Sri Lankan Tamil migrants are detained by Indonesia

[BBC] A group of Sri Lankan Tamil migrants attempting to sail to New Zealand have been detained by Indonesian officials, they have told the BBC. The migrants told the BBC Tamil service that they are refusing to leave their ship before their safety can be guaranteed. [Full Story]

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Sri Lankans who escaped war zone now fenced in

[AP] Devi Segaram kept on the run for two years, forced to move time and again to stay ahead of the civil war sweeping across northern Sri Lanka. Then there was nowhere left to shelter. So, two weeks ago, the teacher and her daughter joined hundreds of other ethnic Tamils to make a dash for…

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As War Rages, Sri Lanka Braces for Flood of Refugees

[Voice of America] Tens of thousands of people fleeing the Sri Lanka’s civil war are taking refuge in government-run relief camps in the north. Many more are expected in the weeks ahead as the country’s 25-year war appears to be grinding to an end. That is creating a difficult humanitarian situation. Sri Lanka’s government has…

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Barbed wire villages raise fears of refugee concentration camps

[Times Online] Sri Lanka was accused yesterday of planning concentration camps to hold 200,000 ethnic Tamil refugees from its northeastern conflict zone for up to three years — and seeking funding for the project from Britain. The Sri Lankan Government says that it will open five “welfare villages” to house Tamils fleeing the 67 sq…

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