White Pigeon British office condemns Mullaitivu air attack

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 April 2007, 20:25 GMT]
The United Kingdom branch of White Pigeon condemned the mid-day bombing by the Sri Lanka Air Force MiGs of the Puthukkudiyiruppu office where two civilians were killed and four injured, in a press release issued from UK Wednesday. The NGO highlighted that today is 2nd Annual UN declared "International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action."

Full text of the press release follows:

Bombing of White Pigeon Building in Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu District

White Pigeon, UK condemns the mid-day bombing by the Sri Lanka Air Force MIGs of the White Pigeon office in Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaitivu District.

Two civilians were killed and 4 injured by this attack on a non-governmental organization (NGO).

Today is the 2nd Annual "International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action" as declared by the United Nations (UN).

White Pigeon is an NGO that provides prosthetic limbs, rehabilitation, counseling, and vocational training for those who have been disabled by landmines or war in Sri Lanka. White Pigeon also conducts "Mine Awareness Programs" in the war ravaged NorthEast to educate civilians, especially children, of the dangers of mines and other unexploded ordinance (UXO).

The White Pigeon office in Puthukkudiyiruppu is well known to the Government Agent, UN, ICRC, and international humanitarian organizations. This site houses the lab that constructs the prosthetic limbs and co-ordinates the Mine Awareness Programs in the area.

White Pigeon, Sri Lanka works with and receives funding from numerous partners:

• UNICEF
• UNDP
• Mine Action Group (MAG)
• Danish De-mining Group (DDG)
• Swiss Foundation for Mine Action
• Norwegian Peoples Aid (NPA)

This bombing is the latest of a long list of attacks by the GoSL on NGOs. These include:

• Execution of 17 Action Contra La Faim (ACF) humanitarian aid workers by GoSL security forces.
• Abduction and execution of 7 TRO humanitarian aid workers by Karuna paramilitaries affiliated to the GoSL
• Shelling of two TRO internally displaced camps (IDP) in Vaharai
• Bombing and shelling of TRO Tsunami reconstruction projects

The GoSL continues to violate International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law with impunity.

White Pigeon request that the international community raise their voice in condemnation of this atrocity and pressure the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to respect the neutrality of NGOs.