மக்கள் பாதுகாப்பு வலயத்தின் மீது இராணுவம் தொடர்ந்து தாக்குதல் - மனித உரிமை கண்காணிப்பகம்

http://www.youtube.com/tamilmagan

வன்னியில் இலங்கை அரசாங்கம் பிரகடனம் செய்த மக்கள் பாதுகாப்பு வலயத்தின் மீது இராணுவம் தொடர்ந்து எறிகணை மற்றும் விமானத் தாக்குதல் நடாத்திவருவதாக மனித உரிமை கண்காணிப்பகம் குற்றச்சாட்டியுள்ளது.

கடந்த இரண்டு மாதங்களில் சுமார் 2700 அப்பாவி மக்கள் கொல்லப்பட்டுள்ளனர். அத்துடன் தற்காலிகமாக அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள புதுமாத்தளன் வைத்தியசாலையில் அனுமதிக்கப்படும் மக்களது எண்ணிக்கை அதிகரித்துள்ளதாக வைத்தியசாலை வட்டாரத் தகவல்கள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன.

இது குறித்து புதுமாத்தளன் வைத்தியசாலை வைத்தியருடன் தொலைபேசியில் உரையாடியதாகவும் அருகில் எறிகணைத் தாக்குதல் நடத்தப்பட்டுள்ளதாக வைத்தியசாலை வட்டாரங்கள் தெரிவித்ததாக மனித உரிமைகள் கண்காணிப்பகத்தின் ஆசிய பிராந்தியப் பணிப்பாளர் பிரட் அடம்ஸ் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

எனினும் மக்கள் நிலைகள் மீது எறிகணைத் தாக்குதல் நடத்தப்படுவதில்லை என அரசாங்கம் மறுப்புத் தெரிவித்து வருகின்ற ஆனால் மோதல் தவிர்ப்பு வலயத்தில் இடம்பெறும் சேதங்கள் அதிகரித்து வருவதாக மனித உரிமைகள் கண்காணிப்பகம் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளது.

இலங்கைக்கு நிதியுதவி அளிக்கும் பேச்சுவார்த்தைகளின் போது மனித உரிமை மீறல்கள் மற்றும் பொது மக்கள் பாதுகாப்பு குறித்து சர்வதேச நாணய நிதிய பிரதிநிதிகள் வலியுறுத்த வேண்டுமென மனித உரிமை கண்காணிப்பகம் தெரிவித்துள்ளதாக ஏ.எப்.பி செய்திஸ்தாபனம் மேலும் தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

வன்னி மக்கள் மீதான தொடர் தாக்குதல் குறித்து மனித உரிமை கண்காணிப்பகம் குற்றச்சாட்டு

இலங்கையின் வன்னிப் பகுதியில் அரசாங்கப் படையினர் தொடர்ச்சியாக மக்கள் நிலைகள் மீது எறிகணைத் தாக்குதல்களை நடத்தி வருவதாக மனித உரிமை கண்காணிப்பகம் குற்றம் சுமத்தியுள்ளது என ஏ.எப்.பி செய்திஸ்தாபனம் தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

மக்கள் நிலைகள் மீது எறிகணைத் தாக்குதல் நடத்தப்படுவதில்லை என அரசாங்கம் மறுப்புத் தெரிவித்து வருகின்ற போதிலும், மோதல் தவிர்ப்பு வலயத்தில் இடம்பெறும் சேதங்கள் அதிகரித்து வருவதாக மனித உரிமைகள் கண்காணிப்பகம் குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளது.

கடந்த இரண்டு மாதங்களில் சுமார் 2700 அப்பாவி மக்கள் கொல்லப்பட்டுள்ளதாகத் தெரிவிக்கப்படுகிறது. தற்காலிகமாக அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள புதுமாத்தளன் வைத்தியசாலையில் அனுமதிக்கப்படும் மக்களது எண்ணிக்கை அதிகரித்துள்ளதாக வைத்தியசாலை வட்டாரத் தகவல்கள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன.

