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THE UNITED NATIONS HUMANITARIAN OFFICE CONDEMNS KATUBEDDA AND POLGOLLA ATTACKS ON CIVILIAN BUSES

By Walter Jayawardhana

The katubedde and Polgolla bus attacks blamed on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are against all standards of international humanitarian law and all principles on which the United Nations is based, said the UN office for the coordination of Humanitarian Affairs(OCHA).

"The targeting of non-combatants is a contravention of international humanitarian law, for which those responsible must be held accountable," OCHA’s news service IRIN quoting a UN official said.

The UN humanitarian office said that the United Nations is renewing calls for increased protection of unarmed civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law , in the two bomb attacks targeting civilian buses June 6 eight hours apart , leaving 24 dead and more than 80 injured.

The UN office said , “In the first attack, a bus full of morning commuters was hit at around 7.30am by a Claymore mine-type explosion at Katubedda, a suburb 15km south of the capital, Colombo. Twenty-two people were killed and more than 60 injured in that incident, according to police.
“The second bomb, in the rear of a passenger bus in Polgolla town, Kandy District, about 120km from Colombo, left two dead and more than 20 injured.

"These attacks on civilians are against all standards of international humanitarian law," Neil Buhne, the UN resident representative and humanitarian coordinator in Sri Lanka, told IRIN. "They are against all principles on which the UN is based."

The report added,“The latest two bombings added to the long list of attacks on civilians, especially targeting public transport, since a ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) broke down on 16 January 2008.

“Not counting the latest two attacks, at least 14 others have taken place, most in government-controlled areas, killing more than 200 civilians, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The government has blamed the Tamil Tigers for the attacks, while the Tigers have accused teams from the Sri Lankan Army of targeting civilians in areas under LTTE control. Both sides have denied the charges.

Contravening international law
"The targeting of non-combatants is a contravention of international humanitarian law, for which those responsible must be held accountable," UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said in a statement on 29 May.
On 27 May, nine civilians were killed and more than 70 injured when a parcel bomb exploded in a packed evening train, south of Colombo. On 24 May, a roadside bomb in LTTE-controlled Kilinochchi District, 250km north of the capital, left 17 civilians dead.
"This despicable behaviour must stop," Holmes stated.
“Buhne said the sentiments expressed by Holmes had become even more relevant and important with the latest attacks. He warned that deliberate attacks on civilians not only hampered humanitarian work in conflict areas, but made innocent civilians too scared to lead normal lives.
"What these attacks do is that they make people scared," he said. "There should be a sense of safety for any kind of work to progress, humanitarian or development."

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