The United States has accused Sri Lanka of breaking promises to stop shelling a no-fire zone where thousands of civilians are trapped by fighting between separatists and government forces.
"We are very concerned that the government of Sri Lanka continues its shelling of areas where there are large numbers of civilians, very close to hospitals, very close to civilian facilities," Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Rosemary DiCarlo told reporters on Thursday March 28.
"We have urged the government of Sri Lanka to cease the shelling near civilian areas," she said after the U.N. Security Council met informally behind closed doors to discuss Sri Lanka. "We've had promises, but we need to see results."
Two days earlier, New York based Human Rights Watch made similar accusations against the Sri Lankan government stating indiscriminate army shelling is killing dozens of civilians every day in the no-fire zone in northern Sri Lanka.
"We receive reports of civilians being killed and wounded daily in the no-fire zone, while the Sri Lankan government continues to deny the attacks," said Brad Adams, Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch.
A doctor at a hospital in Puthuumattalaan, inside the government-declared "no-fire zone," told Human Rights Watch over the phone that dozens of dead and wounded civilians were being brought to the hospital daily.
According to the UN, more than 2,800 civilians may have been killed and more than 7,240 injured in the fighting since January 20.
Sri Lanka, however, rejected the allegation, saying the Sri Lankan military was not using heavy weapons to attack the Liberation Tamil Tiger Eelam (LTTE) held no-fire zone in northern Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka's Ambassador H.M.G.S. Palihakkara, however, acknowledged that the government was returning fire when attacked by LTTE forces from inside the no-fire zone.
"They (government forces) are not firing heavy weapons into the safe zone," he said. "Because (Sri Lanka's) forces have come so close to the military safe zone there is no sense in firing at short-range heavy weapons."
"As you know, the LTTE is firing from the no-fire zone," he said, adding that the automatic return fire might have resulted in some civilian casualties, but not deliberately.
However dismissing Sri Lanka’s rejection, Adams said: "The Sri Lankan government has responded to broad international concerns with indignation and denials instead of action to address the humanitarian crisis,"
Both DiCarlo and Aadms criticized the LTTE for not letting civilians leave the no-fire zone and using them as ‘human shields’.
The Tamil Tigers' use of civilians as human shields "adds to the bloodshed," Adams said and called on the LTTE to allow civilians to leave the conflict zone.
The Tamil Tigers' use of civilians as human shields "adds to the bloodshed," Adams said and called on the LTTE to allow civilians to leave the conflict zone.
