Posts by pearlaction
Sri Lanka: UN expert calls for ‘humanitarian pause’ to save trapped civilians
[UN News Centre] “I am deeply concerned for the lives of over 100,000 civilians trapped in the 14-square kilometre area of the Vanni declared by the Government of Sri Lanka as a no-fire zone, Walter Kälin, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Representative for the Human Rights of Displaced Persons said following a four-day visit to the island…
Read MoreTamil protesters vent their fury
[BBC] Hundreds of Tamil protesters camped out in Parliament Square, having been moved on from nearby Westminster Bridge, which they had blocked overnight with a mass sit-down demonstration. The police, who were filming the protest, have come in for criticism. Some protesters said officers had been heavy-handed in moving them on from Westminster Bridge. One…
Read MoreTamils protest outside UK parliament
[CNN] Several hundred Sri Lankan Tamil protesters shouted slogans at the British Parliament for a second day Tuesday, urging it to act to end the “genocide” against their people in Sri Lanka. “Stop the genocide!” they shouted. “Stop the war!” They waved the red flag of Tamil Eelam, the Tamils’ traditional homeland in northern and…
Read MoreWestminster Bridge closed after Tamil ceasefire protest
[ The Guardian ] Police closed Westminster Bridge in London and attempted to contain thousands of Tamil protesters who surrounded parliament last night demanding an immediate ceasefire in Sri Lanka. One man was rescued after jumping into the Thames. Four RNLI lifeboats were on standby in the river after reports that demonstrators had threatened to…
Read MoreSri Lanka says EU diplomats may visit war-torn north
[AFP] Sri Lanka said on Wednesday it would open up its war-torn north to international scrutiny, days after the UN said it suspected war crimes were being committed in the fight against Tamil rebels. A foreign ministry official said talks were under way to give a European Union fact-finding mission access to the area, which…
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