Mannar (AsiaNews) – The Sri Lankan Catholic Church has slammed the latest bombing raid by the country’s air force that left 14 people dead, including children, in the village Padahuthurai, in the northern part of the island nation.
After visiting the place of the attack, the bishop of Mannar, Mgr Joseph Rayappu, said that the military operation wiped out the settlement that was largely occupied by internally displaced people.
According to the bishop, who spoke to local media, there was no Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam base in the area.
Among the 14 people killed, six were children under the age of 8. And at least 35 people were wounded, including many children.
Most of 236 residents in the attacked village were civilians who had fled Navanthurai and
Northern and eastern
Mgr Thomas Soundaranayagam, bishop of
In his New Year message, the prelate said: “This is the only New Year request I am placing in front of the international community. When war clouds gather over Tamil areas, starvation threatens to engulf the Tamil people, the spectre of infectious diseases as a shortage in medicines looms on the horizon, and fear and anxiety grips the Tamil people as they live day-to-day.”
Bishop Soundaranayagam urged people to pray for peace echoing the Pope’s Christmas words: “I pray to God that in