UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Monday (May 11) expressed his shock over the killing of hundreds of Sri Lankan civilians caught in the war between Lankan army and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) over the weekend.
In a statement, he said that the intense conflict between Government forces and LTTE has claimed thousands of lives in the past several months. He therefore pressed both sides to adhere to their obligations under the international humanitarian law in ensuring the safety of the civilians.
Mr. Ban urged the LTTE to free the estimated 50,000 civilians still trapped inside the conflict zone, and also asked the Sri Lankan authority to bring the conflict to an end “without further bloodshed.”
Meanwhile, according to the Sri Lankan government website, over 1000 civilians escaped from the conflict zone in Mullaitivu and most have reached Omanthai. The Lankan defence sources also reported that LTTE forces opened fire on fleeing civilians, in which around 250 were injured or killed.
The LTTE, on the other hand, has accused the government forces of killing the civilians.
“The doctors in the conflict zone were heard on intercepted communications saying that they had no facilities to treat the badly wounded numbering about 250,” the website added.
As per UN estimation, so far, over 196,000 people have crossed to the Government-controlled areas from the conflict zone.
“LTTE are terrorists”
UK House of Commons member Malcolm Bruce in an interview to BBC Channel 4 (May 11) has termed the LTTE as terrorists by saying that “we have very credible evidence from many of the people we met in camps to say that they were threatened and shot at by their own side and were told that if they tried to leave the conflict zone their lives would be at risk.”
“And in those circumstances, I think there is a clear indication that this is a divided community, and unless you end terrorism you can not actually build a united Sri Lanka,” he added.
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