News Service from House Harris

ASIA: 178 civilians killed in 2009 from Sri Lanka fighting: doctor

COLOMBO, Jan 27 AFP - At least 178 civilians were killed in Sri Lanka's embattled north in January as government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels were locked in combat, according to figures compiled at one hospital alone.

The government has been insisting there has been "zero civilian casualties" in its operation to crush the rebels in their last remaining bastion of Mullaittivu district.

But doctors on the ground say this is far from the case.

"It's terrible, it's a tragedy," T Satyamurthy, director of Udaiyaarkaddu Hospital, told AFP by telephone Tuesday from Tamil-dominated Mullaittivu, placing the civilian death toll at 178 so far this year at his hospital.

More than 740 people were also admitted to the hospital with injuries during the month so far, said Satyamurthy, who put together the casualty toll.

"Three dead bodies of civilians were brought in on Tuesday and 15 more admitted injured due to the heavy shelling," he said as sounds of artillery fire were heard in the background.

He could not say who was responsible for the firing.

Most of Mullaittivu district is under government control after a year-long battle by Sri Lankan troops to seize the area.

Satyamurthy stressed the number of civilian deaths that he knew about were only at his hospital and that there had been more "as many bodies are lying unclaimed by the roadside."

Other bodies have been buried by relatives, he said.

It was difficult to obtain an official toll as medical officials said they had been ordered by the health ministry in Colombo not to reveal casualty figures and no journalists are allowed into combat zones on their own.

Satyamurthy said 30 civilians were killed and 76 wounded on Monday when a large number of shells fell on two rural hospitals in the district, where the Tigers have suffered a series of defeats. The injured included medical staff.

"There are over 100 patients being treated currently here. We don't know how we can treat them. We have little staff, little medicine. The staff are scared of the shelling. We're doing our best," Satyamurthy said.

He said hospital ambulances were being used to transport bodies to funeral grounds.

"There are many bodies not being claimed from the mortuary as relatives have fled the area due to the heavy shelling," he said.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) did not comment, but the pro-rebel Tamilnet website on Tuesday said "more than 300 people have died and several hundreds have bled to death within the last 24 hours."

The government has dismissed charges of widespread civilian deaths, with military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara branding it a "cheap propaganda exercise" by the Tigers.

The US on Tuesday joined other countries in expressing concern for an estimated 230,000 internally displaced people in the "safety zone," a de-militarised area declared by the military as a civilian shelter.

"Both sides must exercise maximum restraint to ensure civilians are not caught in crossfire," US ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake said.