US, UK, UN urge Sri Lanka Not to Kill civilians. Ignored by SLA

by Tranroy | March 23, 2009 at 08:44 pm

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The Sri Lankan army is continuing to shell areas declared a “no fire zone,” Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

“We receive reports of civilians being killed and wounded daily in the ‘no fire’ zone, while the Sri Lankan government continues to deny the attacks.

WASHINGTON (AFP) — A key US Senator warned Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday that his government's failure to protect civilians in government safe zones was hurting the country's global standing.

"While the Tamil Tigers have committed egregious acts, I am also alarmed by reports about actions taken by the government of Sri Lanka," Democrat John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote Rajapaksa.

Kerry said he had "grave concern" about reports that government forces had shelled civilians and hospitals in government-designated safe zones amid a fierce push to crush the rebel force, that humanitarian aid was not reaching civilians, and that the government had cracked down on journalists.