Yrys
Army.ca Veteran
- Reaction score
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- Points
- 430
S Lanka hospital hit in fighting
The government has said it will take care
of civilians caught in the war zone
At least two people were killed after a hospital in northern Sri Lanka was shelled
in clashes between government and rebels, the Red Cross has said. A Red Cross
spokesman said he was "shocked" that the hospital had been hit, for the second
time in weeks.
The hospital is situated in an enclave held by the Tamil Tiger rebels and home
to tens of thousands of civilians.
The Sri Lankan military says it will move to "liberate" the civilians after a truce to
allow them to leave expired. Meanwhile, the government has warned it will expel
diplomats, aid agencies and journalists it deems biased in favour of the Tamil Tigers.
The agencies say the people are facing a desperate situation, with hundreds killed
in combat in recent days and food supplies running low.
'Wounded are protected'
The Red Cross said in a statement that the Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital in Vanni region
received two direct hits. "We're shocked that the hospital was hit, and this for the
second time in recent weeks," said Paul Castella, head of the Colombo delegation of
the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). "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 hospital, which has some 500 inpatients, is one of the few still operating in the region.
An army offensive has pushed the rebels into a 300 sq km (110 sq mile) corner of jungle
in the north-east of the island, which aid agencies say also holds 250,000 civilians. The
government says the number of civilians is closer to 120,000 and that the army has a
policy of not firing at civilians. It accuses the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of
not allowing civilians to leave, saying they are being used as human shields.
The rebels say the civilians prefer to stay where they are under Tamil Tiger "protection".
The reports cannot be independently confirmed as neither side allows journalists near
the war zone.
'Utmost care'
Officials said about 300 civilians had crossed into government-held territory during the
48-hour truce, which expired late Saturday. "We will now have to save the civilians and
move in," the spokesman, Kaheliya Rambukwella, said. "It is now very evident that
[Tamil Tiger leader Valupillai] Prabhakaran is... using civilians as cover," Mr Rambukwella
said. "We will take the utmost care of civilians when we move in."
The military has captured the key towns of Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and the strategically
important Elephant Pass to the Jaffna peninsula in recent weeks.
The BBC's Ethirajan Anbarasan has been in the city of Jaffna on one of the first
government-approved media trips to the city - the cultural capital of Sri Lanka's Tamil
community - in months. He said thousands of people had attended a rally held by a
pro-government Tamil party calling for the rebels to allow civilians to leave the war zone.
Meanwhile a senior government official warned that diplomats, aid agencies and media,
including the BBC, will be expelled from Sri Lanka if they seem to favour the Tamil Tiger
rebels. Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said bias among some foreigners was
damaging security forces as they dealt the "final blow" to the rebels.
The government has said it will take care
of civilians caught in the war zone
At least two people were killed after a hospital in northern Sri Lanka was shelled
in clashes between government and rebels, the Red Cross has said. A Red Cross
spokesman said he was "shocked" that the hospital had been hit, for the second
time in weeks.
The hospital is situated in an enclave held by the Tamil Tiger rebels and home
to tens of thousands of civilians.
The Sri Lankan military says it will move to "liberate" the civilians after a truce to
allow them to leave expired. Meanwhile, the government has warned it will expel
diplomats, aid agencies and journalists it deems biased in favour of the Tamil Tigers.
The agencies say the people are facing a desperate situation, with hundreds killed
in combat in recent days and food supplies running low.
'Wounded are protected'
The Red Cross said in a statement that the Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital in Vanni region
received two direct hits. "We're shocked that the hospital was hit, and this for the
second time in recent weeks," said Paul Castella, head of the Colombo delegation of
the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). "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 hospital, which has some 500 inpatients, is one of the few still operating in the region.
An army offensive has pushed the rebels into a 300 sq km (110 sq mile) corner of jungle
in the north-east of the island, which aid agencies say also holds 250,000 civilians. The
government says the number of civilians is closer to 120,000 and that the army has a
policy of not firing at civilians. It accuses the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) of
not allowing civilians to leave, saying they are being used as human shields.
The rebels say the civilians prefer to stay where they are under Tamil Tiger "protection".
The reports cannot be independently confirmed as neither side allows journalists near
the war zone.
'Utmost care'
Officials said about 300 civilians had crossed into government-held territory during the
48-hour truce, which expired late Saturday. "We will now have to save the civilians and
move in," the spokesman, Kaheliya Rambukwella, said. "It is now very evident that
[Tamil Tiger leader Valupillai] Prabhakaran is... using civilians as cover," Mr Rambukwella
said. "We will take the utmost care of civilians when we move in."
The military has captured the key towns of Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu and the strategically
important Elephant Pass to the Jaffna peninsula in recent weeks.
The BBC's Ethirajan Anbarasan has been in the city of Jaffna on one of the first
government-approved media trips to the city - the cultural capital of Sri Lanka's Tamil
community - in months. He said thousands of people had attended a rally held by a
pro-government Tamil party calling for the rebels to allow civilians to leave the war zone.
Meanwhile a senior government official warned that diplomats, aid agencies and media,
including the BBC, will be expelled from Sri Lanka if they seem to favour the Tamil Tiger
rebels. Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said bias among some foreigners was
damaging security forces as they dealt the "final blow" to the rebels.