HEAVY FIGHTING, ALONG WITH CASUALTIES, CONTINUE IN SRI LANKA CONFLICT ZONE – UN

HEAVY FIGHTING, ALONG WITH CASUALTIES, CONTINUE IN SRI LANKA CONFLICT ZONE – UN
New York, May 13 2009 4:00PM
Heavy fighting between Government forces and Tamil rebels is reportedly continuing in the conflict zone in northern Sri Lanka, with heavy casualties, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA).

This follows weekend clashes in the area between the army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in which hundreds of Sri Lankan civilians were killed.

The UN estimates that over 50,000 people remain in the conflict zone, a shrinking pocket of land on the northern coastline, while more than 196,000 people have managed to leave and crossed to Government-controlled areas.

OCHA said it has been informed by the Government of Sri Lanka that it will soon issue identification cards to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) once the registration process is completed, UN spokesperson Michele Montas told a news conference in New York.

The cards will allow for IDPs to travel outside camp locations for employment, purchasing provisions and other essential activities. Currently over 20,000 IDPs have already registered for IDs and the process is ongoing.

Since the recent large influx of IDPs, many of the camp management duties have been taken over by the military.

"The UN continues to emphasize the need for the camps to be managed by civilians, and reiterates the need for more civilian police, including women police and police from the Tamil community," said Ms. Montas.

Also today, an International Committee of the Red Cross-flagged ship carrying 25 metric tons of food turned back due to fighting in the conflict zone, for the second time in as many days.

An additional 500-ton shipment of mixed food commodities is ready for departure from Trincomalee later today, and another shipment of 25 tons of food is planned for Thursday.
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UN CHIEF ‘APPALLED’ BY WEEKEND DEATH TOLL IN SRI LANKAN CONFLICT

UN CHIEF 'APPALLED' BY WEEKEND DEATH TOLL IN SRI LANKAN CONFLICT
New York, May 11 2009 3:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said he was appalled at the killing of hundreds of Sri Lankan civilians caught in the middle of hostilities between the army and separatist Tamil rebels over the weekend.

The raging conflict in the north of the South Asian nation between Government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has claimed thousands of lives in the past several months, Mr. Ban said in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3839">statement attributable to his spokesperson.

Voicing deep concern over the continued use of heavy weapons in the conflict zone, a shrinking pocket of land on the northern coastline, he stressed that the "reckless disrespect shown by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for the safety of civilians has led to thousands of people remaining trapped in the area."

Mr. Ban pressed both sides, in the strongest terms possible, to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law, reminding them that the world is watching events in Sri Lanka closely.

He said that the LTTE must allow the remaining civilians in the conflict zone – estimated by the UN to be over 50,000 – to leave immediately, and urged the Government to bring the conflict to an end "without further bloodshed."

The Secretary-General stressed that the terms for halting the military offensive must be made public and the LTTE must "give sober and positive consideration of those terms."

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA) said today that 900 civilians reportedly escaped from the conflict zone in Mullaitivu and most have reached Omanthai. So far, over 196,000 people have crossed to the Government-controlled areas from the conflict zone.
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SRI LANKA: BAN DEPLORES RISING CIVILIAN DEATH TOLL FROM ONGOING FIGHTING

SRI LANKA: BAN DEPLORES RISING CIVILIAN DEATH TOLL FROM ONGOING FIGHTING
New York, Mar 5 2009 2:00PM

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today strongly deplored the mounting civilian death toll in areas of fighting between Sri Lankan Government forces and Tamil rebels, and called for an immediate halt to the fighting.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported today that conditions for people confined in the war zone in the northern Vanni region deteriorated last month.

The conflict zone has shrank from 300 square kilometres to nearly 58 square kilometres in February, with many civilians – the UN puts their number at between 100,000 and 200,000 – taking refuge in a new 14-square kilometre 'no-fire zone.'

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Mr. Ban repeated his call to the Sri Lankan Government and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to "suspend hostilities for the purposes of allowing civilians to leave the conflict zone, and allowing immediate humanitarian access to them."

Further, he appealed to the LTTE to take its weapons and fighters out of areas where there are many civilians, cooperate in humanitarian efforts and instantly end recruiting children, some as young as 13 years of age, as soldiers.

According to OCHA, civilians continue to lose their lives within the war zone, as well as in the no-fire area which has suffered shell strikes. The world body has no verifiable numbers due to lack of access for relief workers, but estimates that thousands have been killed and wounded.

The no-fire zone is believed to be very squalid and overcrowded, and the UN has received information that people are dying from lack of food. The conditions there could lead to outbreaks of malaria, dengue fever and measles, and a chicken pox outbreak has already been reported.

OCHA said that the LTTE has prevented civilians from leaving the war zone, with people consistently reporting that the rebel group has killed family members trying to cross the front lines and forcibly moving civilians.

The UN has called for $155 million for humanitarian needs in Sri Lanka's north and east to help those caught in fighting and those who have fled hostilities.

The Secretary-General today also urged the Government to begin "serious" efforts to resolve the underlying causes of the conflict.
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