By Shayne R. Burnham
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – The Sri Lankan military declared a “safety zone” for the 250,000 civilians trapped in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)’s stronghold. The military offensives have backed the LTTE into the town of Mullaitivu, located in Sri Lanka’s northeastern province.
Air force planes dropped thousands of leaflets to urge civilians to travel to the safety zone where the army will then transport them into government territory away from warfare. The safety zone is a 14 square mile zone located in rebel territory.
Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said, “We will not fire into that area.”
The government says that it has set up temporary shelters in the Vavuniya area, south of the fighting.
The war between the Tiger rebels and the government have raised serious human rights concerns regarding the displaced civilians. Human Rights Watch has accused the Tigers of preventing the freedom of movement of the people. On the other hand, the Tigers claim that they protect the civilians who follow them of their own free will.
There is no way to confirm accounts since people are restricted people from going in and out of the area.
A day after the military declared a safe zone, the pro-rebel Tamil website, TamilNet, said that the army shelled a hospital, killing at least five civilians, in the Tiger controlled territory.
The military denied the allegations, stating that there was no need to fire at the hospital and that the statement was merely propaganda.
The LTTE have been fighting for decades to establish an independent homeland for the minority Tamils who claim they have suffered oppression by the Sri Lankan government and majority. There have been over 270,000 deaths as a result of the violence.
The United Nations calls upon the Tigers to allow free passage to civilians and to UN staff to allow aid inside the territory.
For more information, please see:
Associated Press – 250,000 Tamil Civilians Urged to Flee to Safety – 21 January 2009
BBC – Civilians ‘Die in Lanka Shelling’ – 22 January 2009
New York Times – Sri Lanka Presses Rebels, but at a Mounting Cost – 22 January 2009
