Sri Lanka Suffering Felt In new Zealand
By Christopher Adams

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Tamil protestors in Queen St last week.

Mangal Murughan has no idea when she will hear from her family in war-torn Sri Lanka again.

The Sri Lankan-born New Zealander received a call from her father on April 23 telling her that her brother, Shri Moorthi, had been killed two days earlier.

Her family was in the Government-designated safety zone, where civilians are supposed to be protected, when the Sri Lankan army encircled the area and began shelling, she said.

Mrs Murughan’s mother and father, as well as her brother’s wife and two daughters remain in the safety zone, along with thousands of other Tamil civilians, said Mrs Murughan.

She said her brother was hit in the head by a piece of shrapnel in front of the entire family as they were running for safety.

“He died on the spot,” she said.

The family was forced to leave Mr Moorthi’s body where it fell, and continue running for cover, Mrs Muraghan said.

“Psychologically they [the family] are all affected,” she said.

Mrs Muraghan added that her brother “was a very lovely person”.

She is especially worried for the wellbeing of her diabetic mother.

“I’m wondering how she is going to survive,” she said.

Conditions in the safety zone are appalling and there are only a few doctors and very limited medical facilities, said Mrs Murughan.

Ian McInnes, a Kiwi aid worker who has recently returned to New Zealand from heading an aid effort near the warzone in Sri Lanka, said that the situation in the country is critical.

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Aid worker Ian McInnes in his office at the Tear Fund HQ.

“The UN estimates 6500 people have been killed and 14,000 injured since January,” said Mr McInnes.

Mr McInnes worked in Sri Lanka as country director for US-based humanitarian organisation World Concern.

“We were working in hospitals immediately outside the war zone. We worked with 10,000 refugees, two-thirds of them were injured from gunfire and shelling.”

Since arriving back in New Zealand Mr McInnes has taken on the role of Sri Lanka spokesperson for Tear Fund.

Christopher Adams is a journalism student at AUT

ENDS

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