Over 6,500 civilians enter Govt controlled areas on Monday

Amnesty condemns Tamil Tigers suicide attack on Tamil Civilians

(February 10, Clombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) More civilians in LTTE controlled areas arrived into the cleared areas with 6,599 of them coming out on Monday, the Media Centre for National Security said.Since January 28,226 of them have come to government controlled areas.

Meanwhile two more civilians injured in the suicide attack in Visuamadu on Monday have succumbed to their injuries.

Even the Amnesty International (AI) has condemned Monday’s suicide attack in Visuamadu which claimed the lives of 28 persons on Monday.

The AI said in a statement “such tactics violate the international legal prohibition on perfidious attacks and expose civilians to increased danger.

“Blurring the distinction between civilians and combatants means that thousands of ordinary people, desperate to flee the conflict area, are at greater risk of reprisals and getting caught in crossfire,” said Yolanda Foster, Amnesty International’s Sri Lanka expert.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have a long history of using suicide bombers and have, in the past, targeted civilians. They have not assumed responsibility for the attack today.

“The Tamil Tigers must immediately and publicly disavow the use of tactics such as suicide bombers disguised as civilians,” said Yolanda Foster.

“It is important to remember that the use of such attacks by one party to an armed conflict does not excuse unlawful attacks in response. This perfidious assault should not be used as an excuse by the Sri Lankan military to abuse displaced civilians who should still be treated in accordance with international law,” Yolanda Foster said. “The Sri Lankan security forces must still make sure that their actions are directed against military targets and not civilians.”.

The government has restricted media access to conflict areas making it impossible to verify accounts of what is happening on the ground.

“In a war with no witnesses, it is the civilians who pay the price for both parties disregard for international humanitarian law”.

-Sri Lanka Guardian
Dilshan said...

It's amazing how Amnesty international, ICRC and all the other pro LTTE media, publish every thing emanating from north which is remotely favourble to LTTE as gospel truth and cannot confirm or deny anything which stinks of the murderous nature of the LTTE. Like the saying goes, it is easy to awaken somebody who is really sleeping but it is impossible to awaken somebody who is in a faulse slumber