Truemors
is reporting from
Member
NP Rank:
NP Rank:
Cluster bombs used in Sri Lanka war: UN
Share:
by Sanjay Jha | February 4, 2009 at 01:49 am
328 views | 12 Recommendations | 3 comments
The United Nations have accused Sri Lanka of using cluster bomb in the ongoing offensive against tamil rebels. The UN said that they have confirmed report of killing of 52 civilians in a shell attack at Suranthapuram (in Wanni region) last evening. However UN spokesman Gordon Weiss said they had no information about who was responsible for the attack.
The death occured after the shelling in Sri Lanka's embattled northern Wanni region, where a hospital came under attack for the fourth straight day on Wednesday -- this time by a cluster bomb, forcing authorities to evacuate patients from one of the last functioning medical facilities in the war zone.
Cluster bombs have been used in the war in Sri lanka for the first time since the collapse of a Norway-brokered ceasefire in 2007.
The bombs were used near a civil hospital in Puthukudiyiruppu. It is not clear if they were used by the Lankan military or the tigers.
The death toll in the two days of shelling on Sunday and Monday at that hospital has risen to 12, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The organisation's spokesperson, Sarasi Wijeratne couldn't say who fired the shells. But Dr Thurairajah Varatharajah, the top Government health official in the area, said the attacks appeared to have come from the army.
The UN says it is fearful for the safety of thousands of trapped civilians and its own staff and families.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Tuesday that the army was on the verge of crushing the Tamil Tiger rebels.
Puthukudiyiruppu is inside the small wedge of jungle where the military has surrounded the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighters.
The military is fighting to finish a war that started in 1983 and is now one of Asia's longest-running.
Earlier we spoke to Gorden Weiss, the UN Spokesperson in Colombo who said that cluster bombs have been thrown in the vicinity of the hospital.
Cluster bombs consist of a canister that is dropped from a plane and that opens to release a cluster of bomblets.
What is NowPublic?
NowPublic lets people work together to cover news events around the world.
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (3)
at 10:51 on February 4th, 2009
Source: adaderana.lk
at 21:09 on February 4th, 2009
Sanjay Please see how these people ( UN ) Make stories. Please there is hidden arms in these sort of conflict. True there is no way we can finish the terrorism as well as we have to face these sort of mafia stuff to bring the peace and stable life to the people in North. They know what really happened with these sort of organizations.
at 11:56 on March 22nd, 2009
The remains of the parachute used by the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) in cluster bombing on Puthukkudiyiruppu on Friday. More than four locations were attacked by the SLAF which increasingly deploys cluster and bombs that cause fire.Following picture can show the truth
http://www.tamilnet.com/img/publish/2009/02/13_02_09_ptk_01.jpg
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28418
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=28053
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=27824
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=27625