Sri Lanka accused of ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Tamil areasTRINCOMALEE - The Sri Lankan government has been accused of launching a campaign of “ethnic cleansing” following its victory over the Tamil Tigers in the country’s 26 year civil war. Thousands flee Sri Lankan war zone; medical staff abandons hospital under shell attacksCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Thousands of civilians waded across a vast lagoon under a hail of rebel gunfire Thursday, breaking out of Sri Lanka’s war zone in a mass exodus that left four civilians dead from Tamil Tiger bullets, the military said. 2,700 civilians flee Sri Lankan war zone; medical staff abandons hospital under shell attacksCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Thousands of civilians braved rebel fire Thursday to break out of Sri Lanka’s war zone, the military said, as health workers abandoned the only hospital in the area — leaving hundreds of wounded behind — because of unrelenting shelling. 2,400 civilians flee Sri Lankan war zone; medical staff abandons hospital under shell attacksCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Thousands of civilians braved rebel fire Thursday to break out of Sri Lanka’s war zone, the military said, as health workers abandoned the only hospital in the area — leaving hundreds of wounded behind — because of unrelenting shelling. Doctors abandon only hospital in Sri Lanka war zone as civilians flee across front linesCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Doctors and aides abandoned the only hospital in Sri Lanka’s war zone amid unrelenting shell attacks, a health official said Thursday. The military said thousands of civilians braved rebel gunfire and fled across the front lines. Sri Lankan military says at least 2,000 civilians flee northern war zoneCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — At least 2,000 ethnic Tamil civilians braved rebel fire and waded across a lagoon Thursday to break out of Sri Lanka’s war zone, the military said, as the government pressed ahead with its battle to destroy the separatists. Sri Lankan government pushes ahead with war despite international criticismCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka pressed ahead with its battle to destroy the Tamil Tiger rebels Thursday despite appeals from President Barack Obama and the U.N. for the two sides to end the civil war and let thousands of trapped civilians escape to safety. Sri Lankan government, rebels praise Obama’s call to end bloodshed, but seem ready to fight onCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The Tamil Tiger rebels and the Sri Lankan government on Thursday welcomed Barack Obama’s appeal for an end to the civil war here, but both sides ignored the U.S. president’s strong criticism of their conduct and appeared prepared to push ahead with the fight. Security Council demands that Tamil Tigers lay down arms in Sri LankaUNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council demanded Wednesday that Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka stop fighting and allow tens of thousands of civilians being used as human shields to leave the war zone. It also called on the government to stop firing heavy weapons. Obama: Sri Lankan rebels must disarm and government must aid civil war’s victimsWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama scolded both sides of Sri Lanka’s quarter-century-old civil war on Wednesday, demanding that the government stop shelling hospitals and that Tamil Tiger rebels cease using civilian shields. Overwhelmed hospital in Sri Lanka war zone struggles to cope after shelling kills 50 civiliansCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Artillery shells tore through a hospital packed with wounded civilians in Sri Lanka’s war zone for a second day Wednesday, killing at least 50 people, setting an ambulance ablaze and forcing the medical staff to huddle in bunkers for safety, doctors said. Health official says at least 50 civilians killed in shelling of Sri Lankan hospitalCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Shells hit the only hospital in Sri Lanka’s northern war zone Wednesday, killing at least 50 people in the second such attack in two days, a doctor said. Medics at the makeshift facility said they were using brief lulls between explosions to tend to patients but had little to offer beyond gauze and bandages. Health official: 15 killed when Sri Lankan hospital hit by shells for second time in 2 daysCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Shells hit the only hospital in Sri Lanka’s northern war zone Wednesday, killing 15 people in the second such attack in two days, a doctor said, as a human rights group accused the government of breaking its pledge not to fire artillery into the tiny coastal strip. Health official says hospital in northern Sri Lanka hit by 2 shells, killing at least 15COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The only hospital in Sri Lanka’s war zone was shelled Wednesday for the second time in two days in an attack that killed at least 15 people, including a volunteer health worker, and wounded 40 others, a doctor at the facility said. Rights groups: Satellite images, witnesses reports show heavy shelling in Sri Lanka war zoneCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Satellite images of Sri Lanka’s war zone along with witness accounts indicate the government has shelled