Sri Lankan war zone doctor stands for election Skip to main content

Sri Lankan war zone doctor stands for election

By Charles Haviland
BBC News, Colombo

Sri Lankan government troops on patrol during civil war
Sri Lankan troops finally defeated the Tamil Tigers last year
A doctor who worked in Sri Lanka's war zone during last year's civil war is standing for a pro-government party in parliamentary elections.
Dr V Shanmugarajah gave high casualty figures to aid agencies and the media from within the combat zone.

The government doctor is believed to have been enlisted by the now-defeated Tamil Tigers into their medical team.
Sri Lanka's government is expected to win the parliamentary elections on Thursday.
It was angered when Dr Shanmugarajah and other doctors spoke to the media from the war zone.
'Under pressure'
Dr Shanmugarajah is one of a small group of medical practitioners who gave high figures for casualties in the final months of the war.
Posters of President Mahindra Rajapaksa in Colombo
President Rajapaksa is expected to win Thursday's elections
He and other government doctors spoke to the media from the war zone and said that hundreds of people were dying in bombardments, many of which, it was claimed, came from army-controlled territory.
Several months later, after being taken into government custody, the doctors retracted their claims. They said they had come under pressure from Tiger rebels to exaggerate the number of deaths.
But now Dr Shanmugarajah has his job back and is standing in the northern Vanni district for a small Tamil party, which 20 years ago was a militant group.
Rebellion crushed
It is standing separately from the government coalition. But Dr Shanmugarajah told the BBC his party leans towards support for President Mahinda Rajapaksa, a man he described as "OK".
The doctor's home area is Mullaitivu, the last sizeable town that was held by the Tigers.
More than half the people in the area are still in army-run refugee camps, but Dr Shanmugarajah said they were slowly going back home.
One of the war-zone doctors recanted casualty figures last July, saying it was not true that a hospital had been shelled there in February.
But the Red Cross and the United Nations insisted that the shelling had taken place. Sri Lanka's government says no civilians were killed by its armed forces in the war zone.
The doctor says he no longer wishes to discuss casualty figures, which have been the subject of huge controversy.
The Tamil Tiger rebels, who had been fighting for a separate homeland, were crushed when the 26-year civil war ended last year.
President Rajapaksa has gone from strength to strength, and his government is expected to win Thursday's elections.

BBC NEWS
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do...
1 comment
Read more

Ancient Rakhine City of Mrauk-U Proposed for UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Irrawaddy YANGON—Myanmar’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture submitted the final draft of its nomination for Mrauk-U to become a World Heritage Site to UNESCO on Monday, four months after the ministry submitted the first draft of its nomination in September 2019. If the application succeeds, Mrauk-U will be the third place in Myanmar to be inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, after the ancient cities of Bagan and Pyu. Mrauk-U is located in northern Rakhine State, around 60 km from the state capital of Sittwe. The ancient city was the seat of Arakanese kings from the 1400s until the late 1700s. At the height of their power, they controlled an area covering large parts of eastern Bengal, modern-day Rakhine State and the western part of central Myanmar. Much of the city’s remains are well-preserved and some 380 historic temples are scattered between the lush hills of northern Rakhine. Mrauk-U Heritage Trust chairwoman Daw Khin Than told The Irrawaddy on Tue...
1 comment
Read more

Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera

The Life Story of A Distinguished And Outstanding Bhikkhu The Most Venerable Saradawpharagree Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera The Buddhist missionary Saradaw Ashin U Chandramani was endowed with great gifts and led a famous and long life. He was a very well known, distinguished and outstanding Bhikkhu Mahathera. While living in the Kushinagar Monastery, a place close to where the Lord Buddha had passed away to Nirvana, the Government of India had offered, and he had accepted, the highest, most honourable and respected title "Guru Guru MahaGuru". He became the first ever President of all Buddhists in India.A World Buddhist Conference took place in Kathmandu during the reign of King Mahindra of Nepal. The Conference was very well attended by over one hundred thousand Buddhists from various parts of the world and it was opened by King Mahindra himself. As requested by the King, Saradawpharagree blessed all the participants with the power of Triple Gems...
Post a Comment
Read more