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SRI LANKA: EVACUATING THE SICK BY SEA: On 1 August, the ICRC began evacuating serious medical cases from the Vanni, the northern province held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), by sea. By Monday, eight patients had been transferred to Mannar hospital aboard fishing boats protected by the red cross emblem and escorted by ICRC delegates.
AFGHANISTAN: INCREASED SUPPORT FOR MEDICAL FACILITIES: Since fighting resumed north of Kabul last week, the ICRC has increased its support for medical facilities in the capital, the Shamali plain and the Panjshir Valley, and for first-aid posts close to the front line to ensure that the war-wounded can be given proper care.
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AFGHANISTAN INCREASED SUPPORT FOR MEDICAL FACILITIES
Since fighting resumed north of Kabul last week, the ICRC has increased its support for medical facilities in the capital, the Shamali plain and the Panjshir Valley, and for first-aid posts close to the front line to ensure that the war-wounded can be given proper care. Delegates are keeping a close watch over the situation in hospitals, where several hundred people have received surgical treatment.
Delegates working in the ICRC's offices in Kabul and the Panjshir Valley are also monitoring population movements and assessing potential humanitarian needs.
Concerned by the humanitarian implications of this renewed outbreak of hostilities, the ICRC is maintaining a constructive dialogue with the parties to the internal conflict, reminding them of their obligation to respect the lives and property of all persons protected by international humanitarian law.
Further information: Corinne Adam, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++4122 730 22 24
SRI LANKA EVACUATING THE SICK BY SEA
On 1 August, the ICRC began evacuating serious medical cases from the Vanni, the northern province held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), by sea. By Monday, eight patients had been transferred to Mannar hospital aboard fishing boats protected by the red cross emblem and escorted by ICRC delegates.
The plight of the local population, especially the sick, has taken a turn for the worse since late June, when military operations resulted in the closure of the only land route to and from the Vanni, thus halting the delivery of food and medical supplies as well as all civilian movement.
The boats sailing from Mannar Island to Iluppaikadavai, off the Vanni coast, enabled students living in the Vanni to receive their question papers for the GCE Advanced Level examinations currently being held all over the island.
The ICRC, acting as a neutral intermediary, has been seeking to have the land route re-opened by urging both the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) and the LTTE to consider the humanitarian issues involved.
The ICRC will continue the medical evacuation operation until the SLA and the LTTE reach agreement on this matter.
The ICRC has been present in Sri Lanka since 1989. It currently has 44 expatriates and 300national staff working in its offices in Colombo and in the northern and eastern parts of the country.
Further information: Harasha Gunawardene, ICRC Colombo, tel.: ++941 503 346 Corinne Adam, ICRC Geneva, tel.: ++4122 730 22 24
Thursday, 12 August will mark the 50th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. The ICRC, the Swiss Confederation and the Canton and City of Geneva will be sponsoring the launch of a Solemn Appeal to all peoples, nations and governments of the world to reaffirm commitments made on behalf of the victims of war.
For more information on the events scheduled for 12 August (particularly for press accreditation to the main official ceremony, no accreditation accepted after 5 August) and on the Geneva Conventions, please contact Kim Gordon-Bates (tel.: ++4122 730 2302, fax: ++4122 730 2250, mobile: 41 79 217 3206, or e-mail: kgordonbates.gva@icrc.org).
Starting on 12 August, a special Website page will carry the texts of speeches, photos and transcripts for general use (address: www.onwar.org/12Aug/).
During the weekend of 7 - 8 August 1999, for all information please call the press officer on duty Francoise Derron, on (mobile) 41 79 217 32 03