Sri Lanka seeks help from Red Cross
The Sri Lankan government today said it has appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross and foreign ceasefire monitors to persuade the Tamil Tiger rebels to help create a safe haven for an estimated 35,000 refugees caught in ongoing violence in the east.
Several dozens of the refugees have died in the past days in eastern Batticaloa District, the latest war zone, according to the rebels.
“We have made the proposal and we are waiting for a response,” Palitha Kohona, chief of Sri Lanka’s Peace Secretariat, said.
“The LTTE is holding the IDP (internally displaced persons) as human shields,” Kohona said.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has hit back, accusing the government of blocking a road, making it difficult for the refugees to reach safer places.