குறிப்பாக இந்தச் சம்பவம் தொடர்பாக புதுமாத்தளன் வைத்தியசாலை வைத்தியருடன் தொலைபேசியில் உரையாடிய போதும், அருகில் எறிகணைத் தாக்குதல் நடத்தப்பட்டுள்ளதாக மனித உரிமைகள் கண்காணிப்பகத்தின் ஆசிய பிராந்தியப் பணிப்பாளர் பிரட் அடம்ஸ் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

இலங்கைக்கு நிதியுதவி அளிக்கும் பேச்சுவார்த்தைகளின் போது மனித உரிமை மீறல்கள் மற்றும் பொது மக்கள் பாதுகாப்பு குறித்து சர்வதேச நாணய நிதிய பிரதிநிதிகள் வலியுறுத்த வேண்டுமென மனித உரிமை கண்காணிப்பகம் தெரிவித்துள்ளதாக ஏ.எப்.பி செய்திஸ்தாபனம் மேலும் தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

-வீரகேசரி

Sri Lankan army shelling civilians: rights group

Indiscriminate army shelling is killing dozens of civilians every day in a no-fire zone in northern Sri Lanka where Tamil Tiger rebels are staging a last stand, a rights group said Tuesday.

"We receive reports of civilians being killed and wounded daily in the no-fire zone, while the Sri Lankan government continues to deny the attacks," said Brad Adams, Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch.

The Tamil Tigers' use of civilians as human shields "adds to the bloodshed," Adams said.

A doctor at a hospital in Putumattalan, inside the government-declared "no-fire zone," told Human Rights Watch over the phone that dozens of dead and wounded civilians were being brought to the hospital daily.

Human Rights Watch said as many as 150,000 Tamil civilians remained trapped in the narrow stretch of coastal territory where the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have been cornered by a massive military offensive.

According to the UN, more than 2,800 civilians may have been killed and more than 7,240 injured in the fighting since January 20.

UN human rights chief Navi Pillay recently warned that both sides in the conflict could be guilty of war crimes and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse to halt army shelling.

Colombo has denied any targeting of civilians and dismissed the reports of non-combatant deaths as exaggerated.

"The Sri Lankan government has responded to broad international concerns with indignation and denials instead of action to address the humanitarian crisis," said Adams.

The rights group also called on the LTTE to allow civilians to leave the conflict zone. The rebels have been accused of shooting those who try to escape.

The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for an independent state in the island's northeast. Their mini-state was dismantled by security forces earlier this year with the capture of their political and military headquarters.

- http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090324/wl_as..._20090324060412

Sri Lanka fury at 'aid coalition'

The Sri Lankan government has attacked what it calls a "vicious coalition" of aid and humanitarian agencies for their actions over the country's civil war.

The defence ministry said those "pretending to be humanitarian and aid agencies" were prolonging the conflict "to secure their income".

Rights and aid groups have continued to criticise both the government and Tamil Tiger rebels over civilian casualties.

A new Human Rights Watch report again condemns "indiscriminate shelling".

'Hardcore cadre'

The defence ministry website said the "vicious coalition" that had "been pretending to be humanitarian agencies, aid agencies, free media, civil rights movements, etc, have made the continued bloodshed on Sri Lankan soil a lucrative business for them".

It said the goal was "to ensure that the [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's] war would never end at any cost".

The ministry accused the Care International group of being part of the "abominable conspiracy".

Care last week reported that a local worker was killed by shellfire in a government-designated "no-fire" zone.

The ministry said "very reliable sources" indicated the man was "a hardcore LTTE cadre".

Care country director Nick Osborne told Associated Press news agency the issue was "very sensitive".

"Our response at this moment is to respect the loss of a staff member and give our thoughts to his family," Mr Osborne said.

The ministry's attack came as Human Rights Watch said there were reports "of civilians being killed and wounded daily in the no-fire zone, while the Sri Lankan government continues to deny the attacks".

Brad Adams, the group's Asia director, also said: "The Tamil Tigers' use of civilians as human shields adds to the bloodshed."

The UN's human rights chief Navanethem Pillay - currently in Delhi - has appealed to the Sri Lankan government to allow independent human rights monitors to assess the situation in the north and provide better protection for civilians.

