“De Maio was more critical of the GSL’s restrictions on humanitarian access and relief during the conflict. There was no good reason not to let certain types of materials, such as blood bags, be delivered to Vanni during the conflict, where ICRC was treating victims.” the US Mission to UN informed Washington.
The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The “Confidential” cable discuses what had happened on the ground during and since the conflict. The cable was signed by the US Ambassador to Geneva Clint Williamson on July 15, 2009.
After a meeting with Jacque de Maio, ICRC Head of Operations for South Asia on July 9, 2009, just two months after the war,the Ambassador wrote; ” He had stopped counting the number of children who died because no blood was available, for example.”
Other related stories to this cable;
WikiLeaks: LTTE Stored Weapons At Hospitals – ICRC To US Mission To UN
Rajash / November 6, 2013
in the same breadth he says it’s not genocide..
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LOL / November 6, 2013
What a stupid reason. We need to send these ICRC criminals home. having luxury life from the international donations but at least can’t take the message to international community what is happening in the ground. War was over in may 2009 but discussed in july 2009 and telling no blood bags. ICRC Head of Operations for South Asia should be a war criminal to support the people behind the crimes committed during last phase of the war by systematically hiding the ground situation. Shame to ICRC. ICRC head should be state sponsored criminal. He has no qualification to talk about genocide. ‘he was telling… Its not genocide.. army could have won the war etc etc…’ He is not a human at all.. cant be an animal. Don’t know what to tell…
If blood bags are not there, that doesn’t mean ICRC should stop its norms. something missing here. Why he wanted to stop the counting of dead children? probably if they count that will lead other countries to intervene in war and that could affect the war victory?
How and well he organised and worked with the criminals and help the genocide to happen. One day he will feel the same when this happen to his children and others don’t care what happened to his children. he will feel the same very soon and I pray for that.
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Rajash / November 6, 2013
ICRC, UNO,USA, UK, India they are all guitly of aiding genocide of Tamils.
That is why they are cosing up to Sri Lanka
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Piranha / November 6, 2013
The ICRC, the UN, the Indians and even the western countries knowingly kept information about the mass killings, withholding of food and medicines, the summary executions and rapes and other atrocities by the SL military from the world. And now, they all want to get together and have a tamasha in Colombo provided by the war criminal himself. Apart from the Rajapaksa regime and it’s military all those who provided covert and overt support to the Rajapaksa regime are culpable for the war crimes committed against the Tamils.
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Saracen / November 6, 2013
Unbelievable! If and when Sri Lanka is tried for war crimes the ICRC and UN should be in the dock as well!
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Navin / November 6, 2013
There is absolutely no reason to restrict blood bags being taken to Wanni. Even if LTTE were to siphon a significant number of provided blood bags it will not put the military at a disadvantage. The question should be asked is was the government capable of supplying the require number of blood bags? Even in the south even when there are no huge emergencies often times essential items run out in hospitals and patients are forced to buy life saving medications and products from the market or wait until they become available. Could this have been the case? Or was LTTE creating an artificial shortage of blood bags and medical items as they did food? After all LTTE wanted to create a humanitarian disaster so why not destroy medical supplies? Recall, LTTE used government provided dhal/rice sacks (with dhal/rice in them) to construct bunkers! The fuel was also similarly taken for its use or hidden away to put the population at difficulty thus put the blame on government? When LTTE is acting in this way, how far can the government keep increasing its supply? After all the blood bags for North also come from the same pool that provides them to other part of the country. When blaming the government in this manner it is important to provide numbers on how many bags was required and how many were provided and what was capacity of the government.
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LOL / November 6, 2013
Start of the war Gov said only 70K people in the Vanni area (when Gov agent statistics say more than 400K) this underestimate claim gave entire world that what was the motive behind it. of course to cut down the humanitarian supplies including the basic medicines and force the people to hunger so they will come out of LTTE controlled area. unfortunately people went more into LTTE controlled area. Even when there was no war, What Chandirika did, imposed economical sanctions on North. more than 100 essential items are banned to taken into North. including soap, Panadol etc etc. its a pattern of entire gov. to keep the tamils under their control.
