Sri Lanka shelling kills over 2,000 civilians: Tamil Tigers
(AFP) Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels said on Sunday that shelling by government forces had killed more than 2,000 civilians during a 24-hour period, but the military denied the allegations.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in a statement posted on the Tamilnet.com website, said the army had unleashed a devastating offensive on the small coastal patch of land that the rebels still control.
"More than 2,000 innocent civilians have been killed in the last 24 hours," the statement said.
The website said 257 bodies had been brought to a makeshift hospital in the area after what it said was an artillery assault begun late Saturday.
Many of the dead were "found in bunkers and inside the tarpaulin tents," Tamilnet said.
The military swiftly dismissed the claims as propaganda, with spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara saying that troops had "not used heavy weapons in the area where the Tamilnet says civilians had been killed".
Sri Lanka's leaders believe the military is on the verge of defeating the Tamil rebels, who are holed up on the northeastern coast of the island, after 37 years of conflict.
At the height of their power in 2006, the Tigers - who want an independent Tamil homeland in the Sinhalese-majority island - controlled roughly a third of the island.
The Sri Lankan government has refused all international calls for a ceasefire despite reports from the United Nations last month saying up to 6,500 civilians may have been killed and 14,000 wounded in fighting since January.
It has also turned down requests by the UN to send humanitarian officials into the rebel territory, where the UN estimates about 50,000 civilians are trapped.
The government says the number of civilians being held by the Tigers as "human shields" is less than 20,000.
Independent reporting from the conflict zone is impossible, as journalists are banned from travelling freely.
A British television news team was arrested and ordered to leave Sri Lanka after it broadcast allegations of poor treatment of the 200,000 Tamils who are being held in state-run camps after fleeing the fighting.
The report, shown on Tuesday on Channel 4, contained allegations of sexual abuse and claims of dead bodies being left where they fell, as well as water and food shortfalls - all of which Colombo has denied.
The Sri Lankan army said Sunday it had uncovered a contraption that could have been intended as an underwater bunker for the elusive leader of the rebels.
The 360-foot (110-metre) long railway carriage-like construction may have been designed to be wheeled into the sea as a hiding place for Velupillai Prabhakaran, the army said.
The bizarre unit "could be submerged in water and used as a temporary home", it said in a statement.
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake told parliament last week that Prabhakaran, 54, was still leading his men in their desperate battle against the military.
Prabhakaran has not been seen for more than 18 months, and speculation has been rife that he may have been killed or already fled the island.
When the buying stops, so does the killing. This is what they say about tiger poaching.
(AFP) Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels said on Sunday that shelling by government forces had killed more than 2,000 civilians during a 24-hour period, but the military denied the allegations.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in a statement posted on the Tamilnet.com website, said the army had unleashed a devastating offensive on the small coastal patch of land that the rebels still control.
"More than 2,000 innocent civilians have been killed in the last 24 hours," the statement said.
The website said 257 bodies had been brought to a makeshift hospital in the area after what it said was an artillery assault begun late Saturday.
Many of the dead were "found in bunkers and inside the tarpaulin tents," Tamilnet said.
The military swiftly dismissed the claims as propaganda, with spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara saying that troops had "not used heavy weapons in the area where the Tamilnet says civilians had been killed".
Sri Lanka's leaders believe the military is on the verge of defeating the Tamil rebels, who are holed up on the northeastern coast of the island, after 37 years of conflict.
At the height of their power in 2006, the Tigers - who want an independent Tamil homeland in the Sinhalese-majority island - controlled roughly a third of the island.
The Sri Lankan government has refused all international calls for a ceasefire despite reports from the United Nations last month saying up to 6,500 civilians may have been killed and 14,000 wounded in fighting since January.
It has also turned down requests by the UN to send humanitarian officials into the rebel territory, where the UN estimates about 50,000 civilians are trapped.
The government says the number of civilians being held by the Tigers as "human shields" is less than 20,000.
Independent reporting from the conflict zone is impossible, as journalists are banned from travelling freely.
A British television news team was arrested and ordered to leave Sri Lanka after it broadcast allegations of poor treatment of the 200,000 Tamils who are being held in state-run camps after fleeing the fighting.
The report, shown on Tuesday on Channel 4, contained allegations of sexual abuse and claims of dead bodies being left where they fell, as well as water and food shortfalls - all of which Colombo has denied.
The Sri Lankan army said Sunday it had uncovered a contraption that could have been intended as an underwater bunker for the elusive leader of the rebels.
The 360-foot (110-metre) long railway carriage-like construction may have been designed to be wheeled into the sea as a hiding place for Velupillai Prabhakaran, the army said.
The bizarre unit "could be submerged in water and used as a temporary home", it said in a statement.
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake told parliament last week that Prabhakaran, 54, was still leading his men in their desperate battle against the military.
Prabhakaran has not been seen for more than 18 months, and speculation has been rife that he may have been killed or already fled the island.
When the buying stops, so does the killing. This is what they say about tiger poaching.