"So far I have not got any response [from the government], she said, "but I am going to carry on pressing for it."

The influential chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee John Kerry has also now written to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, saying he had "grave concerns" at reports of army shellfire in civilian areas.

The pro-rebel website TamilNet has consistently accused the army of shelling civilians.

It said another 96 civilians were killed in the designated safety zone on Monday.

No independent journalists can travel to the war zone so information provided by either side cannot be verified.

The recent Sri Lankan military offensive has restricted the rebels to a small section of jungle in the north-east.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7961088.stm

Sri Lanka: No Let-Up in Army Shelling of Civilians

The Sri Lankan army, despite government denials, is indiscriminately shelling the "no-fire zone" in northern Sri Lanka where thousands of civilians are trapped by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Human Rights Watch said today, citing new information from the region. More than 2,700 civilians have reportedly been killed over the last two months, and the number of casualties rises daily.

"We receive reports of civilians being killed and wounded daily in the ‘no-fire zone, while the Sri Lankan government continues to deny the attacks," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The Tamil Tigers' use of civilians as human shields adds to the bloodshed."

A doctor at the makeshift hospital in Putumattalan, inside the government-declared "no-fire zone," told Human Rights Watch over the phone early today that dozens of dead and wounded civilians were being brought to the hospital daily. The interview was interrupted by shelling, audible over the phone; the doctor later explained that an artillery shell had struck approximately 250 meters from the hospital, killing two civilians and wounding seven others. Another shell struck about a kilometer from the hospital, also killing and wounding civilians. (View a map, including the affected areas).

When Human Rights Watch spoke to the doctor at about 5 p.m., he said the hospital had received 14 bodies and 98 wounded that day. He told Human Rights Watch that the shelling appeared to come from the direction of government positions three kilometers to the west.

The doctor described another artillery attack inside the no-fire zone on March 21, 2009:

"Between 10 and 11 a.m. on March 21, a shell hit a shelter about 200 meters from a church in Valayanmadam [three kilometers south of Putumattalan]. When I went to the site in the evening, two bodies were still lying at the site, while three bodies had already been buried. Nine people had been injured."

The Sri Lankan government continues its official denials of any attacks in the no-fire zone, including in discussions with top international officials. For example, in his phone conversation with the United Nations secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, on March 17, President Mahinda Rajapaksa claimed that "no firing whatever was being carried out on the No Fire or Safe Zones declared by the security forces." (For more information, please visit: http://www.slmfa.gov.lk/index.php?option=c...3&Itemid=75 ).

Collecting accurate information from the conflict zone is extremely difficult, as the government continues to block access for media and independent observers.

Civilian casualties in the 25-year-old armed conflict with the LTTE have skyrocketed since January. According to a UN document reprinted in the media, the UN country team in Sri Lanka has documented 2,683 civilian deaths and 7,241 injuries in the six weeks from January 20 to March 7 (http://www.innercitypress.com/3832_001.pdf ). A copy of the patient list from the makeshift hospital in Putumattalan on file with Human Rights Watch contains the names of 978 people brought to the hospital from March 1 to March 10. According to the list, 79 adults and 40 children died, while 646 adults and 213 children were injured.

Human Rights Watch said that the LTTE continued to prevent 150,000 Tamil civilians from leaving the conflict zone and effectively used them as human shields. During the last two months LTTE only permitted about 4,000 injured civilians and their caretakers to be evacuated by ferryboat by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

In one incident reported to Human Rights Watch, a local employee of an international aid agency was wounded and several of his family members killed by a shell that hit a shelter in Putumattalan on March 21. According to information that the aid agency received from its staff on the ground, the employee sustained serious head wounds and his situation is considered critical unless he receives medical treatment. Despite several days of negotiation, however, the LTTE has refused to allow the ICRC to evacuate the man.

On March 17, another aid volunteer was wounded as a result of shelling in the no-fire zone. He did not get needed medical attention and died. (For more information, please visit: http://www.care.org/newsroom/articles/2009...0&s_subsrc= ).

