Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Colombo (Agenzia Fides) - The Caritas office was bombed and destroyed in Vanni, the scene of the latest fighting in the ongoing conflict between the Sri Lankan Government and the rebel group LTTE. A Caritas aid worker was injured and vehicles and vital infrastructure have been lost in the bombing, with grave damages for both the organization and the people in need. It is still unclear who was responsible for the bombing. Communication is very difficult in the area, given the blockages in the streets and on the telephone lines.
Caritas is making an appeal, saying: “The international community has a responsibility to ensure that this conflict operates under the laws of war. These laws clearly promote the clear protection of civilians and we have a situation in the North of Sri Lanka where more than 250,000 people are extremely vulnerable.”
Caritas is asking the government and the guerrillas to assure the civilians' flight from the war-torn area, into places with security, without having to fear being caught in the crossfire.
Many people, especially Tamil civilians in the area are disoriented. The Army has encircled Mullaitivu where people have been hiding for several weeks now. These civilians are living in fear and they are receiving many mixed messages. As they are of Tamil ethnic origin (the same as the guerillas) they are afraid of being hit by the regular army; on the other hand, the rebels consider all the Tamil who are not engaged in the armed conflict as “traitors.” That is why the Church is asking the government to protect and guarantee respect for human rights of Tamil civilians who are caught up in the conflict (see Fides 2/2/2009).
“We need time to get in to these areas and let the people know it is safe to leave and to assist those in need of urgent medical attention. The lack of access means we are unable to give an exact prediction of how many people are directly affected. Unless we can get access soon, this could quickly become a massive humanitarian catastrophe”, Caritas personnel said. “We hope and pray that this violence comes to an end.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides 04/02/2009)
