Sri Lanka faces war ‘catastrophe’

[BBC] The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned of an impending humanitarian catastrophe in north-eastern Sri Lanka. Up to 150,000 people may be trapped in the area by fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels. The ICRC has reiterated calls for a mass evacuation of civilians and for far more aid…

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Sri Lanka: End ‘War’ on Civilians

[Human Rights Watch] The Sri Lankan government should immediately cease its indiscriminate artillery attacks on civilians in the northern Vanni region and its policy of detaining displaced persons in internment camps, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Since early January 2009, civilian casualties have skyrocketed in the fighting between the Sri Lankan…

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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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Sri Lankan govt has public backing for war on Tigers: survey

[AFP] The Sri Lankan government has overwhelming public support for its war against the Tamil Tigers, and most people believe the rebels will soon be defeated, an opinion poll published Wednesday shows. The privately run research group TNS Lanka questioned 500 people living outside the northern conflict zone between October and November. The result will…

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As Fighting Flares in Civil War, Key Buddhist Shuns Nonviolence

[Washington Post] Rathana is a celebrated figure in this predominantly Buddhist nation, where monks are cherished for their spiritual guidance. But he is known for more than just his religious leadership. Dubbed the Parliament Monk and the War Monk by the Sri Lankan press, he is a legislator who has pushed for the use of…

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