Rajiva Wijesinha

“ These after all are our people, and as we have seen the bombs are aimed at civilians too. We will not take the chance of further mayhem, but meanwhile we will ensure that, subject to security needs, these are people will have all comforts possible, not only the basics that are the norm by international standards, but even more - so much so that the UN has told us that they cannot provide funding for conditions that are better than what they are mandated to provide. ”

“ When nothing can be said for certain, the claim is that the Sri Lankan forces did it. Fortunately, as clear evidence mounts that the LTTE is not only quite happy for civilians to die, but actually unashamedly promotes this through suicide bombing and grenades and direct firing aimed at those trying to get away, that particular canard is being slowly but surely laid to rest. ”

“ HRW sadly seems to believe that, apart from the LTTE, they are the only people concerned about these civilians. They forget that these are Sri Lankan citizens, who are the responsibility of the Sri Lankan government, which has fed and educated them over several years, and kept them healthy with medical services provided with a dedication that all international observers have commended.
At the Peace Secretariat we monitor all allegations of civilian casualties, and seek explanations of what happened. ”

“ Certainly the inconsistencies in the Tamilnet account of the incident, bombs from planes turning over a couple of days into cluster bombs made in Russia dropped from Russian planes shows very clearly how cleverly the LTTE tries to manipulate the Western opinion whose indulgence it craves. ”

“ The displaced persons who 'escape to what they hope is safety' are 'instead put in internment centres masquerading as "welfare villages"'.'That 'instead', aided and abetted by the HRW masquerade, does yeoman service for the LTTE as well as HRW, since it implies that they might as well stay in Mullaitivu. ”