- Title: SRI LANKA: Tamil rebels accuse Sri Lanka government of shelling civilians
- Date: 15th May 2009
- Summary: COLOMBO, SRI LANKA (MAY 12, 2009) (REUTERS-ACCESS ALL) VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) LEADER OF THE TAMIL NATIONAL ALLIANCE, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT R. SAMBANTHAN SAYING: "The use of heavy weaponry and heavy artillery by the government forces, from government controlled territory is continuously taking place after the commitment made by the government that such weaponry will not be used." JOURNALISTS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) LEADER OF THE TAMIL NATIONAL ALLIANCE, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT R. SAMBANTHAN SAYING: "The humanitarian catastrophe which we all thought would take place at some point of time if the military operations continued, we think is now taking place. And our fear is that in the days to come this could intensify." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
- Embargoed: 30th May 2009 17:03
- Keywords:
- Location: Sri Lanka
- Country: Sri Lanka
- Topics: War / Fighting,Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAHAIPDJJUPUXO92M2DFYGS880
- Aspect Ratio: 4:3
- Story Text: Sri Lanka rebels accuse the government of shelling civilians as troops break through Tamil Tiger defences in the north of the country.
Sri Lankan troops broke through Tamil Tiger defences on Tuesday (May 12) but the government brushed off Western criticism of civilian deaths as part of a rebel-orchestrated bid for a last-minute reprieve.
The rebels, cornered in a coastal strip where they have held tens of thousands of civilians, for a third day accused the military of shelling the
5 square km (one square mile) no-fire zone, this time killing 45 people.
The pro-rebel group, Tamilnet, released a series of pictures which they said showed dead and injured Tamil civilians at a makeshift hospital in the wake of a mortar attack.
In the capital, Colombo, a pro-rebel group of Tamil parliamentarians accused the government of continuous use of heavy weapons and expressed concern at the further deterioration of the humanitarian crisis.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) called what it called an urgent news conference on Tuesday night. The group accused the government of breaking its word over the use of heavy weapons and said thousands had been killed and injured in the no fire zone in recent days.
"The use of heavy weaponry and heavy artillery by the government forces, from government controlled territory is continuously taking place after the commitment made by the government that such weaponry will not be used," said TNA leader R Sambanthan.
He expressed concern that the situation would worsen further if the military operations continued.
"The humanitarian catastrophe which we all thought would take place at some point of time if the military operations continued, we think is now taking place. And our fear is that in the days to come this could intensify," he told the news conference.
Fury, blame and recriminations from both sides have flared in the closing days of Asia's longest modern war, after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said hundreds of civilians were killed in artillery barrages starting on Sunday.
The allegations are impossible to verify, since the war zone is sealed off to most outsiders and those inside cannot be considered fully independent.
The Sri Lankan military on Tuesday said soldiers and special forces troops had advanced across a narrow causeway into the south of the no-fire zone, leaving the Tigers surrounded on all sides and opening another escape route for civilians.
More than 116,000 civilians fled in the days after troops broke a rebel barricade, which the government said refuted the LTTE assertion that people had chosen to stay and be part of its goal of building a separate nation for the Tamil minority. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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