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Sri Lanka warring parties urged to protect civilian lives

“The targeting of civilians is barbaric and short-sighted, and contributes to the ruination of the legitimacy of any cause, irrespective of who carries out the acts,” The Tamil Information Centre in London said in a press release issued on April 28th. The statement, issued expressing distress over the April 25th bus bombing in the outskirts of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo added that, “it is also a measure by which the political and military activities of the parties to the conflict may be judged. No civilian deserves to be bombed, forcibly ejected from their homes, or terrorized in their homes.”

Full Text of Tamil Information Centre Press Release:

The killing of civilians must stop on both sides of the border

The Tamil Information Centre (TIC) is deeply distressed over the deaths and injuries caused by a bomb in a passenger bus during rush hour in Piliyandala, a suburb of the Capital, Colombo on 25 April 2008. The bomb killed 26 civilians and wounded 62. In recent times, there have been a number of incidents in which civilians travelling in public buses have been targeted.

The TIC condemns these reprehensible acts. The targeting of civilians is barbaric and short-sighted, and contributes to the ruination of the legitimacy of any cause, irrespective of who carries out the acts. It is also a measure by which the political and military activities of the parties to the conflict may be judged. No civilian deserves to be bombed, forcibly ejected from their homes, or terrorized in their homes. As common sense dictates, killing innocent people to satisfy grievances or to counter oppression would not contribute to a solution but aggravate and deepen any conflict as the communities become entrapped in a cycle of vengeance.

The intense aerial bombing and multi-barrel shelling campaigns in the north-east Tamil Homeland have caused unbearable trauma to the people, death and destruction of urban and village homes and vital infrastructure such as bridges, places of worships, electricity and water supplies, communication systems and roads. The retaliatory attacks carried out with similar intensity in southern Sri Lanka, while causing the deaths of ordinary people and destruction of property, have also had profound impact on people living in these areas. They have also affected passengers, school children, bus drivers, vendors and business establishments. In the case of suicide bomb attacks, the bomber’s families, friends and co-cadres are also subjected to trauma.

The number of civilian deaths has dramatically increased in the last two years. The TIC is very concerned that continued fighting between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will cause more civilian casualties, increase hatred and destroy attempts to bring about peace in the island. We urge the parties to the conflict to act in accordance with the international rules of war and refrain from indiscriminate attacks and forced displacement of the civilian population. We call upon the parties to end the military conflict and return to the negotiating table. We also call upon the international community to intensify its efforts in facilitating the peace process.

Statement by The International Federation of Journalists:

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the actions of government officials in denying photojournalists access to report on casualties of the latest violence between the Sri Lankan Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

According to the Free Media Movement (FMM), an IFJ affiliate, four photographers were barred from entering hospitals where injured army personnel (estimated to be in the hundreds) were reportedly being treated after fighting intensified in the country’s north last week.

The FMM said the restriction reflects a greater growing concern that official statistics of casualties are under-reported by government-appointed military spokesmen.

Government military statements report that the Army has allegedly killed more than 3000 Tamil fighters in 2008. However, the FMM reports verification is limited as the only independent news sources covering the conflict are a small number of foreign wire services and Colombo-based news websites.

“The IFJ joins the FMM in stressing that the public has a right to know exactly what is happening in the conflict, and this knowledge is central to any hope of peaceful resolution in the future,” said IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park.

“By restricting the ability of independent media to cover the war in a manner that accurately reports the numbers of dead and injured, both the LTTE and the Government are undermining press freedom, which is a crucial element of democratic stability.”

The FMM has demanded for almost 15 years that both sides in the conflict permit media personnel to cover the war independently.

The IFJ joins the FMM in urging Sri Lanka’s Government and the LTTE to respect the right to information for all. The Stop the War on Journalists in Sri Lanka campaign, supported by more than 45 press freedom and human rights organisations across the globe, backs local journalists’ organisations in demanding that authorities permit journalists and media workers to do their jobs and report on the conflict without restrictions or fear of personal retribution.

War propaganda impedes people’s right to know the truth. Accurate, impartial and responsible journalism requires freedom of the media and freedom of expression in Sri Lanka.

For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919

The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries

The army obstructs media following clashes in north

Reporters Without Borders today condemned moves to prevent the media obtaining information after violent clashes in the north of the country on 23 April in which the Sri Lankan army reportedly lost 185 men.

“The clashes and the evident losses have pushed the military authorities into establishing preventive censorship, preventing photographers and reporters from reaching hospitals and morgues to establish the death toll,” the worldwide press freedom organisation said.

“The contradictory statements by those involved and constant pressure from the government which only wants to see the most patriotic articles, shows the urgent need for independent coverage of events currently shaking the region,” it added.

Soldiers on 24 April, prevented photographers from entering a Colombo hospital in which wounded soldiers were being treated.
In one of the most violent engagements on the Jaffna Peninsula in recent years, security forces battled Tiger Tamil fighters of the LTTE, leaving losses apparently much heavier than those reported by either side. Each side claimed to have killed around 100 troops.

While the defence ministry said on the day of the battle that 43 soldiers had been killed and that 33 others were missing, unofficial military sources said the army had lost 185 men and that 20 were missing. The army also claimed to have killed more than 3,000 LTTE fighters since the start of 2008, which corresponds to the figure for the total Tigers force provided by the military command six months earlier.

The government is trying to win the news war by doing its utmost to keep journalists away from combat zones and medical facilities as well as trying to influence the editorial stance of both local and national newspapers.

Five journalists’ organisations, including the Free Media Movement, have signed a statement condemning the pressure being brought to bear on the media by the armed forces, in particular against the Tamil daily Thinakural. The Tamil Tigers and the paramilitaries have also been urged to “respect the right to information” and to halt attacks against journalists.

“India should organize negotiations between the warring parties in Sri Lanka to bring peace to the island nation,” said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Kalaignar Karunanidhi in an exclusive interview to the Times of India on Friday. His statement comes at a time when India has chosen to ignore all calls to mediate between Colombo and the Tamil Tigers and has satisfied itself with playing behind-the-scene roles.

According to the Times of India, Kalaignar Karunanidhi had said, “to bring about peace in Sri Lanka, the Union Government should come forward to organise useful negotiations so that a proper political solution is thrashed out.”