Stop shelling civilians

More than 1,200 civilians have been killed so far this year in the crossfire of renewed civil war between the state and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), according to truce monitors, and thousands are fleeing fighting in the east.

The Tigers say dozens of civilians have been killed by army artillery fire in and around the rebel-held town of Vakarai in the eastern district of Batticaloa since Saturday, while the army accuses their foes of using them as human shields.

Around 30,000-35,000 displaced minority Tamils are living in camps in Vakarai, while more than 3,000 majority Sinhalese in government-held territory in neighbouring Trincomalee district have fled rebel artillery fire.

"All fundamental rights are currently being breached in areas like Vakarai and villages in Trincomalee district," Amin Awad, Acting UN Resident Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator said in a statement.

"It is imperative that direct shelling where civilians reside stops and the civilian population must be granted full and unhindered freedom of movement, away from military operations," he added.

Thousands of civilians have sought refuge in Buddhist temples and schools in the government-held town Kantale in the far northeast, while tens of thousands more live in constant fear in the northern army-held Jaffna peninsula, which is cut off from the rest of the island by rebel lines.