More than 200,000 people have been displaced in Sri Lanka since
April when a fragile ceasefire turned into new conflicts between
government forces and the Tamil rebels, the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR
said on Friday.
Over the last few days, UNHCR has dramatically revised the
number of Sri Lankans who have had to flee their homes, spokeswoman
for the agency Jennifer Pagonis told reporters.
The number of people displaced since April this year now stands
at 204,602, she said, adding that UNHCR staff have gained greater
access to areas of the country previously cut off by fighting.
While humanitarian agencies are still not able to reach all of
the sites where displaced families were sheltering, UNHCR is
pleased that agencies are now able to move into Muttur town, an
area that has been at the center of military operations, according
to Pagonis.
She said a joint UN mission was assessing security and immediate
needs in Muttur to make sure they provided the right sort of aid
over the coming days.
In addition to the people displaced within Sri Lanka, another
8,742 Sri Lankan refugees have arrived in India since the start of
the year, Pagonis added.
She repeated UNHCR's deep concern for "those fleeing across the
Palk Straits on often unseaworthy and overcrowded vessels." The
Palk Straits lie between Sri Lanka and India.
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(Xinhua News Agency August 26, 2006)