the densely populated area in recent days despite its repeated denials, a human rights group said Wednesday. With reporters barred from war zone, Internet becomes key source of news on Sri Lanka conflictCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — With mainstream journalists barred from Sri Lanka’s war zone, Tamil expatriates desperate for news of loved ones have turned to small Web sites for reports and video from across the front lines. Sri Lankan health official says 49 patients, bystanders killed in war zone hospital shellingCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A mortar shell slammed into a crowd of wounded civilians waiting for treatment at the only medical facility left in Sri Lanka’s war zone Tuesday, killing 49 people in the third day of intense shelling in the area, health officials said. Rebels say Sri Lankan forces shell war zone hospital, killing 47 patients, bystanders.COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A mortar shell struck the only functioning medical facility in Sri Lanka’s northern war zone Tuesday, killing 47 patients and bystanders and wounding more than 50 others, the rebels and a health worker in the area said. Tamil demonstrators block streets outside UK parliament, police make 36 arrestsLONDON — Hundreds of pro-Tamil demonstrators blocked traffic and clashed with police in the streets around Britain’s Parliament Monday after news filtered out from Sri Lanka that hundreds of their compatriots had died in intense shelling. UN condemns ‘bloodbath’ in northern Sri Lanka; doctor estimates up to 1,000 civilians killedCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The United Nations condemned a “bloodbath” in Sri Lanka’s northern war zone Monday after two days of shelling that a government doctor said killed as many as 1,000 ethnic Tamil civilians — including 106 children. UN condemns ‘bloodbath’ in northern Sri Lanka; doctor estimates up to 1,000 civilians killedCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Volunteers dug mass graves in the marshes of Sri Lanka’s northern war zone Monday as they buried hundreds of civilians killed in artillery attacks that the U.N. characterized as a “bloodbath.” Doctor estimates as many as 1,000 civilians killed in 2 days of shelling in Sri Lanka war zoneCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Two days of shelling across Sri Lanka’s northern war zone killed at least 430 ethnic Tamil civilians — and likely as many as 1,000 — a government doctor in the area said Monday. The United Nations branded the attacks a “bloodbath.” UN calls large-scale killing of civilians in Sri Lanka shelling barrage a “bloodbath”COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The United Nations called the killing of hundreds of ethnic Tamil civilians in a weekend artillery attack in northern Sri Lanka a “bloodbath” amid reports Monday that the war zone was heavily shelled for a second straight night. Sri Lanka artillery barrage kills 378 civilians, wounds at least 1,100, government doctor saysCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — An unrelenting hail of artillery in Sri Lanka’s war zone killed at least 378 civilians, according to a government doctor who survived the attack as shells flew near the makeshift hospital. More than 100 of the victims were children, the U.N. said Sunday. Sri Lankan artillery barrage kills 378 civilians, wounds over 1,100, government doctor saysCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — An overnight artillery barrage in Sri Lanka’s northern war zone killed at least 378 civilians and wounded more than 1,100, a government doctor said Sunday, calling it the bloodiest day he had seen in the army’s offensive against the Tamil Tiger rebels. A government health official says death toll in Sri Lanka shell attack rises to 378COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A Sri Lankan health official says the civilian death toll from a massive artillery barrage overnight in the island’s northern war zone has risen to 378. Sri Lankan health official says at least 257 civilians have been killed by shellingCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — An overnight artillery barrage in Sri Lanka’s northern war zone killed at least 257 civilians, a government doctor said Sunday, calling it the bloodiest day he had seen in the government’s offensive against the Tamil Tiger rebels. Government health official says at least 257 civilians killed in Sri Lanka shell attackCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A government health official says at least 257 civilians have been killed and 814 wounded in a massive artillery barrage fired by Sri Lankan forces into the northern war zone. Rebel-linked Web site says hundreds of civilians killed in Sri Lanka shell attackCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — A massive artillery barrage slammed into Sri Lanka’s northern war zone early Sunday, killing hundreds of civilians in one of the bloodiest days of the government’s offensive against the Tamil Tigers, a rebel-linked Web site reported. Human Rights Watch accuses Sri Lanka of repeatedly shelling hospitals in war zoneCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Human Rights Watch on Saturday accused Sri Lankan forces of repeatedly striking hospitals in the northern war zone with indiscriminate artillery and aerial attacks that have killed scores of people, a charge the military denied. |