Posts Tagged ‘civilians’
Civilian ‘slaughter’ in Sri Lanka
[BBC] The campaign group, Human Rights Watch, has accused the Sri Lankan army of “slaughter” and rebels of “brutality” towards civilians in the north-east. It called on the government to end its “indiscriminate artillery attacks” on civilians and its policy of “detaining displaced persons in internment camps”. Human Rights Watch also condemned the Tamil Tigers…
Read MoreSri Lanka: End ‘War’ on Civilians
[Human Rights Watch] The Sri Lankan government should immediately cease its indiscriminate artillery attacks on civilians in the northern Vanni region and its policy of detaining displaced persons in internment camps, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Since early January 2009, civilian casualties have skyrocketed in the fighting between the Sri Lankan…
Read MoreHunger strike ends, but horrific events continue
[Winchester Star] In the past week alone, there have been reports of the Sri Lankan government using white phosphorous-based combustible chemical bombs, on innocent Tamil civilians who are in their “safe zones”. These chemicals can burn away human flesh to the bone, and violates the requirement under international humanitarian law to take all feasible precautions…
Read MoreUN chief in S Lanka civilian plea
[BBC] Visiting top UN humanitarian official John Holmes has urged Sri Lanka’s army and the Tamil Tigers to do everything possible to avoid civilian casualties. The government says the Tigers are using human shields, but the rebels say civilians are seeking their protection. This is Mr Holmes’s first visit since 2007 when his comment that…
Read MoreSri Lankans in ‘Safe Zone’ Still Under Fire
[OneWorld.net] In a designated safe zone in northern Sri Lanka, weekend fighting has put civilians back in the war zone. A new “safe zone” has provided some respite for tens of thousands of local residents, reports the United Nations, but that area also experienced some fighting in the past several days. “The Sri Lankan government…
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