179 civilians including 76 children killed within 3 days inside 'safety zone' (VIDEO UPDATED)
[ Sunday, 29 March 2009, 09:16.09 AM GMT +05:30 ]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) attacks have claimed the lives of 179 civilians within the three days of Thursday, Friday and Saturday, according to the casualty figures collected by TamilNet correspondent in Vanni. At least 76 of the slain victims were children below the age of 15. At least 16 pregnant mothers were among the slain. More than 109 children below the age of 15 have sustained injuries. Around 45% of the thousands of shells fired by the SLA have hit the safety zone. Meanwhile, a foreign staff of the ICRC, who came in the ship on Saturday to transport the wounded civilian had a narrow escape when the ship was hit by long distance gunfire by the SLA damaging a window of the ship. On Friday, a local ICRC worker, P. Satheeskumar, was reportedly injured in SLA shelling.
The wife of another Red Cross (ICRC or SLRC) worker was reportedly killed on Friday.
The ICRC ship that arrived on Thursday and on Saturday to transfer the wounded patients from Maaththa'lan hospital managed to transport around 950 persons.
Five wounded patients being treated at the Intensive Care Unit of the makeshift hospital were killed Thursday morning when Rocket Propelled Grenades fired by the SLA hit the hospital.
A 7-month-old foetus was slain Friday when a 25-year-old pregnant mother, Paasamalr, sustained injuries in her lower abdomen.
Civilians in Maaththa'lan and Pokkanai had to stay inside the bunkers continuously for 13 hours from 10:00 p.m. Thursday till 11:00 a.m. Friday as SLA stepped up artillery, mortar and gunfire. Bullets were whizzing over the main road which links the various villages of the safety zone.
59 civilians were killed on Thursday, 63 including 21 children on Friday and 57 on Saturday.
At least 109 children below age 15 have sustained injuries. 31 of them were below 10 years of age.
9 of 16 slain pregnant mothers were in their final stage of pregnancy, according to medical sources. Most of the deaths of pregnant mothers have been reported in Pokkanai and Maaththalan areas.
The SLA deployed cluster-fitted shells Thursday night to target IDP shelters between Valaignarmadam and Pokkanai, and between Maaththalan and Pokkanai during the day time of Friday.
498 persons were transferred from the hospital by the ICRC ship on Saturday and 443 on Thursday.
Two shells that hit a well between Pokkanai and Maaththalan have claimed the lives of 10 IDPs who were washing their bodies.
An entire family of four members was wiped out Thursday in rocket fire that came from SLA positions across the lagoon. RPG fire targeted Pokkanai - Maaththalan border.
A female village (GS) officer, Ajantha Abarajithan, was killed in Valaignarmadam Thursday.
There have also been air strikes carried out by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) inside the safety zone.
Wounded civilians are being brought to hospital in bullock cart by IDPs themselves.
A wounded female with an injured child at Puthumaaththalan hospital. The makeshift hospital Saturday released data documenting that it had received 104 children below age of 15 during Tuesday and Wednesday alone. Data for Thursday, Friday and Saturday is yet to be documented.
Wounded being brought to makeshift hospital in bullock carts
Densely populated Pokkanai area where many IDPs including children and pregnant mothers have been killed and wounded in SLA shelling
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Photo
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) attacks have claimed the lives of 179 civilians within the three days of Thursday, Friday and Saturday, according to the casualty figures collected by TamilNet correspondent in Vanni. At least 76 of the slain victims were children below the age of 15. At least 16 pregnant mothers were among the slain. More than 109 children below the age of 15 have sustained injuries. Around 45% of the thousands of shells fired by the SLA have hit the safety zone. Meanwhile, a foreign staff of the ICRC, who came in the ship on Saturday to transport the wounded civilian had a narrow escape when the ship was hit by long distance gunfire by the SLA damaging a window of the ship. On Friday, a local ICRC worker, P. Satheeskumar, was reportedly injured in SLA shelling.
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Thousands of Tamil national present at the Mulliwaikal mourning organized by the British Tamil Forum. [
Sixty-one Bangladeshis, who were in Sri Lankan detention camps for four months after being picked up by the navy in February, are scheduled to be returned to their home country from Colombo around Sunday noon. [
Parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayaka of Sri Lanka main opposition United National Party (UNP) said yesterday that the UNP turned down a request from a former terrorist to contest the Northern Provincial Council elections under the party. [
The entire world was asking Sri Lanka to give into the terrorists and avoid confrontation with them, but we chose to trust in the strength and courage of the country’s youth, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said. [
Trade unions, opposition parties and civil society organizations are gearing up to hold a massive protest on the 21st against the electricity tariff hike and the performance of the government. [
Deputy leader of the Vavuniya Municipal council M.M.Rathan stated by lighting lamps in the Wellamulliwaikal and Karaiyan Mulliwaikal people paid their respect to civilians killed in the final stage of war in year 2009. [
There is little doubt that in 2009 the government of Sri Lanka pulled off one of the nastiest episodes of mass killing since the Rwandan genocide – and got away with it. Tens of thousands of civilians were massacred, with barely a trickle of Syria-like imagery emerging from the battle zone, The Australian reported. [