Over the weekend the Sri Lankan Government declared victory over the LTTE (The Tamil Tigers), who are currently confined to 2.4 km square km’s and are cut off from the coast. Those trapped are the fighting core of the group and their families who number approx 2000. Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the Tigers’ chief of international relations, announced that the rebels were laying down their weapons after 26 years of fighting for an ethnic Tamil homeland. “This battle has reached its bitter end,” he said.
Mr Pathmanathan estimated that more than 3000 people had died in the Tamil stronghold over the last 24 hours – a claim the Sri Lankan Government denies.
The war has been defined by repeated claims of war crimes, the shelling and murder of Tamils sheltering in war camps, designated ‘no fire’ zones. These claims have been very difficult to verify due to the restrictions on international observers and media in the war zone.
There are serious fears that the end of the war will not mean an end to violence in Sri Lanka and will prompt the activation of LTTE ‘sleeper cells’ throughout the country and a return to terrorist attacks. Some have voiced fears that the bloodshed has driven a wedge between a younger generation of Tamils and Sinhalese.
Aid organisations said last night that the humanitarian situation was set to deteriorate, despite the army’s boast that it had conducted the “world’s largest hostage rescue”. A UN spokesman said that the organisation was scrambling to supply aid for an estimated 300,000 civilians displaced in recent weeks.
The Christian Conference of Asia has just released a resource/liturgy for the celebration of Asia Sunday on 24th May. This year, the focus is on Sri Lanka.
You can download these resources here
We ask you to uphold Sri Lanka and the victims of violence in your prayers this week and this Sunday, 24th – Asia Sunday.
We include below a range of statements and updates on the situation:
The Hon Stephen Smith MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs – Ministerial Statement
World Council of Churches statement on the crisis
International Crisis Group statement
The Anglican Church of Ceylon statement
UnitingWorld summary
The Rev John Barr spoke at the Interfaith Prayer Meeting in Sydney on 4th May. You can read a copy of his address here.
Tags: Sri Lanka
