Food and medical crisis in Mullivaikal

An open letter to the Presidemt Mahinda Rajapaksa

By V. Anandasangaree

(May 19, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) I wish to congratulate you for being responsible for the defeat of the LTTE and for bringing back peace to the country, by eradicating terrorism. No one can dispute the fact that the terrorist activities kept every one in this country under constant fear and tension for more than quarter of a century. Sri Lanka should remember with gratitude all those who contributed for the defeat of the LTTE. The country expects you to eradicate the “gun-culture” completely from the country. Make “unlawful possession” of fire arms punishable with heavy penalties and can even include confiscation of property. Even toy pistols should be withdrawn from the market.

I need not remind you of the extent of cooperation I gave you for the eradication of terrorism. But it is very unfortunate that I am not in a position to take part in any event, celebrating the defeat of the LTTE because of the concerns, I have for the people of Kilinochchi and Mullaitheevu and also for those IDPs from Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya. The last batch of IDPs are the worst affected and if I am permitted to say so, they are the worst neglected too. I hear a lot of distressing news coming from Mullivaikal, the last bastion of the LTTE. I heard from my friends that a number of my relations and many good friends, had either died or injured and several missing.

I am one who will never mislead you with untrue stories and tell out only what I believe as true. A very unfortunate story I heard from reliable sources is that all LTTE combatants who have become disabled had been asked to assemble at one spot and killed by their leaders, but there is every possibility of some surviving. Apart from this most of the civilians being used to living in bunkers, there is a possibility of many getting trapped inside. I am aware that in some instances the entire family got buried in bunkers.

During the last stages, at one point, the civil administration broke down, the Health Authorities withdrew and the ICRC refused to give escort to the food ship and therefore the injured could not be taken from Mullivaikal to Pulmoddai for treatment. All these were due to continuous shelling. The result is no food was taken to Mullivaikal and the civil administration was not functioning to regulate the supply of food, even if there was little food available. The Hospital staff did not report to work to attend on the thousands of patients, most of whom were injured, some seriously. In this situation the forces captured Mullivaikal.

At this point of time there were more than one hundred thousand people at Mullivaikal, but the commissioner General of Essential Services was insisting that there were only about 20,000, disputing my claim that there were more than one hundred thousand. But after the capture of Mullivaikal over 70,000 had come out and people are still coming. By this time the number would have swelled to one hundred thousand. I am sure there are still people left most of whom must be injured and starving. This is the situation there as I see.

Therefore I humbly urge you to send a strong medical team with substantial number of volunteers to help to find the casualties who are on the verge of starvation and facing death at any time. Along with the volunteers, please arrange to send food packets to meet the requirements.

This news may be very disturbing to you. But it will be more damaging if I do not bring this to your notice for immediate action. This will prove as a good gesture on your part for the sins of the others. As a prelude, you may send a team immediately to Mullivaikal to report to you on the ground situation there.

-Sri Lanka Guardian