Pallai patient succumbs to injuries

[TamilNet, Saturday, 01 April 2000, 13:53 GMT]
A seriously wounded civilian transferred today from Pallai to the Jaffna hospital died this evening. The woman, Rasalingam Sriranjani Rajeswary, was admitted to the Pallai hospital with severe injuries on March 28 when the fighting between the Sri Lanka army and the Liberation Tigers was raging in several sectors of the Thenmaradchi division.

She was given emergency treatment at the Pallai hospital along with five other civilians who were wounded in the cross fire early last week. Her hip was severely damaged by shrapnel.

Following an urgent appeal by the Pallai hospital authorities yesterday, the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRC) in Jaffna and the Catholic church had made arrangements with the SLA to evacuate the wounded along with a pregnant woman today. One of the injured persons whose condition had improved was left behind at the Pallai hospital.

The SLA transported the six patients by bus through the arduous detour from Pallai through the interior and the Jaffna lagoon coast to Mirusuvil today. They were handed over to the SLRC at Mirusuvil. They were then brought to Jaffna and admitted to the teaching hospital there.

Doctors said that Sriranjini Rajeswary's condition was serious on admission. Hospital sources said that her immediate relatives may have a problem coming to Jaffna to take her body back for funeral due to the current difficulties in transport to Pallai.

The other injured civilians who were brought in today from Pallai are -

Chellaiah Nandakumar, 36, Puloppalai
Ponnaiah Logarajah, 38, Vanaankerni
Appakutti Revathy -28 Pallai
Chellathurai Kamalajini, 20, Pallai