Srilanka

3,000 Tamils flee to escape fighting

Dec 17 (IANS) Anton Stanislaus Balasingham, the diplomatic face of Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers, was a multi-faceted man who enjoyed a unique bond with its chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and one who loved and detested India at the same time. To those who kept in touch with him until his very last, he came out as a man who passionately believed — like so many Sri Lankan Tamils — that no solution to the dragging conflict in the island would be possible without India’s approval. more..



3,000 Tamils flee to escape fighting

Dec 17 (AP) Sloshing through eastern Sri Lanka's flooded jungles, about 3,000 ethnic Tamils crossed Saturday into government-held areas to escape violence that is pushing the country closer to an all-out war between separatist rebels and the government. The United Nations called on the Tamil Tiger rebels to let tens of thousands of civilians flee the rebel-held town of Vaharai in eastern Batticaloa, where most of the fighting is taking place. more..