HELLO MISTERS AND LADDYS
Aid groups say tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped in the war zone
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said that there is a "catastrophic" humanitarian crisis in northern Sri Lanka's conflict zone, where tens of thousands of civilians are trapped.
The warning comes as government forces closed in on fighters from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who are defying a government ultimatum to give up or face a "final assault", saying they will not surrender.
Focus: Sri Lanka
Q&A: Sri Lanka's civil war
The history of the Tamil Tigers
Timeline: Conflict in Sri Lanka
'High cost' of victory over Tigers
Caught in the middle
The Red Cross said on Tuesday that about 50,000 people were still stranded in the tiny strip of land in the island's northeast, and a final offensive "could lead to a dramatic increase in the number of civilian casualties".
"The situation is nothing short of catastrophic," Pierre Kraehenbuehl, the Red Cross operations director in Sri Lanka, said.
"Ongoing fighting has killed or wounded hundreds of civilians who have only minimal access to medical care.
"I cannot remember ... as much concentrated pain and exposure to violence with very, very minimal possibilities to reach anywhere that could be called safe."
Al Jazeera's correspondent David Chater, was at a government field hospital about 40km south of the war area, where evacuees were receiving some food and treatment. He said that Tamils leaving the zone told him that they had been shot at by the LTTE which was trying to ensure that they did not leave.
Earlier Chater, travelling with the Sri Lankan navy about 20km south of the conflict zone, saw thousands of civilians leaving the area.
"We've been passing long lines of refugees being towed by the Sri Lankan navy," he said.
"They looked in a terrible condition but very, very relieved to get out of there."
Thousands killed
The United Nations, which estimates that more than 4,500 civilians have been killed in the past three months, has joined calls for a negotiated truce to allow civilians to leave the rebel-held coastal strip.
A UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman expressed concern about the "dramatic situation" for civilians still in the war zone.
"There are innocent civilians, women and children, caught in the middle of the conflict ... so the high commissioner is saying there should be a pause in the hostilities and the LTTE should allow civilians to leave," Ron Redmond, the spokesman, said.
The LTTE vowed to continue fighting after a 24-hour government ultimatum expired at noon (06:30 GMT) on Tuesday.
Sri Lankan government officials said there was no fighting as troops pushed further into rebel territory this week as part of a "rescue operation".Wasantha Karannagoda, the commander of the Sri Lankan navy, said they were ready for the rebels who he said "did not have much of a capability at the moment".
"They have lost most of their boats. They had to leave some behind and some were captured inland by the army about 2-3 kilometres from the coastal belt, but the majority were destroyed by us at sea," he said.
Satellite photos of the war zone in February (left) and April show a large number of new tents
The US government on Tuesday released satellite images showing about 25,000 tents housing civilians squeezed into the last LTTE-controlled sliver of land of about 21 sq km in the northeast of the island.
Dr Ghana Gunalan, director of health services, at Trincomalee on the northeast coast told Al Jazeera: "Most of these people have been transported under ICRC flags to Trincomalee. Most people have blast injuries, including to their limbs and abdomens.
"[These injuries] must have been cuased by flying objects that have exploded in front of them."
More than 77,000 civilians have escaped from the area since Monday, according to the Sri Lankan government.
The UN said before Monday's mass exodus that about 150,000 people remained in the war zone.
US appeal
Michael Owen, a senior US diplomat speaking in Washington, urged Sri Lanka to allow the international community to monitor what is happening and assure that it will help trapped civilians.
"Our troops are rescuing the trapped civilians. It is the LTTE which is preventing civilians from fleeing"
Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a Sri Lankan military spokesman "The 26-year-old conflict is at a decisive point and we see the potential for major developments within the next 48 hours," he told reporters, while urging restraint on all sides.
Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a Sri Lankan military spokesman, denied that 1,000 civilians had died, saying 17 civilians were killed on Monday by rebel shelling and by three suicide bombers.
"Our troops are rescuing the trapped civilians. It's the LTTE which is preventing civilians from fleeing," he said.
The claim is impossible to independently verify because journalists are barred by the government from the war zone.
Nimmi Gowrinathan, the Programme Director for New York-based Operation USA, said that within the last three days about 68,000 people have arrived at their medical camp.
She said another 35,000 people were waiting to come in while 600 injured people were waiting to be transported.
'Desperate condition'
Chater said that the refugees leaving the conflict zone looked to be "in a desperate condition".
"The assault craft that I am on stopped to try and give some water and biscuits and basic food to the refugees," he said.
"They had children, they were short of water, they were clearly desperately tired.
"But it was at least for them a breath of freedom getting out, but it is a long way along the sea to any safety."
Gowrinathan said there had been a number of reports that the last remaining hospital in the conflict zone was hit by heavy artillery two weeks ago and in the last 24 hours an orphanage was hit, killing children.
"The government is absolutely trying to cover-up ... there is an information blackout. Some doctors on the government payroll who had stayed in the conflict have been warned not to give out information on the casualties," she said.
