In mid-May, Amnesty International appealed to the LTTE and the armed forces to make every effort to ensure the security of half a million people in the contested area. Many people trying to flee the war zone have also been killed. In a letter to foreign missions in Colombo, Bishop Joseph alleges that the attitude of the armed forces is that It is better to kill the people than allow them to go into LTTE-controlled areas . Shells fired at Columbuthurai in the western part of Jaffna town on 15 May killed five people and wounded six others. A Sri Lankan Army base lies within 15 metres of Jaffna general hospital.
Many military installations are near refugee camps, schools and health facilities.
The Jaffna hospital continues to suffer from shortage of medicines and medical staff. Some of the injured are being brought by boats across the Jaffna lagoon to Vanni hospitals. In late May, MSF assisted in transporting 25 wounded civilians from Kilinochchi and Mallavi hospitals to the Vavuniya hospital. Observers say many people in Thenmaratchy have refused to accede to a request by the LTTE to move to the Vanni. In 1995 and 1996 some 400,000 Jaffna people went into the Vanni following an LTTE order.