Sri Lankan State Terrorism On Tamil Eelam: Shelling on ‘Safe Zone’ Kills 179 Civilians including 76 Children; ICRC Ship also attacked on Saturday

179 civilians including 76 children were killed and dozens more were injured including many children when indiscriminate rain of shells including cluster types of shells , by  the Sri Lankan Security Forces (SF) hit government announced new ‘Safe Zone’ in Puthumathalan, Mulivaaikal and Valaingaramadam in Mulaitivu area on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  At least 16 pregnant mothers were among the slain. More than 109 children below the age of 15 have sustained injuries.

Around 45% of the thousands of shells fired by the SF troopers have hit the safety zone. Meanwhile, a foreign staff of the ICRC, who came in the ship on Saturday to transport the wounded civilian had a narrow escape when the ship was hit by long distance gunfire by the SF damaging a window of the ship. On Friday, a local ICRC worker, P. Satheeskumar, was reportedly injured in SF shelling.

Medical authorities reported that dozens of wounded civilians were admitted to the makeshift hospital in Maaththallan.

Multi Barrel Rocket Fire (MBRL) used by the SF troopers widely to fire inside the safety zone. Civilians in Maaththallan and Pokkannai had to stay inside the bunkers continuously for 13 hours from 10:00 p.m. Thursday till 11:00 a.m. Friday as SF tropers stepped up artillery, mortar and gunfire. Bullets were whizzing over the main road which links the various villages of the safety zone.

TRO and Tamileelam police officials were struggling to save the lives of the wounded.

Children dying in large numbers injuring in large numbers are sure to leave long time scars in their minds of the Tamil community at large and Sri Lanka has to live with the consequences for very many years and decades to come. It is so unfortunate, there is no statement ship emerges from Sri Lanka to guide the country to the lasting peace with the solution satisfying the minority Tamil community, said a local aid worker in Vanni.

SF troopers’ indiscriminate aerial and shell attacks killed hundreds and many hundreds injured within past few months while displaced over 300,000 including 40,000 children who are living in subhuman conditions. UNHRC statement last week said, at least 2800 civilians were killed and over 7000 injured within past two months of shelling in the war zone in Vanni. Also, UNICEF said, hundreds of children were killed thousands more were injured within past two months.