|
|
|
 |
 |
|||
|
What the LTTE did during the
last three decades was only create humanitarian crises and put the blame
on the Government- Bernard Goonetilake, Sri Lankan Envoy in US Mr. Bernard Goonetileke, Sri Lankan envoy in the US in response to a letter addressed to the Embassy and distributed among the public by the Amnesty International, said that what the LTTE did during the last three decades was only create humanitarian crises for their own benefit and put the blame on the government. He points out that the LTTE created humanitarian crises and always exploited them to achieve international sympathy and support for their separatist agenda. He said the civilians particularly in the North East had to pay a heavy price on account of the fight of the LTTE to win a separate state. According to statistics after the CFA was signed the Government was able to resettle a substantial number of the internally displaced persons and “the Amnesty International estimates by mid 2005 more than 385, 000 IDPs had returned home,” said Mr. Goonetilleke. According to “latest UN figures 314,000 have been displaced by the conflict and around 325, 000 are estimated to remain displaced by the tsunami of December of 2004.” The Ambassador has pointed out that barely one week after the inauguration of President Mahinda Rajapaksa the LTTE commenced their war of separation in 2006 and displaced over thousands in the Eastern Province alone. The LTTE attempted to provoke the security forces to retaliate by using the civilians as human shield to let them get hurt to get a propaganda capital out of the situation, he said. They also tried to make civilians flee their homes and use that propaganda. The LTTE also attempted to force the civilians to flee to South India where 60 million Tamils live and thereby create political agitation, Mr. Goonatileke has pointed out in his letter. Accordingly to UNHR statistics “there are 130,000 estimated refugees in South India out of which 70,000 live in camps. The upsurge of refugees there has caused hostilities towards the Sri Lanka Government.” Charging the LTTE of callousness the Ambassador has said “in an act of ethnic cleansing the LTTE chased out 60,000 Muslims out of Mutur in August 2006 creating 60,000 refugees”. In November 2006 the LTTE used “45,000 civilians as human shields in Kadiravel and Vakarai and used children and adults housed as refugees in two schools as human shields,” he said. He also said that the LTTE attacked a convoy of 117 trucks arranged with the cooperation of ICRC, UNHCR and the World Food Program on November 28, 2006 but despite the attack the convoy entered the area on the following day. To escape LTTE artillery attacks 3000 refuges fled to Kanthalai from Kallar, Serunuwara and Maindapura areas and the government moved swiftly to provide for them. He said the UN having observed the true situation called on the LTTE to allow the Tamil civilians to leave the area. Despite threats 22, 350 Tamil civilians have entered the government controlled area between July 1 and December 20, 2006. In 1990 in an act of ethnic cleansing the LTTE expelled 75, 000 strong Muslim population of Northern Province . Citing the case of an IDP called Jayarani whose husband was killed by the LTTE Mr Goonatilleke said that besides IDPs other civilians including leaders like TULF President Amirthalingam, Tamil constitutional expert and parliamentarian Neelan Thiruchelvam and SL Foreign Minister Kadirgamar are routinely killed by the LTTE. He further said the Sri Lanka is committed to ensure the safety of IDPs and IDP camps have been made accessible to ICRC and other humanitarian agencies and IDPs have been allowed to make representations to those institutions and ask for redress.
|
|
Contact Information: Send mail to 