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| Sri Lanka |
| LTTE warns of 'genocide' |
| 2008-09-14 |
| Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers yesterday accused the government of planning a genocidal campaign against Tamils as UN agencies began pulling out of the rebel-held Wanni regions in the island's north. UN agencies began pulling out of the region on Friday after Colombo said it could not guarantee the safety of aid workers as troops pushed towards the Wanni region, which comprises Kilinochchi and Mullattivu districts. People in Kilinochchi have protested the departure of UN agencies from the Wanni region, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said in statement through its peace secretariat. Residents had gathered outside the offices of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the World Food Programmeme from early Friday, said the rebels, who are fighting for autonomy in the island's north and east since 1972. They were "demanding that the agencies should stay behind and continue their humanitarian work for the Wanni people facing a humanitarian crisis," the rebels said of the protesting residents. While protesters tried to block traffic to prevent UN vehicles from leaving the area, resident representatives had discussions with the two agencies, which had promised to raise the issue at the UN, the release said. "The appeals (from resident representatives) mostly said that the Sri Lankan government is ordering the international agencies out as it readies for the final stage of the genocide of the Tamils," the rebels said. UN agencies say at least 160,000 people have been displaced in the past few months in the districts of Mullaittivu and Kilinochchi. Some 70,000 people have fled due to fighting in the past two months alone. According to the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, 11 UN and other agencies have been working in the rebel-held Wanni area. Colombo wants to avoid troops being accused of killing aid workers in a repeat of the August 2006 massacre of 17 local employees of the French aid agency Action Against Hunger in the east of the island. |
| Posted by:Fred |