Service in Mullivaikkal, Mullaitivu

          Dr. Varathan treating patients. 

                    

In 2007, Dr. Varathan assumed multiple roles; doctor at a Mullaitivu hospital, a medical officer of health for the Mullaitivu area and supervising doctor of an anti-malaria campaign. IN December of 2007, he was promoted to a position as the regional director of health services for the Mullaitivu district. During his tenure, he was able to improve relations with INGOs and prepare the hospital for any potential disaster management. When the war escalated to its final stages in 2008, with the Sri Lankan army advancing steadily into LTTE-controlled areas, civilians started to shift from Mannar and Kilinochchi to Mullaitivu to protect themselves from the advancing troops. As a result, Dr. Varatharajah coordinated medical support for many displaced people who were beyond his district.

From January of 2009, the war further escalated and more people were injured every day. The Sri Lankan government instructed INGOs and UN foreign staff to leave the area, thus resulting in their departure and leaving the local staff to fend for themselves. Aware of the deteriorating conditions, Dr. Varatharajah travelled to a government-controlled area to attend a health director's meeting that was held in Colombo. Whilst there, he took the initiative to explain the nature of the humanitarian crises which were unfolding in Mullaitivu to the attendees. However, whilst returning back, many others including health directors, advised him to not return to the war zone as he may perish at a young age due to the dangerous conditions. However, Dr. Varathan mentioned that he could not abandon a hospital and increased casualties that would ensue due to the increased violence. He was unable to immediately enter the war zone in Mullaitivu and it took him multiple attempts to cross the government border. He managed to do so after refusing to assume a position that he was offered in Vavuniya. As he returned to the Mullaitivu hospital, he became aware that 15 doctors had fled the scene to government-controlled areas to ensure their safety thus reducing medical capacities within the conflict zone.

In January of 2009, the Sri Lankan government announced that there were only 80,000 people in the LTTE-controlled areas of the Northern Province, whilst in reality, there were over 340,000 civilians.  The government aware that there were 340,000 civilians within the area as they had approved the provision of supplies for that number. Thus it is evident that the government intended to massacre the excessive civilians of around 260,000 to ensure that 80,000 emerged unharmed at the end of the conflict as per their statistics thus clearing them from accountability. Dr. Varatharajah was the first to publicly declare that there were over 340,000 people in that area. Dr. Varatharajah notified the media and INGO’s that the government was attempting to massacre the civilians conceal the reality. He provided weekly updates to the INGOs and foreign media. However, as there were no foreign media outlets within the conflict zone, Dr. Varatharajah was one of the few credible sources on the reality of the humanitarian and human rights crises that continued to unfold under the Sri Lankan government's genocidal onslaught.

          Tamils in makeshift hospitals within the "No Fire Zones"

                     

During that time, the Sri Lankan government declared a "No Fire Zone" which was no larger than a few square metres in Suthanthirapuram without consulting any medical staff. Dr. Varatharajah's Puthukudiyiruppu hospital was not included in the "No Fire Zone". The civilians were notified to seek shelter in the "No Fire Zone" which they vowed would not be attacked during the final stages of conflict. As, a result, the civilians hurried to the allocated zones with their meagre possessions. Following the announcement, countless civilians struggled without access to food or water. Due to the cramped nature of the zone, access to facilities were also limited or non-existent. A lack of direction and confusion further deepened the intensity of the situation where the civilians were unaware of the location of a hospital to which they could take their casualties. Vehicles were parked in random locations and pathways were blocked with heavy pedestrian congestion. However, when the bombs were dropped most civilians were either killed or injured. The killing rate increased in the "No Fire Zones". Records indicated that more civilians were killed in the "No Fire Zone" than in other areas through target air raids that were conducted by the Sri Lankan air forces thus indicative of the government's intentions. A few NGO and medical staff had also to the zone with the hopes of securing their lives.

While Dr. Varatharajah remained at the Puthukudiyiruppu hospitalto treat the casualties who would come in from the "No Fire Zone", he continued to notify the INGOs and the ICRC of the occurrences and emphasised the necessity to protect the Puthukudiyiruppu hospital. Dr. Sathiyamoorthy, a regional director of health services from Kilinochchi, and a fellow colleague who had moved to Mullaitivu and worked with Dr. Varatharajah to assist him at the hospital. Around 7 government doctors, including Dr. Varatharajah, were the only government doctors, with other medical staff and volunteers who served around 340,000 civilians in the final conflict zone.

Dr. Varathan said that, “all government officials left the area; we were the only ones who performed our duties there. Because of us, supply ships came there. Many times, we requested the roads to be opened to transfer people to other hospitals, but the government refused. We shared our day to day activities with the international community. If we remained silent, no one would have known what had happened inside. We had separate wards for the pregnant women and paediatrics, provided vaccine and necessary care to the infants in that critical situation. We ran the clinic for pregnant women as well. When the people were displaced there was no clean drinking water, we chlorinated the water to purify it so people can drink from it. We went out to bring injured people to the hospital for further treatment. We emailed daily all the INGOs and media the details. Many people were saved because we were informing the ground situation to the international community. Otherwise government would have killed even more innocent people. Army claimed that all the hospitals were controlled by the LTTE.” 

                        Injured Tamils in the "No Fire Zones"

                                                        

    He further mentioned that he had negotiated with the LTTE and was very strict with them in that they were not permitted to bring their vehicles to the hospital for any reason. The LTTE were also not allowed to enter the hospital in uniform to ensure that the civilians who were admitted in the hospital were protected and not attacked upon the grounds that LTTE cadres were also treated at the hospital. 

After several weeks, Puthukudiyiruppu hospital was also destroyed by government bombings. As a result, Dr. Varatharajah and the other staff moved to Puthumaththalam and the Mullivaikkal area to set-up a makeshift hospital at a school to treat the patients. He also took the initiative to contact the ICRC to transfer critically injured and ill people out of the zone via boats to a ship awaiting in the ocean. Around 10,000 injured people were saved whilst exposing the genocide that was occurring in the area. He continued to liaise with the various governments and INGOs to receive medical and food supplies for the remaining civilians, via the boat that had evacuated the 10,000 injured. It is noteworthy that Dr. Varathan continued to collate statistics regarding pregnant women and their children to ensure that they were provided with appropriate treatment. 

                         Injured Tamils being treated in the "No Fire Zones"

Moreover, he made an effort to save the staff documents. He scanned the files onto his USB drive and provided them to others to ensure that they were sent to Vavuniya without any damage. It should be noted that he was the only doctor who had protected his department staff documents during the war. Even when the staff moved from place to place, he assisted them by arranging the hospital lorry. No other departments had established this service for their staff. Dr. Varathan had also assisted foreigners who had attempted to locate details regarding their relatives.