London - International rights group Amnesty International Wednesday condemned the cluster bombing of a hospital in northern Sri Lanka, where government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels are locked in combat.
A hospital in the Mullaittivu district, a former Tamil Tiger stronghold, was evacuated Wednesday after 16 hours of shelling, including a cluster bomb attack, UN spokesperson Gordon Weiss said.
This came as the government dismantles what used to be an effective mini-state run by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the north of the country.
"The use of cluster bombs in such circumstances could constitute a war crime," said Sam Zarifi, Asia-Pacific director of London-based Amnesty.
"These bombs are inherently indiscriminate because of the wide area covered by the numerous bomblets released and the danger posed to all those, including civilians, who come into contact with them."
He added that cluster bombs were banned by an international convention which was signed by 107 states - but not Sri Lanka - last year.
"There has been no accountability on either side for serious violations of international humanitarian law in this conflict," Zarifi said.
"The Sri Lankan government has an obligation to investigate war crimes and, whenever there is sufficient admissible evidence, prosecute the person suspected of those crimes."
More than 50 civilians have been reported killed as the fighting escalates, while an estimated 120 000 civilians have been trapped by the conflict. - .Sapa-AFP