KILLINGS & STARVINGS !!! 305219 TAMIL IDPs NEED URGENT FOOD SUPPLY!!! UN/WFP, US-MARINES,INDIAN GOVT SHOULD SEND FOOD DIRECTLY NOW TO SAVE TAMILS!!!

'Starvation poised for worse killings than shelling'
[TamilNet, Saturday, 18 April 2009, 17:42 GMT]

While around 60 civilians killed Friday and Saturday by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelling, civilians have already started dying and many more thousands are at the verge of death due to starvation that is silently taking its toll within the so-called safety zone, TamilNet correspondent reported Saturday. The imminent victims are elderly, children and women. "Gruel has become the staple food to keep soul and body together for a vast majority of the civilians for weeks now. If there is no instant action, more starvation casualties can be expected in the next few days than the hitherto known total of casualties caused by shelling," warns TamilNet correspondent citing health and administrative officials staying inside the so-called safety zone.

Meanwhile, listening to starvation-afflicted weak and instable voices of those who manage to make telephone calls, has become a regular experience in recent days for relatives and friends outside, diaspora sources told TamilNet.

Medical sources at the makeshift hospital said Friday there were 92 children in the children ward and most of the children are under nourished.

According to a request from the District Secretariat of Mullaiththeevu, received by the Country Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Colombo, only 1,000 MT of food supplies, only adequate for one week, were received by the local authorities within the so-called safety zone on 02 April. The request, made on 11 April said 74,634 families consisting of 305,219 persons has urged the WFP to send 3,578 MT of Dry Rations urgently in order to alleviate the hunger of the IDPs. The letter ended with the word, 'please', said a UN official in Colombo on condition of anonymity.

An earlier situation report, for the month of March, issued by the District Secretariat said that ships brought only 1079.902 MT of food items whereas the requirement was 4950 MT for the month of March.

TamilNet correspondent on Saturday said people were only eating once a day for the last 4 weeks and that there are people who have become completely dependent on gruel being supplied by the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO).

Some extracts from the situation report (March, 2009) of Mullaiththeevu District Secretariat follow:

"There is a severe shortage for Essential Food, Supplementary Food including Milk Food, Vegetables and Fruits items in the District. On one hand the essential food and other important food items are not available in the District and on the other hand the people do not have income / money to buy the items. Thus, the distribution of food is entirely depending on arrivals of ships and the quantity brought.

"The innocent people including children and women are in a pathetic condition. They are unable to get needed Milk Food, biscuits and any other important food and supplementary food items.

"A nutrition survey conducted by the Department of Health, Mullaitivu District in last week of March, 2009, indicates that 69.91 % of children were under weight and acute under nutrition is very much increased. The report requests for immediate intervention in supply of food."


Situation Report from Mullaiththeevu District Secretariat


Chronology:

