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MSF Sri Lanka: 250,000 Civilians Trapped in Intense Fighting

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Wed, 2009-01-28 19:39 — speel

January 28, 2009
Sri Lanka: 250,000 Civilians Trapped in Intense Fighting
MSF Denied Access to Assist Victims in War Zone

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is very concerned for the safety of an estimated 250,000 people trapped in heavy fighting in the Vanni in northern Sri Lanka. Hundreds of civilians are reported to have been wounded and killed during the last days as the LTTE-controlled area has shrunk in the face of the government of Sri Lanka’s military offensive.

MSF has received reports from the Vanni that the plight of the civilians is dire. Hospitals are coping to the best of their ability, but are running low on drugs and medical staff. Ambulances are having difficulty moving across front lines to evacuate wounded. MSF is standing by with medical staff and supplies, but has not been permitted to enter the area since the government told all NGOs and UN to leave the area in September 2008. This despite several requests from Sri Lanka Ministry of Health staff still in the Vanni.

Though roughly 2000 people have managed to cross to the relative safety of Vavuniya in the past weeks, most of the population is unable to leave. It is vital that both parties to the conflict respect the right of the civilians to seek safety, and to facilitate their movement in whatever way possible.

In the Vavuniya area, MSF is prepared with mobile clinics in case of large-scale displacement and a surgeon will soon arrive to provide additional support to the Vavuniya hospital.

MSF already provides mental health support by strengthening existing structures in the Vavuniya area and provides laboratory support to the hospital, as well as ambulatory feeding programmes in the area. MSF also works in Point Pedro hospital in the Jaffna Peninsula, at the northern tip of Sri Lanka, providing medical and surgical activities, obstetrical, and gynecological treatment and training to the hospital staff.

© 2009 Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

Comments

Thu, 2009-01-29 09:35 — admin

Unfortunately, I have been in this area of Sri Lanka and have seen what the Sri Lankan military have done to the Tamil people in trying to stamp out the Tamil Tigers. This is plain and simple genocide. During the Bush Administration, the Tamil people were considered to be terrorists, because no one with authority would dared or cared to go into this area to find out what is truly happening. Those that did go in could not find anyone who would pay attention.

This is unfortunately one of the worst genocides on the planet right now. It would require immediate action by the Secretary of State and the U.S. President to stop the genocide and unfortunately they have neither the bandwidth or the tools to address this problem as the massacres continue to escalate.

This is a situation that could be turned around, if we had a sufficient U.S. Resilience System and National Sustainable Security Infrastructure in place. That will not help the innocents that are losing their lives right now.

howdy folks