PARIS: France’s Action Against Hunger (ACF) yesterday accused Sri Lankan security forces of killing 17 aid workers in cold blood and then organising a cover-up of what it described as a “heinous” war crime. In a report on the bleakest day in its history, the charity said it has proof that Sri Lankan army, navy and police personnel were implicated in the August 4, 2006 massacre in the city of Muttur, in the mainly Tamil north of the island. “In one of the most heinous crimes ever committed against humanitarian workers, the 17 aid workers were lined up, forced to their knees and each shot in the head,” ACF said. The aid workers, 16 ethnic Tamils and one Muslim, were killed as Sri Lankan government forces, then engaged in a civil war against Tamil Tiger separatists, took over Muttur. Government forces finally triumphed in the conflict in 2009 after decades of fighting characterised by numerous atrocities on both sides. Defence officials in Colombo dismissed ACF’s report and questioned why the charity had “withheld” evidence that could have helped local investigators.
80 reptiles found in 1-room house
TOKYO: Venomous lizards and snakes up to nine-feet-long were among 80 reptiles police found crammed into a one-room apartment in Japan, an official said. Officers were called by a frantic neighbour who saw a huge snake slithering along a wall outside the apartment in the western hub city of Osaka. When police raided the apartment they found dozens of snakes, including a three-metre boa constrictor, as well as a number of lizards. All were being kept in individual containers in the 10-square-metre room. Officers seized 25 of the creatures, which were being kept without the necessary permits, the official said. The owner, a man in his 40s, was not arrested. “The man told us he kept them as pets and fed them on things like frozen mice. We are investigating where he obtained these reptiles,” the police official said.
Jatiya party shuns Bangla polls
DHAKA: Another major Bangladesh political party yesterday announced a boycott of the upcoming general election, declaring the country was on the “brink of disaster” as seven more people died in poll protests. Former dictator Hussain Muhammad Ershad said his Jatiya Party, the country’s third largest and a key ally of the ruling Awami League, would not contest the January 5 election. Agencies
