Action Alert ArchiveAnniversary of Sencholai massacre passes as indiscriminate bombings continueAugust 14, 2007 This week marks the anniversary of the bombing of the Sencholai Children's Home by the Sri Lankan Air Force in Vallipunam, NorthEast Sri Lanka. Four Kfir jets from the SLAF dropped sixteen bombs on the Sencholai grounds, leaving sixty-one schoolgirls dead and another one hundred and twenty-nine injured. Young women from the surrounding area were attending a two-week seminar in leadership and first aid when the SLAF repeatedly bombed the dorms, offices and auditorium. The Tamil National Alliance parliamentary party decried the attacks as "not merely atrocious and inhuman - it clearly has a genocidal intent", and concluded that "The heavy aerial bombardment on the premises clearly indicates that the attack was premeditated, deliberate and vicious." The home, which had been used to house girls who had lost one or more parents, was part of a campus of four orphanages which also includes a home for the severely disabled, a home for boys, and a children's home. Despite the fact that the area was a humanitarian zone and whose location had been registered with the ICRC and communicated to the Government of Sri Lanka, the Government claimed afterwards that the target they had bombed was a military installation. Their claims were directly refuted by Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) then-head Ulf Henriccson who said, after visiting the site, that they could not find "any evidence of military installations or weapons" and that "It was not a military installation, we can see [that]." Further aerial attacks, such as the November 2nd bombing of the Kilinochchi General Hospital, despite the hospital being clearly distinguishable by the universal symbol of the red cross painted on its roof. The government's attempts to justify these attacks on demarcated humanitarian zones evidences the international accusations of disregard for international law and human rights. Over the course of the past year, the continued bombings indicate that the SL government has maintained a policy of regular bombardment. Even in the last month, there have been numerous indiscriminate attacks on civilians resulting in injury and death. On July 11th, two civilians were killed and eleven wounded when the Sri Lankan Air Force Kfir fighter jet bombed a group of fishermen on the shore of Alampil. On July 26th, Sri Lankan Air Force jets released eight bombs near a school in Mullathivu, and then returned a few hours later and dropped eight more. The SLMM later visited the site to observe the damage suffered by the town, the nearby Roman Catholic Church and school. One school girl sustained injuries to her head but luckily no civilians were killed. The Government of Sri Lanka must desist from deliberately bombing civilian targets. Each attack that is not criticized by the international community merely gains tacit support for the Sri Lankan government's continual bombardment campaigns. It is reprehensible for a government to kill civilian targets, especially its own citizens. Thus, we are calling upon you to urge the State Department to hold the Sri Lankan government accountable for all its attacks on civilian targets, including children's homes, hospitals, schools and markets. The United States government should withdraw military and humanitarian aid to the Government of Sri Lanka until it respects international norms of human rights. |
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Jun 20, 2008 - Aftenposten
Peace brokers from around the world will once again gather for the annual Oslo Forum next week, to swap experience in conflict mediation. Participants include Mohammad Khatami, former president of Iran; Jonathan Powell, former chief of staff for ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Gareth Evans, president of the International Crisis Group. Read this article
As Sri Lanka's civil war escalates, so do attacks on its journalists
Jun 19, 2008 - AP
With civil war raging in Sri Lanka, the journalists trying to cover the conflict find themselves increasingly under siege. They have been hounded by the government, attacked by unknown assailants and accused of aiding the rebels. Many reporters have been arrested or fled the country, while others have resorted to self-censorship, journalists said.Read this article
Review of Sri Lanka under the Universal Periodic Review
Jun 14, 2008 - Amnesty International
Themes raised by member states participating in the review of Sri Lanka under the UPR dialogue included concerns related to the lack of protection of civilians caught in the internal conflict; enforced disappearances, unlawful/extrajudicial killings; torture and other forms of ill treatment, threats to freedom of expression, the need to strengthen national human rights institutions, attacks on dissent and ongoing impunity for human rights violations.
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Press freedom in Sri Lanka continues to deteriorate
Jun 13, 2008 - CPJ
The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by government’s policies toward journalists who write critically about the conflict between Sri Lanka’s military forces and Tamil secessionists. We have seen an increase in harassment, intimidation, and detention of reporters, many of whom are columnists in senior positions with well-established careers.
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S.Lanka says peace brokers can't visit rebel area
Jun 12, 2008 - Reuters
Sri Lanka has refused requests by Norwegian peace mediators to visit rebel territory, and said fresh peace talks hinged on Tamil Tiger guarantees to lay down arms and stick to a negotiation timetable. Nordic ceasefire monitors quit the country this year after the six-year Norway brokered truce disintegrated.
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