Amnesty International calls for an immediate end to attacks on civilians in Sri Lanka

The international human right organization Amnesty International yesterday called for an immediate end to attacks on civilians in Sri Lanka.

Issuing a press release on yesterday’s twin bombings of two passenger buses that killed 23 civilians in Sri Lanka the organization called on the LTTE and other armed groups to comply with the rules of international law and to respect civilian life. The recent spate of attacks marks a pattern of deliberate and indiscriminate attacks in the south, as conflict intensifies in the north, it said.

It also urged the Sri Lankan government to protect and ensure the security of the people while respecting the international human rights and humanitarian law in the country.

“As the conflict intensifies in the north, Amnesty International is calling on the Sri Lankan government to ensure that its security forces comply with Sri Lanka's obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law, and in particular to ensure that the civilian population are protected at all times,” it said. The bombings yesterday on a bus at Katubedda, near Colombo during morning rush hour killed 21 people and injured another 64 while another bomb explosion in a bus in the central hills killed another 2 passengers and injured seven.