UN chief Ban Ki-moon has appealed to Sri Lankan forces and Tamil rebels to ensure safe passage for civilians amid growing fears for 250,000 people caught in fighting in the island's northeast.
Despite mounting international calls for a ceasefire, Sri Lanka's military is continuing its push for victory against the Tamil Tigers after decades of conflict.
"The Secretary General calls upon the (rebel) Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in particular, to allow civilians in the conflict zone to move to where they feel most secure, including (government-controlled) areas," Ban's press office said in a statement Friday.
He also urged the Colombo government "to ensure that those civilians arriving from the Wanni and other conflict areas are treated in accordance with international standards," including guaranteeing their freedom of movement, providing basic services, and allowing full access by humanitarian agencies.
The UN boss said he remained concerned about the fate of civilians, including tens of thousands of children, despite Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's announcement of safe passage for them.
He called on both Colombo and the LTTE "to do all in their power to make this safe passage a reality, and to ensure the protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law."
The UN agency for children earlier asked both Sri Lanka's government and the LTTE to give "absolute priority" to the safety of children and the civilian population caught up in the fighting.
UNICEF did not give figures, but the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said that "hundreds" of civilians have been killed this month and "scores" wounded. Sri Lanka's government denies it targets civilians.
"We have clear evidence that children are being caught in the crossfire, and that children are being injured and killed," said UNICEF's Regional Director for South Asia, Daniel Toole.
A group of international relief organisations, including UN agencies, appealed to the LTTE to allow civilians to leave areas under its control and asked the government to stop blocking international aid.
Sri Lanka's human rights minister, Mahinda Samarasinghe, said Friday there would be no let-up in the military campaign against the LTTE despite calls for a truce.
Sri Lanka's defence ministry says it is conducting the final phase of operations against Tamil Tiger guerrillas in a bid to end the long-running ethnic conflict. Tiger rebels took up arms in 1972.
The pulled out of a Norwegian-brokered truce with the rebels a year ago and has since been battling to dismantle the LTTE's northern mini-state.
Following months of heavy fighting, government troops have captured the LTTE's political capital of Kilinochchi and, last weekend, the rebels' main military base of Mullaittivu on the northeast coast.
Fighting is now concentrated around a 300-square-kilometre (110-square-mile) patch of jungle territory near Mullaittivu still in rebel hands.
Source: AFP South Asian Edition
