Sri Lanka: 16 patients killed in hospital shelling

By pearlaction | February 10, 2009 |

[AP] At least 16 patients being treated at a makeshift hospital in the northern Sri Lankan war zone were killed by shelling, the Red Cross said Tuesday, as the military accused rebel fighters of killing 19 other civilians fleeing the area. The United Nations, meanwhile, said it was outraged by the “unnecessary” deaths of hundreds of…

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U.N. experts decry ‘climate of fear’ in Sri Lanka

By pearlaction | February 9, 2009 |

[Reuters] Sri Lanka’s journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders are living in fear and need better protection from violence, United Nations investigators said on Monday. In a joint statement, 10 U.N. experts called on the government to act quickly to halt repressive practices. “The fear of reprisals against victims and witnesses, together with a lack…

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UN: 250K civilians facing food crisis in Sri Lanka

By pearlaction | February 6, 2009 |

[AP] The United Nations warned that civilians caught in the shrinking sliver of territory still controlled by the rebels are facing a massive food crisis, and convoys may not be able to deliver supplies until late next week. Concern for the fate of civilians – hundreds of whom observers say have died in the latest…

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ANC media statement on the crisis in Sri Lanka

By pearlaction | January 29, 2009 |

[ANC] The African National Congress (ANC) expresses its very serious concern at the unfolding humanitarian crisis that is emerging on the Island of Sri Lanka. The United Nations International Red Cross Committee has reported that over 300 000 civilians of Tamil origin are caught in the crossfire in the war that is currently raging in…

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