Articles
For those who escape the Vanni region, there is nothing to do but wait – and worry about those left behind
[MSF] MSF is ready to assist the population of the camps by providing independent and confidential mental health services and we are discussing access with the authorities. The civilian population in the Vanni are suffering heavily as a result of the violence. Out of the 953 admissions of wounded and sick people evacuated from the…
Read MoreSri Lankan Government Rejects Rebel Appeal For Truce
[VoA] In Sri Lanka, the government has rejected an appeal by the European Union for a cease-fire with Tamil Tiger rebels. Intense fighting is under way in the northeast, where the military is trying to capture the last strip of territory held by the rebels. The government’s outright rejection for a truce with Tamil Tiger…
Read MoreAfter Fighting, Sri Lanka Needs Devolution – India
[AFP] Sri Lanka needs true devolution of power to minority Tamils if it wants to permanently end its long-running ethnic war, Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said Wednesday. Menon, who was in Washington for talks, said the U.S. and the Sri Lankan government itself both agreed with regional power India on the need to quickly…
Read MoreIn Sri Lanka, UN Still Withholds Casualty Numbers, Funds Detention Camps
[Inner City Press] For two weeks, Inner City Press has asked at the UN whether international aid funds will be used for detention camps in which those fleeing the conflict zone in Sri Lanka will be detained, until the end of 2009 or longer. Holmes on Monday confirmed that the UN has “offered to assist…
Read MoreSri Lanka: “Don’t Abuse the Displaced”
[Human Rights Watch] “It is time for concerned governments like Japan, India, and the US to ensure that President Mahinda Rajapakse’s government and the Tamil Tigers allow the victims of this conflict to live with justice and dignity. Both sides should agree to a humanitarian corridor and otherwise respect the laws of war.” Our latest…
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