The military continues to deny permission for sufficient food and medicines to be taken into the area. In July, the Army refused to allow an ambulance presented by UNICEF into the Vanni. Although the Defence Ministry has granted permission for three ambulances to Vanni hospitals, the Army has blocked the delivery of the vehicles.
Following a visit to the Vanni in early July, Sri Lankan Red Cross Secretary Bulathsinhala says that his agency is unable to provide adequate assistance to the refugees. The Red Cross has written to the Health minister about shortage of medicines, but has received no reply.
Press reports say that 30% of the 300 people brought for further treatment to Vavuniya from the Vanni suffer from malnutrition. V Kandasamy, 55, and V Sellathurai of Skandapuram died on the way, while being transported from Kilinochchi hospital to the Vavuniya hospital in mid-July. In early July four people, including five year-old S Pamishan, injured in shell attacks in Jaffna’s Thenmaratchy, were admitted to Kilinochchi hospital.
In Vavuniya District,there is increasing concern over the rise in human rights violations. Speaking in Parliament in early July, Vanni MP P Adaikalanathan called for urgent action to end abductions and murders in the district.
According to the Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission (HRC) 303 people were arrested by security forces between January and June and the whereabouts of 17 people are still unknown, which includes Goodshed camp refugee B Thavarajah. In early July, the police Counter Subversive Unit arrested three refugees at Poonthottam refugee camp.
Five soldiers were killed and four others were injured in a LTTE landmine attack on 11 July at Thalikulam, nine miles west of Vavuniya town on Mannar road near Poovarasankulam. The security forces accused the Tigers of breaching an agreement to treat the area as a demilitarised zone. Food to the Vanni is sent through Pramanalankulam, just north of Poovarasankulam. The security forces ran amok in Thalikulam attacking people and seriously wounding four civilians. Soldiers also burned two shops and three houses. A Kantharasa suffered burns when his house was set alight. A number of people were taken into custody.
The LTTE injured three policemen in a grenade attack on 18 July at Pattakkadu. Reports allege that two days later, Tiger cadre burned a public bus in Pandarikulam, after ordering the passengers to get off.