Sri Lanka Rejects “Lectures” from Western Countries on Truce With Rebels

[Coventina]

Source: New York Times

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — One of the highest-level European delegations to visit this war-torn country in years has failed to persuade the Sri Lankan government to declare a temporary truce with ethnic Tamil rebels.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa emphatically rejected the appeal Thursday and told Western governments to stop lecturing him, news agencies reported.

“The government is not ready to enter into any kind of cease-fire with the terrorists,” he said. “It is my duty to protect the people of this country. I don’t need lectures from Western representatives,” he said in a speech distributed by his office and quoted by the agencies.

“They’re not willing,” David Miliband, Britain’s foreign secretary, said in an interview after talks Wednesday with Mr. Rajapaksa and other officials. “The furthest the government has gone is to commit to no heavy weaponry and to minimize what they call collateral damage, mainly the damage to civilians.”



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/world/asia/01lanka.html?ref=asia

[Coventina]

1. Red Cross: Thousands still trapped in Sri Lanka

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/04/30/sri.lanka.fighting/

(CNN) -- Thousands of civilians remain trapped and at risk in a small area of the conflict zone along the northeastern Sri Lankan coast, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday.

The civilians include women, children, and elderly, and many are wounded and sick, the ICRC said in a statement.

"The parties must do more to protect them and must allow more food and medicine into the area," said Monica Zanarelli, the ICRC's deputy head of operations for south Asia.

A Red Cross-chartered ferry brought 30 tons of food to the conflict area Tuesday, the ICRC said. The U.N.'s World Food Programme had donated the food to the Sri Lankan government.

[damntexdem]

2. How about truce with the civilian population?

Oh, I guess the Sri Lankan government's aggression has already assured that all such populations are rebelling.

[ohio2007]

3. The suicide attacks against civilians should drop to zero as a result of unconditional surrender

Sri Lanka's army chief announces Tamil Tigers totally defeated

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=185_1242670855