Mr Karunanidhi has forgotten 2009 when he could not get India to vote against Sri Lanka. If that resolution had been passed we would have seen different politics in South Asia and in Sri Lanka. The fires that were lit in Mullivaikal cannot be dowsed by setting Chennai on fire. This will not be erased from history.Mullivaikal can only see justice if Delhi rises up and if Colombo complies. The true tale of two cities lies in Colombo and Delhi. [ Full Report ]

    The story of the people of Kepapilavu reminds all of us that the ethnic conflict is far from over. Their reality contradicts the regime’s claims of rapid post-war development and the rhetoric of peace. So much for rights “Any citizen of Sri Lanka has the inalienable right to acquire land in any part of the country, in accordance with its laws and regulations, and reside in any area of his/her choice without any restrictions or limitations imposed in any manner whatsoever” — The Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission Report ( 6.104). [ Full Report ]

    Spurred by the earlier violence of the 1980s, the area was converted into a military zone to protect the border between ‘Tiger’ and ‘Government’ territories. In the neighbouring village of Kokuthoduvai, the townscape is restored, yet the military protects Sinhalese farmers who continue illegally to cultivate Kokuthoduvai land within the heightened security zone. In Trincomalee, the fate of some 4,000 families lies in the illegal sale of land to private companies for coal generation and economic development. There was no talk of compensation or support. Neither have there been discussions of alternative income sources for these destitute families or the illegal farmers. [ Full Report ]

    Every evening when the setting sun creates long shadows against walls and pillars of bombed-out buildings, half a dozen flatbed trucks line up in the northern Sri Lankan town of Mullaittivu. They have become a permanent early evening fixture in this shell of a town, where some of the worst battles during the final phase of the island’s civil war were fought in early 2009. As darkness spreads, men, women and even children approach the trucks to empty their small sacks of rusting pots, vehicle parts and other metals. [ Full Report ]

    "Land documentation is critical for these families to restart their lives and reintegrate in their villages," said Michael Zwack, UNHCR's representative in Sri Lanka. "Without land deeds, returnee families cannot obtain the clearance to rebuild their homes or prove ownership in order to access housing assistance. Documents are also essential for families to claim compensation for private land that has been used for state purposes." To help tackle this thorny problem, the UN refugee agency has provided computers, photocopiers, scanners and fax machines to 45 local government offices dealing with land documentation and records in the Mannar, Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi districts. These will allow officials to process land claims and issue fresh documentation. [ Full Report ]

    International medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has handed over its last remaining activities in Mullaitivu district, Sri Lanka, having first worked in the country in 1986. From 2006 to 2011, MSF provided support at Point Pedro Hospital’s emergency unit as well as assisting in maternal health care, surgery and infection control. These activities were handed over successfully to the Ministry of Health in December last year.MSF also developed Mullaitivu Hospital’s electricity, water and sanitation systems to ensure sustainability in the future, and provided significant assistance to develop the health structure’s laboratory service. [ Full Report ]

    Despite reports of alleged deployment of unscrupulous foreign expertise in erasing the traces of the genocidal onslaught that took place in Mullaiththeevu district in the final days of Vanni war in 2009, there are still remains of hundreds of human skeletons that were burnt to ashes in Aananthapuram and other parts of Puthukkudiyiruppu, civilians who have been allowed to resettle there told TamilNet this week. Their observations confirm earlier information from reliable sources inside the SL military that thousands of non-combatants were taken to the suburbs of Puthukkudiyiruppu and shot and killed en masse with a clear intention to annihilate a large section of the people including children and women. [ Full Report ]

    Coinciding the third anniversary of Mu’l’livaaykkaal genocide, a secretly built Sinhala-Buddhist stupa was inaugurated at Vaddu-vaakal, the entrance to the Mu’l’livaaykkaal genocidal strip of land in Mullaiththeevu. As the Tamil public is yet to be allowed into the stretch of land, the building of the stupa at the genocidal site went unnoticed until its inauguration. Two weeks ago, Colombo opened a coastal road built by Chinese, linking Mu’l’livaaukkaal with Kokku’laay and Pulmoaddai where Sinhala colonisation takes place in high speed. Mu’l’livaaykkaal has already become a ‘tourist’ place for the Sinhalese from the South. While the ‘tourists’ and the Sinhala colonists using the new road are permitted to roam in the stretch of land, Tamils are not permitted to get out of the vehicles. [ Full Report ]

    Aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has denied abandoning traumatised war survivors in Sri Lanka by closing down a mental health project in the north. Despite "massive needs", the decision was made because MSF no longer deems it an emergency, the medical charity said. MSF announced on April 5 that it was shutting down a programme counselling survivors of the Indian Ocean island's almost three-decade-long conflict, most of whom witnessed the deaths of loved ones. [ Full Report ]

    The main opposition in Sri Lanka says that over two thousands registered voters in two electoral bodies in the north are unaccounted for. United National Party (UNP) quoting the elections commissioner (EC) said nearly 10-15% of people out of 21,000 registered voters in Pudukudiiruppu (PDK) and Maritimepattu in Mullaitivu district are either dead or missing. [ Full Report ]

    The Nanthikadal lagoon, located near the final battle ground of Sri Lanka’s 30 year war, has been opened for civilians three years after the war ended, the military said on Wednesday. The Nanthikadal lagoon was declared open for civilians to fish with de-mining in the surrounding areas being completed. “There were several mines in the area after the war so it took some time for the mines to be cleared. Now that the area is safe the lagoon has been open for civilians to do fishing,” military spokesman Brigadier Nihal Happuarachi told the Colombo Gazette. [ Full Report ]

    Chinese engineers are now overseeing the repair of this 50 km stretch of gravel connecting Nedunkerni village with the A9 highway, the lifeline for Sri Lanka's former northern war zone, popularly known as the Vanni. Culverts and small bridges are being restored and sharp turns realigned. Restoration of the Nedunkerni - Puliyankulam road is a sign that basic public amenities like transport are no longer luxuries and that almost two and a half years after the war ended peace and development are finally trickling in. [ Full Report ]

    For administrative purposes the government has placed the Welioya Divisional Secretariat under the purview of the Mullaitivu District Secretariat and separated it from the Anuradhapura District, officials said yesterday. Welioya is an area occupied by a Sinhala population of 9004 and during the war it was administered by the District Secretary of Anuradhapura because Mullaitivu was not accessible to the people at the time. Vavuniya District Secretary P.S.M. Charles said she had asked for the establishment of two more Divisional Secretariats in her district for administration purposes. [ Full Report ]

    Traditional seine-net beaches (Karaivalai-paadu) of Eezham Tamils in the coastal tracts of Mullaiththeevu district are grabbed and distributed among Sinhala fishermen from the south by a team of SL fisheries officials from the south. The excuse is that the local Tamil fishermen in the LTTE controlled areas did not register their seine-net stretches with the SL fisheries ministry. 12 stretches in A’lampil, 8 stretches in Thoo’ndaavil and 5 stretches in Chemmalai are thus grabbed and given to the Sinhalese. The Mullaiththeevu Government Agent as well as the district fisheries director had no knowledge of what the Sinhala officials from the south were doing. [ Full Report ]

    Thousands of occupying troops of Sri Lanka Army rounded up the village Uduththu’rai in Vadamaraadchi East and are engaged in search operation since Thursday early morning. A similar operation is simultaneously being undertaken in Mullaiththeevu also. Vanni IDPs were recently resettled in both the places. The operation is said to be following an alleged incident in which some SL troops who went on a boat are missing in the sea and only their boat came ashore. The SL troops came in armoured vehicles rounded up the entire coastal area. No one from the village Uduththu’rai was allowed to go out and outsiders were not permitted inside since Thursday morning. [ Full Report ]

