The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as well as the UN confirm that the LTTE are using civilians as human shields.

With only 28km of land area currently controlled by the LTTE, anyone of a fighting age is forcibly recruited into the LTTE and civilians attempting to flee are being shot, chased and often killed.

Only those that are of no use to the LTTE, the severely injured, the children and the elderly are allowed to leave and even then, only when they have managed to flee and reach the ICRC boat loading area.

Before being loaded onto a boat, a medical decision (Triage) is made as to whether each civilian can survive the journey.  Those that are determined high risk are left to die.

The ICRC are, under instruction of the State, now bringing boats ashore in Pulmoddai, from the conflict zone.  These boats arrive every few days and carry approximately 480 civilians.

Of those civilians arriving via ICRC boats, a third are seriously injured, a third have relatively minor injuries and the remaining third are bystanders accompanying the injured.

Civilian arrivals are registered, tagged and treated by the Indian & Sri Lankan doctors at Pulmodai Field Hospital. Later, some patients (with bystanders) are transferred to Padaviya Hospital and some stay overnight and then transferred. Those that arrive with no injury and not accompanying any injured are transferred to Padaviya for overnight stay.

Once emergency medical treatment is provided and patients are stabilized, the injured fit enough for travel are then dispatched to Vavuniya Hospital.

ACT has been informed by the authorities that Vavuniya Hospital currently has capacity to treat 300 patients but has 900+ at present, mostly amputees that are immobile.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has agreed to allow ACT representatives to transport relief items to Vavuniya Hospital.

World Concern, an INGO that has access to the Pulmoddai receiving point, is in need of supplies and have a network in place that can effectively manage distribution of relief to the injured civilians.

World Concern are on hand when civilians are being tagged and registered.  They greet them with welfare packs to help adjust to new surroundings.  Where patients are taken straight to surgery, World Concern follows their progress, making sure no one is left out of their donation mechanism.

ACT will work with World Concern and support their emergency relief strategy by way of collection of goods.

ACT representatives will personally deliver medical supplies to Vavuniya Hospital, with MOH and Ministry of Defense approval.

We ask the Sri Lankan private sector to support this Initiative in any way possible.