19.04.09 SLA attacks continue to target 'safety zone'
18.04.09 'Starvation poised for worse killings than shellin..
16.04.09 UN and IC signal civilian carnage
16.04.09 Onslaught of civilians continues, more than 57 kil..
16.04.09 SLA, SLAF intensify offensive targeting safety zon..
15.04.09 SLA offensive on civilian zone continues
15.04.09 Unprecedented carnage, SLA turns firepower on civi..
14.04.09 Mass human tragedy possible any moment in 'safety ..
14.04.09 SLA continues offensive at the doorstep of 'safe z..
13.04.09 SLA attacks kill 23 Tamil civilians within 12 hour..
13.04.09 SLA steps up ground offensive targeting 'safety zo..
12.04.09 Plight of babies born and unborn
12.04.09 31 civilians killed in SLA shelling, gunfire in 's..
11.04.09 SLA embarks upon capturing attack on civilians, 30..
11.04.09 SLA buildup poses severe threat to civilian securi..
11.04.09 599 killed, 3350 injured inside 'safety zone' sinc..
11.04.09 69 percent kids malnourished: Vanni health officia..
10.04.09 Stop shelling say Co-chairs, attack continues amid..
09.04.09 Carnage continues in Vanni
08.04.09 SLA attacks kill 129 civilians, 282 wounded in 'sa..
08.04.09 SLA bombs child nutrition centre in safety zone, 2..
07.04.09 Colombo turns firepower onto 'safety zone'
07.04.09 Threat of starvation haunts "Safe Zone" families
06.04.09 Medical official reports on pattern of shelling in..
05.04.09 Mangled bodies, torn limbs litter Safe Zone - medi..
05.04.09 SLA intensifies attacks on Safe Zone, 71 civilians..
04.04.09 Recognize our freedom: Vanni civilian leader
03.04.09 SLA attacks kill 90 civililans within 3 days, 195 ..
03.04.09 Eyewitness reports horrific experiences at makeshi..
02.04.09 SLA fired artillery shells create havoc inside saf..
31.03.09 SLA fires cluster shells, 45 civilians killed, 120..
31.03.09 SLA attacks kill 88 Tamils, including 21 children ..
30.03.09 SLA attacks kill 53 civilians inside 'safety zone'..
29.03.09 'Global order' experiments with body and mind of V..
28.03.09 179 civilians including 76 children killed within ..
26.03.09 SLA attacks kill Mullai DS officials engaged in hu..
26.03.09 SLA attacks hospital, 5 patients killed, 11 wounde..
26.03.09 Carnage continues, 131 civilians including 32 chil..
24.03.09 62 civilians killed, SLA, SLAF step up attacks on ..
24.03.09 SLA attacks kill 128 civilians in 48 hours
22.03.09 42 civilians killed, 80 wounded in Vanni Saturday
21.03.09 SLA shelling kills 102 civilians within 3 days ins..
17.03.09 84 killed, 182 wounded in SLAF attacks, shelling o..
17.03.09 18 civilians reported missing in 'safe-zone' borde..
17.03.09 'Safe zone' under encircling fire, 137 killed in 3..
15.03.09 Makeshift-hospital struggles without medicines
15.03.09 Shelling doesn't spare even babies in wombs
15.03.09 Civilian casualties mount as intense bombing and s..
13.03.09 SLA shelling targets relief supplies and hospital,..
13.03.09 SLA shelling targets humanitarian supplies in 'saf..
12.03.09 SLA shelling kills 82 civilians inside 'safe zone'..
12.03.09 50,000 families affected by floods in 'safe zone'
11.03.09 SLA shelling kills 133 civilians including 49 chil..
10.03.09 Sri Lankan cluster shelling kills 129 civilians wi..
10.03.09 Colombo's shelling carnage of flood-hit civilians,..
09.03.09 Shelling amidst mini-cyclone and lashing rains, th..
07.03.09 Sri Lankan attacks kill 208 civilians within 72 ho..
06.03.09 Doctors warn severe shortage of medicines in Vanni
06.03.09 Acid test for international actors
06.03.09 Only 2.2% of humanitarian supplies reached Vanni i..
05.03.09 Perpetrating civilian starvation is violation of a..
05.03.09 SLA fires cluster shells near hospital, scores wou..
05.03.09 Diarrhea claims 13 lives in Vanni within 14 days
04.03.09 SLA shelling kills more children, carnage in 'safe..
04.03.09 ICRC worker killed in SLA shelling
04.03.09 SLA in killing spree in the 'safety zone', 73 kill..
04.03.09 Shell landed on a civilian saves others
04.03.09 Deputy ZDE of Mullaiththeevu dies of shock from sh..
03.03.09 RDHS confirms 13 hunger deaths, urges officials to..
03.03.09 SLA shells hospital environs, 13 killed including ..
03.03.09 Skin rash breaks among children in Vanni
03.03.09 Vanni IDPs starving due to acute shortage of food
