[Human Rights Watch]

“It is time for concerned governments like Japan, India, and the US to ensure that President Mahinda Rajapakse’s government and the Tamil Tigers allow the victims of this conflict to live with justice and dignity. Both sides should agree to a humanitarian corridor and otherwise respect the laws of war.” Our latest research shows that up to two thousand civilians have been killed by the Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Tigers since early January in the most recent round of fighting. We got reports of many civilian deaths, which have occurred in areas that the Sri Lankan government has declared to be “safe zones”, where the Sri Lankan army has repeatedly and indiscriminately shelled. Hospitals have been frequently hit.

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[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 to avoid civilian injury and loss of life. Pictures of the burn victims have been released by Tamil media, and I have managed to talk to one family, whose members live near the region and came to government controlled areas, who has confirmed these claims.

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