Posts by pearlaction
Civilians face increasing risk amid Sri Lanka fighting, warns UN humanitarian chief
[UN News Centre] The United Nations is increasingly concerned for the well-being of tens of thousands of civilians caught up in the conflict raging in the northern Vanni area of Sri Lanka pitting Government forces against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the world body’s humanitarian chief said today. “As fighting surrounds the…
Read MoreRefugee stream from Sri Lanka’s war zone picks up
[Reuters] Increasing numbers of refugees are fleeing Sri Lanka’s war zone, which is rapidly shrinking as the military bears down on the Tamil Tiger rebels’ last remaining territory, the military and the Red Cross said on Friday. “Families heading westward in search of safety are encountering other families moving eastward with the same aim,” ICRC’s…
Read MoreSri Lanka Army Corners Rebels
[Wall Street Journal] Sri Lankan armed forces have surrounded a shrinking number of Tamil Tiger rebels in the northeastern part of the country in a bid to crush the separatist movement and end Asia’s longest-running civil war. On Thursday, the army built on recent advances, taking control of a makeshift airstrip used by Tamil Tiger…
Read MoreCivilians fleeing Sri Lanka fighting have no safe passage: ICRC
[AFP] Tens of thousands of people are on the run because of fighting between troops and Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka where civilians have no safe passage, the Red Cross said Friday. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was “extremely concerned” that the warring parties had not agreed on a…
Read MoreIndia urged to raise human rights issues in Sri Lanka
[Amnesty International] As the Indian Foreign Secretary visits Sri Lanka this week, he has been urged to raise concerns over the safety of displaced civilians trapped in the Wanni, in discussions with the Government of Sri Lanka. In an open letter to Shivshankar Menon, Amnesty International has asked him to pay special attention to the…
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