By Shayne R. Burnham
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

SRI LANKA – Human Rights Watch calls upon the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to agree to cooperatively release civilians trapped in the war zone, known as the Vanni.  The rights group states that evacuation is necessary because the civilians are at grave risk of death and aid shortages as a result of the fighting.  In the past two months, over 2,000 civilians have been killed and thousands more have been injured.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) agreed that civilians should be evacuated and aid should allowed into the war zone. Although there have been many deaths, “it would be possible to avoid further unnecessary suffering and death by allowing civilians who want to leave to get out of the area,” said Jacques de Maio, ICRC head of operations for South Asia.

The United Nations (UN) said that the situation in Sri Lanka is an “unfolding humanitarian catastrophe” because of the lack of food and medicine.  “Deaths associated with a lack of food have become a reality,” said Gordon Weiss, a UN spokesman.  “A shortage of medicine led to the deaths of nine children who had preventable diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis in late February.”

Both the Sri Lankan government and the Tiger rebels have been criticized for violating international humanitarian law.

The government is accused of firing at densely populated areas, even those declared as “safe zones.” Dr. Thurairaja Varatharajah, a top government health official, confirms that the safety of civilians seems to be of little concern to the government in the fighting.  “Day and night they are shelling.  There isn’t any gap,” he said.  He added that the firing occurs inside and outside the safety zones and that the death toll is rising because the area is so densely packed with civilians.  However, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara refutes this accusation, stating that the military hardly uses any artillery.  “We don’t even use shells now.  It’s all house-to-house fighting, street-to-street.”

The LTTE is accused of preventing civilians from leaving war zones, deploying forces near civilians using them as “human shields”, firing upon civilians fleeing to government territory, and even recruiting children to fight on their behalf.  On the other hand, the LTTE claims that the civilians want to stay.  “These people belong to this land, so why would they need to leave these areas?” said a rebel leader who identified himself only as Thileepan.

Verification of these allegations is near impossible since journalists are banned from the area.

For more information, please see:

Associated Press – Rights Group:  Free Civilians from Sri Lankan War – 5 March 2009

Human Rights Watch – Sri Lanka:  Urgently Evacuate Civilians – 4 March 2009

TamilNet – Sri Lanka War Crimes Under U.S. Spotlight – 26 February 2009