The tropical island of Sri Lanka is a paradise for tourists, but in 2009 it became a hell for its Tamil minority, as decades of civil war between the Tamil Tiger guerrillas and the government reached its bloody climax. Caught in the crossfire were hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren, doctors, farmers, fishermen, nuns and other civilians. And the government ensured through a strict media blackout that the world was unaware of their suffering. Now, a UN enquiry has called for war-crimes investigations. Those crimes are recounted here to the wider world for the first time in sobering, shattering detail.

While the world looked the other way, Sri Lanka's Tamils, civilians and rebels alike, were systematically and pitilessly attacked by their own government for five relentless months. Survivors of the devastation tell their stories of sacrifice, cruelty and bravery

About the Author
FRANCES HARRISON was educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and at SOAS and Imperial College in London. For many years she worked as a foreign correspondent for the BBC posted in South Asia, South East Asia and Iran. From 2000-4 she was the resident BBC Correspondent in Sri Lanka. She has worked at Amnesty International as Head of News and while writing this book was a visiting research fellow at Oxford University.

Reviews
An extraordinary book. This dignified, just and unbearable account of the dark heart of Sri Lanka needs to be read by everyone who upholds human rights. As a Sri Lankan myself, knowing what I do about the war, I was very moved by Harrison's beautiful clear prose, her straightforward retelling of the complex situation there, and her refusal to compromise the evidence. Every member of the UN Security Council should be sent a copy of this book -- Roma Tearne, author * Mosquito *
Harrison reclaims the human catastrophe from the statistics -- Steve Crawshaw * Observer *
Harrison demonstrates journalism at its best -- Helena Williams * Huffington Post *
Powerful -- James Crabtree * Financial Times *
Gripping and deeply disturbing -- Ellen Otzen * Alert Net *
A heart-breaking read... [This] reminds us of the need to remember this tortured corner of modern history -- Emanuel Stoakes * Huffington Post *
Very important, and very timely... makes the full horror of the last months of the war almost unbearably real * Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice *
[She] narrates the personal tragedies of common Tamils who survived the conflict of 2009 * New Delhi Mail Today *
All the stories have the common thread of unimaginable horror running through them, with stark, vivid descriptions of the atrocities the survivors witnessed and suffered * New Delhi Financial Express *
Ground-breaking and utterly compelling * The Age *
An extraordinary book, brilliantly crafted * Monsoon Journal *
Shocking... Harrison's account, based on the tales of survivors, is no less bloody for being told in words and numbers rather than pictures * International Affairs *
If and when the war crimes inquiry gets off the ground, Frances Harrison's brilliant exposition will provide a great deal of evidence for its hearings... A searing reading experience -- David Watts * Asian Affairs *
Heartbreaking and horrifying.... one of the most powerful books I've ever read. -- Anna Perera, author of Guantanamo Boy & The Glass Collector
Each chapter recounts gripping 'tales' of the battle zone... A valuable source material to the literature on the four decades of ethnic conflict * The Hindu *
A sad but gripping reading -- Syed Badrul Ahsan * Daily Star Bangladesh *
Extraordinary * Weekend Australian *



Book Information
ISBN 9781846274701
Author Frances Harrison
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Granta Books
Publisher Granta Books
Weight(grams) 204g
Dimensions(mm) 200mm * 130mm * 20mm