Sri Lanka's armed forces have been accused of possible "war crimes" over the shelling of the last working hospital inside the northern conflict zone, which killed at least 45 people.What makes them think they'll get away with this? Who do they think they are? Israelis?
The attack, inside an official "no-fire zone", was among the bloodiest incidents since the army began its offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels.
About 50,000 civilians are now trapped inside a tiny strip of coastline, covering an area less than twice the size of London's Hyde Park. President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government has repeatedly promised not to use heavy artillery in this zone.
But repeated and deadly bombardments have taken place – although possibly with mortar bombs rather than artillery. The rudimentary hospital in Mullivaikal, consisting of little more than blue tarpaulins draped beneath a tin roof, was hit by one bomb, with the crowded admissions area taking the worst of the blast.
Photographs taken after the explosion showed bodies strewn in the dirt and medical personnel struggling to help the wounded. Dr Thurairaja Varatharajah, the senior government health official in the war zone, said that about 50 people were wounded in the attack and the death toll could rise.
The government initially denied any knowledge of the incident and then said the army had not been responsible. The "no-fire zone" is still under rebel control and the authorities have accused the Tamil Tigers of holding human shields, inventing attacks or even staging their own atrocities in order to blame the government.
But outside observers believe the army has been responsible for many of the worst incidents. The United Nations has described the shelling of the "no-fire zone" as a "bloodbath" and a foreign doctor estimated that at least 430 people, including 106 children, died last weekend alone.
Under the spreading chestnut tree
I sold you and you sold me:
There lie they, and here lie we
Under the spreading chestnut tree.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Wrong Perps ...
The Sri Lankan gummint, doing what gummints do best -- murder:
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