Sri Lanka govt. conceding its use of heavy weapons warrants UN inquiry
HRW: Sri Lanka: Government Admission Shows Need for UN Inquiry ~ Visiting Envoys Should Make Civilian Protection Top Priority
The Sri Lankan government's admission that it has been using heavy weapons in an area crowded with displaced civilians underscores the need for an international commission of inquiry into violations of the laws of war by government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Human Rights Watch said today.
The Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat conceded today that it had been using heavy weapons in the recent fighting, despite earlier statements that it had ceased their use. The statement said: "Our security forces have been instructed to end the use of heavy caliber guns, combat aircraft and aerial weapons which could cause civilian casualties."
"By finally admitting it has been using heavy weapons all along, the Sri Lanka government has shed light onto its official deception as well as its brutal military tactics," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The UN Security Council should stop burying its head in the sand on Sri Lanka and urgently create an international commission of inquiry to look at abuses by both sides."
For months, the Sri Lankan government has denied that its operations against the LTTE were killing civilians and ignored appeals by the United Nations and many other members of the international community to stop attacks in the government-declared "no-fire zone," where it had encouraged civilians to take shelter. For example, on April 23, Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told the BBC: "We are going very slowly towards the south of the no-fire zone to rescue the remaining civilians. Our troops are not using heavy fire power, they are using only guns and personal weapons."
Numerous accounts by witnesses as well as photographs and satellite imagery have demonstrated the continuing use of heavy artillery and aerial bombardment in the fighting between government forces and the LTTE. According to the UN, an estimated 6,400 people have been killed and more than 13,000 wounded in the conflict area since January 2009.
The UN estimates that more than 50,000 civilians remain trapped. The LTTE reportedly continues to prevent the escape of many. The extreme vulnerability of these civilians is compounded by severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies. In addition to its indiscriminate attacks on the "no-fire zone," the government's continued refusal to allow adequate humanitarian personnel and delivery of essential relief supplies has denied civilians critical assistance. Its ban on allowing impartial outside observers, including journalists and human rights monitors, into the area has obstructed another important aspect of civilian protection.
Human Rights Watch said that many of the internally displaced persons now entering government-controlled areas had not eaten for days. They continue to face shortages of food, water, shelter, and sanitation as they await government screening and registration before being transferred and detained in closed government detention camps, which the government calls "welfare centers."
Human Rights Watch urged the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France, and Sweden, who are bound for Colombo on April 29, 2009, to make the government's accountability for the protection and welfare of displaced civilians their top priority.
"The visiting foreign ministers from the UK, France, and Sweden may be the last hope of the remaining trapped civilians," said Adams. "They should make it clear to Sri Lanka's leaders that they will be held accountable for attacks on civilians or denying them access to humanitarian aid."
Pictorial: Sri Lanka: Trapped and Under Fire II
For the most recent UNOSAT satellite imagery of IDP shelter movement, please visit [PDF File]:
http://unosat.web.cern.ch/unosat/shared/UNOSAT/SriLanka/UNOSAT_Report_Damage_IDP_analysis_19April2009_v6.pdf
5 Comments
In ANOTHER WORD,
CONCEDING that thay are committing WAR CRIME AND GENOCIDE.
UN has Rock the Cradle and Pinched the baby. Are you out of your mind to expect Justice from UN.
They Sold their Dignity and Humanity for power and perks.
Nothing we can do excpet to cry, cry and cry.
Tigers did use the Terror Tactics to counter the State Terrorism, but the world will one day see the real Terrorism from the IDP camps in Vanni.
Its funny. The link given at the bottom of the article no longer works. The document is now password protected. I(I am sure many others too)had the presence of mind to download and save it.
It is very disgraceful to the World leaders now.The President of Sri Lanka promises certain thinks to the heads of the world leaders and break it in few hours bombing by Air to the said war zone during the night.Why the American satellites can not trace this murdering?Even yesterday night I heard a Kafir was flying around 12 A.M. in the morning as I knew that the official orders are working and I expected the news today.I saw the latest news saying that 300 lives being under fire.This is a joke.The President and the rest is not bothered about any powerful nations voice.I will name this as Terrorism.There is no difference between the present government and LTTE activities.But the government has done 70% of damages to the minority than LTTE.It is the truth.So who is going to take action against the government activities?America?Yes America must take the exact action to punish every body even the Pilots who killed the innocent civilians.
The powerful nations around the world have a part in this GENOCIDE. They blindly followed Bush's "war on terror" and applied that formula to the Tamil problem. They gave all the support for this war and was waiting for the end of LTTE. May be they did not expect this scenario. The TERRORIST brothers who are running the country as if it is their back yard is vehement about annihilating the Tamil civilians. The nations which created these "MONSTERS" are now powerless or unwilling to stop this CARNAGE.
Unfortunately the problem will not end with the demise of LTTE!! The "MONSTERS" in the Government are creating more tigers by the way they are treating the people in Jaffna, Batticaloa and the Tamil citizens in general where ever they are living. There is no law and order in the country. Rape, abductions, extra-judicial killings are the order of the day!! Recent examples are the kidnapping of two little girls in the east. In both cases the so called "suspects" are killed by the police. It is interesting to know in whose orders these suspects are killed? whom are they trying to protect? It is obvious that they were killed in order to protect some big shots!! I am 100% sure the case will be closed and the accused will be "roaming" around in "sheeps clothing", waiting for another prey, while the innocents are being killed!!
Do the western nations care? No, they have sold their weapons. Besides it is not their kith and kin who are being killed. Tamils are an insignificant ethinic group.