70,000 killed in 33-year conflict

THE Tamil protest in Westminster reflects worldwide anxiety about the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka since government forces began a renewed offensive aimed at ending the civil war.

The conflict dates back to 1976, when the Tamil Tigers began a campaign to create an autonomous Tamil state in the north and east of the country.

The struggle, which the Tigers claim is justified to protect them from discrimination by the Sinhalese majority, has claimed more than 70,000 lives including those of a president and several ministers and has led to the Tigers being proscribed around the world as a terrorist organisation.

The government pulled out of an internationally brokered ceasefire last year. Its forces have since driven the Tigers out of their last stronghold.

The offensive has led to a rising civilian death toll and serious humanitarian problems for thousands living in the war zone. The UN says about 150,000 are trapped in the north-east of Sri Lanka and more than 2,800 civilians have died.

Tamil leaders also allege human rights abuses, a charge denied by the government, while aid agencies say it is increasingly hard to feed the tens of thousands of refugees.

With President Mahinda Rajapaksa strongly backing the military, there appears to be little prospect of fighting ending soon.