MP urges UN to persuade Colombo on safe-haven

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 January 2007, 06:57 GMT]
Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian, S. Jeyanandamoorthy, has urged Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, to prevail upon the Sri Lankan Government to declare a safe-haven in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) besieged Vaharai region, for the protection of the civilians from artillery, multi-barrel rocket attacks, and aerial bombardment from the Sri Lankan forces. Government of Sri Lanka has earlier rejected the call to declare a humanitarian zone encompassing the Vaharai hospital and the surrounding areas for the protection of the civilians in Vaharai.

Mr. Jeyanandamoorthy talked to TamilNet after sending an urgent letter to the UN Secretary General, Thursday, seeking maximum UN intervention in persuading Colombo to declare a safe-haven in Vaharai, that the international community cannot abandon the Tamils as a People. Also, the people as IDPs were in need of International humanitarian assistance.

"The international community that has increasingly played a role in the peace process, has a moral responsibility over the Tamils, as a people, suffering in the hands of a failed post-colonial state that has breached all agreements and International arrangements for a peaceful resolution," the MP said.

The international community has repeatedly stated that there is no military solution to the conflict.

"Now, Colombo engages in a full-scale war, targeting the innocent civilians."

"Sri Lanka, seeking an all out war on a People, causing humanitarian tragedy, and using the tragedy as a tool of war, must be obvious to all, by now."

Congratulating Mr. Ban Ki-moon on his appointment as the eighth UN Secretary General, the Batticaloa MP said the Tamils in NorthEast welcomed the appointment of a leader from their part of globe, Asia.

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