InfoAnda - UN chief sobered by visit to Sri Lankan refugees

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Supreme Court rejects appeal on Cablevision network DVR | Technology | | 29 June 2009
Pilgrims stone 'devil' as Muslims celebrate Eid | 17 November 2010
Abu Dhabi awards $9.2 bln gas contracts to foreign firms | 16 July 2009

Microsoft to sell Razorfish: report | Technology | | 29 June 2009

">Forum Views () ">Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : UN chief sobered by visit to Sri Lankan refugees

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Australia China India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Thailand Vietnam Search Search: UN chief sobered by visit to Sri Lankan refugees By JOHN HEILPRIN,Associated Press Writer AP - Sunday, May 24 MANIK FARM, Sri Lanka - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon flew over the scorched and deserted landscape of Sri Lanka's last battlefield Saturday, and urged the government to let more aid reach displaced Tamils complaining of hunger and separation from their families. ADVERTISEMENT The secretary-general said his tour of a hastily erected displacement camp housing more than 200,000 people "was a very sobering visit, very sad, very moving." Ban was the first major international figure to visit since President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels on Monday, crushing their dream of a separate state for the Tamil minority. Nearly 300,000 Tamil civilians were uprooted from their homes in the final months of fighting and sent to dozens of government-run camps in the north. Most of them were packed into the sprawling Manik Farm camp, which lacks adequate sanitation or medical facilities for people who Ban said had undergone inhumane conditions under fire. "The situation, which I have seen for myself, is very, very difficult. It's a real challenge," Ban said. "There is clearly a limitation. The United Nations should try to fill this gap." Refugees told Ban they lacked rice, sugar and cooking oil, and were not allowed to leave the camp, which is encircled by barbed-wire and guarded by soldiers stationed across the grounds. Men and women were scooping water from a well and bathing awkwardly in the open air, trying to maintain some privacy. "Overcrowding must be addressed," Ban said. After meeting Rajapaksa later in the city of Kandy, Ban acknowledged "the challenges facing the government are huge, but I appreciate their leadership." Ban called on the government to give aid groups unfettered access to the camps and welcomed Rajapaksa's promise to resettle the bulk of the displaced by the end of the year. "We will try to work hard to make sure that promise is realized," he said, as he toured the vast expanse of white tents neatly lined up in rows on dirt paths. Aid groups have appealed to the government to allow the displaced more freedom, but military officials say it is too dangerous to let them out because rebels could be hiding among the civilians. Ban's helicopter flight over the wasteland along the northeastern coast offered a grim view of the final battlefield. The earth was scorched and the area was pocked with craters. Cars and trucks were overturned and bunkers were dug outside tents clustered in the area. Human rights groups and international officials accused the government of heavily shelling the area, densely populated with civilians, in the last weeks of the war. The government denied using heavy weapons. Before that meeting, the nation's top Buddhist monks presented Rajapaksa with the country's highest honor at a temple reputed to house the Buddha's tooth. Rajapaksa pledged to ensure the nation never be divided again. "We shall from now, meet all such needs to build a just and free society," he said. However, aid groups have complained about conditions at the camps, accusing the government of restricting access and detailing outbreaks of disease because of poor sanitation. Mark Cutts, a senior U.N. humanitarian officer, said the Manik Farm camp was erected almost overnight and is the world's largest displacement camp. "There's 200,000 people here. This is a very overcrowded place, a very big place, and there's a lot of work still to be done. Conditions, you can see, they're very basic," he said. The Tamils, 18 percent of the population, claim systematic discrimination and harassment by the Sinhalese majority. "Now that the long decades of conflict are over, it is time for Sri Lankans to heal the wounds and unite without regards to ethnic and religious identity," Ban said at the airport early Saturday on his arrival. The U.N. chief's impressions will also be of concern to the U.N. Human Rights Council, which has planned a special session on Sri Lanka on Monday at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. "I'll convey the concerns and aspirations and expectations of the international community to Sri Lankan leadership," Ban said. "Wherever there are serious violations of human rights as well as international humanitarian law, proper investigation should be instituted." According to private U.N. documents, at least 7,000 civilians were killed in the final months of fighting in the war. Ban was among many world leaders who had called on the government to halt its offensive to safeguard civilians. Those calls were ignored. Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Sign in to recommend this article » 0 users recommend Related Articles: Asia Pacific Sri Lanka war zone scene of devastationAP - Sunday, May 24 French 'Prophet' leads race at CannesAFP - Sunday, May 24 Former South Korean president dead, leaves suicide noteAFP - Sunday, May 24 UN chief face-to-face with Sri Lanka refugee despairAFP - Sunday, May 24 Pakistani troops fight Taliban in Swat valleyReuters - Sunday, May 24 Most Popular – Asia Pacific Viewed Obama signs credit card reforms Smokers duped by light cigarettes: US court Vitamin D boosts brain power in middle-aged men Popular cereal is a drug, US food watchdog says Health chiefs warn against 'sneaky' flu virus View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Community - Intellectual Property Rights Policy - Help

