Kälin calls for respect in Sri Lanka conflict

A senior United Nations official has said he is "extremely concerned" about civilians forced to stay in conflict zones in Sri Lanka.

Swiss diplomat Walter Kälin, the UN’s representative on the human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), also highlighted the continued confinement of people to camps.

In a statement from his office in Geneva, Kälin noted that at least 50,000 people remained trapped in the conflict zone, “with their lives exposed to great danger and without access to sufficient humanitarian assistance”.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebel group have been fighting the Sri Lankan government since the early 1980s.

Kälin called on the LTTE to let the remaining civilians go and for a humanitarian pause from both sides in the fighting.

He also noted that the Sri Lankan government had been using heavy weapons, including mortars, in the conflict zone over the last few days.

“This combination of factors must have resulted in unacceptably high numbers of civilian casualties,” Kälin said.

Kälin also expressed concern about the living conditions of the estimated 194,000 IDPs in camps, which he says remain “dire”.

“Ensuring adequate humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons is first and foremost a government responsibility, especially since the government decided to intern them in camps, citing security concerns.”

swissinfo.ch with agencies