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May 11 in Mullivaikkal
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On May 11, international concern over the escalating humanitarian crisis intensified, with multiple organisations and officials describing mass civilian casualties, increasing diplomatic pressure, and calls for urgent intervention.
The United Nations spokesperson at the time, Gordon Weiss, described the situation as a “bloodbath,” stating that large-scale civilian deaths over the weekend—including more than 100 children—confirmed that previously warned worst-case scenarios had become reality. In response, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona rejected the remarks, stating that the government took “serious offence” and formally protested, arguing that UN officials should not make public statements that could embarrass the host government.
Humanitarian organisations reported extremely high casualty figures. The head of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), Lawrence Christy, stated that more than 3,200 civilians were killed overnight due to continued shelling in the No Fire Zone. He appealed for urgent international intervention to stop what he described as mass killings and to ensure the delivery of food and medical aid to civilians trapped in a severely restricted area of approximately seven square kilometres.
The LTTE’s international representative, Selvarasa Pathmanathan, issued a statement describing the situation as a “holocaust-in-the-making.” The statement alleged deliberate targeting of civilians and called on global governments and international opinion to prevent what it characterised as a developing mass atrocity.
At the United Nations Security Council, discussions on Sri Lanka did not result in formal action. Human Rights Watch representative Steve Crawshaw warned that continued inaction would represent a “failure of historic proportions,” noting that civilian deaths were ongoing. A leaked US diplomatic cable described internal debates among Security Council members, with several states—including the United Kingdom, France, Austria, Costa Rica, the United States, and Mexico—supporting stronger action. Russia and China opposed formal Security Council intervention, arguing the situation did not constitute a direct threat to international peace and security and could be addressed in other UN forums.
In parallel, major international human rights organisations—including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the International Crisis Group, and the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect—sent a joint letter to Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, urging Japan to support Security Council scrutiny of the situation in Sri Lanka and to keep it under formal international review.
In the United Kingdom, Foreign Secretary David Miliband stated that he was “appalled” by reports of mass civilian casualties and called for an immediate halt to the violence. He emphasised the need for urgent international attention, though he underestimated the number of civilians trapped in the conflict zone, later revised by other assessments.
Press freedom concerns also escalated, with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemning the expulsion of Channel 4 journalists from Sri Lanka. The organisation described the action as part of a broader pattern of press freedom violations, including intimidation, censorship, detention, and attacks on journalists covering the conflict.
Finally, the United Nations Secretary-General stated that he was “appalled” by the killing of hundreds of civilians over the weekend and warned that thousands had already died in the preceding months, with many more still in grave danger. The statement underscored growing international alarm over the deteriorating situation.
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