(August 24, Jaffna, Sri Lanka Guardian) Pathmini Sithamparanathan,Jaffna district parliamentarian, issued a press release and urged the international Community for support.
According to the statement, “of the 1879 schools in Northeast, 135 had closed down. In the intense military actions of the last few months 35 more schools of Madhu area and 20 schools from kilinochchi and Mullaitivu have come to be closed. Tens of thousands of children are among the recently displaced alone.”
Full text is follows;
Decades-long Genocide of Tamils has been intensified by the present government in the last two years. What has been most cruelly unleashed in the last few months is beyond any description by words.
When the people of Northeast Sri Lanka have been shielded from the rest of the country and the outside world by an iron curtain and smothered from speaking up, the Tamil Diaspora around the world staged ‘Tamil Resurgence’ meetings and gave voice to their suppressed brethren back home.
If the International Community fails to take appropriate action to address the inhuman situation of the Northeast it loses its moral high ground.
In the last thirty three months of the present regime alone, there have been more than 2,300 civilian deaths and more than1,100 abductions. Currently there are more than 300,000 IDPs.
Those who have been living safely so far in Vanni have begun to be attacked in the last few months by:
i. indiscriminate aerial bombing and shelling of populated areas and displacing the people and destroying their lives
ii. starving the people by not allowing adequate supplies of food
iii. letting them suffer without supplies of medical needs and other essentials
Children, pregnant women, students, government officials, and the public in Vanni are all affected by intense bombing and shelling and the vicious attacks of deep penetration units by the army. Recently a government agent got injured in these attacks. It is not uneasy for a government that has killed four Tamil parliamentarians democratically elected by the people. Recently when the hospital in Mullaitivu was bombed, 16 people including the wife of Health Superintendent were hurt and an eighteen month-old baby was killed. Two leading officials were killed by the deep penetration unit of the army.
Two years ago 14 aerial bombs killed 53 students and two teachers attending a course in First Aid at Sencholai in Vanni. At the same time more than hundred students were badly hurt. Many lost both legs and arms. The government excused itself by alleging that those killed and hurt were Tamil Tigers. But the UNICEF officials who went there to inspect the site said that they were school students. The international community did not take any action on the atrocious crime.
Students face aerial bombing and intense shelling even while writing examinations. That is the awful plight they are in. But education is a fundamental right. The international community that respects human rights has not taken any action so far. On the contrary they have been offering arms and training to the Sri Lankan government.
The Sri Lankan media that criticise the government have been heavily repressed. Those journalists who step outside government authority are either murdered or arrested and detained without charges for months. Thus journalists live in fear in Sri Lanka.
The authoritarian government uses food and medicine as weapons. When 20 lorries are officially allowed into Vanni, the army allows fifteen or less through the checkpoint. This is far from adequate to feed the IDPs. Certain medicines, eg those needed for diabetes, are not allowed in. Bandage, surgical spirit and gauze are in severely short supply. Adampan, Pallamedu, mallavi and Vellankulam hospitals that are already under-resourced are also displaced and have to look after a much larger number of people during displacements.
Humanitarian workers are also working under very constrained situations. Local humanitarian workers are completely depleted of resources. International humanitarian workers are facing restrictions to enter Vanni.
Of the 1879 schools in Northeast, 135 had closed down. In the intense military actions of the last few months 35 more schools of Madhu area and 20 schools from kilinochchi and Mullaitivu have come to be closed. Tens of thousands of children are among the recently displaced alone.
The disrupted and desperate lives affect the psychology of many displaced people drastically.
Even after repeated pleas to the international community about the desolation of the displaced people the international community has been silent. Though aerial attacks on hospitals have been carried out many times, the international community that stands for democracy and human rights have not been moved to stop the crimes that are equivalent to war crimes according to UN conventions.
Though the LTTE adopted a ceasefire during the SAARC conference the international community neither welcome it nor put forward any statement on it.
