The other new witness, who was also operating with Brigadier Shavendra Silva’s 58 Division on the front line during the final assault, claims the Brigadier was ordered by the defence secretary “to finish the job by whatever means necessary.”
‘Licence to kill’
He said this was interpreted by the soldiers as a licence to kill. He described how he had watched as Sri Lankan forces shot dead unarmed Tamil women and children. It is the first time this allegation has been made.
The war was won by Sri Lankan government soldiers two years ago. The rebel leadership was virtually wiped out.
‘They shot people at random. Stabbed people. Raped them. Cut out their tongues, cut women’s breasts off. I saw people soaked in blood.’
While people have been talking of action against Rajapakshe and Sri Lanka for the Genocide of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, Si Lanka has been going about the business of killing the Tamils and halting the reconstruction programme in the Eastern part of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka cleverly played the East and North divide of Sri Lanka and Muslims and People working in Estates to ensure that the Tamils remain undivided.
As its wont, The Tamils succumbed to it and they engaged in internecine war among themselves.
Now the World, including the UN is being jolted by the proposed release of the Documentary ‘No Fire Zone’, documentary unveiling the Genocide of the Tamils, the cold-blooded murder of LTTE Chief’s son 12-year-old Balachandran Prabhakaran, Sri Lanka,on the sly is going about the job of killing the Tamils in the Eastern Part of Sri Lanka,
Excerpt of the fresh Killings of the Tamils and Link.
“Sinhala militarisation, genocide in East goes unnoticed, unaccounted
[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 February 2013, 10:51 GMT]In the name of a Sinhala-titled programme ‘Divineguma,’ Colombo intensively spearheads structural genocide of Eezham Tamils in the East. It has now gone to the extent of mushrooming Sinhala military camps and settlements running grocery shops and restaurants to the public. The only major construction activity in the East is the construction of Sinhala military camps. By talking only of the North and leaving out the East, the visiting foreign dignitaries buttressing State in the island systematically obscure what is happening in the East and imply that the annihilation of the nation of Eezham Tamils in the East is ‘normal and acceptable’. The line of subversion started when Mr. Robert Blake was the US ambassador in Colombo after the SL military capture of the East from the LTTE, and the line was later taken up by the Indians, political activists in the East said
.Failure to internationally highlight and fight against what is happening in the East would first reflect in Vanni as what is happening there now and would eventually result in the annihilation of the Tamil nation in Jaffna itself, the activists in the East cited.
The Tamil–Muslim discourse in the East has adversely affected the entire liberation question of the Tamil-speaking people in the island in the past and both the communities especially in the East have to keep that in mind in their deliberations, the activists said, adding that only a secular an independent State for the Tamil speakers in the island would ensure the life of self respect to all of them in the island.
Meanwhile, even retail trade in the Ampaa’rai district has been taken over by the occupying Sinhala military, political sources said.
Two major SL military camps have been created at Naavithan-ve’li and Anna-malai in Ampaa’rai district, where the SL military is now running grocery shops and restaurants to the public.
At Annamalai, a building belonging to the irrigation department located amidst schools, hospital and other SL government departments, has been taken over by the SL military for its camp within the last one and a half months. The building was earlier occupied by the STF.
Similarly, an extensive Sinhala military camp and training ground are in the making at a land that was earlier allocated for the construction of a broadcasting station for the Ampaa’rai district.
Many other SL military camps are now being constructed at places such as the locality of the old hospital at Periya-neelaava’nai, Beach Road at Kalmunai, Thiruk-koayil, Aalaiyadi-vempu and at the tourist locality at Ullai.
The camps terrorise especially the Tamil villages. While many Tamil villages erased out by the SL military during the war are yet to be resettled, Colombo is interested only in constructing military camps.
Tamil politicians cited the examples of the villages at Kagnchi-kudichchaan-aa’ru and at Thangka-vealaayutha-puram.
The politicians accused that Tamil areas are deliberately neglected in any development activity and Tamil politicians are never consulted on anything.
They accused the Muslim polity in Ampaa’rai for blocking development of Tamil villages and for following a policy of land grab, marginalisation of Tamil polity and complete annihilation of the presence of Tamils in the district, in collaboration with the occupying Sinhala military.’
I have documented ,including Videos, on the Genocide committed by Sri Lankan Forces.
They are filed under Sri Lanka,Tamils.
Stop killing the Tamil people (Photo credit: BockoPix)
This is not apologia for LTTE.
Their crimes are also documented.
