Both sides in the Sri Lankan conflict have been urged to stop fighting and allow for a "humanitarian pause" as UN officials revised their estimate of civilians trapped in the war zone up to 190,000. The UN, backed by the US and Britain, blamed Tamil separatists for the plight of civilians caught up in the conflict, with dozens believed killed in recent weeks and many more wounded and without medical treatment. Speaking in New York on Thursday John Holmes, the UN humanitarian chief, said he was particularly concerned about civilians being prevented from leaving the combat area by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Speaking after an informal UN Security Council briefing Holmes said he was pressing for urgent humanitarian access to the conflict zone in northern Sri Lanka. "We suggested the idea of some kind of humanitarian pause to allow that to happen and to allow the civilian population to leave," he said. "This is an extremely worrying situation and therefore, our first appeal is to the LTTE to let the civilians out in a safe and orderly fashion." LTTE 'cornered' The government says its forces have confined the LTTE to an area of about 21sq km, most of which is a government-declared safe zone, on the island's northeastern coast near the town of Puthukudirippu. Rosemary DiCarlo, the US representative to UN for special political affairs, expressed "real concern" on Thursday over the increasing death toll and condemned the LTTE's use of civilians as human shields.
DiCarlo also criticised the Colombo government for continuing to shell areas heavily populated by civilians in its efforts to end a 25-year civil war by subduing the LTTE. "We are very concerned that the government of Sri Lanka continues its shelling in areas where there are large numbers of civilians, very close to hospitals and civilian facilities, we understand quite a number of civilians have perished because of these attacks," she said on Thursday. But the Sri Lankan military has rejected the claims that it had fired on civilians. 'Every precaution' Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, the spokesman for Sri Lanka's defence ministry, told Al Jazeera on Friday that government forces have been taking every precaution against loss of innocent life. He said that, contrary to the claims, thousands of civilians have sought the military's protection from the fighting, with more coming daily. Hews Palihakkara, Sri Lanka's ambassador to the UN, said the government had declared a 48-hour ceasefire period but the LTTE was preventing civilians from leaving. "If the LTTE is ready to let the civilians go today, I will persuade my government to agree to any modality. You can call it a pause or something else," he said. Charges rejected A senior LTTE commander has also denied using civilians as human shields and rejected government claims that they were being kept hostage in the combat zone.
"It's a false allegation by our enemies. Our people are determined and continue to stay here despite the attacks from the enemies," Ilampirathi said, responding to questions posed by Al Jazeera and filmed last month. "Our people are helping the fighters in every way possible to fight the Sri Lankan forces. "They say they have to fight if they are to survive." Media access to the war zone is tightly controlled and claims by either the Sri Lanka government or the LTTE cannot be independently verified. |
UN urges halt in S Lanka fighting
Over 55,000 civilians flee Lanka war zone in three months
A total of 55,286 Tamil civilians have fled the fast-shrinking LTTE territory in the northern combat zone to take shelter in government-held areas since January this year, officials said today.
The latest batch to cross over from battle-scarred Wanni region yesterday comprised 1,386 people -- 413 men, 378 women, 315 boys and 330 girls, an official of the Ministry of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services said.
Thousands of civilians are trapped in a strip of jungle and beach along the island's northeast coast where troops are fighting to flush out the remnants of the Tamil Tiger rebels.
The official said 55,286 civilians have crossed over to government-held areas from Wanni till now.
The Indian government has also commended the relief efforts by the Sri Lankan government for the displaced people arriving from Mullaitivu, an official release said here today.
It said Indian High Commissioner in Sri Lanka Alok Prasad has expressed his appreciation when he called on Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva recently.
Minister de Silva thanked the High Commissioner for continuously providing services for the displaced at the 'welfare villages' set up by the Sri Lankan government.
The Sri Lankan government early this month sent 500 metric tonnes of food rations for the displaced civilians in Wanni, the biggest shipment so far, Commissioner of Essential Services S B Divarathna said.
UN, US, UK urge pause in Sri Lanka fighting
The United Nations, backed by Britain and the United States, has pressed for a "humanitarian pause" in strife-torn Sri Lanka and blamed Tamil rebels for the plight of trapped civilians.
The United Nations, backed by Britain and the United States, has pressed for a "humanitarian pause" in strife-torn Sri Lanka and blamed Tamil rebels for the plight of trapped civilians.United Nations humanitarian chief John Holmes told reporters after an informal UN Security Council briefing that his main concern "is the civilian population trapped in the combat area and not being allowed out by the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)."
He added that he was pressing for urgent humanitarian access to the combat area in northern Sri Lanka.
"We suggested the idea of some kind of humanitarian pause to allow that to happen and to allow the civilian population to leave," he said. "This is an extremely worrying situation and therefore, our first appeal is to the LTTE to let the civilians out in a safe and orderly fashion."
Rosemary DiCarlo, a senior US delegate to the UN, also voiced her government's "deep concern at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka" and slammed the LTTE, which she pointedly recalled is viewed by Washington as a terrorist organisation.
"We certainly condemn the fact that they (LTTE) use civilians as human shields ... We call on them to lay down their arms, renounce violence and negotiate with the government," she added.
DiCarlo also chided Colombo for continuing to shell areas heavily populated by civilians.
She said Washington had urged Colombo to cease the shelling and had received promises. "But we need to see results," she added, urging the Sri Lankan government to "pay more attention to protecting the civilian population."
Her British counterpart John Sawers also blamed the LTTE for the plight of civilians in the north of the country.
"It is the LTTE which is preventing them from doing so (leaving the combat area)," he said. "We condemn their action in that regard. We call on both parties to respect humanitarian law, cease use of heavy weapons and to everything to protect civilian lives."
Sri Lanka's UN Ambassador HMGS Palihakkara said his government shared concern about the fate of civilians, and noted that Colombo had declared a 48-hour ceasefire period.
He accused the LTTE of preventing the civilians from leaving.
"If the LTTE is ready to let them go today, my government will agree to a modality, a pause," the envoy said. "The quickest way to end the conflict is for the LTTE to lay down their arms and let these people move."
In Colombo, a government minister meanwhile said the Tamil Tiger rebels had lost more of their territory in northern Sri Lanka and their total defeat was now "imminent."
Government troops have confined LTTE fighters to an area of 21 square kilometres (eight square miles), most of which is a government-declared safe zone, said Keheliya Rambukwella, minister for foreign employment and the government's defence spokesman.
"Therefore, it is apparent that the LTTE are now at the imminent brink of defeat," he said.
At the height of their power in the mid-1990s, the Tigers controlled more than two-thirds of the Indian Ocean island's coastline and one third of the total land mass.
The collapse of the Tigers began two years ago, and accelerated after the government pulled out of a Norwegian-brokered truce in January 2008.