23 April 2009
United States Condemns Rebel Actions in Sri Lanka
“Dire” situation for civilians in war-torn country, U.S. official says
Washington — The United States has condemned the fighting in Sri Lanka, where thousands of civilians are being held hostage and many others are without supplies or medical care.
The situation in the war-torn country is “dire,” according to Susan Rice, the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations.
Thousands of civilians have become trapped or are being held hostage in areas of fighting between Sri Lankan government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist group that has been fighting for 26 years to create an independent homeland for Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority. Also known at the “Tamil Tigers,” the LTTE has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and many other countries.
“We condemn the action by the LTTE to hold thousands of innocent civilians hostage in this so-called safe zone,” Rice told reporters April 23 at the United Nations in New York City. “We think that it is absolutely imperative that both sides cease the fighting and the heavy shelling that is putting many thousands of civilians in immediate danger.”
The Sri Lankan military says it has been able to rescue an estimated 100,000 civilians trapped in battle zones. But shelter and medical care are lacking for thousands of refugees.
“We are, frankly, appalled by the fact that many who have been able to leave are unable to receive life-saving treatment and assistance in the internally displaced areas and camps that they are going to,” Rice said, “and we call on the government not only to cease the shelling and the offensive military action, just as we call on the LLTE to do the same, but we call on the government to uphold its responsibility to provide support and assistance and access to the IDPs [internally displaced persons] who are streaming into hospitals and camps.”
Of grave concern, Rice said, is that the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the media do not have adequate access to the evacuees. Especially disturbing, she said, was the shooting of civilians attempting to escape the conflict areas, a situation Rice called a “gross manifestation of the apparent violation of international humanitarian law.”
In a nonbinding statement released April 23, the United Nations Security Council ordered the Tamil Tiger rebels to surrender and urged the Sri Lankan government to protect civilians and allow international agencies access to noncombatants.
A major obstacle to stemming the bloodshed, according to State Department acting spokesman Robert Wood, is that “the parties are not heeding the call from not just the United States, but from the broader international community.” Even so, he said in an April 21 briefing, “there is a lot of diplomatic effort going on. … We’re just not talking about all of it, but there is a lot of high-level engagement on trying to end this conflict.”
In an earlier press briefing, Wood said: “The Sri Lankan government, as the legitimate sovereign power, has before it an opportunity to put an end to this lengthy conflict. A durable and lasting peace will only be achieved through a political solution that addresses the legitimate aspirations of all Sri Lankan communities.”
To date, the United States has provided $23.6 million for ICRC regional activities, Wood said, which includes ICRC activities in Sri Lanka, and $8.3 million to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees for its South Asia appeal and its portion of the Common Humanitarian Action Plan (CHAP) for Sri Lanka. In 2008, the United States also provided $5.9 million in nonfood support to the United Nations international nongovernmental organizations operating in Sri Lanka.
The full text of Rice's remarks is available on America.gov.
