Posts by pearlaction
The Full Story: PM’s Questions
[BBC] 13:04-14:01 “Hundreds of thousand of innocent Tamil civilians are currently under siege in Sri Lanka because of aerial bombardment by the Sri Lankan government,” Mr. Vaz told Parliament. “Last Sunday (sic) the editor of a leading newspaper was assassinated. He said in an [editorial] written before he was killed that this was due to…
Read MoreFears grow for Sri Lanka Civilians
[Al Jazeera] Aid organisations say a major humanitarian crisis is unfolding in northern Sri Lanka where government forces are engaged in fierce fighting with Tamil Tiger rebels. Around 350,000 Tamil civilians are crammed into the area where fighting is taking place, forcing them to endure heavy bombardments and acute food shortages. Foreign journalists are prevented…
Read MoreObama pressed over human rights
[BBC] A leading advocacy group called today for US President-elect Barack Obama to put human rights at the centre of US foreign, domestic and security policy. The US-based Human Rights Watch called on Mr Obama to undo “the enormous damage” of the Bush administration. The group’s annual report criticises Israel and Hamas for what it…
Read MoreArmy ‘completes Jaffna takeover’
[ BBC ] The last remaining strip of rebel-held land on the northern Jaffna peninsula is now in government hands, the Sri Lankan administration says. Correspondents say that taking full control after nine years is another strategic victory for the government. The capture follows the recent fall of the town of Kilinochchi and the strategically…
Read MoreSecurity Council, in presidential statement, reaffirms commitment to protection of civilians in armed conflict, adopts updated aide-memoire on issue
[ United Nations Security Council ] In Sri Lanka, strict compliance with international humanitarian law was all the more critical with the intensification of fighting in the Vanni region and reports of intermittent artillery fire in civilian populated areas in recent weeks. He said the scale of humanitarian needs was difficult to gauge, given restricted…
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