Strips of sarong used for dressing; Pieces of wood as spilinters – ICRC Surgeon in Sri Lanka
Since 10th February the ICRC has evacuated thousands of people from conflict-weary northern Sri Lanka to Trincomalee district for medical treatment. Martin Hermann, an ICRC surgeon, speaks about the evacuated patients and his work.
Why is the ICRC evacuating civilians out of the Vanni?
Prabhakaran is alive, leading the war in Sri Lanka: B. Nadesan tells CNN-IBN
B. Nadesan, Political Head of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in an interview with Indian CNN-IBN.com said the LTTE’s supreme leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is alive and leading the war in Sri Lanka. “There are rumours and speculations. But I can confirm that our leader is here with our people as always”, he said in this exclusive e-mail interview.
We are against forced evacuation in Lanka: Red Cross
The internecine conflict in Sri Lanka is one of the most difficult challenges being faced by South Asia. The rebel LTTE and the government have been fighting fierce battle for over two decades. The prolonged fight between the warring parties aided by LTTE’s suicide squad has resulted in large-scale damage to public infrastructure and the burgeoning of refugees not only inside Sri Lanka but also in India, particularly Tamil Nadu.
The Debate: The Tear Drop Civil War
TVO Canada presents a debate featuring two Sri Lankans who were very critical of the LTTE, two Canadian Tamils who would speak more from the point of view that Tamils have been mistreated by the Sri Lankan government, and someone from the respected NGO Human Rights Watch who had recently been to the island and who felt both sides had been guilty of war crimes, in other words a knowledgeable third party observer.
Mahinda Samarasinghe interviewed by Stephen Sackur for BBC “Hard Talk”
SS: Given your government’s intention to destroy the Tamil Tigers, is it safe to assume that the offensive continues unabated?
MS: Well, I must tell you very categorically that this humanitarian operation that we have launched is to liberate the civilians from the clutches of extreme terrorism. The fight is to eradicate terrorism and to liberate the civilians and give them a future within a democratic framework.
Tamil Eelam Government warns India over displaced Tamils
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is not pleased with India’s demands for a safe passage of civilians from the trouble-torn region of Sri Lanka. LTTE is clear that the civilians caught in the turmoil must not be uprooted from their land. In an exclusive e-mail interview to TIMES NOW, first to the Indian media since the war intensified with the Sri Lankan Army, the political head of LTTE B Nadesan has warned New Delhi to back-off. Nadesan has called the eviction of people from their homeland ‘a monumental blunder’. The LTTE calls this a calculated ploy by the Sri Lankan Government to uproot Tamils from their traditional habitat.
Kohona says it’s best for MIA to stay with music
Ravi Nessman has been covering events there for the Associated Press. He is the Colombo bureau chief for the AP
Tavis: Let me start by asking, for those here who do not understand what this civil war is all about, what’s going on with regard to the back story of this civil war, take a minute or two just to explain to me what this civil war’s all about.
Nessman: Sure. There’s been ethnic tension in this country for a very long time – since independence, in fact, between the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil minority, who make up less than 20 percent of the population. After independence, there were quite a few laws passed by the Sinhalese majority that the Tamil minority felt marginalized – their culture, their language, their religion.
Tamils are deeply frustrated with international community’s double standards and their interest-oriented policy – Professor Dr S.J. Emmanuel
“For me, as a clergyman, who knows much about the world and the wars, the situation for the Tamils is shocking. It is a 60-year-old ethnic conflict. From the beginning the government has tried to react to the non-violent Tamil protest by state terrorism. As a response the Tamil Tigers movement developed in order to defend the homeland. As a consequence, we have experienced a 30 years’ war with more than 60,000 victims and 1 million refugees all over the world.
Eyewitness account on Vavuniyaa internment camps
“Now, what is happening here is genocide in many forms. Needless to say scattering people all over to unknown and unfamiliar places will ultimately lead to a weak population and result in damages done to our culture, education, and relationships. I can foresee a maimed Tamil generation with no hope in the future. The international community can make statements. But none will pay heed. For me the future looks dark and gloomy,” reveals a letter written by a professional eyewitness, who visited the barbed-wired internment camps and hospital in Vavuniyaa couple of days ago.
