TamilNet reports the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), in a statement issued from Colombo on Sunday, expressed shock at the shelling of Puthukkudiyiruppu Hospital a second time in a week.
It said ‘wounded and sick people, medical personnel and medical facilities are all protected by international humanitarian law. Under no circumstance may they be directly attacked,’ pointing an accusing finger at the Government of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) without mentioning either by name.
‘We’re shocked that the hospital was hit, and this for the second time in recent weeks,’ said Paul Castella, head of the Colombo delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
‘Wounded and sick people, medical personnel and medical facilities are all protected by international humanitarian law. Under no circumstance may they be directly attacked.’
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 Sunday’s attack, people injured by the fighting continued to arrive at the facility.
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.
‘The staff are 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 present in the hospital.
‘Ambulances are constantly arriving, but people are also being brought in by wagon, pick-up truck, tractor and even motor scooter.’
Despite this, she said, the staff remained inventive and committed to caring for the injured and sick who had made the dangerous trip to the hospital.
Appealing to those involved in the fighting, Mr Castella said: ‘The ICRC calls on both parties to respect their obligation to spare medical facilities and activities, as required by international humanitarian law in all circumstances.’
ICRC staff are present in the hospital and, together with the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, continue to support the Ministry of Health staff caring for the injured and sick there.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked Moongkilaa’ru on Sunday night around 10.00pm; casualty details are not known.
Amid reports of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) using cluster munitions fitted to artillery shells in its indiscriminate barrage on civilian refuges, around thirteen dead bodies of civilians were recovered on Sunday morning in a completely burned state, beyond identification, at Moongkilaa’ru in Udaiyaarkaddu within the ‘safety zone’ announced by the government of Sri Lanka.
More than 30 children and elders were killed on Saturday alone, reports said.
Civilian casualties were mounting also on Sunday.
Civilians in the vicinity of Moongkilaa’ru said rockets exploded causing immediate fire at the locality where newly arrived IDP (Internally Displaced Person) families were setting up makeshift tents around 9.00 pm on Saturday.
The IDPs referred to the explosions as caused by Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) warheads.
There was no reports of inspection by experienced medical authorities to judge whether there was any chemical weapon deployed by the SLA in the attack.
At least seven civilians were killed Sunday noon near Chuthanthirapuram school. Thirteen civilians were rushed to hospital.
Shells exploded near Udaiyaarkaddu hospital, causing panic among the medical staff and the patients at the hospital around 11.00pm Sunday.
Medical authorities were not able to provide an overview of deaths as civilians were not taking their dead to the makeshift hospitals, which were struggling to cope with the situation.
A high profile team of Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (HRC) Colombo arrived on Friday in Jaffna where they met Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officers and the magistrates in Jaffna and discussed matters related to the interests of persons placed in the protective custody of Jaffna Prison and the civilians brought to Jaffna peninsula by the SLA and placed in detention camps, sources in Jaffna said.
The team flew back to Colombo on Sunday.
The SLHRC team from Colombo consisted of SLHRC Secretary, Ms. Chandra Ellawella, Director of Monitoring, Ms. Thusitha Samarasekara and the Chairman of Disaster, Relief Management Unit, Y K de Silva.
On its arrival on Friday, the team first paid a visit to the SLA base in Thellippa’lai where they discussed matters related to the 47 youths in the SLA Special Rehabilitation Centre as well as about the needs of the women and children in the Refugee Camp in Thellippa’lai, with the SLA officers.
The lack of nutrient food for the children in the above Refugee Camp was also discussed with the officers.
Jaffna HRC legal advisor, V Sanjenthira and other officials accompanied the high profile team from Colombo to Thellippa’lai SLA base.
The SLHRC team visited Jaffna Prison on Saturday where they met the persons placed in protective custody due to death threats from SLA soldiers and SLA-backed paramilitary men in Jaffna peninsula.
The lack of vehicles to transport the inmates to courts, the lack of employees in Jaffna prison were some of the matters discussed with the prison authorities by the visiting HRC team.
A considerable number of persons placed in the protective custody of Jaffna Prison requested the visiting officials to help obtain permission for them to leave Jaffna peninsula.
The officials responding to the request told them that this matter was beyond their power, Jaffna Prison sources said.
The visiting HRC officials also met Jaffna High court Magistrate R T Vicknarajah and Jaffna Magistrate, Vasanthasenan to hold discussions.
When the subject of the civilians brought by SLA from its occupied areas of Vanni and Vadamaraadchi East and kept in the detention centres in Jaffna was taken up with Jaffna Superintendent of Police by the Colombo team, he said that he has nothing to do with this matter which is handled exclusively by the SLA and Jaffna Government Agent, sources in Jaffna said.
l Unidentified gunmen shot and killed a Tamil Makal Viduthali Pulikal (TMVP) person on Monday around 8.30am at Chengkaladi in Ea’raavoor police division as he was on his way to Aiyangkea’ni on his motor cycle from the TMVP Chengkaladi office, Ea’raavoor police said.
The TMVP person killed was identified as Mohan, attached to Chengkaladi TMVP office.
Mohan’s body is kept in Chengkaladi hospital mortuary.
Chengkaladi is located 16 km north of Batticaloa town.
