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Full Text of Media Release by National Peace Council of Sri Lanka:

The human and economic costs of war are taking an ever increasing toll on Sri Lankan society. The battles at Muhamalai in the north in which several hundreds of combatants either died or were injured serves as a reminder of the costs of war and further costs that lie ahead. A deplorable feature has been remains the deliberate targeting of civilians. The bus bombing of a passenger bus in Piliyandala near Colombo so far from the scene of battle is an example of the brutality that accompanies the logic of war that seeks victory at any price. The National Peace Council condemns the bus bombing, which the government has attributed to the LTTE, even as we condemn all other acts of violence that cause injury to the civilian population. We also repeat our call to the government and LTTE to de escalate the war and to negotiate a ceasefire and political solution that will address the roots of the conflict.

We appreciate the efforts of people of goodwill both within Sri Lanka and internationally to seek an alternative to militarism in the search for peace. The presence in Sri Lanka of representatives of the World Conference on Religions for Peace who held inter religious meetings in Kandy and Trincomalee in partnership with us has pointed to the universal values of religion that provide the basis for dialogue and mutual understanding.

Quite tragically, the immediate future presents a bleak picture of a continuation of military operations without concern for the human and economic costs. It appears that both sides can only see gains in terms of territorial victories and in killing as many members of the other side as possible, even if they be civilians. Without the transformation of the government and LTTE, through dialogue and mutual understanding, in which the government tables a viable political proposal and the LTTE accepts a united country, there can be neither peace nor justice in Sri Lanka. NPC urges religious and civil society to support such peace work in the face of an escalating war that is futile and ultimately brings suffering to all.

Executive Director
On behalf of Governing Council

Pointing out the “continuing fighting and terrible loss of life in Sri Lanka,” Mr Rae, former Ontario Premier and an advisor to an earlier round of peace talks, said in a media release issued in Canada’s Liberal party website that “The world can’t just sit back and let this death and destruction happen. This is a humanitarian disaster and must be met with a concerted response,” and that “Canada should put conflict prevention at the top of its foreign policy agenda. We can’t be indifferent to this tragedy.”

Full text of the media release follows:

The continuing fighting and terrible loss of life in Sri Lanka should arouse Canadian foreign policy from its slumber, says Liberal Foreign Affairs Critic Bob Rae.

“The world can’t just sit back and let this death and destruction happen,” said Mr. Rae. “This is a humanitarian disaster and must be met with a concerted response.”

This past week at least a hundred people have died as a result of fighting between government troops and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Mr. Rae said Canada should be working with a group of like-minded countries to press for a complete ceasefire and a return to full-scale negotiations on the constitutional future of the country.

As Chairman of the Forum of Federations, Mr. Rae acted as an advisor to an earlier round of peace talks. His recommendations included that the LTTE had to abandon terrorism and that the government of Sri Lanka had to accept the need for a political response to the crisis rather than a simple military one.

“Canada should put conflict prevention at the top of its foreign policy agenda. We can’t be indifferent to this tragedy,” said Mr. Rae. [liberal.ca]

Government officials barred photographers from entering hospitals where soldiers injured in battle are being treated, four photo journalists told the Free Media Movement (FMM) yesterday. Hitherto, photographers have had no problems in entering hospitals to report on the casualties of war. It is highly likely that these measures have been taken after heavy losses (numbering in the hundreds) faced by the Sri Lankan Army earlier this week after fighting intensified in the North.

All government appointed military spokespersons give watered down figures of war casualties and mainstream media are compelled to report these official statistics. Only some foreign wire services and few news websites operating from Colombo reported the battle front casualties independent of government press releases. According to government military statements that have been published by media, the Army has killed more than 3,000 LTTE fighters in 2008. 3,000 was the figure given by Army Commander as the strength of the LTTE military six months ago. In Sri Lanka today the saying that first casualty of war is truth is being proved almost every day.

