Sri Lanka: Urgently Evacuate Civilians

[Human Rights Watch] A humanitarian evacuation of civilians is desperately needed right now. Sri Lanka should urgently work with concerned governments to help civilians flee the fighting. Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.(New York) – The Sri Lankan government and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) should immediately agree to a…

Read More

‘Great danger’ for civilians in Sri Lanka conflict: UN

[AFP] Tens of thousands of Sri Lankan civilians face “great danger” after being caught in fighting between Tamil rebels and the advancing military, a senior UN diplomat warned on Friday. “Estimates vary of the number of civilians trapped, from 70,000 according to the government, through around 200,000 according to UN estimates, up to 300,000 or…

Read More

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 More

EU 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…

Read More