Civilians in Vaakarai face death and starvation
January 13th, 2007
By D.B.S. Jeyaraj
The exodus of Tamil civilians from the Koralaipattru north division in Batticaloa district seems to have peaked. The outflow of Internally displaced persons has dropped drastically over the past few days.
Access to the Vaakarai region continues to be restricted by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) even as sporadic artillery fire is exchanged with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). More than 15, 000 people living in the area face death, starvation and sickness.
The plight of people in the LTTE dominated Vaakarai region worsens daily. There is no clear or reliable figure of exactly how many people are living in Koralaipattru North division or in those areas of Verugal river in Trinco district right now.
The figure is estimated to be between 18,000 to 20, 000. Of these the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) says it is catering to the needs of 10, 350 persons from 2300 families in the Vaakarai region of Koralaipattru north division in B’caloa district and 4050 persons from 900 familes in the Verugal region of Eechilambattru division in Trinco district.
No food, medicine or supplies have gone into these areas from November 29th onwards. Even on Nov 29th the full contingent of lorries was not allowed in and 33 lorries with food had to turn back. It was surmised then that the food allowed in could last for only two weeks. The transport of food and supplies into Vaakarai had been curtailed for many months last year with only about half of the required amount going in.
In violation of all canons of international humanitarian law and principles enunciated by the Geneva Convention and other war related protocols food is being used as a weapon of war. Furthermore a systematic and deliberate campaign of artillery shelling and aerial bombardment was implemented to destroy civilian life and terrify civilians. Many of these people had been driven out of areas like Sampoor, Muthur East, Eechilambattru and Verugal in Trincomalee district this way.
Tragically there was no respite or safety for these people even after moving to Batticaloa north. They were attacked by air and artillery regularly; they were denied food, medicine, housing, education and transport; the refugee camps they stayed in were shelled; they were deprived of proper clothes or temporary shelters with many languishing amid rains and floods under trees and culverts.The accumulation of suffering has caused the people to flee in search of refuge in GOSL areas.
Sadly most of these areas in Trinco and Batti were neglected regions even during earlier days. After they came under Control of the LTTE. these regions were neglected and deprived more. The tigers exploited and diminished the region and its people by their unbridled militarism and related repression. Then came the tsunami. These hapless people were hit again. The politics of Colombo and its fall - out in Hulftsdorf has prevented the setting up of any structure to alleviate tsunami damage. Now with the intensification of war they are being victimised again and again and again.
The Army commander has boasted openly that the security forces intend taking over Vaakarai.region soon. Repeated appeals are being made to the people in Vaakarai to cross over to GOSL areas. The Govt that kept the A - 15 highway “closed” at the entry - exit point of Mankerny is now adding insult to injury by requesting the LTTE to open up the Batti - Trinco road. Like a cat playing with a mouse Colombo is teasing those poor Tamil civilians and mocking the International community. Nobody asks these crocodiles shedding tears for Vaakarai civilians the reason why they cannot relax the ban at Mankerny and allow relief , medicine and food into the region.
Meanwhile Intermittent shelling goes on to persuade civilians to leave Vaakarai.The idea as stated in these columns earlier is to make the territory bereft of civilians. As Mao Ze Dong said the guerillas among people are like fish in the ocean. Now the ocean is being drained to catch the fish. This is what was done in Sampoor. This is what is being done in Vaakarai. This is what will be most likely done in Paduvaankarai and Tharavai in the future.
It is only a matter of time after the rains subside and more bombs and shells arrive that massive aerial bombardment and artillery shelling will be on in Vaakarai. All people in Vaakarai will be treated as tigers.A ground based advance will follow suit.
The people however are not coming out of Vaakarai as much as they did in the past. The flow has become a trickle.One reason may be that the LTTE is enforcing strict controls now and preventing outward movement. The tigers dont want to be made more vulnerable in a zone without ” civilians”.They would hold on to these people desperately as long as they would like to hold out in Vaakarai.
Another reason perhaps is that all people capable of moving out have already done so. The trek outwards is an arduous ordeal. People travel on foot through jungle routes and on rafts and boats through lagoon and sea. It is difficult for the young, old, sick and infirm to make or even risk that journey. Also there are some who do not want to leave their “known”homes for the “unknown” refugee camps.Pressure however is being mounted through measures like violent attacks and denial of food, medicine, shelter to compel these “reluctant” people into leaving Vaakarai.
What is troubling however is the apathy or indifference of the world at large to the on - going humanitarian tragedy in the Vaakarai region. This silence is amounting to a tacit sanction of Colombo’s genocidal war in the East.
Some rays of light are becoming visible in the darkness as notice is being taken of this humanitarian crisis.
“The situation in Vaharai is grave and demands an urgent response,” the United Nations office in Colombo said this week.
15,000 people are isolated without access to food or basic supplies as stocks are decimated,” the UN said.
“Displaced people and residents are trapped in a conflict zone with hardly any food, medicine or clean water,” the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) said.
“[We] urgently appeals to all parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and thus ensure that the civilian population and civilian objects are respected and protected at all times,” the ICRC said.
“This law prohibits attacks against civilians and civilian objects in all circumstances.”
