Places Not To Be: 300,000 Civilians Trapped in Sri Lanka Fighting

[Fighting in Sri Lanka - Footage from the BBC]

There's always a fair amount of competition for the coveted prize of "worst place in the world" - Gaza held that distinction earlier this year, though now it looks like northern Sri Lanka might have taken the lead.

As many as 300,000 civilians are trapped as the Sri Lankan military continues to advance against the rebel Tamil Tigers.

Humanitarian agencies have almost no access to civilians caught in the crossfire.

A recent article in the Times described the situation:

"The International Committee of the Red Cross said a humanitarian crisis was unfolding and described horrific conditions in the conflict zone, sealed off by the government to aid agencies, diplomats and journalists. It said medical supplies, food and shelter were almost nonexistent and families were living in makeshift tents and ditches in the jungle.

Hundreds have been killed by heavy artillery bombardment."

For its part, the Sri Lankan Government insists that everything is just fine, with one military spokesman declaring that "no civilians have been killed".   The spokesman was magnanimous enough to offer that civilians might, might have been injured, but stressed that it was their own fault, or perhaps the fault of the rebels:

"There may be civilians injured, not due to shelling. But they may be injured because they have been employed on the construction of (rebel) defenses. Civilians maybe have been injured due to crossfire."

Another government spokesman also stressed that civilians had only themselves to blame for being in the way of artillery fire: "The government cannot be responsible for the safety and security of civilians still living among LTTE terrorists."

Granted, on January 29th the Sri Lankan Government said it would allow civilians forty-eight hours to leave the area.  Yet the news does not seem to have reached the Sri Lankan military.  According to a spokesperson with the International Committee of the Red Cross: "Fighting has been constant even in the so-called safe area."

(UN Dispatch also has a similar account.)

To make matters worse, the only remaining hospital in the rebel-controlled area has been shelled repeatedly over the past few days, killing eleven people, including a nurse.  According to a recent report by the AP:

"Dr. Thurairajah Varatharajah, the top government health official in the area, said two of the attacks appeared to have come from the army. He said the shelling caused extensive damage to the hospital.

Varatharajah estimated last week that more than 300 civilians had been killed in the recent fighting. The government denied that. Varatharajah has not updated his estimate."

For their part, the Tamil Tigers are no better, as they seem to be blocking civilians from leaving.

For more information, please see this excellent post by my genocide co-blogger Michelle, which provides not only a look at the current situation, but also background on the conflict.   Another post by Michelle highlights civilian voices from the conflict.