Thousands of civilians under attack as fighting intensifies in Sri Lanka...

Tens of thousands of people, trapped in "safe zones" in the north eastern Wanni region, are at increased risk from the escalation in attacks by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, Amnesty International said today in a briefing on the conflict.

As the fighting intensifies and the number of casualties goes up, Amnesty International called for an immediate humanitarian truce, in order to allow aid to reach trapped civilians and ensure the safe passage for all those that wish to leave. The human rights organization also called on the United Nations and international donors to put pressure on Sri Lanka to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to camps for the displaced people in the region.

"The deliberate firing on civilians by either side constitutes a war crime," said Sam Zarifi, director of the Asia Pacific region at Amnesty International. "We cannot stress enough the importance of an immediate pause to allow the displaced to leave before thousands more are killed. The U.N. and international donors must put pressure on both parties to end this major humanitarian catastrophe." More...

See also:

1. US, China and the war in Sri Lanka...
2. Thousands of civilians dead in Sri Lanka, says UN...
3. Civilian 'slaughter' in Sri Lanka...
4. Sri Lanka faces "humanitarian catastrophe"