Other News on Sunday, 24 May 2009
Iran's president faces campaign trail hurdles
Baghdad has new security layer: street gates
Iran blocks Facebook over presidential hopeful: Ilna
New York's Times Square to be pedestrianised
Iran says powers agree to nuclear talks after vote | International |
Troops kill 60 rebels, make largest Afghan drugs bust
Brazil OKs extradition of rabbi accused in Israel
Russia favors keeping up talks with Hamas: foreign minister | International |
Ecuador's Correa says to fight media corruption | International |
Twelve dead in Philippines ferry accident
NASA scraps landing for shuttle 2nd day in a row
Sydney defends anti-flu steps as global cases rise
Obama looking for common touch in next justice
Japan pledges $528m climate aid to Pacific Islands
UN chief visits Sri Lankan war refugees
Analysis: Iran looms over Obama Mideast peace bid
NASA pushed back shuttle landing
Search for homes for 'Slumdog' children picks up
Communist leader to be elected Nepal's new PM
Obama: White House has been `terrific' for family
India's Mukherjee vows to protect economy
Obama keeps mum about conversation with Bush
Obama committed to moving ahead on health care
Ex-South Korea leader Roh dead in apparent suicide
Bombing in Nepal church kills 2, wounds 15
Philippine ferry sinks, killing 12
Loach scoops fringe Cannes prize
Museum opens high-tech gallery on recent genocides
Tarantino loves going into movie mode at Cannes
Spanish director Coixet maps Tokyo in new movie
Louvre film-making foray flops in Cannes
Tokyo lights provide setting for last Cannes films
Hong Kong Police Hunts Missing New Zealand Couple Mistakenly Given $6 Million By Bank
Pink Says Her Dog Is Now "More Calm" After She Changed His Obscene Name
Twilight Star Robert Pattinson Raises $80,000 To Kiss Two Teenage Girls
Canadian Mounted Police Seize $220,000 Counterfeit U.S., Canadian Money
Edie Falco's Dog Inspired Her To Adopt Her Kids
Queen Elizabeth Given Gold-Plated Nintendo Wii
Prince William's Favorite Beach Rated Most Polluted In Britain
Survey Finds Empire State Has Worst Drivers; Idaho, Wisconsin Best In Nation
Green Zone killing heightens security fears
Berlusconi may address parliament over links to teen
Troops kill 60 rebels, make largest Afghan drugs bust
Rebels killed in Chechnya, 15 others arrested in Ingushetia: report
GM, Chrysler should come back 'leaner, meaner': Obama
South Korea plans for funeral of former President Roh | International |
Iran says powers agree to nuclear talks after vote
Celebrations as Germany turns 60, re-elects president
Weather delays Atlantis return for another day: NASA
India likely to move on U.S. military pact | International |
Iraq PM slams law pardoning mainly Sunni prisoners
Brazil plane crash kills 14, including children | International |
Mongolians cast ballots with mining wealth in sight | International |
Israeli government too extreme to make peace: Syria's Assad | International |
Sri Lanka war zone scene of devastation
French 'Prophet' leads race at Cannes
Cops: NY man said he'd hit Rudy Giuliani, arrested
Killings shattered dreams of rural Iraqi family
UN chief face-to-face with Sri Lanka refugee despair
Pakistani troops fight Taliban in Swat valley
Moderate quake hits Central California region
UN chief sobered by visit to Sri Lankan refugees
Police: Man kills wife, self in Ohio home; kids OK
Two Men Arrested In California Highway Shootings
UN chief visits Sri Lankan war refugees
NY barn burns decades after blaze hit same spot
Obama Addresses Annapolis Grads, Hugs McCain's Son
Maine-bound truck burns wood chips
Nepal elects moderate leftist as new PM
6-Year-Old Boy Takes Wheel Of Pickup Truck After Dad Passes Out
Kan. man accused of beating bird appeals $275 fine
Obama Taps Former Marine General To Head NASA
Obama Says Political, Economic Climate Right For Health Care Reform
Decorated pilot, 3 kids killed in Nev. plane crash
Female U.S. Air Force Academy Graduate Killed In Afghanistan
Honolulu's Internet vote considered 1st in nation
Obama Says Government Will Get Out Of Auto Business 'As Soon As Possible'
Pakistan troops battle Taliban in Swat capital
Update: Atlantis To Stay In Orbit Until Sunday
Funeral for NJ soldier slain at Iraq stress clinic
Deadly NJ Memorial Day Weekend Boat Crash Kills Teenager, Injures 7 People
Atlantis Misses First Of Six Landing Opportunities Saturday
Unhappy ending in Cannes, best film hard to call | Entertainment |
France scents triumph as Cannes curtain comes down
Cannes kudos for Greek 'Dogtooth', Romanian cop, Persian cats
Film co-written by Roxana Saberi wins Cannes prize
Buyers play it safe at Cannes film market
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01