The situation of the civilians trapped in the conflict zone is aggravated by the acute shortage of food, sanitary facilities, and medication, as international humanitarian agencies cannot deliver sufficient supplies to the conflict area.

A volunteer at the hospital today told Human Rights Watch: "It is really difficult for people to find food, and you can see that over the last four weeks people have lost weight and they get sick because of lack of nutritious food, [lack of adequate] bathing and toilet facilities, as well as lack of medicines in the hospital. We are in a very, very desperate situation. People are suffering."

Top UN officials, including the secretary-general, the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, and the high commissioner for human rights, as well as a number of concerned states, have called on the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to make protecting civilians a top priority and to take all necessary measures to halt the spiraling humanitarian disaster.

"The Sri Lankan government has responded to broad international concerns with indignation and denials instead of action to address the humanitarian crisis," said Adams.

Human Rights Watch called on the UN Security Council to put Sri Lanka on its agenda and to address urgently the deteriorating situation. It also called on Sri Lanka's key bilateral partners, such as Japan, the United States and India, to make the safety of the trapped civilians a top priority in any discussions of financial assistance.

Last week, Human Rights Watch sent a letter to members of the board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) about the government's request for a US$1.9 billion loan to address its financial crisis and, according to the Sri Lankan Central Bank's request, to "continue with the resettlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction work in the Northern Province." It has asked the IMF to finalize negotiations on the loan by March 31.

In its letter, Human Rights Watch emphasized that the government's current policies and practices are counterproductive to the stated goal of the IMF loan and urged that IMF board members discuss concrete action the government needs to take to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the north.

- http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/03/23/sri-...lling-civilians

Sri Lanka accuses aid groups of supporting war

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - Sri Lanka's military on Tuesday accused �a vicious coalition� of international aid groups of harboring terrorists and seeking to prolong the island's civil war for economic gain.

The military has come under increasing international criticism as it pushes to end the decades-old war with the Tamil Tiger rebels, who are

pinned in a shrinking war zone in the island's northeast.

Aid groups have accused the military of shelling �no-fire� zones set up to harbor the tens of thousands of civilians trapped by the fighting, a charge the military denies.

The military, in a statement posted on the Ministry of Defense Web site, said aid groups operating in Sri Lanka had �hoodwinked� the world and did not want the war to end �to secure their income through a continued bloodshed.

The statement said the war had �been well engineered and blessed by a vicious coalition of local and international bodies other than the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam).

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is the formal name of the rebels.

The only group named in the statement was CARE International, which said last week that one of its local workers was killed in a �no-fire� zone when a shell severed his leg and he was unable to get medical care.

The military said instead of being a trapped aid worker the man �was a hardcore LTTE cadre who was planted in the INGO (CARE) perhaps with the knowledge of its officials.

It said he had been killed fighting on the front lines and not in a �no-fire� zone.

Nick Osborne, the country director for CARE in Sri Lanka, declined to comment directly on the accusations.

�The issue is very sensitive. Our response at this moment is to respect the loss of a staff member and give our thoughts to his family,� Osborne said.

Accounts of conditions and incidents in the war zone cannot be verified because independent journalists are barred from traveling to the north. The rebel holdouts _ along with tens of thousands of terrified civilians the government says are being used as human shields _ are confined to about 11 square miles (28 square kilometers) of jungle and beach on the northeastern coast.

The United Nations says 150,000 to 180,000 civilians are trapped. The government puts the figure at 50,000 to 60,000. It also denies U.N. charges that 2,800 civilians have died in the war zone since late January.

Human Rights Watch, a New York-based group, accused the military of �indiscriminately shelling the no-fire zone.� The military has denied similar charges in the past.

�We receive reports of civilians being killed and wounded daily in the no-fire zone, while the Sri Lankan government continues to deny the attacks,� Brad Adams, the group's Asia director, said Tuesday. �The Tamil Tigers' use of civilians as human shields adds to the bloodshed.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have began fighting since 1983 for an independent state for the Tamil minority, which has suffered decades of marginalization at the hands of governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority. More than 70,000 people have been killed in the fighting.

- http://www.pr-inside.com/sri-lanka-accuses...of-r1135904.htm