The warning comes as government forces closed in on fighters from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who are defying a government ultimatum to give up or face a "final assault", saying they will not surrender.
Focus: Sri Lanka
Q&A: Sri Lanka's civil war
The history of the Tamil Tigers
Timeline: Conflict in Sri Lanka
'High cost' of victory over Tigers
Caught in the middle
The Red Cross said on Tuesday that about 50,000 people were still stranded in the tiny strip of land in the island's northeast, and a final offensive "could lead to a dramatic increase in the number of civilian casualties".
"The situation is nothing short of catastrophic," Pierre Kraehenbuehl, the Red Cross operations director in Sri Lanka, said.
"Ongoing fighting has killed or wounded hundreds of civilians who have only minimal access to medical care.
"I cannot remember ... as much concentrated pain and exposure to violence with very, very minimal possibilities to reach anywhere that could be called safe."
Al Jazeera's correspondent David Chater, was at a government field hospital about 40km south of the war area, where evacuees were receiving some food and treatment. He said that Tamils leaving the zone told him that they had been shot at by the LTTE which was trying to ensure that they did not leave.
Earlier Chater, travelling with the Sri Lankan navy about 20km south of the conflict zone, saw thousands of civilians leaving the area.
"We've been passing long lines of refugees being towed by the Sri Lankan navy," he said.
"They looked in a terrible condition but very, very relieved to get out of there."
Thousands killed
The United Nations, which estimates that more than 4,500 civilians have been killed in the past three months, has joined calls for a negotiated truce to allow civilians to leave the rebel-held coastal strip.
A UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman expressed concern about the "dramatic situation" for civilians still in the war zone.
"There are innocent civilians, women and children, caught in the middle of the conflict ... so the high commissioner is saying there should be a pause in the hostilities and the LTTE should allow civilians to leave," Ron Redmond, the spokesman, said.
The LTTE vowed to continue fighting after a 24-hour government ultimatum expired at noon (06:30 GMT) on Tuesday.
Sri Lankan government officials said there was no fighting as troops pushed further into rebel territory this week as part of a "rescue operation".Wasantha Karannagoda, the commander of the Sri Lankan navy, said they were ready for the rebels who he said "did not have much of a capability at the moment".
"They have lost most of their boats. They had to leave some behind and some were captured inland by the army about 2-3 kilometres from the coastal belt, but the majority were destroyed by us at sea," he said.
Satellite photos of the war zone in February (left) and April show a large number of new tents
The US government on Tuesday released satellite images showing about 25,000 tents housing civilians squeezed into the last LTTE-controlled sliver of land of about 21 sq km in the northeast of the island.
Dr Ghana Gunalan, director of health services, at Trincomalee on the northeast coast told Al Jazeera: "Most of these people have been transported under ICRC flags to Trincomalee. Most people have blast injuries, including to their limbs and abdomens.
"[These injuries] must have been cuased by flying objects that have exploded in front of them."
More than 77,000 civilians have escaped from the area since Monday, according to the Sri Lankan government.
The UN said before Monday's mass exodus that about 150,000 people remained in the war zone.
US appeal
Michael Owen, a senior US diplomat speaking in Washington, urged Sri Lanka to allow the international community to monitor what is happening and assure that it will help trapped civilians.
"Our troops are rescuing the trapped civilians. It is the LTTE which is preventing civilians from fleeing"
Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a Sri Lankan military spokesman "The 26-year-old conflict is at a decisive point and we see the potential for major developments within the next 48 hours," he told reporters, while urging restraint on all sides.
Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, a Sri Lankan military spokesman, denied that 1,000 civilians had died, saying 17 civilians were killed on Monday by rebel shelling and by three suicide bombers.
"Our troops are rescuing the trapped civilians. It's the LTTE which is preventing civilians from fleeing," he said.
The claim is impossible to independently verify because journalists are barred by the government from the war zone.
Nimmi Gowrinathan, the Programme Director for New York-based Operation USA, said that within the last three days about 68,000 people have arrived at their medical camp.
She said another 35,000 people were waiting to come in while 600 injured people were waiting to be transported.
'Desperate condition'
Chater said that the refugees leaving the conflict zone looked to be "in a desperate condition".
"The assault craft that I am on stopped to try and give some water and biscuits and basic food to the refugees," he said.
"They had children, they were short of water, they were clearly desperately tired.
"But it was at least for them a breath of freedom getting out, but it is a long way along the sea to any safety."
Gowrinathan said there had been a number of reports that the last remaining hospital in the conflict zone was hit by heavy artillery two weeks ago and in the last 24 hours an orphanage was hit, killing children.
"The government is absolutely trying to cover-up ... there is an information blackout. Some doctors on the government payroll who had stayed in the conflict have been warned not to give out information on the casualties," she said.
THE WARS
NO NOS MAMEN MAS GALLO.
GUERRILLERO VALENCIANO
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