Sri Lanka

Government claims new advance

Article published on the 2009-05-08 Latest update 2009-05-08 10:58 TU

Tamil civilians stand next to their huts in a refugee camp located in northern Sri Lanka
(Photo: Reuters)

Sri Lanka's government says its troops have captured another defence line of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Fighting took place on Thursday as the army captured an embankment from the militants.

The government said the latest fighting in the north of the island had left dead and wounded, with its troops suffering injuries from exploding anti-personnel mines. It now estimates the territory held by the Tigers at under five square kilometres of coastal jungle, located in the far north-east of the island.

The fighting came after Sri Lanka's Mahinda Rajapakse said Thursday that the ongoing war with the LTTE was nearing its end "rapidly".

Fighting was also reported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) at a medical assembly point at Mullavaikkal, which is inside the area held by the LTTE.

The ICRC said the lives of patients and workers were at risk and that the ongoing fighting was hampering the evacuation of wounded civilians and their families.

The number of civilians trapped in the fighting is estimated at between 20,000 (Sri Lankan government) and 50,000 (United Nations)

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama this week asked a visiting UK parliamentary delegation to curb LTTE supporters that have been protesting in London against the government offensive.

"No one is more concerned about these innocent civilians than the Government,"  the Minister told the UK MPs on the subject of civilians in the combat area, saying that the Sri Lankan government was "tirelessly working to ensure that all the facilities to the IDPs are provided according to internationally accepted standards in a very short time".

The Minister also claimed that funding was being sourced for the LTTE in the UK and asked the delegation to crack down on it.