    Within the last three weeks, 240 Sinhala families were hastily settled at Kokku’laay, a narrow strip of land, which is the only link of contiguity between the northern and eastern flanks of the country of Eezham Tamils in the island. This pivotal conspiracy of Colombo to demographically de-link the contiguity of the two Tamil provinces is being implemented by SL colonial governor in the north, Maj. Gen. Chandrasri and by SL ‘Rehabilitation’ minister Rishard Baddiudeen. Colombo lies that it is only ‘resettlement’ of Sinhalese, but except one or two families others are outsiders and the 43 original Tamil families resettled among Sinhalese now live in fear. [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lanka is to turn a vast jungle area that was a base for the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels into a wildlife sanctuary, 18 months after the end of island's bloody civil war, the government said Tuesday. The jungles of Mullaittivu, from where the rebels launched attacks for decades until they were defeated by government troops last year, has been declared a safe haven for wild animals, the information department said. "The wildlife sanctuary would be a solution for the conflict between the humans and elephants in the surrounding areas," it said in a statement, adding the sanctuary would be about 100,000 acres (40,500 hectares). [ Full Report ]

    Next month's upcoming monsoon rains could spell trouble for thousands of returnees to conflict-affected northern Sri Lanka. The annual northeast monsoon rains run from November through February, and are usually accompanied by strong winds and extensive flooding. Inter-monsoonal rains have already begun in some areas. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), many of the more than 200,000 returnees since late 2009 now live under transitional or emergency shelter, including tents, tarpaulins, tin sheeting and improvised housing shelters. [ Full Report ]

    IOM this week took delivery of over 75,000 corrugated galvanized iron (CGI) sheets donated by India to Sri Lanka to provide roofing for some 6,200 displaced families returning to their home areas in the north. At the request of the Ministry of Economic Development, IOM will move the CGI sheets in 29 containers from the Port of Colombo to the Divisional Secretariats in Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya for final distribution. [ Full Report ]

    When the conflict in Sri Lanka restarted in 2007, the effects were felt at Mulliyavalai Kalaimahal Vithiyalayam school in Mulliativu District – the heartland of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) territory. “We are very happy to have reopened the school now that MAG has completed their survey and SLA have cleared the mines and UXO,” says the Principal, Ganapathypillai Jayaweerasingam. “Nowadays the students’ minds are still upset, they find it difficult to concentrate on their studies and they are very busy helping their parents try to rebuild their houses. However, going to school makes them feel like life is going back to normal.” [ Full Report ]

    Tamil Bishop Thomas Savundaranayagam has visited the civil war’s final battlefield for the first time since the fighting ended, and said rebuilding lives and churches in the area was an “unbearable burden” on the people there. The bishop is the first to be allowed to visit the war zone after fighting ended last May. The government still prohibits civilians, UN agencies, NGOs and the media from visiting the area. Bishop Savundaranayagam, visibly shaken by his unpublicized visit to the war zone on Jan. 29, described the chaos he found there, particularly in the Catholic fishing village of Mathalan on the east coast. “Devastation is everywhere” and threatens our people’s future, he said. [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lanka will keep up record defence spending despite its recent victory over the Tamil Tigers, Defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse told AFP Tuesday, as the Sri Lankan Army announced plans to recruit 50,000 more soldiers shortly. Sri Lanka raised its defence budget to a record 1.6 billion dollars this year, and finally defeated the LTTE in May after months of intense battles in which 20,000 Tamil civilians were massacred by government shelling. 6,000 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed in last three months of the war, Gotabhaya also said. [ Full Report ]

    The Government Agent of Mullaiththeevu, Imelda Sukumar, on Sunday reportedly told a section of the uprooted Tamils of Vanni sheltered at the internment camp situated at "Sahanagama" in Pulmoaddai that the town of Mullaiththeevu has been declared High Security Zone by the Sri Lankan military, dashing any hope of resettlement in the coastal township of Vanni. Hundreds of Tamils captured by the Sri Lankan military are kept in the centre. Ms. Imelda Sukumar spoke to the IDPs and recorded their grievances and urgent needs. "We cannot resettle IDPs of Mullaiththeevu in their original places. The District Secretariat office is also to be relocated in Maangku'lam," media reports quoted the GA as saying. [ Full Report ]