02.03.09 SLA shelling kills 122 within 3 days in Mullaithth..
02.03.09 Hunger claims lives in Vanni
02.03.09 Colombo killed 700 children in 2 months - LTTE Rad..
28.02.09 Newborn babies bereft of milk, humanitarian situat..
27.02.09 Downed SLAF aircraft was engaged in carpet-bombing
24.02.09 Heavy fighting in PTK, civilians trapped in SLA ba..
24.02.09 Children vulnerable to SLA shelling in new 'safe z..
22.02.09 50 Tamil civilians killed, 130 wounded within 48 h..
21.02.09 13 civilians killed, 70 wounded in SLA barrage Fri..
21.02.09 SLA barrages Mullaiththeevu after Tiger air attack..
19.02.09 30 families wiped out in massive attack Wednesday,..
18.02.09 Massive air attack on civilian targets, scores kil..
18.02.09 SLA artillery fire hits new 'safety zone', 108 kil..
16.02.09 260 killed, SLA shells and boxes civilians, preven..
16.02.09 Colombo uses firebombs setting ablaze civilian tar..
14.02.09 75 feared killed in SLA shelling, elders home
13.02.09 Herding people by terror: Intense shelling, dead b..
10.02.09 Relentless shelling expels civilians from 'safety ..
08.02.09 80 killed, 200 wounded, carnage continues inside '..
08.02.09 More than 180 killed in Sri Lankan bombardment wit..
07.02.09 SLAF bombs Ponnampalam hospital, 61 patients kille..
05.02.09 SLA attacks 'safety zone' using short-range mortar..
05.02.09 Hospital attacked, 7 killed, dozens wounded
04.02.09 Deliberate massacre, not 'crossfire' killing Tamil..
02.02.09 SLAF bombers attack Vanni, deploy cluster bombs
02.02.09 Nurse killed in Udaiyaarkaddu hospital, ICRC staff..
02.02.09 More than 5,000 shells fired on 'safety zone', cas..
02.02.09 SLA fires MBRL rockets on IDP camp, several feared..
02.02.09 SLA shells PTK hospital, 9 killed, 15 wounded
01.02.09 Civilian casualties rise, SLA, SLAF attacks contin..
01.02.09 Shelling hits hospital, ICRC shocked
31.01.09 Artillery-fired cluster shells, aerial bombing on ..
31.01.09 SLA shelling continues on 'safety zone', Colombo r..
30.01.09 Only international-sponsored ceasefire can lead to..
29.01.09 Artillery barrage kills 44 civilians, 178 wounded ..
28.01.09 Brutal attack on civilians, assurance to Mukherjee..
28.01.09 46 more civilians killed Tuesday, few wounded surv..
28.01.09 Hospitals, ambulances hit by shelling, hundreds ki..
27.01.09 300,000 civilians face hunger, Colombo, abettors r..
27.01.09 Norway breaks silence, condemns war
27.01.09 Dead bodies decomposed beyond identification - med..
27.01.09 Artillery barrage continues on 'safety zone', no s..
26.01.09 Targeting civilians in safety zone, premeditated w..
26.01.09 'Biased UN official misleads humanity, safely sitt..
26.01.09 More than 1,000 wounded, Mullai RDHS urges IC to s..
26.01.09 TNA seeks IC to stop carnage, urges medical help t..
26.01.09 More than 300 civilians feared killed, people blee..
26.01.09 Does IC know no human dignity of civilians, asks a..
26.01.09 100 civilians feared killed, countless wounded, ar..
25.01.09 SLA shelling kills 22 civilians, wounds 60, target..
24.01.09 12 civilians killed, 87 wounded, SLA continues art..
23.01.09 'Safety zone' shelled again, 5 civilians killed, 8..
23.01.09 Artillery barrage continues, 3 killed, 33 wounded
22.01.09 2 medical staff wounded in artillery barrage on ho..
22.01.09 Military was provided with exact coordinates of ho..
22.01.09 Hospital bombed, 5 killed, 15 wounded
22.01.09 66 civilians killed within 3 days - Mullai RDHS
22.01.09 SLA attacks civilians in 'secure zone', several ki..
21.01.09 IC urged to act on humanitarian grounds to safegua..
20.01.09 Unprecedented civilian carnage in Vanni
18.01.09 Vanni civilians under deadly siege
18.01.09 Artillery barrage kills several civilians, dozens ..
18.01.09 Sri Lankan shelling kills 4 civilians, children am..
17.01.09 Catholic priests appeal to UN to intervene in Vann..
16.01.09 5 civilians killed, 7 injured in Sri Lankan artill..
16.01.09 Jaffna Bishop urges SL President to stop bombardme..
16.01.09 Humanitarian tragedy in Vanni enters deadlier phas..
16.01.09 "Which norms of liberal democracy preclude IC atte..
13.01.09 Doctors call for attack free zones surrounding dis..
13.01.09 Humanitarian tragedy unfolds in Vanni

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