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| UN patience wears thin in S Lanka | UN patience wears thin in S Lanka |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The UN says it cannot continue to indefinitely fund the main refugee camp in Sri Lanka where the government is keeping nearly 300,000 people. | |
| The Menik Farm camp holds the Tamils who fled the fighting in the months before the civil war ended in May. | The Menik Farm camp holds the Tamils who fled the fighting in the months before the civil war ended in May. |
| Sri Lankan authorities say they are still screening everyone for possible links with the Tamil Tiger rebels. | Sri Lankan authorities say they are still screening everyone for possible links with the Tamil Tiger rebels. |
| The UN says the civilians living there should be allowed to leave as soon as possible. | The UN says the civilians living there should be allowed to leave as soon as possible. |
| Since the war ended in May, the Sri Lankan authorities have refused to let anyone leave this vast camp apart from some young children, elderly people and priests. | Since the war ended in May, the Sri Lankan authorities have refused to let anyone leave this vast camp apart from some young children, elderly people and priests. |
| UN agencies help fund and run the camps but there are signs the UN is running out of patience. | UN agencies help fund and run the camps but there are signs the UN is running out of patience. |
| "The best solution is obviously that as many people leave as soon as possible," the UN's Sri Lanka chief, Neil Buhne, told the BBC. | "The best solution is obviously that as many people leave as soon as possible," the UN's Sri Lanka chief, Neil Buhne, told the BBC. |
| "And that the site can become - for the people who have no place else to go - that it becomes an open site." | "And that the site can become - for the people who have no place else to go - that it becomes an open site." |
| 'Concerned' | 'Concerned' |
| Mr Buhne also criticised the fact that the International Red Cross was being denied access to 10,000 of the Tamils whom the government calls Tiger suspects. | Mr Buhne also criticised the fact that the International Red Cross was being denied access to 10,000 of the Tamils whom the government calls Tiger suspects. |
| President Mahinda Rajapaksa said this week that it could still take six months or a year to work out how many of the displaced were to be prosecuted. | President Mahinda Rajapaksa said this week that it could still take six months or a year to work out how many of the displaced were to be prosecuted. |
| Separately, a UN spokeswoman in New York said the world body was "extremely concerned" about two of its Sri Lankan staff members arrested in June near the camps and still in detention. | Separately, a UN spokeswoman in New York said the world body was "extremely concerned" about two of its Sri Lankan staff members arrested in June near the camps and still in detention. |
| She said there were allegations they had been mistreated at the hands of the authorities, adding that they should be released unless the government had charges to lay against them. | She said there were allegations they had been mistreated at the hands of the authorities, adding that they should be released unless the government had charges to lay against them. |