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Sri Lankan troops shell "safe zone" for civilians

by IRTAG Media | January 23, 2009 at 12:02 pm

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Sri Lanka Army (SLA) unilaterally announced a "secure zone" for civilians on Wednesday 21-Jan 2009. However, in the early hours of Thursday 22-Jan 2009 the “secure zone” came under Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher and Artillery gun attacks. The affected zone houses an institution for disabled children and a tightly populated settlement. The locality is known as Va'l'lipunam. At least 11 dead bodies and more than 25 wounded were brought to the makeshift hospital (Mullaiththeevu hospital) functioning at Va'l'lipunam school Thursday morning.

On Friday 23-Jan 2009, five civilians, including a10-year-old girl and a 56-year-old Saiva priest, were killed and 83 civilians wounded when shells fired by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) rained on the 'safe zone' areas such as Iruddumadu in Udaiyaarkaddu and Va'l'lipunam in Mullaiththeevu district at least four times, according to medical sources in the region. More than 20 of the wounded people were children.

Today’s shelling and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) rocket fire targeted the villages Thearaavil, Mayilvaakanapuram, Iruddumadu, Va'l'lipunam and Theavipuram at 10:45 a.m., 11:00 a.m., around 2:30 p.m., and 6:00 p.m (all local time) respectively.

The Sri Lankan military shelled a village and a makeshift hospital inside a government-declared "safe zone" for civilians in the north Thursday, killing at least 30 people and wounding scores, local health officials said.

The military denied hitting the hospital and said it was taking precautions to protect civilians. Health officials said that at least 67 civilians have been killed in shelling since Tuesday.

In an effort to coax civilians to leave, the government dropped leaflets throughout the region Wednesday announcing the establishment of a "safe zone" on the edge of rebel-held territory that it would not attack.

But an hour after the leaflets were dropped, two shells hit a makeshift hospital in a school in Vallipunam, a village inside the "safe zone," said Kandasamy Tharmakulasingham, a health official. No one was wounded in that attack, he said.

On Thursday morning, the hospital and a nearby village were hit again in an attack so devastating that health officials had difficulty counting the bodies because many of them were dismembered, he said.

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gerrypopplestone

at 06:37 on February 12th, 2009

I'm not surprised: I fear for those Tamils whop go to the "safe" zones. Glad you reported on it.

chanaka

at 20:43 on March 23rd, 2009

Great post of misguiding details. There been clear view that LTTE is the one shelling and Shooting to the innocent Civilins. It is sad that LTTE does the all bloody works and put the blame to the government forces.

LTTE put there heavy guns inside the safe Zone. Want you or your sources aware of this, Even Vidio footages clearly shows the bunkers and other machineries of LTTE is functioning inside the Safe Zone violating all the international laws, For LTTE they can violate those laws openly and nobody speak of this. But if there is a governemnt forces advancing then all these laws acceptable. What sort of a terrorism is this?

People inside the Safe zone is not fired by any advancing forces, Multibarrale rockets are no more use in the battle as there is no need of it. it is the LTTe shoot the innocent tamils whio try to escape from there human shield and then put the blame for the government. This theory is old and nobody can be fooled anymore.