Sri Lanka Army extensively used chemical weapons on LTTE combatants at Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK) during the weekend, according to Lawrence, a senior commander of the LTTE, who personally encountered the attack and escaped, LTTE sources told TamilNet Tuesday. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Defence Ministry has claimed that it has killed hundreds of Tiger combatants including senior commanders in PTK last weekend. The use of chemical weapons were the suspicion of many who have seen the photographs released by the SL Defence Ministry, but now the accusation comes from the LTTE. The Tiger sources neither confirmed the type of the chemical weapon nor said anything on the casualties claimed by Colombo.
Not matching with their tall claims, Colombo’s websites have released comparatively fewer photographs of LTTE combatants it killed in action this time. Yet, the released photographs were enough for viewers of forensic experience to suspect the use of chemical weapons.
Chemical weapons such as nerve gas were strictly prohibited by international conventions after world experiencing gruesome mass deaths of combatants during the World War I (1914 – 1919).
Colombo government was already on record for clandestine purchase of prohibited chemical weapons and accessories in 2001 (see related stories).
The use of chemicals is prohibited even on animals and in catching fish. Whether excuses are given when governments label combatants as "terrorists", asked 38-year-old activist T. Kajan who was participating in a protest in Paris on Tuesday, amid rain.
"As the war-criminal profile of the Colombo government is increasingly becoming clear, how to expect the Tamil civilians to trust this government and get into its hands and how to expect the Tamils to place their hopes for future with such a genocidal government? What has happened to the LTTE combatants can happen even to civilians," Mr. Kajan who talked to media said.
Colombo government, its president Mahinda Rajapaksa as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the defence secretary and Sarath Fonseka, the army chief, may have to face indictment as serious war criminals if the accusation of the use of chemical weapons is proved.
Diaspora observers believe that by setting an agenda to finish the war before mid-April to suit its electoral ambitions, the Indian Establishment and a biased few behind it, are largely responsible for Colombo adopting such foul means to win the war.
Any government that is abetting or justifying Colombo’s illegal war, may have to bear the responsibility for the war crimes, the diaspora protestors said.
For quite some time now, Colombo has been accusing the LTTE as possessing chemical weapons. This was in fact a calculated propaganda to shield Colombo’s own deployment of chemical weapons, the observers said.
"It is to escape from indictment on many counts from the use of prohibited weapons to human rights abuses, the Colombo government systematically kept international media and foreign aid workers out of the war scene. The International Community, the UN and reputed media agencies also abetted Colombo’s idea to conduct this war without witnesses," said Kajan.
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