S Lanka civilian attacks denied

[BBC] The Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels have both denied accusations of inflicting civilian casualties in the north-east. The army said it was not responsible for the shelling of a makeshift hospital which the Red Cross (ICRC) said had killed 16 people on Monday. The Tamil Tigers denied shooting dead 19 fleeing civilians.…

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Tamil diaspora united in anger

[BBC] The bloody progress of the conflict in Sri Lanka has united many diaspora Tamils across the political spectrum. The Sri Lankan military has made major gains in its attempt to defeat Tamil Tiger rebels (LTTE) fighting for a separate homeland. But Tamils around the world have protested in their thousands about the fate of…

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BBC suspends Sri Lanka FM reports

[BBC] The BBC World Service is to stop providing radio news to Sri Lanka’s state broadcaster because of what it calls “deliberate interference”. A statement said FM broadcasts to the Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corporation would be suspended from Tuesday. The BBC said many of its news reports in Sinhala, Tamil and English had been blocked…

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Red Cross ‘incites S Lanka panic’

[BBC] The Sri Lankan government has accused the Red Cross of inciting panic over the military operation against Tamil Tiger rebels in the north. A spokesman said the ICRC had ordered 35,000 body bags for the battle zone to create what he called a fear psychosis among the international community. The International Committee of the…

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Sri Lanka rejects dialogue appeal

[BBC] The Sri Lankan government has rejected a call by international donors for Tamil Tiger rebels to negotiate terms of surrender with the government. Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa told the BBC that the government would accept only “unconditional surrender”. The US-led donors have urged the Tigers to consider laying down their arms to avoid further…

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