The FMM believes that the right of the public to know information and news related to the on going war is severely undermined by the restrictions placed on journalists. Both the LTTE and the Government do not allow independent media to cover the war in a manner that accurately reports, amongst other things, the numbers dead and injured. The FMM has demanded both sides to allow media to cover the war independently for nearly 15 years.

We urge the government and the LTTE to respect the right to information. War propaganda is not a substitute for accurate, impartial and responsible journalism that can only be ensured by supporting and strengthening media freedom and the freedom of expression in Sri Lanka.

Don Camp, the principal assistant secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, visited Colombo this week and met with Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha Bogollagama, SL Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe, Secretary to the SL Ministry of Defense Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. “Many of the issues we discuss are difficult ones, particularly on human rights and the resolution of the conflict, but the U.S. will remain engaged in the hope of seeing progress.” Mr. Camp was quoted by the U.S. Embassy.

A press statement issued by the U.S. Embassy in Colombo on Mr. Camp’s visit, follows:

Senior U.S. State Department Official Visits Sri Lanka April 20-22

Colombo, April 22, 2008: Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Don Camp visited Colombo April 20-22 as part of the U.S. Government’s regular, ongoing consultations with the Sri Lankan Government. During his visit, Mr. Camp met with senior Government of Sri Lanka officials, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha Bogollagama, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Defense Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, and Secretary to the Ministry of Justice Suhada Gamalath. He also met with leading political figures, civil society leaders, and business representatives.

Characterizing his meetings as “useful and frank, in the way of long time friends” Mr. Camp also said, “We value the dialogue we continue to have with the government, as well as the lines of communication we maintain with Sri Lanka’s political, business, and civil society leaders. Many of the issues we discuss are difficult ones, particularly on human rights and the resolution of the conflict, but the U.S. will remain engaged in the hope of seeing progress.” Mr. Camp also welcomed initial measures to demobilize TMVP child soldiers, urged progress on human rights, and stressed the importance of free and fair elections in the East, without violence or intimidation.

Mr. Camp’s first Foreign Service posting was to the U.S. Embassy in Colombo in the late 1970s, and he served here again briefly as Charge d’Affaires in 2003.

Full text of the press release issued by National Peace Council of Sri Lanka

A Lamentable Loss to Civil Society and to the Country:

The killing of Fr Karunaratnam adds to the heavy toll of humanitarian, human rights and religious workers killed in the course of the ethnic conflict. The National Peace Council condemns this targeted killing of a senior Catholic priest and human rights worker. In addition to his many contributions to society, Fr Karunaratnam helped to facilitate some of NPCís own peace programmes and study tours in the Wanni and Jaffna.

As head of NESoHR which was set up in July 2004, as part of the 2002 Peace Process, Fr Karunaratnam worked tirelessly to strengthen the human rights protection mechanisms in the North East of Sri Lanka. He was active in highlighting recruitment of children by the LTTE and worked tirelessly for their release. Fr Karunaratnam also sought to publicise the human rights violations to which the people living in the north east, particularly the Wanni region, were subjected to. He publicly criticised the government for many of the sufferings inflicted upon the Tamil people and challenged the national human rights institutions to live up to their mandates.

Fr. Karunaratnam entered the priesthood relatively late in life having started his career with Bank of Ceylon before opting to become a priest. He had many friends among the majority Sinhala community. He was fluent in the Sinhala language and saw the whole country as his home.

The LTTE has accused the deep penetration unit of the Sri Lankan military for the killing of Fr Karunaratnam. Whoever perpetrated this evil act has taken away yet another bridge builder who loved the whole country. While it may never be known who was responsible for his assassination we are convinced that another moderate voice has been stilled. Fr Kili, as he was popularly known, had a deep love and commitment to build bridges between ethnic and religious communities in Sri Lanka. The National Peace Council laments his loss.

Executive Director
On behalf of Governing Council

Statement by International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC):

The limited number of staff available to care for routine cases alongside war casualties has become a critical issue for several hospitals in northern Sri Lanka. In addition, the lack of regular deliveries of supplies from the country’s health ministry has resulted in clinics and hospitals in the Vanni (the four northern districts of Sri Lanka) running out of basic medicines such as paracetamol, antibiotics and vaccines.

