The Sri Lankan army vows to destroy the remaining hideouts of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam amidst international cries that civilians were being targeted and victimized in the infighting between the Lankan forces and the cadres of LTTE in northern part of the island nation.
The Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa reaffirmed that Colombo ‘will continue with the military offensive’ until it could liberate the remaining areas from the clutches of the LTTE. He also criticized the LTTE leadership for their ‘refusal to pay’ attention towards the 48-hour ultimatum of their President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The hardliner Lankan President earlier appealed the militant outfit to allow the civilians in the conflict zone to come out for safe zone.
In a portal run by the Sri Lankan government, Gotabaya also urged the international community to put pressure on the LTTE for providing safe passage for nearly one lakh civilians from the battle zone.
However, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has come out with the statement that the Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital in the northern Vanni region was under attacks from shelling. The Sunday afternoon shelling killed at least two persons and wounded five others, the ICRC claimed.
“The hospital currently has over 500 in-patients, some of them still waiting to be transferred to the government-controlled area for more adequate treatment. Despite the attack, people injured by the fighting continue to arrive at the facility,” said Stephanie Bouaziz, the New Delhi based communication coordinator of ICRC.
Speaking to this writer, Stephanie revealed that the ICRC staff was still present in the Puthukkudiyiruppu hospital. The ICRC in association with the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society continued to support the government health staff to extend the needed care for the injured and sick persons.
"Wounded and sick people, medical personnel and medical facilities are all protected by international humanitarian law. Under no circumstance may they be directly attacked,” argued Paul Castella, head of the Colombo delegation of the ICRC. He expressed shock that the hospital was not spared from hitting. It was not immodesty known, who was responsible for the shelling, though both the parties alleged each other.
"The staff is under acute stress, surrounded as they are by the sound of the ongoing fighting and the influx of new patients," said Morven Murchison-Lochrie, an ICRC medical coordinator, who is still present in the hospital. She however clarified that despite the incident, the hospital staff remained inventive and committed for the duties for the injured persons.
The ICRC has been supporting the hospital's staff by setting up a makeshift structure for triage, receiving ambulances, and helping to clean the facility. It has also provided mattresses for patients who find themselves in the corridors because there is no longer any room in the wards.
"Ambulances are constantly arriving, but people are also being brought in by wagon, pick-up truck, tractor and even motor scooter,” Morven Murchison-Lochrie added.
The ICRC has also repeated calling on both parties to respect their obligation to spare medical facilities and activities, as required by international humanitarian law in all circumstances.
|
|
Comments:
