AN ESTIMATED crowd of 3719 civilians, suffering under the jackboot of the terrorist leader, PRABHAKARAN in the rapidly shrinking New Safety Zone, stood up firmly and made use of the newly opened up ‘escape route’ via NANTHIKANDAL lagoon in the past 24 hours, braving LTTE’s indiscriminate fire in VADDUVAKKAL area as those civilians commenced fleeing.
Those trapped civilians got hold of anything available at hand to float on water, including inflated tyre-tubes, rafts, ropes, small boats, locally-made ‘Theppam’, etc, and managed to cross the lagoon en masse, despite rains of LTTE bullets, meant to frighten, injure and prevent the escapees from deserting Tigers.
Though some of these photos in this story could be somewhat disturbing, and a disgrace to humanity, www.army.lk wanted to tell the world how the LTTE, contrary to what was being transmitted by them distorting the truth, were treating their own people while forcibly holding them as ‘human shields’ in the New Safe Zone.
More than five people, including a sweet infant (See photo) fell victim to indiscriminate terrorist firing and died before they finally moved into the safe hands of the Army troops. This moving photo shows the father holding his dead infant. Two more children received gunshot injuries and were attended by the Army troops before a total of sixteen injured civilians excluding both of them were finally airlifted to ANURADHAPURA hospital late Thursday. Air Force helicopters, despite risks involved, landed close to KARAYANMULLIVAIKKAL and evacuated those injured to hospitals in the south, along with their by-standers.
Those escapees in different batches on tyre tubes, boats and other floating items have on their way faced many dangers. Some of them were about to die when their floating device suddenly capsized, but others helped them out for safe wading. In knee-deep waters, they got hold of the ropes that were thrown out by Army troops into the deep waters, enabling those swarming to cling on to them for survival.
Ground troops made them to relax and immediately attended on the injured, some of them with profusely bleeding wounds. Army medical teams jumped into action and lavishly provided medical assistance as their wet clothes were spread for drying. Many of those youngsters had reportedly remained hidden, away from their homes to avoid being sighted by terrorists before they took to their heels.
Army troops after providing medical aid and light meals conducted them to the nearest IDP centers as the dusk fell.
Sri Lanka Army