UN secretary general in Sri Lanka amid fears for civilians
source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090522/wl_afp/srilankaunrestun5thlead_20090522204831
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- JanforGore
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UN chief Ban Ki-moon arrived Friday in Sri Lanka to press for humanitarian access to civilians displaced by the separatist conflict, as the island's president dismissed international concerns.
Ban is the first world leader to visit since Colombo's assertion earlier this week that the Tamil Tigers' bloody decades-long crusade for an independent homeland had been crushed once and for all.
"It's time for Sri Lankans to heal the wounds and unite without regards for religious and ethnic identity," Ban said after touching down to a red-carpet welcome late in the evening.
The secretary general said he had three priorities on his 24-hour mission, chief among them ensuring humanitarian assistance "to the more than 300,000 displaced badly in need of food, water and sanitation".
Tamil activists have likened the barbed wire "welfare villages" where civilians who fled the fighting are housed to concentration camps.
Ban also identified the need for the Tamil minority, long marginalised here, to be resettled and integrated into Sinhalese-dominated society.
The third goal of his visit was "national reconciliation" he said, adding: "I hope President Rajapakse will reach out in a inclusive dialogue with minority groups, including Tamils and Muslims."
But in a defiant speech delivered just hours before Ban flew in, President Mahinda Rajapakse brushed off widespread pressure from governments around the world who fear the Tigers' defeat came at the expense of civilians.
"There are some who tried to stop our military campaign by threatening to haul us before war crimes tribunals," said Rajapakse in a speech to hundreds of thousands of supporters outside the national parliament.
"I am not afraid. The strength I have is your support. I am even ready to go to the gallows on your behalf."
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Ban's chief of staff, Vijay Nambiar, told reporters that the secretary general would tour the sprawling Manik Farm area in the northern district of Vavuniya, where most of the people displaced by the recent fighting are housed.
Ban has also said Tuesday that any serious allegations of war crimes "should be properly investigated."
The conflict has cost up to 100,000 lives, according to UN estimates.
end of excerpt
Ban is the first world leader to visit since Colombo's assertion earlier this week that the Tamil Tigers' bloody decades-long crusade for an independent homeland had been crushed once and for all.
"It's time for Sri Lankans to heal the wounds and unite without regards for religious and ethnic identity," Ban said after touching down to a red-carpet welcome late in the evening.
The secretary general said he had three priorities on his 24-hour mission, chief among them ensuring humanitarian assistance "to the more than 300,000 displaced badly in need of food, water and sanitation".
Tamil activists have likened the barbed wire "welfare villages" where civilians who fled the fighting are housed to concentration camps.
Ban also identified the need for the Tamil minority, long marginalised here, to be resettled and integrated into Sinhalese-dominated society.
The third goal of his visit was "national reconciliation" he said, adding: "I hope President Rajapakse will reach out in a inclusive dialogue with minority groups, including Tamils and Muslims."
But in a defiant speech delivered just hours before Ban flew in, President Mahinda Rajapakse brushed off widespread pressure from governments around the world who fear the Tigers' defeat came at the expense of civilians.
"There are some who tried to stop our military campaign by threatening to haul us before war crimes tribunals," said Rajapakse in a speech to hundreds of thousands of supporters outside the national parliament.
"I am not afraid. The strength I have is your support. I am even ready to go to the gallows on your behalf."
snip
Ban's chief of staff, Vijay Nambiar, told reporters that the secretary general would tour the sprawling Manik Farm area in the northern district of Vavuniya, where most of the people displaced by the recent fighting are housed.
Ban has also said Tuesday that any serious allegations of war crimes "should be properly investigated."
The conflict has cost up to 100,000 lives, according to UN estimates.
end of excerpt
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