HR agencies silent over LTTE’s human shield

Karuna calls for strong commitment from UN:

By Shanika SRIYANANDA

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The former military commander of the LTTE and Leader of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan has called upon international human rights agencies and the UN to urge the LTTE to free innocent civilians as the LTTE is now rounding up civilians to make its human shield for its last stage of the battle in Kilinochchi.

The TMVP Leader also called upon human rights agencies and the UN for a strong commitment to prevent these civilians dying in the battlefronts in Kilinochchi.

Muralitharan, who was better known as Colonel Karuna Amman, accused the international human rights organisations of ignoring the plight of these civilians who are being forcibly used in the battlefronts. “I know the mindset of Velupillai Prabhakaran better than any one else. He is now under severe tension as the LTTE is getting badly defeated. He will use this human shield for his survival,” he told the Sunday Observer.

According to Muralitharan, over 200,000 people are suffering in Kilinochchi and they are being forcefully kept by the LTTE as the Tigers have closed all possible routes to government controlled areas. He questioned the role played by the international human rights agencies and the UN to highlight the sufferings of these people.

He said, “so far none of these agencies has protested that the LTTE is using civilians as a human shield. They always clamour for human rights when the security forces are heading for Tiger strongholds. Why are they now so silent”, the one-time most trustworthy LTTE Leader of Prabhakaran queried.

Muralitharan who broke away from the LTTE accused the LTTE of ill-treating the Eastern cadres and added that the LTTE still keeps over 300 Eastern cadres with the outfit and does not allow them to flee to government controlled areas. “These people are denied all basic human rights and conscription goes on unabated as the LTTE cadres die in the battlefields in numbers”, he said.

He said that the LTTE has ordered all government and private sector employees to undergo weapons training and attributed this as a gross violation of human rights as most of these civilians were not properly trained in the use of offensives. “They are being sent forcibly while keeping their loved ones in LTTE custody. These civilians are not left with any option other than to die in the fierce battlefronts”, he said.

“Why can’t they have a strong lobby against the LTTE”, he said.

Muralitharan said that according to information the LTTE leadership had called Pottu Amman to the Muhamalai front.

“He is not a good leader in the battlefront and he does not know anything about ground battles. He has mastered killing people by planting bombs. Soosai has also been called to lead ground battles but he is not a good leader in ground battles”, he said.

Meanwhile, Muralitharan who appreciated the efforts by the government to welcome civilians fleeing Kilinochchi said according to information people grouped in numbers are planning to flee terror stricken LTTE controlled areas.

He said that civilians would flee to government controlled areas without heeding LTTE’s orders.