Saturday June 6, 2009, 8:45 am
Three doctors who struggled to help tens of thousands of civilians wounded in Sri Lanka's war zone could be held for up to a year before being charged with harming the country, the government has revealed.

Sri Lanka's Human Rights Minister, Mahinda Samarasinghe, said the doctors were being detained on "reasonable suspicion of collaboration with the LTTE [Tamil separatists]". He said the men had to be presented before a court on a monthly basis, but that investigations could take more than a year.

In the final bloody months of the war, the three government-appointed medics – Thurairaja Varatharajah, Thangamuttu Sathyamurthi and V Shanmugarajah – worked with the most basic medical facilities to run a makeshift clinic inside the conflict zone.

Without many of the drugs they required, or sufficient staff numbers, the doctors struggled to manage while their clinic came under regular bombardment, reportedly from both the LTTE rebels and government forces.

Yet, to the fury of the government, the doctors were also one of the few sources of independent information about the civilian casualties of a conflict that was all but hidden from view.

The medics regularly spoke with the media, including The Independent, about the situation inside the war zone. They talked of shortages of food and medicine, and how their clinic was often hit by shelling. They talked about their efforts to prevent the spread of disease.

Their testimony often stood in stark contrast to the position of the Sri Lankan military, which denied using heavy weapons as it sought to breach the LTTE defences and free up to 250,000 civilians trapped there. Indeed, the military claimed that those who were injured or killed – the UN estimates 15,000 were wounded and at least 8,000 killed – were hit by LTTE firing. The government insisted that the testimony of the doctors could not be trusted, and that they were under the control of the LTTE.

In the very final days of the conflict, the three doctors fled the conflict zone and were detained by Sri Lankan troops. It is understood that one of them, Dr Varatharajah, was injured and had to be airlifted to hospital.

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Samarasinghe said the three men were being held by the criminal investigation department in Colombo.

"I don't know what the investigations may reveal, but maybe they were even part of that whole conspiracy to put forward the notion that government forces were shelling and targeting hospitals and indiscriminately targeting civilians as a result of the shelling," he said.

The only organisation with access to the doctors is the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which was the sole aid group that had access to the conflict zone.

Satish Kumar, brother-in-law of Dr Shanmugarajah, said he had been told by ICRC officials that they had been able to give him some clothes and that "he had not been tortured".

Mr Kumar, who lives in Norway, said: "If the government charges them, then we can approach a lawyer. Everybody knows they've not done anything other than help civilians and try to save lives. They may have given some casualty figures, but is that an offence? It's obvious how many people were injured – they are now all in the camps."

The UN said it has repeatedly raised the question of the men's detention.

In an effort to raise their profile, the men had been put forward for the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize, established in 1989 by Unesco to recognise those who have "made a significant contribution to promoting, seeking, safeguarding or maintaining peace".

Gordon Weiss, a UN spokesman in Colombo, said: "Our position is that these men are government medics who played a big role in saving a great many lives. If the government believes there is a judicial process, they should be charged or else let go."

Testimony: Exposing reality of life under fire

* "We are unable to treat people properly because a lot of aides have fled the hospital. We go into bunkers when there is shelling, and try to treat them as much as we can when there is a lull." – Dr T Varatharajah, 12 May, after confirming 50 deaths in Sri Lankan army mortar attacks on his hospital.

* "Today we can hear the gunfire and shelling. Yesterday, another 80 civilian casualties were brought to the hospital. Today at around 5.30am we heard the sound of artillery fire." – Dr T Sathyamurthy, 18 April. He estimated around 300,000 refugees were trapped in the war zone.

* "We are doing first aid and some surgeries as quickly as we can. The situation is overwhelming; nothing is in our control." – Dr V Shanmugarajah, on 10 May, when he estimated 378 civilian deaths at his hospital alone.

Saturday June 6, 2009, 2:05 pm
How can this be possible? I hope that there will be some investigations done and they are freed asap....

Saturday June 6, 2009, 3:51 pm
Very noted, thank you

Saturday June 6, 2009, 5:14 pm
Noted , how can this be possible ?

Saturday June 6, 2009, 7:00 pm
What a waste of human rights on both sides.

The accusations followed a resolution in the UN human rights council welcoming the Sri Lankan government victory, with no reference to human rights concerns over civilian casualties and the 300,000 Tamils made homeless, many of whom are interned in government camps.

But criticism was also aimed at the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, who ­visited the biggest camp over the weekend and complimented the Sri Lankan government on its humanitarian role, and the security council for not speaking out officially about the human cost of the military victory.

"The human rights council performed abysmally," said Tom Porteous, London director of Human Rights Watch. "It's there to monitor human rights and the laws of war, and it completely failed – and failed to register any concern over the situation." But they'd been doing this for decades.

Sunday June 7, 2009, 1:42 am
I'm so tired of the inability of governments to be honest, fair-minded and trustworthy. What on earth is the problem with the UN, The security council and the human rights council...cowardice or hypocrisy?

Sunday June 7, 2009, 2:57 am
God blessed us with many humane people in medical professions. Some are only interested in money, but I feel most doctors and other medical professionals are moved to compassion for human suffering. Look at these doctor! See how their benevolence is rewarded! Shameful, indecent, disrespectful people to arrest doctors on a mercy mission. God bless our healers and health care providers.

Sunday June 7, 2009, 3:14 am
Whatever the rights or wrongs of the situation it would appear the title "Human Rights Minister is a complete misnomer here. These brave doctors doing humanitarian work are just an inconveniant truth for a government which can hardly be described as innocent. Like most bullys they have to suppress any that might expose their tactics during the fighting. Rather like those regimes that target humanitarian activities the world over, it would appear to be fair game to fire on anything that has a UN, Red Cross or other humanitarian flag displayed. Because what those people may have witnessed might be an inconveniant truth for the aggressor attempting to scale the moral highground. As Mary said before me "God Bless our healers etc" Amen to that and I hope the peoples of the area will now live in peace and common sense will prevail and the authorities will think again about the disgusting treatment meted out to these wonderful humanitarians!

Sunday June 7, 2009, 1:02 pm
I hope that wiser council will prevail in the Government of Sri Lanka who are ecstatic after their victory over the Tamils.This is not the time for vengence or retribution but for reconciliation, and I hope that they wiil temper justice with mercy.As doctors are non- combatants they carry out their duties as best they can with what little is available and do so unselfishly and with dedication.I hope that through diplomatic means and through the UN these men shall soon be be released.

Sunday June 7, 2009, 6:27 pm
this seems so odd. the injured civilians and all of the aids and nurses can attest to the doctors' actions, the number of casualties and amount of shelling that occurred.

Monday June 8, 2009, 12:42 am
Thanks Pete and Eleanor and noted. Everyone has already said what I was going to!

Monday June 8, 2009, 6:02 am
Noted. It's a doctors duty to help evryone who is injured.

Monday June 8, 2009, 10:07 am
Noted. How terrible that those trying to better the world are imprisoned for their efforts.