‘Drop food now if the concern is humanitarian’: Vanni civilians: “If the Colombo government is starving us, the world should know who is keeping us hostages. If the world’s concern is ‘purely humanitarian’ it should act this very minute to give us our means to keep the body and soul together”, is the voice of the civilian victims of Colombo’s starvation weapon, reported hospital sources in Vanni. Even the meagre food stock of the hospital staff depleted they said. Last Thursday, UN humanitarian chief, John Holmes, acknowledging the situation, said the food supply was barely enough only for a day. Five days have gone, and none coming with only statements of humanitarian concerns, has acted on it. Meanwhile, no more food shipments to Vanni is said to be the decision in Colombo. Full Article
TRO: Food shortage in Safe Zone, critical: While the need of food for the estimated 165,000 people, as determined by the District Secretariat, is roughly 2500 MT a month, ships brought only 60 MT for the whole of April, and the 1100 MT announced by the Sri Lanka Government to be loaded in Trincomalee in ships, never materialized, said Lawrence Christy, head of Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) field office in the Safety Zone, in a report released 2nd May, adding that World Food Program is limited by the Government of Sri Lanka to send a quantity of food barely sufficient to keep alive 50,000 people, a number GoSL is willing to admit as the numbers holed up in the Safe Zone. Full Article.
Elderly women die of starvation in Jaffna SLA detention centres: A 79-year-old woman detainee in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) detention centre in Mirusuvil Roman Catholic Church and a 75-year-old woman in Kathadi Saiva Children Home SLA detention centre are reported dead due to starvation, sources in Jaffna. Jaffna magistrate court, being informed of the deaths, is awaiting post mortem examination reports from medical authorities for further legal action, the sources added. Full Article
SLA forcibly removes youths from its detention centres in Jaffna: Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers have forcibly taken away young men and women among the Vanni civilians held in the SLA detention centres in Thenmaraadchi and Vadamaraadchi, according to NGO representatives who visited the detention centres. The family members who raised protest against the abduction of their children in Mirusuvil detention centre have been taken away from the centre for ‘interrogation’ by SLA soldiers, the sources added. SLA officials say that the youths taken away are to be placed in the SLA Special Rehabilitation Camp (SRC) located in Thellippazhai High Security Zone (HSZ). Full Article.
Slow-motion genocide to exceed horrors of Srebrenica, warns Prof. Boyle: Professor Boyle of University of Illinois College of Law, an international expert on Boznia and crimes of Genocide said Tuesday, “[s]ince the outset of this latest crisis in January, the GOSL has exterminated about 7000 Tamils in Vanni, certainly a “substantial part” of the Tamil population in Vanni and Sri Lanka. If not stopped now, the GOSL’s toll of genocide against the Tamils could far exceed the recent horrors of Srebrenica.” Prof. Boyle’s call for urgent food drop to the civilians close to starvation in the Safe Zone, has gathered momentum, and international media are seeking his comment on the urgency of humanitarian support. Full Article
Credits: Tamilnet
Tags: On this Day, Speak Out
