Island refugee for Sri Lanka civilians

Thousands of civilians in Sri Lanka are reported to have fled to a small island to escape fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger (LTTE) rebels. Some 5,000 people have fled their villages in the northwest of the country and gone to Mannar island, according to Xavier Croos, a Roman Catholic priest in the area.

He voiced concern about food supplies in the region, saying there was only enough for the existing population for one week - without the fresh influx of people displaced by fighting.

The main route to the island has been cut off by shelling in recent days and the authorities there are struggling to provide shelter for the civilians.
Father Croos said that another 10,000 people had sought refugee at Madhu church on the mainland, despite the fact that at least 40 people died there at the weekend when it was hit by artillery shells.

Both the government and the Tamil Tigers blamed each other for that attack.

During the last month, the conflict in Sri Lanka has intensified with the Tamil Tigers retaking areas the government had seized control of last year.

On Thursday, the Tigers said they were consolidating recent gains.

A Tigers-controlled radio station said they were fortifying their positions and preparing for ceremonies this weekend to commemorate their war dead.

In the capital, Colombo, security has been tightened amid fears of an attack because of the commemoration.

Amnesty concern

The human rights group Amnesty International has voiced concern about the plight of cilivians in the war zone.

"The past months have seen a worrying trend in which civilians have been killed by both sides to the conflict," the group said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Red Cross has also expressed concern about the impact of the fighting on civilians, thousands of whom have been displaced.

The LTTE have been fighting for an independent homeland in Sri Lanka's north and east for the past 16 years.