Wednesday
May132009
Sri Lanka: "Why is the World Not Helping?"
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 at 10:00
Related Post: Sri Lanka - The Hidden Slaughter
Today's Guardian of London features this eyewitness account from Vany Kumar, who works in a temporary medical facility in a school in northeast Sri Lanka:
This is really a disaster. I don't know really how to explain it. At the moment, it is like hell.
Most of the time we live in the shelter. There is not enough medical equipment, so it is really difficult to treat people. Food is a problem as well. There is no food at all here, there are no vegetables and no rice, they just eat whatever they can find, that's all. The hospital is located in a primary school so there is only one room. We just try our best to achieve what we can.
I was in the office working [when the shell hit]. It was definitely a shell, there is no doubt about that. I was about 20 metres away, and I was sure that it landed inside the hospital, so I went to the shelter. I got the news from the doctors that there were people injured and dead. There was constant shelling so I couldn't leave the shelter.
For us, shell bombing is just a normal thing now. It is like an everyday routine. We have reached a point where it's like death is not a problem at all. No one has any feeling here now, it's like everyone says, "Whatever happens, it happens." That's it, that's the mentality every single person has here.
The most terrible thing that I have seen was when a mother had a bullet go through her breast and she was dead and the baby was still on the other side of the breast and the baby was drinking her milk, and that really affected me. I was at that place where it happened.
There is just too much to take. Children have lost parents, parents have lost children, it's just a common thing now.
[The shelling] is definitely coming from the government side, that can be sure, because it is only a small area on the LTTE [the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] side and from the sound and from the distance I can surely say it is from the government side.
I don't care about the government, I don't care about the LTTE, my concern is the civilians because through all these problems they are the people affected.
The government or the LTTE, they have got to do something, and if not, I can't imagine what will happen next. Both parties have got to have a ceasefire. I think the international [community] has to either come into the country or get both parties to stop the fighting and start thinking about the civilians living here. Every single person living here asks why the international [community] is not doing anything.
I really want to come to the UK but I don't know. I'm talking to you now, but maybe tomorrow I'll be dead.
Today's Guardian of London features this eyewitness account from Vany Kumar, who works in a temporary medical facility in a school in northeast Sri Lanka:This is really a disaster. I don't know really how to explain it. At the moment, it is like hell.
Most of the time we live in the shelter. There is not enough medical equipment, so it is really difficult to treat people. Food is a problem as well. There is no food at all here, there are no vegetables and no rice, they just eat whatever they can find, that's all. The hospital is located in a primary school so there is only one room. We just try our best to achieve what we can.
I was in the office working [when the shell hit]. It was definitely a shell, there is no doubt about that. I was about 20 metres away, and I was sure that it landed inside the hospital, so I went to the shelter. I got the news from the doctors that there were people injured and dead. There was constant shelling so I couldn't leave the shelter.
For us, shell bombing is just a normal thing now. It is like an everyday routine. We have reached a point where it's like death is not a problem at all. No one has any feeling here now, it's like everyone says, "Whatever happens, it happens." That's it, that's the mentality every single person has here.
The most terrible thing that I have seen was when a mother had a bullet go through her breast and she was dead and the baby was still on the other side of the breast and the baby was drinking her milk, and that really affected me. I was at that place where it happened.
There is just too much to take. Children have lost parents, parents have lost children, it's just a common thing now.
[The shelling] is definitely coming from the government side, that can be sure, because it is only a small area on the LTTE [the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] side and from the sound and from the distance I can surely say it is from the government side.
I don't care about the government, I don't care about the LTTE, my concern is the civilians because through all these problems they are the people affected.
The government or the LTTE, they have got to do something, and if not, I can't imagine what will happen next. Both parties have got to have a ceasefire. I think the international [community] has to either come into the country or get both parties to stop the fighting and start thinking about the civilians living here. Every single person living here asks why the international [community] is not doing anything.
I really want to come to the UK but I don't know. I'm talking to you now, but maybe tomorrow I'll be dead.
tagged The Guardian, Vany Kumar in Central & South Asia
The Guardian, Vany Kumar in Central & South Asia
Reader Comments (3)
here is a list of reasons why the world is not helping the LTTE terrorists...
