SL Army fires cluster shells, 45 civilians killed, 120 wounded

SLA fires cluster shells, 45 civilians killed, 120 wounded Tuesday [TamilNet, Tuesday, 31 March 2009, 17:48 GMT]

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelling killed 43 civilians throughout the day on Tuesday. 13 civilians, including 9 members of 2 families, were slain in Ampalavanpokka'nai and Valaignarmadam area in the morning. 3 of the killed were children. Four civilians were killed hit by gunfire. 120 civilians were wounded throughout the day, according to medical and aid workers in the safety zone. 

32 more civilians were killed in the attacks elsewhere within the safety zone throughout Tuesday.

98 civilians were admitted at the makeshift hospital in Puthumaaththa'lan, according to the update from the hospital at 12:30 p.m. At least 63 of the patients were from Valaignarmadam. Around 22 more wounded were rushed to the hospital later in the day.

The silent horror of the war in Sri Lanka - Arundhati Roy

Pointing an accusing finger at the Indian Government for silence on the unfolding tragedy in Sri Lanka, Arundhati Roy, writer and activisit, in an article appearing in Times of India says, "while the killing continues, while tens of thousands of people are being barricaded into concentration camps, while more than 200,000 face starvation, and a genocide waits to happen, there is dead silence from this great country [India]. It’s a colossal humanitarian tragedy. The world must step in. Now. Before it’s too late." 

From the little information that is filtering through it looks as though the Sri Lankan government is using the propaganda of the ‘war on terror’ as a fig leaf to dismantle any semblance of democracy in the country, and commit unspeakable crimes against the Tamil people. Working on the principle that every Tamil is a terrorist unless he or she can prove otherwise, civilian areas, hospitals and shelters are being bombed and turned into a war zone. Reliable estimates put the number of civilians trapped at over 200,000. The Sri Lankan Army is advancing, armed with tanks and aircraft.