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India appeal for Lanka civilians India plea for S Lanka civilians
(about 4 hours later)
The Indian government has sought assurances from Colombo that civilians trapped by the fighting in Sri Lanka will be protected.The Indian government has sought assurances from Colombo that civilians trapped by the fighting in Sri Lanka will be protected.
India's appeal came as the Sri Lankan army pushed forward in its offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels in the north of the country. India's appeal came as the Sri Lankan army continued its offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels in the north.
The Indian embassy said the Sri Lankan government had insisted that safe zones for Tamil civilians would be respected. Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee urged the government to expand safe zones where those displaced by the fighting were sheltering.
The Red Cross has warned the battle is causing a humanitarian crisis. He said that Sri Lanka had asked Indian Tamil politicians to visit the country.
'No sympathy'
The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says that India has a sizeable Tamil population and the Congress party-led government is under pressure to take a stronger line against Colombo's military offensive.
Speaking to the media in Delhi on Wednesday, Mr Mukherjee said that India would send relief materials to the north.
See map of the region See map of the region
It said hundreds of civilians had been killed and a quarter of a million people were trapped by the fighting. He said he had asked for the UN and Red Cross to be given access to assess the situation on the ground.
India's external affairs minister, Pranab Mukherjee, held talks with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse during an unscheduled visit to the country. Mr Mukherjee said that while India had no sympathy for the Tamil Tigers, the Sri Lankan government's military victories offered it a political opportunity to bring peace to the Tamil-dominated northern areas.
"The Sri Lankan government has reassured that they would respect the safe zones and minimise the effects of conflict on Tamil civilians," the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a statement after the talks. Mr Mukherjee held talks with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his visit to Colombo on Tuesday.
Threat
Sri Lanka's minority Tamil community in the island's war-ravaged north-east has close cultural, religious and business ties with the over 50 million Tamils living in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
INSURGENCY TIMELINE 1976: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam form in the north-east1987: India deploys peace-keepers to Tamil areas but they leave in 19902002: Government and rebels agree ceasefire2006: Heavy fighting resumes2009: Army takes main rebel bases of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu Voices from Sri LankaTamil diaspora voicesWinning war and peaceINSURGENCY TIMELINE 1976: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam form in the north-east1987: India deploys peace-keepers to Tamil areas but they leave in 19902002: Government and rebels agree ceasefire2006: Heavy fighting resumes2009: Army takes main rebel bases of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu Voices from Sri LankaTamil diaspora voicesWinning war and peace
There have been reports in the Indian media that a regional Tamil party, which heads the government of Tamil Nadu and is an ally of the ruling Congress-party-led federal coalition, has threatened to pull out if the security of Tamils in Sri Lanka was not ensured. The Indian embassy said the Sri Lankan government had insisted that safe zones for Tamil civilians would be respected.
Pranab Mukherjee said the Indian government wanted to work with its Sri Lankan counterpart to ensure the restoration of normalcy in the northern part of the island. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned the battle is causing a humanitarian crisis. It says hundreds of civilians have been killed and a quarter of a million people are trapped by the fighting.
"I stressed that military victories offer a political opportunity to restore life to normalcy in the northern province and throughout Sri Lanka," he was quoted by the high commission as saying. Sri Lanka's minority Tamil community in the north-east has close cultural, religious and business ties with more than 50 million Tamils in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
"We will work together with the government of Sri Lanka to enable all Sri Lankans, and particularly the Tamil community who have borne the brunt of the effects of the conflict, to lead normal lives as soon as possible." There have been reports in the Indian media that a regional Tamil party, which heads the government of Tamil Nadu, has threatened to pull out of the Congress-led federal coalition if the security of Tamils in Sri Lanka is not ensured.
Separately, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called on the government troops and rebels to allow immediate and free access to the combat zone for humanitarian workers. Mr Mukherjee said the Indian government would "work together with the government of Sri Lanka to enable all Sri Lankans, and particularly the Tamil community who have borne the brunt of the effects of the conflict, to lead normal lives as soon as possible".
It said the civilian population was paying the price for the conflict. 'Meaningless'
The ICRC has called on the government troops and rebels to allow immediate and free access to the combat zone for humanitarian workers.
The ICRC based its figure of hundreds dead on body counts by its staff in local hospitals.The ICRC based its figure of hundreds dead on body counts by its staff in local hospitals.
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Chris Morris reports from Mullaitivu, a town taken by the Sri Lankan army
Access for aid workers was so limited, it said, that the ICRC's own presence in the region was virtually meaningless.Access for aid workers was so limited, it said, that the ICRC's own presence in the region was virtually meaningless.
The ICRC wanted to evacuate 200 critically wounded people on Tuesday but did not receive security clearance. The ICRC wanted to evacuate 200 critically wounded people on Tuesday but did not receive security clearance. Those patients, it says, now face death.
Those patients, it says, now face death.
The UN secretary general and the European Union have also expressed deep concern for civilians caught in the fighting.The UN secretary general and the European Union have also expressed deep concern for civilians caught in the fighting.
The military say they are involved in a final push against retreating rebels.The military say they are involved in a final push against retreating rebels.
Moving north from the captured rebel town of Mullaitivu, they are trying to secure the north-east coastline to encircle the rebels and say they hope to control the entire north within weeks.Moving north from the captured rebel town of Mullaitivu, they are trying to secure the north-east coastline to encircle the rebels and say they hope to control the entire north within weeks.
The Tamil Tiger rebels could not be reached immediately for comment.The Tamil Tiger rebels could not be reached immediately for comment.
Access to the combat zone is tightly controlled, making it difficult to verify the actual situation.Access to the combat zone is tightly controlled, making it difficult to verify the actual situation.
Ghost town
The military did take a group of journalists, including the BBC's Chris Morris, to the region on Tuesday.The military did take a group of journalists, including the BBC's Chris Morris, to the region on Tuesday.
Brig Nandana Udawatte, who led the capture of Mullaitivu, said that "mortar fire, indirect fire and close-quarter battles" were going on 1.5 km from the town of Puthukkudiyiruppu.
Pro-rebel sources have previously accused the army of killing hundreds of civilians with shellfire - allegations the military denies.
Our correspondent says that apart from soldiers on every corner in Mullaitivu, it is a ghost town. Most of the buildings, houses and shops are damaged or destroyed.Our correspondent says that apart from soldiers on every corner in Mullaitivu, it is a ghost town. Most of the buildings, houses and shops are damaged or destroyed.
He says its capture is a big victory for the army but that the Tigers also appear on the surface undaunted, with the sound of artillery fire not that far away echoing down the empty streets.He says its capture is a big victory for the army but that the Tigers also appear on the surface undaunted, with the sound of artillery fire not that far away echoing down the empty streets.
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