• 9 November 1987 reported in Tamil Times of December 1987

THE following is the text of an appeal dated 9 November sent by the Co-ordinating Committees of the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka to the Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, concerning the privations to which the Tamil people are subjected and the excesses committed by the Indian Peace Keeping Force:

`This hour of extreme peril and imminent extermination of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka has come as the inevitable consequence to the military operation of the Indian Peace Keeping Force against LTTE. We wish to place before you the following facts for your kind consideration and immediate action.

`Your Excellency would have been appraised of the indefinite curfew imposed throughout the Jaffna peninsula from the 10th of last month by the Indian Peace Keeping force. This operation against LTTE has brought to a standstill all economic activities of the Tamil people of Jaffna and the entire population faces complete starvation and slow death.

`All transport have been paralysed cutting off supply lines of food commodities from Colombo and other places and distribution of existing stock of food, There is neither electricity nor lighting fuel. No exchange and flow of money owing to the closure of all banks and all sections of the people are deprived of their monthly income and daily wages.

`The continued artillery shelling intermittant, aerial bombing and helicopter strafing have driven the whole population from thier homes abandoning all their possessions. There is chaos and confusion among the entire population and they are in the depth of fear and apprehension, worst of all the people have no place or facilities to take even the gravely wounded for treatment, as all hospitals remain closed.

`The Jaffna government Hospital which has been catering day and night for all urgent cases from all parts of the Jaffna peninsula remaining dominantly under the IPKF control and there is no access what so ever to this provincial Hospital to the needy patients.

`The Jaffna Hospital came under heavy fire from the IPKF on the Deepawali Day ie. 24th October. It is with great regret and grave concern that we are forced to bring to your kind notice that on the attack made by the Peace Keeping Force 3 Doctors, the Matron of the Hospital, 3 Senior Nurses, 2 Overseers, the Ambulance Driver, the Telephone Operator, the Lift Operator, the Storekeeper and 11 minor employees and about 100 patients and their relations were shot dead.

`Following this attack all the Supervising Medical Officers and all other staff have kept away from work out of fear. The whole hospital administration has collapsed and the hospital remains inaccessible to the public. All the Doctors and staff of the hospital will give evidence if an impartial inquiry is held. The names of the hospital staff killed are as follows:

MEDICAL OFFICERS

Dr. A. Sivapathasundaram (Paediatrician)
Mr. M.J. Ganesharatnam.
Dr. Parimalalagar.

MATRON Mrs. Vadivelu.

NURSES

Mrs. Leelawathy.
Miss. R. Ramanathan.
Miss. Sivapackiam.

ABULANCE DRIVER. Mr. V. Shanmugalingam

TELEPHONE OPERATOR Mr. Kanagalingam.

OVERSEERS

Mr. K. Krishnarajah.
Mr. K. Selvarajah.

MINOR EMPLOYEES

Mr. R. Sugumar.
Mr. Sivaloganathan.
Mr. Marutharajah.
Mr. John Peter.
Mr. Markandu.
Mr. Thurairajah.
Mr. Sivarajah.
Mr. Jeganathan.
Mr. K. Vetharaniam.
Mr. Ratnarajah.
Mr. Ratnasingham.

`The above are some of the grave hardships mercilessly imposed on an innocent peace loving people who have been looking forward to your Excellency's help for deliverance from the atrocities and gruesome killings by Sri Lankan armed forces. The entire population of Jaffna has reached that last minute of their power of endurance and we have lost all recourse if your Excellency does not come to our rescue immediately.

`We therefore appeal to your Excellecny to your sense of even justice, to your concern for the preservation of Human Rights and your unfailing faith in the peaceful solution of all problems, to order an immediate ceasefire and employ more peaceful and suitable political measures to enforce the acceptance of the Peace Accord by the LTTE and the surrendering their arms.'