Leaked UN pictures showing ariel bombings in the ‘no fire zone’

There’s a bunch of  satellite images going rounds allegedly showing evidence that the Sri Lankan military used ariel bombings in it’s self-declared safe-zone. Dr. Palitha Kohana however denies these claims by saying that the safe zone was bombarded before the civilians got there. Al-jazera has the story.

From the Killing Fields of Mullativu

A couple of friends emailed me the same set of very distrurbing images.  The images were supposedly from somewhere in Mullativu, where a ‘bunch’ of people have been burnt. 

According to one email, What I was seeing was people burnt alive by the LTTE.  The email read:

This is the destiny of the innocent Tamil civilians who tried to escape into government controlled areas. If caught   they will be burned alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Extreme brutality of LTTE…… Burning their own people A L I V E !!!!!1……   

The other emailed claimed that this was sign of genocide perpetrated on the Tamil people by the terrorist Sri Lankan state.

I’m not from around there, so I don’t know.  After the initial horror and disgust of what I was just seeing sank in, I kept thinking of two things.  

First I was thinking that somone shold be responsible for this, and call me what you will, but to my mind the moral responsibility of what’s going on in the North lies with the government regardless of who killed these people.

Second I couldn’t get over this kid, who looked on burning bodies, a green doll in his hand watching on the burnt bodies.  I wonder what he will learn from all this, in his shoes I know what I will.

I’ve uploaded a couple more disturbing pictures from the ’series’. They are not for the faint-hearted, so please be warned. Pics are here and here.

– Deane.

Ice cream, guns and the rest of Sri Lanka

Today in Pictures, Ice cream for the soldiers:

Much more excellent pictures on Sri Lanka at Martein van asseldonk’s Flickr.

1982, Colombo.

A rare collection of pictures by (we assume) Adrian Brain:

Pettah, 1982

Much more at Adrian’s flickr.