Sri Lanka

Suspicions over doctors' claim of death toll exaggeration

Article published on the 2009-07-09 Latest update 2009-07-09 15:21 TU

Burial in northern Sri Lanka of civilians caught in crossfire January 12, 2009.
REUTERS/Stringer

Human rights activits fear the Sri Lankan government has pressured a group of doctors to claim the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam forced them to inflate death toll figures during the bloody civil war in May this year.  

The five doctors were arrested in May and stand accused of spreading enemy propaganda during the government offensive which defeated the separatist guerrillas.

The doctors worked in the rebel-held territory being bombarded by government troops. One of the five, Dr Thurairaja Varatharajah, said Wednesday the LTTE had "forced us to give figures".

He said that 350-400 civilians were killed in the last month of fighting and a similar number died between January and April.

But Amnesty International's Asia Pacific director Sam Zafiri, said there was serious concern the doctors were being subjected to ill treatment or undue pressure by the government given they had been in detention for nearly two months.

“The Sri Lankan government’s attitude seems very confusing and inconsistent because, on the one hand, it says that these doctors were forced by the Tamil Tigers - who are a very vicious force - to make statements," he said. 

"But at the same time, the doctors seem to be being punished for making those statements. And of course you can’t really punish someone for engaging in propaganda if they were speaking with a gun held to their head.”

The doctors have all denied that they were making the new claim under police or government pressure.

Zafiri said there was no justification for the government to block any investigation of the war site. “If the government stands by its story, it should allow independent monitors to go in to investigate the remaining areas; to look at the battle field and see what happened; to allow monitors to speak with witnesses.”

The doctors have been in police custody since crossing into government-held territory just before the LTTE leadership was wiped out. The authorities say they will be prosecuted for spreading enemy propaganda, although they have not been formally charged.

An internal UN report put the death toll at 7,000, prompting calls for an enquiry into allegations of atrocities.

On Thursday the International Committee of the Red Cross said it has been told by the government to scale down relief operations on the island.

The charity is to withdraw expatriate staff from the eastern province where it has been helping civilian war victims.