Tamil LTTE leader Vellupille Prabhakaran’s and Tamil Tiger Terrorist Atrocities 1984 to 2009
Dollar Farm Massacre,
Kent Farm Massacre,
Kokilai and Nayaru Attack on ancient fishing villages,
Wilpattu Village Massacre,
Dehiwatta Village Massacre
Aranthalawa Village Massacre,
Namalwatta Village Massacre I
Namalwatta Village Massacre II,
Kantale Village massacre,
Kinniya Village massacre,
Mahadivulwewa Village massacre,
Trincomalee 3rd Mile post,
Andankulam Village massacre
Wilgamwehera Village massacre
Monkey Bridge Village massacre
Mollipothana Village massacre
Pavakkulam Village massacre
Beruwil & Wadigawewa Village massacre
Kantalai – Massacre in the Sugar crops
Wadigawewa Village massacre
Manthottam - The Independence Day Massacre
Aranthalawa Bloodbath
Serunuwara Massacre
Habarana & Kithuluthuwa –
Jayanthipura Massacre
Kadawathmadu
Godapotha, Bruwila Massacre
Thoppur Massacre
Batticaloa town - Tharavi Massacre
Sagarapura Massacre
Ganthalawa Massacre
Ella Kantalai Massacre
Devalagodalla Massacre
Morawewa Massacre
Kathankadu Muslim Massacre
Mahadivulwewa Massacre
Karuniyankulama Village attack
Bogamuyaya Village massacre
Morawewa Village massacre
Sittaru Village massacre
Galmitiyawa Village massacre
Kvulkade Village massacre
Deegawapi Village massacre
Pudukulam Village attack
Medawachchikulam Village massacre
Saindamarandu/Kalmunai Village massacre
Meegaswewa/Horowpathana Village massacre
Ethawetunuwewa Village massacre
Central Camp Village massacre
Marawila Village massacre
16th Colony Village massacre
Mahakongaskada Village massacre
Sumedagama Village massacre
Maharambekulam Village massacre
Bogamuyaya Village massacre
Dutuwewa Village massacre
Singhapura Village massacre
Borawewa Village bloodbath
Mahindapura / Dehiwatta Village massacre
Aralaganvila Village massacre
Meeyankulama Village massacres
Wanela Village massacre
Thammannawa Village massacre
Akkaraipattu Village massacre
Kovilladi Village massacre
Podankady Village massacre
Mulliyankadu Village massacre
Ampara Village massacre
Bandaraduwa Village massacre
Navagamuwa Village massacre
Eravur - The bloodiest attack against Muslims
Weeracholai Village massacre
Muttur Fishing village massacre
Avaranthalawa Village massacre
Uhana Village massacre
Ponanai Village massacre
Vellamunai Fishing Village massacre
Puddukudiruppu Village massacre
Gajabapura Village massacre
Mahaoya Village massacre
Peruwalthalawa Village massacre
Wahalkada Village attack
Arugambay Village massacre
Thanthirimalai Village massacre
Parana Madawachchiya massacre
Thanthirimalai Village massacre
Olikulama village attack
Helambawewa Village massacre
Bandarakumbukkwewa Village attack
Bogamuyaya Village massacre
Kaludaveli Village attack
Erakkandy Village attack
Athymale – The New Year day bloodbath
Niyandella / Okkampitiya Village massacre
Weligahakandiya Village massacre
Puddur Village massacre
Karapola Village massacre
Samanthurai Village attack
Palliyagodalla Village massacre
Bogamuyaya Village massacre
Kaludaveli Village attack
Erakkandy Village attack
Athymale – The New Year day bloodbath
Niyandella / Okkampitiya Village massacre
Weligahakandiya Village massacre
Puddur Village massacre
Karapola Village massacre
Samanthurai Village attack
Palliyagodalla Village massacre
Welikanda genocide against Muslims
Kosgolla Village attack
Mailanthenna Village massacre
Konwewa Village massacre
Madirigiriya Village massacre –
Kallarawa Village massacre
Mangalagama Village massacre
Monarathanna Village massacre
Galtalawa Village Massacre
Athimalai/Kotiyagla village massacre
Panama Village attack
Thammannahalmillewa Village massacre
Alapathwewa Village massacre
Siyamalanduwa Village attack
Mahanikawewa Village attack
Eluwankulama Village massacre
Oddaimvadi Village attack
Morawewa Village attack
Erakkandy Village Massacre
Massacre of three Villages in Ampara
Aralaganvila Village attack
Welikanda Village attack
polsambola- I think you should re-read the post. It's not about the world helping the LTTE, it's about helping Sri Lankan civilians.
As the eye-witness says:
But I think there isn't a lot of sympathy for the Tamil cause because of the actions of the LTTE, hence the lack of an international response. The determination seems to be that this is an internal Sri Lankan matter and that government has essentially been given a green light to try to finish the LTTE.