But…… what happen in Northern Provincial Council Election.. again prove that. You can kill 1000s 1000s 1000s but cant threat them…
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Navin / November 6, 2013
How many did different people claim (LTTE, Norway Tamil Nadu) as number of people in Wanni? 150K, 300K, 600K. I remember very well some in TN claiming that over 300K people had died during May 2009. Now is the government duty bound to keep increasing the supplies (blood bags, kerosene, medicine, food, etc. etc.) no matter how high LTTE and their supporters happen to increase the population count? That is not a realistic expectation. The government has to put a cap. Besides, the government has repeated asked the people to come out of Wanni which the LTTE did not allow. People of Wanni/LTTE can make their choices and people/government can make their own choices as too how far they are going to bend over backwards to support people of Wanni. Also remember all these supplies were not paid for by LTTE, Norway, EU, ICRC or Tamil Nadu but the very people LTTE and Jaffna Tamils killed, Killed and KILLED over and over again again. These were the tax money collected from people who died inside packed buses/trains these Wanni/Jaffa Tamils/LTTE blasted for their “Cause”. I do not believe that government is bound to keep increasing its supply without any limit to cover any absurd population count LTTE and their agents happen to claim.
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Saro / November 7, 2013
ICRC wanted to supply medicines and blood bags out of its own purse. That is not the qustion now, did the government stop the blood bags being sent because they would have saved lives?
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Point of View / November 7, 2013
It should happen to him to know how it feels !
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Navin / November 8, 2013
How many blood bags can the government provide to Wanni if LTTE were to create an artificial shortage? Do you have evidence to prove other than saying government limited the supply, that LTTE did not prevent the blood bags that the government supplied from reaching civilians? We are talking about an organization that hid weapons in hospitals and used government provided rice/dhal sacks to build bunkers!
How many blood bags did the government provided and how many were needed? Where are the numbers?
What does the government stand to gain by preventing blood bags for the injured LTTE? How can the injured fight? What does the government stand to gain by limiting the supply of blood bags to civilians when it has nothing to loose even if LTTE were to take some for itself.
Remember how ever the government can only supply so many blood bags. If the supply were to run out, then too bad.
Did you ever stop to ask whether LTTE reduced the number of blood bags that it siphoned off for itself to save the lives of these children?
You are so convinced that this government is intended on committing Tamil Genocide you do not notice how your own high class Tamils would not mind Tamil Genocide if it helps advance “Tamil Cause”.
If there is anyone responsible for civilian deaths it is LTTE and its theoreticians among the well to do Tamils like you who saw no evil in herding Wanni Tamils into a small strip of land to create a humanitarian catastrophe just so that you can save LTTE to fight another day.
While the government announced many ceasefires and asked so many times for the LTTE to release the civilians LTTE did not do that. Not a single Diaspora organization protesting/blocking streets in world capitals asked LTTE to let go of civilians.
Now you come here an cry that Tamil children died because government limited the supply of blood bags. Given the scant regard you showed towards these hapless people then, don’t you dare cry for them now.
If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself for supporting and engineering this humanitarian disaster.
I did not and do not support US sanctions on Iraq and I do not support limiting medical supplies to Wanni to gain military advantage.
I also do not believe that it is possible for the government to save the Wanni civilians buy increasing without limit medical/food supplies when LTTE is keeping these people hostage and actively prevents the very supplies from reaching the people.
When you and LTTE are trying to engineer a humanitarian catastrophe there is only so much that the government to do to prevent it.
You can cry all you want but your hands are tainted with the blood of Wanni civilians. You can go pretend to be the saints to those who do not know what happened here.
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WINSTON DEVALLIERE / December 26, 2013
SARO, THE BLOOD “BAGS” WERE THE TAMILS !! THE GOVERNMENT MADE SURE THEY WERE DESPATCHED PRONTO FROM THIS WORLD TO THE NEXT VIA THOUSANDS OF “BLOOD SEEKING MISSILES” FROM HEAVY WEAPONS. THOUSANDS OF THEM WERE OF COURSE “LITTLE TAMIL BLOOD BAGS” WHICH THAT EFFEMINATE, EFFABLE [ NOT AFFABLE !] SISSY BASTARD FROM THE ICRC “STOPPED COUNTING”.
QUESTION IS THIS : WHAT WAS THE TALLY AT WHICH POINT HE STOPPED COUNTING? WHAT WAS THE DATE ? CAN HE PRODUCE THE DIARY RECORDS ? HOW MANY LITTLE KIDS, CHILDREN AND WOMEN, PREGNANT MOTHERS PERHAPS,WERE IDENTIFIED IN HIS COUNT AT THE POINT AT WHICH THAT ILLEGITIMATE ASSHOLE STOPPED COUNTING ?
