Word: lankans
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Many thousands of civilians have been forced to flee since fighting started in March 2008, when the Sri Lankan army began advancing on areas held by the Tigers in the northern region known as the Vanni. Over 65,000 civilians have since braved the fighting and escaped to safety behind army lines, and another 10,000 sick and wounded civilians and caregivers have been evacuated by sea by the International Committee of the Red Cross...
...Lankan military authorities predicted a swift end to the country's 25-year civil war after tens of thousands of civilians who had been trapped in a narrow combat zone in the country's north for over two months escaped the iron grip of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on April 20. But more fighting is in store before that end can be reached. It will take weeks, if not longer, to capture or kill the over 500 hardcore Tigers - including leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, who is holed up deep inside the zone - ready to fight to the death...
...high, around a narrow 12-km (7.5-mile) no-fire zone on the eastern shores of the Mulaithivu lagoon and, according to reports from the area, had set up gun encampments every 30 meters (98 feet) or so along it. According to Laxman Hulugalle, Director General of the Sri Lankan defense ministry's Media Centre for National Security, after overnight fighting, troops captured a small stretch of the fortified earth bund on the morning of April 20, and between 25,000 and 30,000 civilians trapped behind the bund streamed through. (See pictures of Sri Lanka: Tiger Territory...
...Tigers held vast swaths of land in the country's north, but have now been limited to a 20 sq km (7.7 sq mi) coastal zone surrounded by the military. A naval blockade to the east has also cut off possible escape routes. On Monday, the Sri Lankan government gave the Tigers 24 hours to surrender...
...civilians who escaped on Monday were among over 150,000 trapped in the now narrow battle zone, according to the U.N.; the Sri Lankan government puts the figure at around 70,000. "We cannot give an exact figure, it is very difficult," Hulugalle says. The U.N. has warned that conditions are precarious within the zone, with civilians running short on safe drinking water and food, and getting caught in the crossfire...