Over
1,000 Tamil civilians killed in the three years
bombing of Jaffna says British Refugee Council
'"Daily life in Jaffna is conditioned by the distant
drone of aircraft engines and the run to the bunkers
behind almost every house...Over 1,000 civilians have
been killed in the three years bombing of Jaffna and
almost 1,500 have died from gruesome injuries. Another
1,000 children died needlessly in 1992 because Jaffna
hospitals lack basic drugs and medical equipment to
save them…
At 8 am on 26 July, out of the blinding blue of
Jaffna's skies, two Sri Lankan air craft dropped four
bombs behind Thirunelveli Dairy Farm killing Shanmugam,
trader, and his four grandchildren. His house was
completely destroyed and four others badly damaged. At
midday on a second bombing run at Kopay six civilians
including three schoolboys died and eight were injured
close to the Irupalai Aluminium factory building. A
Hindu temple and a young girl sheltering there were
smashed to pieces.
There were no warnings, no air-dropped leaflets
announcing operations. Why should there be? After all,
no one is watching. There will be no international
protest or outcry....
...The Sri Lankan airforce lack the technology and
advanced intelligence to pinpoint legitimate targets.
The LTTE for all their ingenuity lack anti-aircraft
defences. When defence sources say two LTTE arms
factories were destroyed in another air raid on 30 July
in Vaddukkottai, it means Jaffna student Thayaparan
Muhunthan, 20, was blown apart and ten others including
two-year old Sunthararam badly injured.'' -(British
Refugee Council publication Sri Lanka Monitor, July
1993)
