SLA attacks kill 23 Tamil civilians within 12 hours

[TamilNet, Monday, 13 April 2009, 10:43 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired shells and gunfire killed at least 23 civilians within the last 12 hours from 8:30 p.m. Sunday to 8:00 a.m. Monday, according to TamilNet correspondent reporting from the safety zone in Vanni. Most of the killings, numbering between 15 - 20, occurred in the early hours of Monday when SLA stepped up a fresh ground push to advance into the safety zone. The SLA is trying to advance during the night aiming for bifurcating and capturing northern or southern part of the so-called safety zone contradicting the announcement by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa that he had instructed his ground forces to "restrict their operations during the New Year to those of a defensive nature."

Most of the civilian casualties have been reported within Valaignarmadam and Mu'l'livaaykkaal.

Sporadic shelling and gunfire was reported after 8:00 a.m. when the fighting ceased.

Chronology:

13.04.09 SLA attacks kill 23 Tamil civilians within 12 hour..

13.04.09 SLA steps up ground offensive targeting 'safety zo..

12.04.09 Plight of babies born and unborn

12.04.09 31 civilians killed in SLA shelling, gunfire in 's..

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08.04.09 SLA bombs child nutrition centre in safety zone, 2..

07.04.09 Colombo turns firepower onto 'safety zone'

07.04.09 Threat of starvation haunts "Safe Zone" families

06.04.09 Medical official reports on pattern of shelling in..

05.04.09 Mangled bodies, torn limbs litter Safe Zone - medi..

05.04.09 SLA intensifies attacks on Safe Zone, 71 civilians..

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31.03.09 SLA fires cluster shells, 45 civilians killed, 120..

31.03.09 SLA attacks kill 88 Tamils, including 21 children ..

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24.03.09 62 civilians killed, SLA, SLAF step up attacks on ..

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21.03.09 SLA shelling kills 102 civilians within 3 days ins..

17.03.09 84 killed, 182 wounded in SLAF attacks, shelling o..

17.03.09 18 civilians reported missing in 'safe-zone' borde..

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13.03.09 SLA shelling targets relief supplies and hospital,..

13.03.09 SLA shelling targets humanitarian supplies in 'saf..

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11.03.09 SLA shelling kills 133 civilians including 49 chil..

10.03.09 Sri Lankan cluster shelling kills 129 civilians wi..

10.03.09 Colombo's shelling carnage of flood-hit civilians,..

09.03.09 Shelling amidst mini-cyclone and lashing rains, th..

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27.02.09 Downed SLAF aircraft was engaged in carpet-bombing

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24.02.09 Children vulnerable to SLA shelling in new 'safe z..

22.02.09 50 Tamil civilians killed, 130 wounded within 48 h..

21.02.09 13 civilians killed, 70 wounded in SLA barrage Fri..

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18.02.09 SLA artillery fire hits new 'safety zone', 108 kil..

16.02.09 260 killed, SLA shells and boxes civilians, preven..

16.02.09 Colombo uses firebombs setting ablaze civilian tar..

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