The Report by The Tribunal On Si Lanka and
“The tribunal listened to several presentations by NGOs, experts on the recent and current “civil war”
situation in Sri Lanka, in front of a public audience. The Tribunal listened to a larger number of
witnesses, victims, human rights defenders, journalists and Tamils from the diaspora in ‘in camera.
sessions’ in order to protect their identity.
In its work the Tribunal was reminded several times that this civil war was a “war without witnesses”
because the GoSL had prevented either national or international media coverage. In fact, some of the
early victims were the many journalists that were murdered by unknown assassins, something which
appeared to serve the agenda of the Government by silencing critical opinion. The impression held by
most experts and witnesses is that this was a civil war, and an exercise in ethnic cleansing, perhaps even
genocide, and that the Government did not wish to share this with the media. Instead, significant
misinformation as to the policies, the fighting, and the numbers and overall well-being of civilians in LTTE-controlled areas was provided by Colombo.
This misinformation frequently underestimated the number of Tamil civilians within LTTE-controlled
areas who were trapped by the military, and exposed to attack by aircraft and artillery. It was only when
the final exodus from the much diminished LTTE-held territory began, and the internally displaced
persons (IDPs) were counted that it was seen that the government had misinformed both the national
and the international public.
The atrocities carried out by the military relate particularly to civilians, and there is evidence of cluster
munitions being dropped by warplanes. Some witnesses reported that white phosphorous was used in
violation of international law. Several witnesses had seen burn marks on wounded civilians. Others
believed that indications of napalm were apparent, and evidence of other incendiary devices has been
confirmed by doctors who had cared for hundreds of Tamil civilians wounded in this manner. The
sight of hundreds of dead bodies was reported by a number of witnesses. This indicates that in addition
to the many wounded and the heavy loss of civilian life, the destruction of civilian infrastructure
essential for human wellbeing was common (with women and children among those targeted) in the
diminishing areas controlled by the LTTE.
The frequent use of heavy artillery by the military against LTTE forces in civilian areas, including on
public buildings such as hospitals and schools as indicated above, constitutes a violation of the Geneva
Conventions. The populace suffered from the lack of potable water, lack of access to essential medical
care and continuing lack of access to educational facilities. Virtually all their basic human rights were
violated. Further, loss of civilian life under these conditions was very high. By April 2009, according to
internal documents of the United Nations, use of heavy weapons, combined with air-raids caused the
death of some 116 persons each day. Further, British and French media indicated that during the final
weeks of fighting some 20.000 Tamils were killed.
The attempt to annihilate the Tamil population with or without the use of illegal weapons certainly
constitutes one form of war crime. The question remains if the government intended genocide in
respect of the Tamil people in brutally suppressing armed and political resistance. From expert and
eye-witness testimony, it would seem certain that the military attacked targets of a purely civilian
nature, such as hospitals, fleeing IDPs and many villages. Further, evidence that the military executed
both Tamil civilians and LTTE prisoners of war, who in some cases had voluntarily surrendered,
further supports charges of ethnic cleansing and violations of international law.
Before drawing any conclusions, other atrocities and abuses of Tamil civilians need to be considered.
Witness testimony on IDP “camps”, or perhaps “concentration camps” as suggested by testimony,
demands attention. Portrayed by the government as temporary residential facilities pending the return
home or resettlement of those detained within them, the camps were designated as “welfare villages”
by the government. Fifteen such IDP camps were so designated. These camps continue to be in gross
violation of the Geneva Conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Many tragedies
within the camps were reported to the Tribunal members. Living space was very modest, cover was of
galvanised tin which in hot conditions became a health hazard, often resulting in poor skin conditions.
Many children in particular, but also women and the aged, died from diseases such as cholera and
malnutrition. Water supply was a significant problem, with five litres per day for all the needs of a
family being totally inadequate and threatening to health. Sufficient water for simple hygiene, toilet use
and the washing of clothes (most IDPs had only the clothes on their backs) was simply unavailable.
Garbage remained in place, and toilets pits constructed without cement often collapsed leading to
flooding, and, in some cases, the drowning of children. Many children had lost both parents and
become orphans, or only had the protection of a single parent, and were thus vulnerable to the many
dangers lurking in the camps.
Another unacceptable government policy was the withholding of food, and the use of this tactic as a
tool to coerce and torture Tamil civilians. The blockade of food supplies and deliberate underestimation
of the numbers of civilians within the LTTE-controlled areas also led to dangerous food shortages.
The additional withholding of medical supplies to Tamil civilians is equally unacceptable and a violation
of humanitarian law.
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