of regular rapes.”
See full statement here:
18 Apr 2009 - Further calls by Tamil demonstrators for UN to take action
Over 5000 Tamil demonstrators gathered in New York’s Times Square and outside the United Nation to urge the UN to stop the slaughter of Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan government.
Protestors travelled from across the North American continent to attend one of the largest demonstrations seen in New York at the time, reported Tamilnet.
17 Apr 2009 - Sri Lanka intends to exterminate the Tamil population says TNA
The Tamil National Alliance, in a letter to the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, said that Sri Lanka’s actions proved that ‘the real intention of the Sri Lankan State is the progressive extermination of the Tamil people.’
The letter highlighted concerns over the Sri Lankan military usage of chemical weapons, an imminent mass annihilation of Tamil civilians, and the ongoing shelling of the No Fire Zone.
See full letter here.
17 Apr 2009 – Global Centre for Responsibility to Protect calls on UN Security Council to fulfil its duty
The Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, in an open letter to the UN Security Council, urged the international community to demand access to the conflict zone for humanitarian groups and media and fulfil responsibility of preventing peoples from genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
See full letter here.
16 Apr 2009 - 600 shells fall in No Fire Zone, US calls to halt shelling and allow international access
The US department of state, in a press release, called on the government of Sri Lanka to halt shelling of the No Fire Zone, allow international monitors to ensure the safe passage of Tamil civilians and enforce international humanitarian standards within IDP camps.
See full statement here.
The statement came as over 600 shells fell in the No Fire Zone within the space of a day. Sources in the No Fire Zone registered over 1500 shell explosions with roughly 600 occurring within the No Fire Zone.
Tamilnet reported that 130 injured civilians were admitted to the ad-hoc hospital within the No Fire Zone in Puthumathalan.
15 Apr 2009 - Tamil civilians killed carrying white flag in No Fire Zone, diaspora continues protests
The Sri Lankan Military, in an intense 3 hour assault on the No Fire Zine killed at least 180 Tamil civilians.
Reports form the ground highlighted that injured civilians transported with white flags were being killed.
“The seriously wounded civilians are dying as their transport has been blocked by the Sri Lankan army firing on medical transport carrying white flags. The Sri Lankan army gunners shot a man who was trying to transport a wounded victim while holding white flag,” sources on the ground told Tamilnet.
Thousands of Tamil diaspora across the world continued protests and hunger strike demonstrations demanding immediate humanitarian assistance for the people in the No Fire Zone and an end to the genocide of Tamils.
14 Apr 2009 – Mexico says R2P doctrine applicable in Sri Lanka
Responding to questions regarding a meeting between the Mexican Ambassador to the United Nations, Claude Heller, and Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohana, the Mexican ambassador told the Inner City Press that the Responsibility to protect doctrine could be applied in Sri Lanka.
“We are very concerned that in the case of Sri Lanka there is a concern of the responsibility to protect the population.”
Heller further added that Sri Lanka’s summary of the viewpoint he expressed in his meeting with Kohana was not accurate.
This report was not the first time the Inner City Press picked up on Sri Lankan misrepresentation of international officials.
The Sri Lankan foreign secretary at the time misrepresented calls by the US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, to allow international aid agencies into the No Fire Zone.
14 Apr 2009 – States party to Geneva convention have legal obligation to intervene
Speaking to Tamilnet, a professor of International Law at the University of Illinois College of Law, Francis Boyle, calling on the United States to take action in Sri Lanka, said that all states party to the Geneva Conventions had a legal obligation to intervene and protect Tamil civilians in the North-East of Sri Lanka.
See his statement here.
14 Apr 2009 – Sources on the ground warn of mass tragedy after further indiscriminate bombing of No Fire Zone
Sources on the ground told Tamilnet that 16 bombs were indiscriminately dropped by the Sri Lankan air-force into the No Fire Zone in the early hours of the morning, as the Sri Lankan military advanced with gunfire into the No Fire Zone, in Puthukudiyiruppu.
The source in the No Fire Zone warned of an inevitable mass tragedy.
13 Apr 2009 - Sri Lanka strips Norway of peace facilitating role due to US involvement
Sri Lanka stripped Norway of its role as a peace facilitator, reported the Agence France Presse (AFP).
“The government of Sri Lanka perceives that there is no room for Norway to act as facilitator,” a government official told the news agency.
Speaking to Aljazeera, Norway’s special envoy to Sri Lanka, Jon Hanssen-Bauer, responding to Sri Lanka’s decision, said,
“We cannot be facilitators in a peace process which has in effect been suspended since 2006”
Diplomatic sources in Colombo told Tamilnet, that Sri Lanka has made the decision due to worries over United States influence in the Norwegian led peace negotiations.
13 Apr 2009 – Offensive Sri Lankan military assaults into No Fire Zone continue despite ceasefire claims
The Sri Lankan Military stepped up the shelling and gunfire during an offensive into the No Fire Zone, resulting in the deaths of at least 23 Tamil civilians, reported Tamilnet.
The offensive came despite announcements from the Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, that the military forces would act defensively over the 2 day new-year period.
13 Apr 2009 – LTTE calls for permanent ceasefire with humanitarian considerations
The political division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in a statement, emphasised that the LTTE were calling for a politically and militarily meaningful ceasefire with humanitarian considerations.
See full statement here.
12 Apr 2009 - TNA: Tamil people face genocide
The Tamil National Alliance in a statement released by its Foreign Relations Committee, accused the Sri Lankan government of deliberately targeting Tamil civilians and concluded that ‘the Tamil people in the island are clearly being subjected to genocide.’
See extracts from the TNA statement below.
“The Sri Lankan State by imposing an embargo on food, medicine and desperately needed humanitarian assistance has precipitated a humanitarian catastrophe.”12 Apr 2009 - 31 Tamil civilians killed amidst Sri Lankan military shelling and gunfire in No Fire Zone
“The Sri Lankan State’s use of food and medicine as weapons of war is a war crime under international law.”
“The situation faced by the Tamil people is unprecedented. Whilst a considerable section of the Tamil people are being exterminated in the so called “safe zones”, or are in imminent danger of being exterminated, the remaining sections are being systematically silenced by being herded into concentration camps, terrorized by mass round ups, abductions and forced disappearances.”
“The use by the Sri Lankan State of internationally banned weapons, such as cluster bombs and chemical weapons, has been a characteristic feature of the current phase of the war being waged against the Tamil people.”
“The Tamil people in the island of Sri Lanka are clearly being subjected to Genocide.”
Reports from Tamilnet suggested that at least 31 civilians were killed and 36 Tamil civilians were submitted to the make shift hospital in the No Fire Zone.
12 Apr 2009 - Swiss Tamils protest against genocide of Tamils
Swiss Tamil protestors took part in a demonstration to raise awareness about the ongoing genocide of Tamils to the international community.
The protests occurred on the final day of a hunger strike undertaken by Tamil students in Switzerland to raise awareness about the atrocities occurring in Sri Lanka, reported Tamilnet.
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 Apr 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 arial 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.”
