Red Cross in Sri Lanka "worn out"

by Suranee | April 19, 2009 at 07:16 pm

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Lack of supplies to treat the hundreds, or thousands, of injured people in the remaining area the Sri lanka military and the LTTE are fighting has prevented the government doctors based there to properly attend to the sick and injured civilians said the ICRC.

The Red Cross says that they would like to help people escaping the zone by land, but is unable to because it had not yet been given access.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says government doctors working in the remaining area of fighting in Sri Lanka are "worn out".

The ICRC says they do not have enough supplies to treat the hundreds, or thousands, of injured people there.

The agency says it would like to help people escaping the zone by land, but it had not yet been given access.

The UN accuses the LTTE of keeping the civilians against their will but the terrorist group denies the accusation.

The Sri Lanka government is also accused of not giving the ICRC access to the landward side of the zone which they need to evacuate the people but instead, they have to only evacuate people by sea, with two or three ships per week, each carrying 400 or 500 of the sickest, oldest and most badly wounded people.

There has been shelling there for months, while the UN says the Tigers are preventing the people from escaping, despite rebel denials.

The government is not giving the ICRC access to the landward side of the zone.

So it can only evacuate people by sea, with two or three ships per week, each carrying 400 or 500 of the sickest, oldest and most badly wounded people.

"The situation there is very difficult. The makeshift health facilities that are still existing are not immune of the effects of the hostilities," the ICRC country chief, Paul Castella, told the BBC.

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senthil5000

at 20:23 on April 19th, 2009

Doctors working in the remaining area of fighting in Sri Lanka are "worn out," and there aren't enough [medical] supplies to treat the hundreds, or thousands, of injured people, said International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) Country Chief, Paul Castella, according to a BBC report Monday.

"The situation there is very difficult. The makeshift health facilities that are still existing are not immune of the effects of the hostilities.

"The Ministry of Health staff still working there is really worn out - these people are working for months now without any break, they work day and night. And medical supplies are lacking," Castella added.

BBC report further said, that the ICRC would like to help the people coming out of the safe zone by land, but the agency says it would like to help people escaping the zone by land, but it had not yet been given access.

Suranee

at 20:37 on April 19th, 2009

Thank you for the update Senthil.

israeli.agent

at 21:52 on April 19th, 2009

Though Red Cross is worned out , LTTE is trying their best to contribute to the rescue effort.

Today's news.

At least 5,000 people burst out of Sri Lanka's tiny war zone on Monday, after soldiers broke through a long earthen wall the Tamil Tiger rebels built to stall their advance, the military said.

A suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber set off an explosion among the throng of people and wounded at least 17, military sources told Reuters.

.Agent.

Tamiya

at 20:38 on April 19th, 2009

There are many foreign aid agencies willing to come in to help with the Tamils IDPs and wounded.

However, the Sri Lankan Government does not see this is required for Tamils in Sri Lanka. Their point is the more the Tamils suffer the more they will never get the guts to speak of freedom or rights in Sri Lanka.

It is a systematic terrorism intentionally set out on Tamils.

While the international community has expressed to offer many times, the Sri Lankan government keeps on denying visas to any aid agencies and journalists to set foot in Sri Lanka.

The UN can not even free its own UN workers came out from the "safety zones", they are kept in an interm camp by the government - quarantined. The UN does not even have the guts to demand to see/talk to its workers.

UN's hesistance in dealing with this humanitarian issues in Sri Lanka starts to smell like having large influencing countries backing up Sri Lanka in the genocide of Tamils. One obvious partner in crime is India. However, I suspect there are more behind the scene like China, Pakistan and Japan/Iran.

Suranee

at 20:45 on April 19th, 2009

Yes Tamiya, you're right.

I also agree that China and Iran are backing Sri lanka by giving them the funds they need to continue this war, but I find it hard to believe that Japan is involved.

Tamiya

at 20:52 on April 19th, 2009

I could be wrong about Japan.

However, it's silence in this matter does make it look kinda of fishy.

May be... they are absorbed in their own economic crisis as most of the world is.

israeli.agent

at 21:09 on April 19th, 2009

"However, I suspect there are more behind the scene like China, Pakistan and Japan/Iran."

I think the country of Antarctica and Republic of Utopia too are helping Sri Lanka with this war.A little birdie told me recently that Antarctica send a platoon of penguin commandos to help Sri Lankan Navy.

.Agent.