Doctors who served in uncleared areas meet the media

"We thought LTTE were liberators of the Tamil people. They forcibly recruit children and youth. 3 - 4 from every family. I treated girls and boys of 14 - 15 age group who had been child recruits. It was a useless war. Their strategy was to use civilians as a human shield and to mislead the international community and obtain their support. They shouldn't have brought the war to the no war zone. Now LTTE leadership is decimated and people are liberated. We hope government will develop the area and Tamil diasphora should support." said Dr. Sivapalan at the media conference held at MCNS today(08).

As for me, I cooperate with the investigators. I want to serve people irrespective of the community under the Sri Lankan government, Dr. Sivapalan added.

"We regret very much for providing false information to foreign media while we were working in LTTE control area due to intense pressure from the LTTE" confessed Dr. Sivapalan, one of the five Doctors who answered queries by the Sri Lankan media personnel at this special media conference.

"While we were in the LTTE controlled area, we functioned as medical officers according to LTTE orders. We could not act according to our opinion. But now, there is a legal process concerning us. We are under legal custody and investigations are going on. The CID which is a government department conducts a proper legal process. In fact, we can even argue. We are aware that there is reasonable suspicion because we had to give medical treatment to LTTE cadres, during our stay with them. We are also aware that Sri Lanka is a democratic state Dr. Sivapalan stressed.

"The LTTE took the medicine supplied by the government. They had their own hospitals" Dr. Sivapalan revealed. He was able to handle maternity cases, the doctor revealed.

"I had to serve as a surgeon too in the South and the North. I see no difference between the blood of Tamils and Sinhala. Youth of both communities lose life and limb. War is over All of us unite to develop the country. I take this opportunity to thank the President and the Security Forces who rescued us. All Sri Lankan youth to unite and work selflessly" appealed Dr. Ilancheliyan.

"08 times government sent medical supplies but they didn't receive. The problem was that LTTE took medicine from us to treat their injured. They asked to tell media we don't have medicine, There was a shortage of medicine because LTTE took the whole stock said Dr. Vardharaja."

"The LTTE grabbed major part of food brought in ICRC shipments for use of their cadres. Civilians did not get them. First we opted to remain in the uncleared area for the sake of our families and other civilians. Later when the conflict intensified. we realized we were no longer be able to help the civilians said Dr. Ilancheliyan. We covered every field not only treating the injured but also maternity and pediatric fields, said Dr. Ilancheliyan.

Answering a query Dr. Sathyamoorthy revealed that the doctors themselves requested the government to organize a media conference to reveal their experience.

The LTTE used our names for their false propaganda against the Sri Lankan government. They put our names on the Internet with statements purported to have made by us. We were not a position to object. We didn't even know the LTTE used our names at the moment' said Dr. Vardharaja.

We gave exaggerated figures of civilian casualties to the media as ordered by the LTTE. Between January 15 - May 15 only 350 - 400 dead bodies of civilians were brought to hospitals revealed Dr. Sathyamoorthy.

Dr. Sivapalan served in the LTTE medical corps and four others. Dr. Shanmugaraja, Dr. Vardharaja, Dr. Sathyamoorthy and Dr. Ilancheliyan who participated at the media conference served the government hospitals before escaping.

All the doctors profusely expressed their gratitude to the H.E. the President and to the Security Forces.

They expressed the hope that they will continue to serve the people of the motherland in government hospitals in future.

Courtesy : MCNS