The Sri Lankan military has maintained a total embargo on supplies into the area since October as part of a major onslaught against the LTTE in the east.
Only one convoy of humanitarian aid has been allowed in since then. And that was on November 29th, after the government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) briefly came under intense pressure from the international community.
That pressure has tailed off, even as Sri Lanka has stepped up its military offensives against the LTTE in the east, directing indiscriminate bombing and shelling at human concentrations in the area.
“We stand ready to assist those still trapped in Vaharai. These persons are the most vulnerable of the vulnerable,” the UN’s Acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Amin Awad, said in a statement.
“We must always recall that it is the most weak who remain behind - the elderly, the sick and the disabled. They are still without access to food, emergency medical services, and shelter, and continue to be caught in the middle of relentless fighting,” Awad added.
The BBC too had an online report on the situation in Vaakarai. Excerpts from the report compiled by Ethirajan Anbarasan are given below -
” With the armed forces seemingly gearing up for a final assault to wrest the eastern Vakarai region from the Tamil Tiger rebels, there are increasing casualties amongst the remaining Tamil civilians in the area.
Scores of people have been killed in recent months and the army is widely held responsible for most of the deaths.
But the army denies the accusation and says the civilians are being used as human shields by the rebels.
In recent months about 20,000 people have fled the area - through jungles and treacherous waterways - towards government controlled territory.
Most of them are now put up in and around Batticaloa town, about 330km (200 miles) east of the capital Colombo.
With the main highway connecting the two areas closed because of the violence, civilians had to use circuitous routes to reach safety.
[Sinthuja Navaratnam (10), and her younger sister Dharshika Navaratnam (3) have lost their father in April 2006 due to violence in Kilivetti.They were displaced from Kilivetti with their mother, and moved to Vaharai.They stayed with the extended family in Vaharai.These two kids tried to flee Vaharai with their mother due to the recent violence.They missed their mother in the crowd.The mother manged to get onto to a boat without her children.But unfortunately that particular boat capsized, and the mother died in the sea in December.The two kids are being looked after by their Uncle and family in the welfare camp in Paalameenmadu-Batticaloa district - Photo: HA]
Children drowned
Heavy monsoon rains and rough seas prevent them from travelling by sea.
Unable to bear the horrible living conditions some people do take risks.
In December at least 13 civilians, most of them women and children, were drowned when boats capsized off the Vakarai coast.
Sometimes they say, after crossing a lagoon in another part, they had to walk through jungles for two days to cover a distance of only about 15 km (9 miles).
Even while walking, they had to dodge intermittent artillery fire, mortar shells and heavily mined tracts.
About 15,000 civilians are still thought to be trapped inside Vakarai, which is about 60 km (38 miles) north of Batticaloa.
“We must always recall that it is the most weak who remain behind - the elderly, the sick and the disabled,” a recent UN statement issued from Colombo said commenting on the situation in Vakarai.
The trapped civilians get caught in the crossfire. Army says they only retaliate to rebel attacks.
Medicine shortage
Tamil rebels, who deny using Tamils as human shields, accuse the army of targeting civilians to facilitate their forthcoming offensive.
Meanwhile, food and medicine are fast running out inside the camps in Vakarai and they had no fresh supplies since November 29th last year.
Many fear that there could be starvation if there are no immediate food supplies.
“There is a severe medicine shortage in the Vakarai hospital and we are unable to treat the critically injured here,” Dr Durairaja Varadaraja, a doctor at the government-run hospital in Vakarai told the BBC.
The fear is, if the army tries to capture Vakarai in the coming weeks then there will be bloodshed and many more will die.
With thousands of civilians cornered in a narrow stretch of land, it is hard to imagine any other scenario.
Tamil rebels were initially accused of deliberately preventing civilians to escape, fearing an all-out army onslaught.
But thousands of people have been allowed to leave in recent weeks, and it will be difficult to keep those still remaining in Vakarai for long. “.
The European Commission has also called for an end to conflict and greater access to civilians who are in need of aid especially in Vakarai where some 15,000 displaced are without food and urgent medical supplies.
European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) has decided to direct funds to assist the displaced civilians in Vakarai through agencies operating on the ground.
“But it is essential that greater access is provided and that the conflict ceases if these innocent civilians are to be helped effectively,” Sri Lanka European Commission Delegation Head Julian Wilson said in a statement.
“The crisis in Vakarai continues to cause great suffering to innocent civilians. The European Commission’s Humanitarian Organisation has directed funds to provide supplies and other help to these civilians. This support is being directed through very experienced and professional agencies such as ICRC, NRC, ZOA, ACTED, DRC, IOM, UNHCR, and WFP which have long experience in the conflict affected areas of Sri Lanka. Their tireless efforts have ensured that some support has reached these most vulnerable groups, regardless of their race, ethnic group, religion, gender, age, nationality or political affiliation,” Mr. Wilson said.
The civilians of Vaakarai are being treated as expendables in the conflict between the GOSL and LTTE. These wretched humans are trapped in a war they want no part of. Only mounting International pressure can make the GOSL remove restrictions and allow adequate access for humanitarian aid. The fate of Vaakarai civilians lies in the hands of the International Community.
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