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UN urges Sri Lankan rebels to allow free civilian movement |
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19:58, September 03, 2008 |
The United Nations Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator Office in Sri Lanka Wednesday urged Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels to allow civilians trapped in the island's conflict zone to move freely.
The office said in a statement that it acknowledges the Sri Lankan government's measures that intended to facilitate the movement of civilians who have been affected by the fighting in Northern Province.
Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defense said on Monday that it had taken swift measures to establish a humanitarian corridor so that civilians trapped in uncleared areas can escape to safe ground.
"The UN has raised with the LTTE its urgent concern that civilians be allowed maximum freedom of movement at all times," the statement said.
The statement added that the UN remains fully committed to assisting the government in its efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to those civilians who remain in the (LTTE controlled) Vanni and to those civilians who leave the Vanni.
The government had air dropped leaflets urging civilians to move out of the conflict zone but the response has been slow.
The LTTE is being accused of forcing people to stay on and using them as human shields in the raging fighting with government troops.
The government claimed that adequate relief measures for the internally displaced people have been provided.
The government has dismissed international agency figures of over 100,000 being made displaced as a result of the fighting.
But it has not issued any official figures of the displaced civilians.
Source:Xinhua
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