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Displacement by shelling and bombing in the Northeast

 Vavunathivu in Batticaloa has been shelled on several occasions, the latest shelling only as recent as a day ago. The villages, Kannankuda, Kurinjanmunai, Kayanmadu, Puliyadimadu, Paruththichenai, Pillaiyaradi, Mankikaddu, Eachanthivu, Navatkadu, Mullamunai, Karadipuval, and others in LTTE area have been coming under SLA shelling. More than 6000 people are displaced. Some of these people are displacing for the fourth time in this year.

 Mutur in Trincomalee has come under SLAFs aerial bombing in April killing 13 people. 20,000 people displaced due to this bombing. The area was again bombed following the recent Mavilaru sluice gate crisis. Since then it has come under persistent shelling from the SLAFs camp. UNHCR estimates 50,000 people are displaced after the recent bombing.

 The clashes in Jaffna in the week starting 12 August has displaced another 40,000 according to UNHCR, most have displaced to LTTE administered areas.

 There have been repeated displacements in Mannar due to several separate attacks by the SLAFs.

There several other smaller scale displacements throughout the Northeast. UNHCR estimates a total of 160,000 refugees created by the SLAFs aerial bombing and shelling.

President of Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, Sivanadiyar, charged in Kilinochchi that the INGOs are reluctant to help people displaced by war because they are treating it as a political issue. Other Tamil people are bitter that the government agencies and INGOs are supplying relief assistance to refugees staying in government controlled areas but no action is being taken supply relief to Tamil refugees trapped in LTTE administered areas. In particular the 50,000 displaced in LTTE areas of Trincomalee are almost reaching starvation levels.

In the meantime, ICRC head of delegation in Kilinochchi has been in constant contact with the LTTE requesting security guarantee to go to Allaipiddy and Mirusuvil, two badly affected areas in Jaffna. Although the LTTE has consistently assured security to ICRC from their side, each time the ICRC attempted to enter these two areas the SLAFs has said that LTTE is shelling these areas and are preventing the ICRC from going there. This blockade by the SLAFs suggests that they are hiding something. In another story some information on what is being hidden will be reported.

Please also refer to “Borders and Blockage….”at, http://www.ltteps.org/?view=1541&folder=2

for a description of how Sri Lankan Armed Forces are cutting off areas in Northeast from the rest of the world putting civilian life at great risk.

24 August 2006

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