World

Deadly strike on Sri Lanka hospital

by Sanjay Jha | February 2, 2009 at 01:07 am

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A hospital in Sri Lanka’s tamil dominated zone was hit twice by artillery attacks within hours on Sunday, killing at least six civilians and wounding many others.

The shells in the later attack appeared to have been fired by the Sri Lankan army and killed five. He said they also caused extensive damage to the crowded Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital, one of the last functioning health institutions inside territory held by the rebel Tamil Tigers. The attacks came amid reports of growing casualties among thousands of ethnic Tamil civilians trapped inside the rebel-held area.

Nine people have been killed by shells which hit a hospital in a rebel-held area of north-east Sri Lanka, the Red Cross says.

The hospital, in the town of Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu district, was hit three times in 24 hours, aid officials said.

UN spokesman Gordon Weiss told the BBC the shells had hit a crowded paediatric unit. It is not clear who fired them.

Sri Lanka's army has denied it was behind the shelling.

There has been no comment so far from the rebel group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

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Puthukkudiyiruppu is situated in an enclave held by the rebels, and is home to tens of thousands of civilians.

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chanaka

at 02:34 on February 2nd, 2009

Dear Sanjaya, We too heard the story and this is again to be a rumor, any way good one and this was published in the Daily news today.

Hospital not shelled - Hullugalle

MCNS Director General Lakshman Hullugalle says the hospital in Pudukudiruppu has not been shelled and reports to that effect are mere rumors and there are no civilian casualties. He says military operations are continuing.

Tiana

at 04:24 on February 2nd, 2009

Is that why ICRC published it on its website???!

http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/sri-lanka-news-010209?opendocument

Accept reality! Arrgh makes me mad when people dismiss real deaths!

Tiana

at 04:47 on February 2nd, 2009

Sky news reports.... http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Sri-Lanka-War-Hospital-In-Puthukkudiyiruppu-Shelled-Killing-Adults-And-Children/Article/200902115214899?lpos=World_News_News_Your_Way_Region_9&lid=NewsYourWay_ARTICLE_15214899_Sri_Lanka_War:_Hospital_In_Puthukkudiyiruppu_Shelled,_Killing_Adults_And_Children

The UN believes the figure to be much higher. The four-year-old daughter of one of their members of staff was among those hurt by the shelling.

One text message from a United Nations worker in the hospital said: "Women and kids wards shelled. God, no words. Still counting the dead bodies."

The zone is still controlled by rebels but the Sri Lankan military is bombarding it to try and flush out the remaining Tamil Tigers.

A state health official also in the area said the shells had come from behind Sri Lankan military lines.

A government official categorically denied the claim, saying the forces know the co-ordinates of the hospital.

It therefore made no sense to suggest the Sri Lankan military had deliberately targeted medical facilities, the official went on.

The government has insisted in the past that the rebels themselves are firing on them to try to swing worldwide public opinion against the Sri Lankan authorities and halt the offensive.

The government's defence secretary, who is also the president's brother, caused some consternation when he was quoted in a Sunday newspaper threatening to expel foreign journalists, aid agencies and diplomats who appeared to be sympathetic to the rebels by, for instance, showing images of injured civilians.

polylogue

at 07:28 on February 2nd, 2009

A rumour? It's also a rumour that gravity exists. The International Committe of the Red Cross in Colombo doesn't believe this is a rumour. Here is a bit below from Reuters:

"The Sri Lankan military denied it had shelled the hospital in a Tamil Tiger-held part of Mullaittivu district and blamed the rebels. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam made no comment, but a pro-rebel website accused the military of the firing.

'At least nine people were killed and at least 20 injured from the continued shelling,' said Sarasi Wijerathne, a spokeswoman of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Colombo."

Fripouille

at 07:48 on February 2nd, 2009

True or not, Military or not, Rebels or not, this is another example of belligerants in conflict trying to use events, fictitious or not, to garner sympathy elsewhere in the world via the instrumentalisation and manipulation of the press and public opinion.

We saw it in Gaza and we're seeing it again here, unfortunately......

tallison

at 08:24 on February 2nd, 2009

The world must do something , find some ways that would not allow hospitals and schools and such from being used for military purposes and from being targetted.