IT’S THE GUILT THAT MAKES THE GOVERNMENT SHOW ON TV AND PUBLISH IN THE PRESS ARRANGED PHOTO-SHOOTS OF SOLDIERS EVER SO LOVINGLY SQUATTING ON THE GROUND WITH LITTLE TAMIL KIDS IN THEIR WARM EMBRACE,WITH HIDEOUSLY HUMBUGGING SMILES ON THEIR FACES.
NEXT QUESTION ! CAN THE PARENTS OF THOSE DEAD CHILDREN BE TRACED TO VERIFY WHERE THOSE KIDS WERE BURIED OR CREMATED ? I GUESS NOT. BECAUSE EVEN THE ICRC HEADQUARTER WOULD HAVE DESTROYED THOSE INCRIMINATING RECORDS BY NOW SINCE THEY’RE TOO HOT TO HANDLE AND COULD BE DEMANDED BY THE UNHRC. THOSE PARENTS WOULD SCARCELY HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO LIVE TO TELL THEIR STORY.
AS “POINT OF VIEW” PUTS IT BELOW, ” IT SHOULD HAPPEN TO HIM TO KNOW HOW IT FEELS”…THAT’S PROVIDED HE’S NOT AN INCESTUOUS BASTARD ! TALK OF A REDEFINITION OF ‘BLOOD MONEY’ !!!!!
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Navin / November 6, 2013
Don’t forget that due to sanctions imposed on Iraq by US, half a million children alone died in that country. This is just due to sanctions which restricted their access to essential medicines and food over many years. Has anyone been accused let alone punished for war crimes/genocide? In fact when Madeleine Albright was asked whether the cost (the deaths of these children) was worth it (whatever US achieved if any) she is YES. Now I do not approve this, but since its the US thats accusing government of human rights abuses, they need to put their house in order first.
Also, the government continued to run hospitals, schools and all other services in LTTE controlled areas for 30 god damn years. There were LTTE carders who were paid by government for jobs they did not work on while fighting for LTTE.
But then its not as if the people accusing the government of every dastardly thing under the sun doesn’t know any of this no eh?
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LOL / November 7, 2013
whatever people justify, its genocide, systematic rapes, executions, forced to hunger etc etc. no one can denied or justified… whoever behind this, included ICRC Asia chief are criminals… Specially people like ICRC chief was a well paid state sponsored criminal…. i believe CT will send a copy of this news item to the ICRC criminal… He should read and feel how shame he behaved and misused his position…
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Saro / November 7, 2013
You quote what US did to Iraqi children by sanctions. You agree it is cruel.
Here we are talking about what Sri Lankan government did to its own children and babies. It stopped blood bags knowing well they save lives. Denial meant the government wanted children and babies died. You justify it? If someone did to your own baby, will you still defend it? Of course, NOT.
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Abhaya Premawardena / November 6, 2013
genocite pumpkins genocite .. terrorist thugs talking human rights , [Edited out] !!!!!!!!!!!!
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LOL / November 6, 2013
To talk about human rights.. .u need to be only follower of buddha? if so damn shit…
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Point of View / November 6, 2013
I thought they were talking absolute truth in the earlier article !
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Thondamanaru / November 6, 2013
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm …………. Many countries and Organisation ahead in the queue before Sri Lanka can be hauled before Hague…..
Amazing how people turn Terrorists later transform to be concerned of Human Rights?
In the first place, none took any remedial measures to prevent or halt the war. After its over, lo & behold speak of atrocities that could have been averted.
All are double speaks.
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aratai / November 6, 2013
.
There were restrictions on Panadol too. Only 2 tablets per person was allowed.
:-)
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LOL / November 7, 2013
funny part of the story was, operation called ‘humanitarian operation’ but this so called biggest humanitarian operation had biggest genocide of the century, systematic rapes, executions, forced to hunger etc etc….
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punchinilame / November 7, 2013
It appears that commentators will conclude who is guilty and who is not
at the spate of points made. It all goes to conclude however that
there is a prima facie case for the ICC in the distant future at least.
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Fathima Fukushima / November 7, 2013
Why we donate our blood to bloody Tamil terrorists.
Parasites! Blood suckers!
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LOL / November 7, 2013
Fathima Fuk-u-shima…. u dont know the meaning of blood and blood bag… allowing blood bag doesn’t mean that transfer of blood from south to north. this war was all about taking tamil’s blood. at that time wanted millions of blood bags to collect the blood. LOL
u r such a bloody idio. such a criminal without brain…
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Tamil from the north / November 21, 2013
Fathima you are a scum. Racist vile pig who should rot in hell.
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Tamil from the north / December 10, 2013
[Edited out] You will certainly enjoy that.
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