The international community failed to act

| by Robinhood

( April 05, 2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) While condemning the act of the Sri Lankan armed forces for deliberate target on civilians, the LTTE for keeping the civilians as a human shield during the last stages of the war, it is absolutely essential to point the finger at the international community failing to act to save the people caught in the cross fire between the armed forces and the rebels.

The international communities so called public diplomacy did nothing to bring down the casualty of the final stages of the conflict. The rescue mission of the Rajapakse administration has cost thousands lives of innocent civilians caught between the crossfire starving, raping and bleeding to death without water.

The international community could have acted a little responsible and monitored regular supplies of food and medicines are provided to the conflict zone. made arrangements for the deployment of ICRC in the war zone for urgent medical attention. Taken strict measures to see that no fire zones and hospitals are not targeted by government shelling and no heavy artilleries used. Taken adequate measures to evacuate the women and children from the conflict zone which would have cost fewer deaths.

It would have been recommendable if the international community adopted a similar resolution in the UNHRC before the final stages of the war urging both the GOSL and the LTTE to respect humanitarian laws during the conflict which would have saved thousand lives of innocent civilians. In the circumstance the resolution adopted could have made a mechanism to monitor and prevent human rights violations and rights abuse.

While pointing the fingers to the GOSL and to the LTTE for possible war crimes it is absolutely correct to point the finger at the international actors failing to take action above which could have brought down the casualties of this blood bath. In the meantime it is unjustifiable to put the entire blame on the Sri Lankan army for the atrocities committed by few soldiers and senior officials.

Both the GOSL and the LTTE failed to protect international humanitarian laws during the final stages of the war. At the same time the part of the charges should be borne by the international community for failing to act on time which could have reduced the loss of lives. Failing to act on time justifies the international community has been witnessing this blood bath and crime against humanity committed by both parties.

During the last three months of the war the international community was engage in public diplomacy which did nothing to save the lives of innocent civilians including women and children. Diplomacy can be spoken with people who respect international laws. Where as in this case the international community should failed to understand that it is dealing with a ruthless terrorist outfit and a deceptive government.

This is considered to be a great mistake, great injustice committed by the international actors to the ethnic Tamil community living in Sri Lanka. The video footage of channel 4 has covered only few minutes of the battle zone where the international community has kept silence of (witnessing) this blood bath for almost 90 days doing nothing to save the innocent civilians caught by both ends. Bringing justice to the crime after it has occurred or collecting evidence for war crimes cannot substitute the pain and loss of lives. This loss of lives during the final stages has occurred with lots of pain, misery, mental agony causing physical injuries of humans including children’s with opened wounds bleeding to death which is very much gruesome and dreadful for any human to watch.

It is horrifying to see the innocent people running to save their lives or waiting beside the dead bodies of their loved ones loading into tractors or searching for surgical medicines to stop their own bleeding. It is pathetic to see civilians running carrying kids and injured elders and searching for shelters and bunkers to hide and avoid being a target of shelling. It was a terrifying moment for one person to see the cries, and moans of their loved witness dying, in front. It is horrendous to cut the limb of a child without anesthesia due to lack of surgical equipments. It is very evident to see from the footage that shells are fired directly targeting the civilians, hospitals and no fire zones with zero protection provided.

It is distressing for a mother to see in the video footage the nude corpses of her injured child who or (captured LTTE cadres) or moaning to death, are carried and dumped into trucks. An obnoxious feeling to see human flesh is blown to flinders and hanging in the trees with blood. Finally the international community and its public diplomacy did not provide the Tamil community to locate the sepulcher of their kith and kin is buried.

What did the international community do until this crime against humanity happen?

Why the international community kept silent?