| Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC November 9, 2006 Military Attack in Eastern Sri Lanka
The United States strongly regrets the loss of innocent life caused by the shelling by the Sri Lankan military of a camp for internally displaced persons in the Vakarai region in eastern Sri Lanka on November 8. We exhort the Sri Lankan Government to adopt corrective measures to prevent civilian casualties that also take into account instances where civilians may be used as "human shields" in the future. We call upon the Government of Sri Lanka to conduct an immediate, independent investigation into the November 8 incidents and bring the responsible parties to justice. We are also disturbed that the Head of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission and his delegation came under fire in Pooneryn in the north of Sri Lanka the same day. The United States urges both the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to honor their commitment to abide by the cease fire, end all hostilities immediately, and return to negotiations to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. We fully support the ongoing Norwegian peace facilitation efforts designed to bring both sides back to serious negotiations. 2006/1027 |
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