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…

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Sri Lankans in ‘Safe Zone’ Still Under Fire

[OneWorld.net] In a designated safe zone in northern Sri Lanka, weekend fighting has put civilians back in the war zone. A new “safe zone” has provided some respite for tens of thousands of local residents, reports the United Nations, but that area also experienced some fighting in the past several days. “The Sri Lankan government…

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Sri Lanka: ICRC carries on evacuation of sick and wounded by sea

[International Committee of the Red Cross] A ferry flying the flag of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) left Putumattalan today for Trincomalee with over 400 passengers on board, including patients and accompanying family members. “The ICRC was able to take action because both parties granted safe passage to our ship and gave…

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Refugee stream from Sri Lanka’s war zone picks up

[Reuters] Increasing numbers of refugees are fleeing Sri Lanka’s war zone, which is rapidly shrinking as the military bears down on the Tamil Tiger rebels’ last remaining territory, the military and the Red Cross said on Friday. “Families heading westward in search of safety are encountering other families moving eastward with the same aim,” ICRC’s…

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Civilians fleeing Sri Lanka fighting have no safe passage: ICRC

[AFP] Tens of thousands of people are on the run because of fighting between troops and Tamil rebels in northern Sri Lanka where civilians have no safe passage, the Red Cross said Friday. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was “extremely concerned” that the warring parties had not agreed on a…

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