By agreement with Sri Lanka’s health ministry, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is providing hospitals in Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya districts with medical equipment and supplies for the treatment of sick and war-wounded people. In addition, it has supplied devices to Murankuran hospital to stabilize broken limbs.

The ICRC is also lending its support to the health ministry’s child immunization programmes and to ante-natal care provided for pregnant women in Vavuniya North. Almost 50 children were vaccinated and nearly 20 women received ante-natal care during the month of March.

‘We accompany Ministry of Health staff–one doctor and two midwives–to Nedunkerni and Kanakarayankulam, where they run clinics for pregnant women and ensure that children follow the prescribed immunization programme,’ says Yvonne Ginifer, an ICRC health delegate based in Vavuniya.

Under international humanitarian law applicable in armed-conflict situations, people not involved in fighting, including the wounded and sick, whether they be civilians or fighters, must be given any medical care they may require as quickly as possible.

Jaffna residents cannot obtain certain health-care services on the peninsula. To ensure that appropriate levels of health care are nevertheless available to them, the ICRC airlifts patients between Jaffna and Colombo twice a week. In March alone, 54 patients requiring specialized surgery, medical tests or treatment, accompanied by 35 caretakers and 10 medical staff from the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, were transported to Colombo on ICRC-chartered flights. In addition, medical equipment, vaccines prescribed for children through the national immunization programme and drugs for pregnant women were routinely transported on Jaffna-bound flights.

‘The ICRC flights are a great help for patients, especially those with complicated illnesses. For them, access to appropriate care is a matter of life and death,’ says a doctor working at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital who accompanies patients on the flights. Jaffna’s health-service personnel also use the ICRC-chartered aircraft to travel to other parts of the country for their medical training.

‘Vaccines must be stored and transported at a certain temperature. The only way to bring them to Jaffna while meeting this requirement is by air. Transporting them by ship is not an option because of the lack of cold-chain facilities and the length of time needed,’ says Toon Vandenhove, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Colombo.

Serving as a neutral intermediary at Omanthai crossing point

ICRC staff are on hand six days a week at Omanthai crossing point to facilitate the smooth passage of vehicles and civilians between areas controlled by the government of Sri Lanka and those controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In March, the ICRC ensured the safe passage through the crossing point of over 3,000 vehicles and 33,000 civilians, including more than 170 ambulances and almost 900 patients crossing in both directions.

By conveying the remains of fallen fighters across the front lines, the ICRC has helped to clarify what became of many who might otherwise have remained unaccounted for. The remains are transferred only with the agreement of both sides. In March, the ICRC transferred the remains of some 50 fallen fighters from Kilinochchi, Mannar, Vavuniya and Welioya through the Omanthai crossing point. To help preserve the bodies, the ICRC upgraded the cold storage facilities in the mortuary of Anuradhapura hospital and started carrying out similar work in Padaviya hospital.

Protection of civilians and of persons held in connection with the conflict

The ICRC has continued to monitor violations of international humanitarian law affecting civilians throughout the country and to discuss them with the parties to the conflict. There have been regular reports of missing or arrested relatives, extra-judicial killings and ill-treatment.

With the cooperation of both government officials and the LTTE, the ICRC has been visiting a growing number of people arrested for security reasons. The aim of the visits is to monitor treatment and conditions of detention. On nearly 60 visits to 40 places of detention, ICRC delegates met with almost 730 detainees and provided them with recreational items, clothing and toiletries.

The families of more than 400 detainees recently received financial assistance to visit their loved ones in various places of detention. More than 30 released detainees received funds to return home via public transportation.

Restoring family links

In cooperation with the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, the ICRC has taken steps to ensure that members of families separated by the conflict can maintain contact with one another. It collected over 400 family messages and distributed 230 during the month of March.

For further information, please contact:

Carla Haddad, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 24 05 or +41 79 217 32 26

Sarasi Wijeratne, ICRC Colombo, tel: +94 11 250 33 46 or +94 773 158 44