    In north-eastern Sri Lanka, 495 sick and injured patients and accompanying caregivers were evacuated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) today. An ICRC-chartered ferry, the Green Ocean I, also delivered 25 metric tonnes of food provided by the World Food Programme, together with some medicines, for distribution among the thousands of civilians still trapped in a small area along the coast within the conflict zone. "Heavy fighting is taking place near the medical assembly point at Mullavaikkal, which puts the lives of patients, medical workers and ICRC staff at great risk," said Jacques de Maio, the ICRC head of operations for South Asia, in Geneva. [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Saturday attacked the makeshift hospital twice killing 64 patients and their relatives and causing injuries to 87. Two artillery shells fired by the SLA hit the hospital at Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal around 9:00 a.m. killing 23 and maiming 34 and later at 10:30 a.m. killing 41 and maiming 53. The attack has come after the Sri Lankan military was provided with exact coordinates of the hospital premises through the ICRC three days ago when the hospital was attacked last time, a medical staff who coordinates with the ICRC told TamilNet. [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) attack crafts fitted with 100 mm cannon began firing artillery pieces along the shore of Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal Wednesday around 4:00 p.m. Meanwhile, the makeshift hospital in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal was hit by artillery shells. At least 20 deaths were reported by medical sources, according to initial details. Shells are being fired at the hospital as this report is being filed. The attack comes as U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner were meeting Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo Wednesday. Both the ministers had urged for immediate ceasefire earlier in the day. [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lanka’s army said it captured more territory from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as the government’s deadline passed for the rebels to surrender. Soldiers took control of areas near the northeastern port of Mullaitivu after opening a safe route yesterday that allowed about 49,000 civilians to leave, the government said today. “No rebels have surrendered,” Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a military spokesman, said in a telephone interview from the capital, Colombo, today. “The army has captured more territory and the humanitarian operation to rescue civilians is on and we will not stop it.” [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lankan troops have resumed their offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels in the northeast at the end of a 48-hour ceasefire, the two sides say. A military spokesman said security forces restarted operations against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) early on Wednesday. The pro-rebel Tamilnet website said both sides began exchanging rocket and gunfire as the military's unilateral two-day ceasefire ended at midnight. A rebel demand for a permanent truce was rejected by the government. [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tiger rebels traded blame on Tuesday over combat during a two-day holiday fighting pause, which the separatist rebels said fell short of the full ceasefire they are demanding. The LTTE Peace Secretariat, in an e-mailed statement, said Rajapaksa's call was "merely an act of hoodwinking". "We consider this ceasefire announcement of (the) Sri Lanka government as a two-day holiday opportunity availed to its servicemen," it said. "The Sinhala Forces are continuing to target the civilian population with their bombs and guns." [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired artillery shells hit a child care centre and milk powder distribution centre at Pokka'nai, killing at least 40 civilians and causing injuries to more than 258 including 100 children. The SLA has stepped up indiscriminate bombardment, according to latest reports. At least 25 dead bodies have been brought to the hospital and 13 of them were identified by medical authorities at the makeshift hospital. More than 100 civilians have been killed and at least 422 wounded within the last 3 days, including Wednesday. [ Full Report ]

    A partner NGO supported by Christian Aid UK-Ireland has gathered stories from people living in the "welfare centres" in northern Sri Lanka. Here are their accounts: "There are many sad stories in the camp - so many people have been separated and everyone is longing to see the faces of their family members." "My neighbour, who is mother of seven children and eight month pregnant, had been running along with us. In the second hideout where some of our village people were hiding, she lost three children from bombing. We do not know who was responsible. It was so horrid to hear her pain of losing her three children. She was telling us that she did not even cry that much when her ailing husband died." [ Full Report ]

    FROM Milton Keynes with love was the theme of a mercy mission which left the city bound for Sri Lanka on Mothering Sunday. Members of the city's Tamil community – more than 700 families – joined forces to collect 12 large vanloads of humanitarian supplies to help men, women and children trapped in the civil war zone. "It was a fantastic response. Everybody helped and we had a huge amount of items donated," said Suresh Nesaratnam from the Milton Keynes Tamil Welfare Association. [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lanka's military on Thursday said it has one kilometer left to go before trapping the Tamil Tigers separatists in a no-fire zone, along with thousands of civilians at grave risk in the 25-year war's final act. President Rajapaksa invited members of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to talks this week. But the LTTE-allied TNA on Thursday told a press conference they would not talk with Rajapaksa until the civilian crisis was resolved. "Any political discussions, to be purposeful and meaningful, must follow such resolution," TNA leader R. Sampanthan said. He said 40-50 civilians were being killed daily by artillery and air attacks. The government denies attacking civilians. [ Full Report ]

