2ND LEAD

SLA continues to inflict carnage

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 May 2009, 01:30 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has stepped up relentless barrage of shelling using all sorts of heavy weapons on the so-called safety-zone (no-fire zone) in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal and Vadduvaakal areas where more than 130,000 civilians have sought refuge without adequate bunkers and shelters. Civilian casualties are mounting amidst lack of medicine and food due to limited or denied supplies into the area of 7 square kilometres. Lawrence Christy, the head of Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) Field Office on Monday put the death toll of civilians on Monday at more than 3,200 killed since Sunday evening up to Monday morning. He has called on the IC to immediately invoke the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) to the stop the genocide.

Many civilians have lost their lives, initial reports said in the early hours of Monday.

The SLA offensive formations were firing using cannons, 50 calibre machine guns, artilleries, mortar and Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) guns.

Medical sources reported that more than 50% of the staff at the makeshift hospital have not reported for duty as their huts and residences were under attack.

Mr. Lawrence Christy called on the International Community to intervene to stop the genocide and to provide food and medicine to the besieged civilians.

The United Nations and the powers like India and the US have failed to act over the last 5 months, during which time more than 10,000 civilians were killed and 20,000 wounded, Mr. Christy said in an urgent appeal issued from Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal.

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