S Lanka denies safe-zone shelling

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The Sri Lankan government has again strongly denied government forces have been shelling a designated "safe zone" for civilians in the north-east.

Sri Lanka's health minister told the BBC Tamil Tiger rebels were responsible for spreading false propaganda.

Rebel sources say civilian deaths have occurred due to army shelling of the safe zone set up to protect tens of thousands of civilians.

The military says the rebels are now confined to the safe zone.

The Sri Lankan military says it has captured all rebel-held territory outside the zone after days of intense fighting.

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The zone is a small stretch of about 20 sq km of coastal land in Mullaitivu district.

'Hostages'

Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva's robust defence comes a day after a senior health official in Mullaitivu district said some 60 civilians had died in army shelling of the zone.

The version given by the health official inside the safe zone cannot be independently verified as journalists are not allowed to enter it.

Thousands of civilians have been displaced by the fighting

The government says doctors in the safe zone have been under pressure from the rebels to exaggerate civilian casualties.

"These health officials are being held hostage by the [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)]," the health minister said.

"They will not be able to survive there... their families would have been killed by the LTTE if they don't make statements in favour of the LTTE."

There has been no reaction from the Tamil Tigers so far.

The minister also accused the international community of being misled by the rebels. It was "high time", he said, that the United Nations and other international agencies believed what the government was saying.

Meanwhile, the New York-based human rights group, Human Rights Watch, said Sri Lanka's "so-called no-fire-zone is now one of the most dangerous places in the world".

"The Sri Lankan government should stop firing heavy artillery into the 'no-fire zone' in the northern Vanni area, where some 100,000 civilians are trapped," by the Tamil Tigers, causing "skyrocketing casualties," it said in a statement.

The government denies any such shelling.

"The military is not attacking this particular zone with artillery or with any other weapons. It is very clear that the government and the military do not want any civilian casualties," Mr De Silva said.

"Because we have almost won the war against terrorism in Sri Lanka, we don't want that to be spoiled at the last moment."

On Thursday night, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon telephoned Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss the issue of civilian casualties.

A statement from Mr Rajapaksa's office said the president had told Mr Ban "the suffering of the civilians was due to the LTTE continuing to hold them hostage and as human shields, ignoring the many calls by the UN and humanitarian organisations to free them".

The United Nations says more than 2,800 civilians may have been killed and 7,000 injured in fighting in the past two months.

The government disputes these figures.

The UN has also accused the rebels of preventing civilians from leaving the war zone, saying there were credible reports that Tamil Tigers were shooting at those attempting to flee. The rebels deny the accusations.

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