On the contrary they have been shaking hands with Sri Lanka( Failed State Index – 20 and Corruption perception Index- 94) and talking about democracy and human rights. Tamils are perturbed and disillusioned by this duplicity of the international community. If the international community delays any further in stopping the immense injustice to the Tamils it will lose its moral high ground.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
According to the statement, “of the 1879 schools in Northeast, 135 had closed down. In the intense military actions of the last few months 35 more schools of Madhu area and 20 schools from kilinochchi and Mullaitivu have come to be closed. Tens of thousands of children are among the recently displaced alone.”
Full text is follows;
Decades-long Genocide of Tamils has been intensified by the present government in the last two years. What has been most cruelly unleashed in the last few months is beyond any description by words.
When the people of Northeast Sri Lanka have been shielded from the rest of the country and the outside world by an iron curtain and smothered from speaking up, the Tamil Diaspora around the world staged ‘Tamil Resurgence’ meetings and gave voice to their suppressed brethren back home.
If the International Community fails to take appropriate action to address the inhuman situation of the Northeast it loses its moral high ground.
In the last thirty three months of the present regime alone, there have been more than 2,300 civilian deaths and more than1,100 abductions. Currently there are more than 300,000 IDPs.
Those who have been living safely so far in Vanni have begun to be attacked in the last few months by:
i. indiscriminate aerial bombing and shelling of populated areas and displacing the people and destroying their lives
ii. starving the people by not allowing adequate supplies of food
iii. letting them suffer without supplies of medical needs and other essentials
Children, pregnant women, students, government officials, and the public in Vanni are all affected by intense bombing and shelling and the vicious attacks of deep penetration units by the army. Recently a government agent got injured in these attacks. It is not uneasy for a government that has killed four Tamil parliamentarians democratically elected by the people. Recently when the hospital in Mullaitivu was bombed, 16 people including the wife of Health Superintendent were hurt and an eighteen month-old baby was killed. Two leading officials were killed by the deep penetration unit of the army.
Two years ago 14 aerial bombs killed 53 students and two teachers attending a course in First Aid at Sencholai in Vanni. At the same time more than hundred students were badly hurt. Many lost both legs and arms. The government excused itself by alleging that those killed and hurt were Tamil Tigers. But the UNICEF officials who went there to inspect the site said that they were school students. The international community did not take any action on the atrocious crime.
Students face aerial bombing and intense shelling even while writing examinations. That is the awful plight they are in. But education is a fundamental right. The international community that respects human rights has not taken any action so far. On the contrary they have been offering arms and training to the Sri Lankan government.
The Sri Lankan media that criticise the government have been heavily repressed. Those journalists who step outside government authority are either murdered or arrested and detained without charges for months. Thus journalists live in fear in Sri Lanka.
The authoritarian government uses food and medicine as weapons. When 20 lorries are officially allowed into Vanni, the army allows fifteen or less through the checkpoint. This is far from adequate to feed the IDPs. Certain medicines, eg those needed for diabetes, are not allowed in. Bandage, surgical spirit and gauze are in severely short supply. Adampan, Pallamedu, mallavi and Vellankulam hospitals that are already under-resourced are also displaced and have to look after a much larger number of people during displacements.
Humanitarian workers are also working under very constrained situations. Local humanitarian workers are completely depleted of resources. International humanitarian workers are facing restrictions to enter Vanni.
Of the 1879 schools in Northeast, 135 had closed down. In the intense military actions of the last few months 35 more schools of Madhu area and 20 schools from kilinochchi and Mullaitivu have come to be closed. Tens of thousands of children are among the recently displaced alone.
The disrupted and desperate lives affect the psychology of many displaced people drastically.
Even after repeated pleas to the international community about the desolation of the displaced people the international community has been silent. Though aerial attacks on hospitals have been carried out many times, the international community that stands for democracy and human rights have not been moved to stop the crimes that are equivalent to war crimes according to UN conventions.
Though the LTTE adopted a ceasefire during the SAARC conference the international community neither welcome it nor put forward any statement on it.
On the contrary they have been shaking hands with Sri Lanka( Failed State Index – 20 and Corruption perception Index- 94) and talking about democracy and human rights. Tamils are perturbed and disillusioned by this duplicity of the international community. If the international community delays any further in stopping the immense injustice to the Tamils it will lose its moral high ground.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
 Pathmini Sithamparanathan,Jaffna district parliamentarian, issued a press release and urged the int...){kind=link}
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