    In a series of reports Lawrence Christy, planning director at the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) details the travails of daily life of the civilians caught in the war, amidst the artillery fire of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). "From the first shell no one knows how to escape. Before second shell falls all will be in the bunkers. Like parent rabbits and their kids scurrying to a hole when they saw a vulture parents dragging and lifting their children and hurry into the bunkers," Christy says in the 11th March report. [ Full Report ]

    Prabhakaran is alive and leading the war in Sri Lanka – the LTTE's political wing chief Nadesan tells CNN-IBN in an exclusive e-mail interview. He also says the LTTE doesn’t consider India its enemy. The source of strength and security for India's southern flank is intertwined with the political stability and security of Eelam Tamils said Nadesan. Eelam Tamils sincerely appreciate the solidarity of all the people of Tamil Nadu. The strength of Eelam Tamils today is the support of the people of Tamil Nadu and the entire Tamil diaspora he said. [ Full Report ]

    "Water, sewage and electrical power systems, along with medical facilities, are usually the first things to be disrupted when a war breaks out," said Robert Mardini, who heads the ICRC's water and habitat unit. "They can be damaged or shut down completely by shelling and explosions, or overwhelmed by influxes of displaced people. Such incidents are often followed by massive shortages and by rapidly spreading disease that can result in loss of life." Mr Mardini cited Iraq, Gaza, Sri Lanka and Somalia as examples of places where the delivery of water supplies and sanitation services has been severely hampered by recent armed conflicts. [ Full Report ]

    All surgeries have stopped at a makeshift hospital in Sri Lanka's war zone due to a lack of basic supplies such as anesthetic and blood bags, according to a government health official. Dr Thurairaja Varatharajah said on Sunday that four civilians died in the hospital the previous day from injuries, while 48 others were awaiting treatment. He said he had sent a report to the government pleading for supplies. "We don't have bandages or gauze, we tear up bed sheets to bind the wounds and use palm sticks to support fractures. We are in need of a quick supply," Varatharajah said. [ Full Report ]

    shrinking war zone over the past two days as troops fight towards a final showdown with Tamil Tiger separatist rebels, the military said on Monday. Sri Lanka's military has turned the tide against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in a 25-year war, encircling them in 30 square kilometres of the Indian Ocean island's northeast, and is aiming to deliver a knockout blow. [ Full Report ]

    Early Monday, the rebels' small naval wing sent 15 vessels — including four suicide craft — into the water under cover of heavy mortar fire to attack Sri Lankan forces, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. Government troops destroyed two boats and damaged a third, the statement said. It did not elaborate on what happened to the rest of the vessels. The report could not be verified because independent journalists are barred from the war zone. The rebels could not be contacted for comment. [ Full Report ]

    More than 100 civilians were feared killed Wednesday around 12:50 p.m. when four Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers dropped cluster bombs on Internally Displaced Civilians at Aananthapuram in Ira'naippaalai, according to initial reports from medical sources. More than 70 wounded were rushed to hospital so far and 10 of the victims have died on the way to Maaththa'lan hospital. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) launched an artillery barrage blocking transportation of wounded to hospitals. Doctors in the makeshift hospital told TamilNet that unless the seriously wounded were not evacuated by the ICRC to Trincomalee or elsewhere, many would die at the hospital. [ Full Report ]

    A ferry flying the flag of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is currently evacuating about 240 patients from Putumattalan to Trincomalee. They had fled Puthukkudiyiruppu Hospital in the northern Vanni region on 4 February after it sustained repeated shelling. The patients are expected to arrive in Trincomalee this evening and receive medical treatment. The operation started after both parties had granted safe passage. Civil authorities, medical staff, the fishermen's union and church representatives are also actively supporting the evacuation. An additional 160 patients still in Putumattalan should be evacuated on 11 February. [ Full Report ]

