
Livestock killed in large numbers in Batticaloa
Batticaloa district is one of the most agriculturally rich areas in the island. More than 100,000 livestock is reared in this district at any given time. Almost 98% of this livestock is reared in what was until March this year the LTTE part of the Batticaloa district.
The forced eviction of almost150,000 people from this part of Batticaloa by Sri Lankan army by deliberately shelling into their homes resulted in people leaving their livestock and moving into GoSL part as refugees. These people who owned the 100,000 live stock and thousands of acres of farming land are now living in IDP camps where there is inadequate food, water and shelter. The land left behind by the people is rich enough to feed the 100,000 livestock also left behind by them. However, continuous blind shelling by the military is killing these livestock in large number everyday. To date more than 20,000 of the livestock have been killed by the blind shelling of the Sri Lankan military.
18 April 2007
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