Ministry refutes allegations

Attributed to Govt health officials in No Fire Zone:

The attention of the Government and the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry has been drawn to certain media reports alleging that several civilians have been killed in the No Fire Zone (NFZ) on the Mullaitivu coast on April 8, 2009.

These reports have quoted Dr. T. Sathyamurthy, RDHS Kilinochchi, and Dr. T. Varatharaja, RDHS, Mullaitivu, alleging that the deaths have been caused due to shelling by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA).

The SLA has already categorically denied that it had carried out any shelling of the Government declared NFZ. While the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry acknowledges that the two officials belong to the Ministry, it must be borne in mind that they are functioning in an area that is under LTTE domination.

"Therefore, any statements made by or attributed to them, cannot be credible, since these two officials are operating under duress and the dictates of the LTTE. This is clearly borne by statements made in the past by them; wherein, one of them had alleged that he had recorded deaths of 13 people due to starvation," the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry said.

This statement attributed to Dr. Varatharajah on March 4, 2009, was rebutted by this Ministry on March 5, 2009.

In that instance, it was conclusively established that Dr. Varatharajah had issued this statement, without carrying out autopsies on the 13 bodies.

Death due to starvation could only be established medically after performing an autopsy on the body of a dead person.

A certain media report quoting Dr. Sathyamurthy, states that 69 percent of children below the age of five in the NFZ, show signs of malnutrition. According to a recent islandwide survey conducted by the UNICEF, the worst state of malnutrition seen in this age category in Sri Lanka, had been recorded in the Trincomalee District which was 24 percent followed by Hambantota which was 21 percent. At the time of this survey, the level of malnutrition in the Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi districts was only around 20 percent.

A more recent survey among IDPs who have fled the LTTE, and come to the Government controlled areas, has revealed that the malnutrition status of children under five years was only 25 percent.

Since this is a representative sample of the children under five years living in the Puthukudiyirippu (PTK) area, reflecting the factual position of malnutrition prevailing in the NFZ, it is quite obvious that Dr. Sathyamurthy's alleged statement is a gross exaggeration of reality.

Moreover, according to a report carried by the BBC on April 9, 2009, quoting Dr. Varatharajah, 60 civilians are said to have died in the shelling of a health facility in Ambalavanapokkanai area, whereas in a letter dated April 9, 2009 by the same official to the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry Secretary, he has stated that only 10 civilians had died in the alleged shelling. In the BBC report, Dr. Vartharajah has claimed that the shells came from an area dominated by the Security Forces, whereas in the letter to the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry, he has remained silent about its source.

When the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry Secretary contacted Dr. Varatharajah and Dr. Sathyamurthy between 9 and 10 pm on April 9, 2009, who were residing in the same location at Puthumaththalam, he was given conflicting figures of the dead and the injured.

While Dr. Varatharajah had said that 50 deaths of civilians had occurred on April 8, 2009, Dr. Sathyamurthy soon afterwards, reported only 25 deaths in the same incident.

Furthermore, the medical personnel attending on the IDPs who have fled the NFZ and reached the Government controlled areas have reported that they had been shot at by the LTTE and sustained gun shot injuries, whilst trying to flee the clutches of the LTTE.

Such incidents have never been reported by Dr. Sathyamurthy or Dr. Varatharajah.

The contradictory statements as well as the silence on incidents where clearly the LTTE had violated International Humanitarian Law, by shooting at civilians fleeing from their captivity, should make it amply evident that the above two medical doctors have become pawns of the LTTE and have been reduced to merely mouthing the propaganda of the LTTE.

Therefore, the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry fully cognizant with the predicament faced by the two Government officials wishes to reiterate that the international community should view statements from such persons, emanating from the NFZ with circumspection and not attach much credence.

At a time when the LTTE has clearly been defeated militarily, it has now resorted to creating situations, endangering the lives of innocent civilians including by launching attacks on dense civilian concentrations within the NFZ, and implicating the Security Forces for these dastardly acts.

The Government has absolutely nothing to gain from the deaths of civilians; on the contrary, the main thrust of the entire humanitarian operation conducted by the Security Forces has been to free civilians who have been held as hostages by the LTTE.

It is clear that the LTTE, by deliberately targeting civilians is attempting to draw international sympathy and thereby gain a lifeline. The international community should be wary of such tactics and not be misled by the spurious propaganda of the LTTE.

Notwithstanding this kind of baseless and malicious propaganda, the Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry remains fully committed to continue the provision of medical services and healthcare not only to the civilian population trapped in the NFZ, amidst numerous logistical difficulties, but also to the increasingly large number of civilians fleeing the clutches of the LTTE, and coming over to the Government controlled areas.