Action Alert ArchiveUnceasing assault on civilians continuesOctober 23, 2008 I am writing to call your attention to the escalating violence in northern Sri Lanka, which has drastically exacerbated conditions for hundreds of thousands of Tamil refugees. In the last two months, the Sri Lankan government escalated its campaign against territory controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), while simultaneously ordering foreign aid workers to evacuate the region. These conditions have created a devastating humanitarian tragedy, in which over 200,000 people have fled in fear of the military onslaught. Families have fled from their villages, forcing their education and employment to come to a halt. These conditions have curtailed sources of income, leaving refugees with little chance for providing food and clean water for their families. Refugees are subsisting with little to no shelter from the harsh elements of the region, leaving hundreds vulnerable to indiscriminate military bombing and shelling, in addition to malaria and snake bites - in one week, over 120 cases of snake bite were admitted to a woefully underequipped hospital. The crisis continues to escalate as the government's military onslaught continues and conditions deteriorate. As the humanitarian crisis intensifies and hundreds of thousands languish without adequate food, water, shelter or health care, only the international community can stop the suffering. Congress must urge Sri Lanka to uphold international standards and rules of warfare, in order to prevent an escalating humanitarian crisis. I urge you to contact the State Department and demand a forceful condemnation of the toll of Sri Lanka's conflict on civilians. |
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