Morning:
12°c
UK urges Sri Lanka ceasefire
Ed Harris13.05.09
Britain and America today urged both sides in the Sri Lanka conflict to lay down their weapons immediately and allow civilians to be evacuated.
Foreign Secretary David Miliband and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said they were alarmed at the large number of non-combatant casualties as fighting intensified between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels.
A senior UN aid official said the situation in north-eastern Sri Lanka was “awful”. The only hospital still functioning in the encircled north of the island was shelled by government troops today for the second day running.
At least 50 civilians had been killed, said Dr Thurairaja Varatharajah, the senior government health official in the war zone. About 40 people were wounded. Yesterday 49 people died.
The government denied the army had caused civilian casualties or used heavy weapons in civilian areas, but said it had pierced the Tigers' defences.
Mr Miliband and Mrs Clinton issued a statement after talks in Washington, urging all sides to “end hostilities immediately and allow for the safe evacuation of the tens of thousands of civilians trapped within the safe zone”. They said London and Washington were alarmed at the “large number of reported civilian casualties over the past several days in the designated safe zone”.
They also called for a political solution that “establishes a meaningful role for Tamil and other minorities in national political life”. More than 400 people were killed and 1,000 injured over the weekend in what the United Nations called a “bloodbath”. It estimates about 50,000 civilians are trapped in a tiny strip of land.
The appeal by the two countries follows other international calls to end fighting on the Indian Ocean island. UN humanitarian co-ordinator John Holmes yesterday said intransigence by the Sri Lankan government and the rebels had created an “awful situation”.
He said: “The government has said it is not using heavy weapons, but the evidence suggests that it is continuing to do so, at least to some extent.” The International Committee of the
Red Cross has abandoned a bid to deliver aid to the enclave and evacuate civilians. It said fighting was too fierce and another try would be made today.
Reader views (13)
United Nations is a dismal failure again.
Everybody wants to champion human rights while people die in thousands each day.
- Sandy, Toronto, Canada
It is a mercy killing by Sri Lanka of wounded and mentally ill in the hospital.
Sri Lanka will not heed to these futile plea.
It is time to drop food to starving civilians like what we did in Sierraleaone, kosovo etc.
Blaming both sides in the gravest crisis in the 21st century does not cut it.
- Sandy, Canada
Alan Tuck - actually, I have friends among ALL the main Sri Lankan communities / religions (can't say I know any veddhas but I'd like to think we'd be friends).
One of those friends lost his mother to cancer. A few months later, when one of his younger brothers was on his way home after work, an LTTE car bomb killed him and over 100 innocent commuters (describing the incident in UK terms: plant a bomb in between Victoria station and the bus stand and detonate it without warning during the evening rush hour).
He wasn't Sinhalese or Tamil, he was a Burgher.
So no, it's not just news to me.
- D Marks, London, UK
It's heartening to read comments from Tamils now speaking out against the criminal & brutal LTTE who were able to hijack there cause for so long and bring their community into so much disrepute. Soon it will possible to go forward to the next stage of national reconciliation in Sri Lanka, but first these death-cult fanatics in their last dedoubt have to be dealt with.
- Candidly, Kandy, Sri Lanka
Most casualty figures come from dubious doctors in the war zone, who never say anything about Tiger atrocities. So why do Miliband and Clinton still swear by it?
- Schweigen, London, UK
What, no ceasefire in Afghanistan or Pakistan?
- Schweigen, London, UK
The Tamil Tigers are a terrorist organisation funded partly by credit card fraud by Tamil refugees living in the UK. The West has a commitment on its war on terror therefore why should the UK interfere with the Sri Lankan government?
- Albert Swift, Aberdeen, Scotland
Why havn't Miliband and Clinton asked the Pakistani Army to lay down their arms and decalre an immediate ceasefire in the SWAT Valley. Also why haven't they asked the British Troops to stop firing against the Taleban in Iraq and Afganistan? Miliband should worry more about refunding the money he claimed for his child's pram as parliamentary expenses than make rash statements on Sri Lanka
- Tharun Gnanapragasam, London
D Marks, it's NEWS for you and life for those people!!!!
- Alan Tuck, Sandy
This is yet another farce. Don't these two Politicians have brains in their skulls? Mr. Miliband can be excused considering his inexperience. But Ms. Clinton? No way.
We as Tamils know better than anybody else how the LTTE has used all ceasefires declared by the govt. to rearm, re-group and then to attack. The classic examples are two very recent offers by the govt. During those four days only 150 civilians were able to move out as the LTTE did not allow them to go. During the ceasefire period of 2002-2004 the LTTE improved their military capabilities including acquiring light aircrafts and manufacturing submarines. According to Sacndinavian monitors LTTE had violated the ceasefire agreement more than 7500 times! So what a joke to have another one with the same group!
We, moderate Tamils want to see a Political atmosphere without the LTTE. Then we can talk and negotiate with the govt. With the LTTE it is impossible and history proves that.
Why cannot these Western politicians pressure the LTTE through diaspora to release civilians and lay down arms? Then there will be no casualties and fighting. Issuing mere statements against the LTTE is not enough. These two only want to castigate government by holding on to IMF loan, suspending from useless Commonwealth etc. For them the LTTE are good chaps. Are they willing to do the same to Osama?
I do now want to whitewash the government. They have blood in their hands. But who forced them to that position? The LTTE.
- Kumaran Sivagurunathan, London - UK
Mmm,they'll be shaking in their boots now the laughable 'UK' has asked them to behave themselves.
Not!
- Steve, London
Interesting how after the Swat valley had replaced Sri Lanka in the news headlines the hospital was attacked.
Curious, too how only innocent civilians are killed - apparently these terrorists are invincible.
Assume that you lack a shred of humanity or decency - if you were in a rapidly shrinking area, surrounded by a military with aerial strike capability that has vowed to get you, and the human sandbags that you surrounded yourself with (and the kids you'd pressganged into the firing line) weren't working, where would you set up your HQ / make your last stand?
Expect further horrific news.
Expect even more if they escape.
- D Marks, London, UK
tamil tiger terrorist surrounded in a 3 sqkm area is this a joke asking for a ceasefire or may be they see this as an oppertunity to show their humanitarian side.
- Donnie B, colombo
