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UN’s Ban urges suspension of Sri Lanka fighting
[Reuters] U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Monday for a “suspension in fighting” between the Sri Lanka government and Tamil Tiger separatists to allow civilians to escape. “There is an urgent need to bring this conflict to an end without any further unnecessary loss of civilian life and destruction of Sri Lankan society,” Ban told…
Read MoreSri Lanka rejects Tigers’ ceasefire calls
[AFP] Sri Lanka’s military on has demanded the complete surrender of the Tamil Tigers, rejecting rebel calls for an immediate ceasefire. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said the Government could not accept a conditional truce from the cornered Tamil Tigers and insisted that the guerrillas should unconditionally lay down arms first. Earlier, the rebels announced…
Read MoreConcerns raised over civilian deaths in Sri Lanka violence
[Los Angeles Times] The number of civilian deaths in Sri Lanka has risen sharply in the last month, Human Rights Watch said Friday, calling on both sides in the protracted civil war to stop firing at civilians or shelling areas where they are concentrated. The government has been battling the Tamil Tiger rebel group, which…
Read MoreThousands of Tamils rally at White House
[AFP] Thousands of members of the Tamil diaspora rallied Friday outside the White House to demand US pressure on the Sri Lankan government as it pursues a major offensive against Tiger rebels. The rally was met by a smaller counter-demonstration, mostly by members of Sri Lanka’s majority Sinhalese community, who called for the separatist Liberation…
Read MoreEU calls for humanitarian ceasefire in Sri Lanka
[AFP] EU foreign ministers are set to make a joint call next week for an immediate ceasefire between Sri Lankan security forces and Tamil Tiger rebels to allow aid in and civilians out of the conflict zone. “The EU is deeply concerned about the evolving humanitarian crisis and vast number of internally displaced people,” according…
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