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"To us
all towns are one, all men our kin. |
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"To us
all towns are one, all men our kin. |
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Sri Lanka's Genocidal War - '95 to '01
On 30 May 2000 the Tamil Centre for Human Rights released an urgent appeal to
stop Sri Lanka's ethnic cleansing. It said that 'the ratio of Tamil people
killed in the island of Sri Lanka is very high compared to its total population.
This abhorrent ethnic cleansing by the government of Sri Lanka should be taken
seriously and the earliest possible action should be taken to stop it.'
The statement of the TCHR as follows:
"Despite our Urgent Appeal of 04/05/2000 (Ref. No. AC/07/05 - Imminent danger in
the Island of Sri Lanka), some countries have supplied large quantities of
sophisticated arms and ammunition to the Sri Lanka government. With the latest
arrival of arms the Sri Lankan security forces have started their callous
attacks on areas densely populated with civilians, in the Jaffna Peninsula,
utterly oblivious to the loss of civilian lives.
"UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan has expressed his concern twice (Press
Releases: SG/SM/7385 - 9 May 2000 and SG/SM/7416 - 24 May 2000) regarding the
escalation of fighting in Sri Lanka and has appealed to all parties to avoid
placing civilian lives at risk.
"The ICRC, MSF, UNHCR, UNICEF, Amnesty international and other organisations
have expressed their concern over the safety of the civilians, including
children, caught up in the escalating conflict in the Jaffna peninsula.
"According to aid agencies, a home for the age in Kaithaddy in the eastern part
of Jaffna peninsula was hit by artillery shells on 19 May 2000, killing 15
elderly people and wounding 32 people. The wounded could not receive proper
medical treatment because of the shortage of medical facilities due to the
Economic embargo to this area.
"In the meantime a bomb exploded on 17 May, near Mangalaramaya Vihara in
Batticaloa in the eastern province resulting in 23 Tamil civilians being killed
and forty-five others wounded. According to eyewitnesses most of the civilians
were killed due to the firing of the security forces which took place soon after
the bomb explosion.
"According to our sources in Jaffna, within the last ten days more than a 100
civilians have been killed and 400 wounded in the Jaffna peninsula, due to Kfir
aerial bombing and artillery shelling. Included in these were the killing of
four civilians when the Sri Lankan army shelled the village of Kallikaadu on
21st May and a young mother and her infant son killed in their home by army
shelling on 26th May.
"The ratio of Tamil people killed in the island of Sri Lanka is very high
compared to its total population. This abhorrent ethnic cleansing by the
government of Sri Lanka should be taken seriously and the earliest possible
action should be taken to stop it.
"We request every individual and organisation to send appeals to the President
of Sri Lanka to demand her to stop the killing of Tamil people and the ethnic
cleansing in the island. Also request the President to find a lasting and
peaceful negotiated solution to the island's bloody ethnic conflict."
The address of the President of Sri Lanka:
Her Excellency President Chandrika B. Kumaratunga,
Presidential Residence,
Colombo 3,
Sri Lanka.
Fax: 94 - 1 - 333 - 703.
