Killing of Vanni Civilians

We seldom receive independent accounts of current developments in the Vanni. The information provided in this bulletin is an exception. Given below are some cross-checked facts drawn from persons who recently escaped from the Vanni, which give the lie to the Government’s claims that it does not fire on the civilians and show clearly the LTTE’s cynical use of civilians as bargaining chips. They also speak to the impotence of the international community and India to stop the carnage. What we have learned:

·     Shells fall in the no-fire zone almost every day and take a heavy toll on civilians. Persons in regular touch with those who have escaped confirm that an average of 15 to 20 people die each day; either killed by shells or shot by the LTTE attempting to drive fear into would-be escapees.

·     The military is presently stationed some distance away from the lagoon. Thus they are able to spot movement – including movements of LTTE vehicles within the no-fire zone. Typically they rain a few shells soon after spotting a militant vehicle moving within the zone.

·     Persons who escaped on 8th April said that about the same day, the Army announced over speakers tied high up on palmyrah trees instructing the public to come across the lagoon into their area immediately, as they were going to advance into the no-fire zone. Soon afterwards, they fired a large shell right into the midst of the public, apparently to goad them into complying. This reportedly caused heavy casualties among the public. 

·     Many escapees from the no-fire zone testified to a heavy recruitment drive by the LTTE. The minimum age for conscription is now 14. There is no ceiling set on the maximum number that could be taken from one family.

·     The LTTE has recently started the practice of sending out teams of 6 cadres with instructions for each team to return with 30 conscripts. If they fail they are reportedly subject to heavy and often lethal punishment.

The Government today objects to ‘balanced criticism’ by governments, the UN and human rights agencies, because all of them demand restraint from it towards the besieged civilians. What the Government apparently seeks is a blank cheque to go on indulging in cost-free killing of Tamils in the name of warring against terrorism. Nothing can cover the absurdity of the Government’s position. The LTTE, confined and reduced by steady attrition poses no threat to the Government. It is merely postponing the inevitable, placing more and more conscripts and children before missiles of the Government, whom it is happy to blow to smithereens. This has been true for several months and a government with a minimal sense of responsibility should have looked to other political means.

As for the LTTE, most countries that count have declared it a terrorist group. In its present state of decay no one is going to breathe political life into it, unless the Government and the Sinhalese polity bungle their political act hopelessly. This is what they are doing by firing into the civilians in the no-fire zone and thereby committing a crime against humanity. These and other issues will be discussed in greater detail below, including the role of Tamil expatriates. We will conclude with several cases exemplifying the plight of civilians in the no-fire zone.