3RD LEAD

Stop shelling say Co-chairs, attack continues amidst heavy rain

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 April 2009, 13:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday morning stepped up shelling and firing on the civilian safety zone, causing casualties among civilians and making them continuously stay within bunkers, according to the reports from the makeshift hospital in Puthumaaththa'lan in Mullaiththeevu in the morning. Around 50 wounded civilians were brought to the hospital. The intensification of shelling was taking place as a statement of the Tokyo Co-chairs Friday morning re-affirming its call for the need to stop shelling on civilian zone. Heavy downpour of rain was causing difficulties for the civilians to stay inside the bunkers. The ICRC ship, which went to transport the wounded and sick returned unable to the complete the mission due to bad weather.

Puthumaaththa'lan is the northern side of the safety zone.

SLA loudspeakers calling for the civilians to 'surrender' were heard faintly and unintelligibly amidst shell blasts, civilians said.

Only few explosions were reported Friday evening around 6:00 p.m.

Medical staff were able to see SLA formations 1 km away from the hospital.

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