    Reports from Vanni indicate that the civilian casualties at the military checkpost claimed as 'IDP rescue centre' by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) was in fact due to gunfire at the civilians by the SLA after a bomb blast, according to civilians who escaped the scene back to LTTE territory. A perusal of the video clippings released by the SLA would show that the civilian casualties are not due to bomb blast, analysts said. The SLA didn't release any pictures of its own casualties amidst civilians. Claims are unable to be verified in the absence of independent monitors or credible sources. [ Full Report ]

    The conflict in northern Sri Lanka has affected some 200,000 civilians in the Vanni. The majority have fled their homes, while others are at risk of displacement in this volatile situation. Many have not been able to talk to their families in recent days and weeks. Monica Zanarelli, the ICRC’s deputy head of operations for South Asia, explains the organization's efforts to re-establish family links in an extremely volatile situation. [ Full Report ]

    Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) forces Sunday morning launched a preemptive strike on Sri Lanka Army (SLA) offensive units that were prepared for an all out assault on to Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK). The SLA has suffered heavy casualties, initial reports from Vanni said. At least 3 Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) of the SLA were destroyed, LTTE officials have told media. [ Full Report ]

    The streets of Mullaittivu -- patrolled by rebels last week -- were empty yesterday except for stray dogs, abandoned cows and a few government soldiers. The Tamil Tigers deserted the last major town under their control as Sri Lankan soldiers swept into the area pushing the insurgents and thousands of residents into the nearby jungle and villages -- the only remnants of the separatists' once substantial shadow state. But even with the rebels on the brink of defeat in the 25-year-old civil war, fighting still rages. Health officials said that many civilians have been killed or wounded in recent fighting and hundreds of thousands of displaced residents are at risk. [ Full Report ]

    Soldiers backed by tanks and air cover fought on Tuesday to capture 30km of seafront, the only territory still controlled by retreating rebels, Brigadier Nandana Udawatte told reporters taken to the area. The whereabouts of rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is not known, but a spokesman for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was reported as saying that he was still in Mullaittivu district and had vowed to fight back. The Tigers are widely expected to return to fighting a guerrilla war from hidden jungle bases. [ Full Report ]

    The official/legal representatives of the government the Government Agents of Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi have left the area and these areas are in anarchy. There were no veracious sources for news of the situation. AP also indicated that independent accounts of the fighting were not available because journalists were barred from the war zone by Gothabaya Rajapakse the Government of SriLanka (GSL) defence secretary and a US green Card holder. Press Gag indeed in order to keep this violation of Human Rights reaching the conscientious community of the world at large. [ Full Report ]

    In a scene of carnage of untold proportion on civilian targets hit by thousands of artillery shells, more than 300 people died and several hundreds are bleeding to death in the last 24 hours, amidst pouring rain. Houses and vehicles burn for a stretch of three km between Va’l’lipunam Kaa’li temple and Moongkilaa’ru towards Paranthan road, reports from Vanni said on Monday. Unattended bodies and injured people unable to move are lying around everywhere, while a remaining doctor fled and helpless ICRC officials virtually cried at the scene from their bunkers, TamilNet correspondent said. [ Full Report ]

    While the Sri Lankan army has announced the capture of Mullaitivu, the last bastion of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the plight of more than 250,000 civilians caught in the fighting continues to be as grim as that of civilians in Gaza, say those involved in humanitarian work. Peter Balleis, international director of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS),... "Around 300,000 people, that is two-thirds of the civilian population, have been forced out of their homes and are living in camps in areas controlled by the LTTE. They are trapped in (an area) not more than 50 sq km, the size of Gaza,’’ Balleis said. [ Full Report ]

    Sri Lankan troops on Sunday fought their way into Mullaittivu, the last town held by Tamil Tiger rebels who are holed up in the northeast of the island, military sources said. Troops in small groups entered the western edge of Mullaittivu, the final known urban stronghold of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), via boats, a military official said. The Tigers blewn up a dam and flooded surrounding areas on Saturday in a bid to slow down the military advance towards Mullaittivu town, but troops used boats to enter the town's outskirts, the official said declining to be named. [ Full Report ]