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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Charity reports Tamil attack on Sri Lanka naval base |
| 2005-07-15 |
| LONDON (AlertNet) - British relief and development agency Christian Aid said Tamil militia had attacked a government naval base in eastern Sri Lanka on Friday, the latest outbreak in a rash of violence that threatens to derail a three-year ceasefire and put post-tsunami reconstruction efforts at risk. Christian Aid reported hearing constant machine-gun fire in the town of Trincomalee after the nearby Kuchaveli base came under sustained attack from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. âCivilians have been forced to flee into the jungle for safety,â the group said in a statement. âIf many people are displaced it will put a huge strain on aid agenciesâ ability to feed and support refugees.â The charity said it had evacuated staff from the area and halted all non-essential trips. The move comes a week after a Christian Aid partner organisation was forced to suspend operations after its office was hit by gunfire. Sri Lankaâs Tamil Tiger rebels said on Friday they would violate the fragile ceasefire and carry arms in military-held areas unless the government safeguarded their cadres following attacks in the restive east. On the same day, Sri Lankaâs Supreme Court froze a government pact to share $3 billion in tsunami aid with Tamil Tiger rebels in a fresh blow to peace hopes. |
| Posted by:Steve |