Morning Brief: An "absolutely awful situation" in Sri Lanka

Wed, 05/13/2009 - 7:52am

TOP STORY: The Sri Lankan military has broken through Tamil Tiger defenses as the rebel group continues to make its last stand in a small strip of beach on the island's northern coast. Aid workers says that both sides are making it impossible to reach civilians still trapped in the area.

The Sri Lankan government accuses the Tigers of keeping civilians trapped as "human shields" but Human Rights Watch accuses both sides of using those trapped as "cannon fodder." Despite reports to the country, the government continues to deny that it is using artillery. The EU's human rights chief decried both sides for creating an "absolutely awful situation."

Shells hit the area's only hospital today. It was the third time the hospital has been hit and only the second time in two days. At least 50 people were killed in this latest attack, according to a local doctor. 

Meeting in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and British Foreign Minister David Miliband issued a joint statement urging both sides to "end hostilities immediately."

OVERLOOKED: The United States will once again use an airbase in Uzbekistan to supply troops in Afghanistan, though the base will be operated by South Korea. U.S. forces were evicted from the country by leader Islam Karimov in 2005 because of U.S. protests over the Andijan massacre. The U.S. military has been looking for new supply routes in Central Asia since the closure of Manas airbase in Kyrgyzstan.

Asia

  • As India's five-week election comes to a close, polling narrowly favors the ruling Congress party. 
  • On the fifth day of its military offensive in Swat Valley, the Pakistani military targeted Taliban bases in remote areas.
  • Envoy Stephen Bosworth said the U.S. is open to the possibility of limited direct talks with North Korea.

Middle East

  • Speaking in Bethlehem, Pope Benedict called for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
  • Tensions on the rise in northern Iraq with recent demonstrations in Mosul and a suicide bombing in Kirkuk.
  • Israel is putting off a decision on withdrawing from a disputed town on the Lebanese border until after Lebanon's election.

Americas

  • The United States has joined the controversial U.N. Human Rights Council.
  • A video left by a slain Guatemalan lawyer, blaming his death on the country's president, has plunged the country into a political crisis.
  • Peru has given asylum to two Bolivian officials accused of genocide, straining relations between the two neighbors.

Africa

  • Fighting in Somalia between government forces and al-Shabab rebels continues to worsen. 
  • New U.S. coast guard rules will require U.S. ships to post guards when sailing off the coast of Somalia.
  • Massive anti-government rallies are taking place in Nigeria, with the country's security forces on high alert.

Europe

PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images
Joshua Keating | Permalink | | Comments? Login or register
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more racist insults against sri lankans here

by sfernando on Wed, 05/13/2009 - 10:38am

it is laughable that west preach about a ceasefire based on biased pro terrorist unconfirmed news reports . will they ceasefire in afghanistan or pakistan where the news about civilians being "cannon fodder" is substantial ? no. (nor should they. btw) .
but they they preach to us . that is hypocritical racism . pure and simple.
fp is unable to precess that fact, but qoute the same racist insults against us . .

btw what did the west do when we were targeted by ltter terrorists. they allowed funds to be channeled through to ltte. british in particular are guilty of this. uk labour party needs tamil votes in uk . so they pander to racists who support ltte murderers. fp of course assumes british gov acts in good faith . but it seems sl gov willfully kills. why such double standards. need i ask? fp probably did even notice such ingrained racism here.
hillary clinton's campaign got lot of cash from ltte fronts in usa. some of it was returned after protest from sl .but who knows sl does not have sophisticated lobby to keep track of that sort of thing . but fp did not even check what did happen . .

we sri lankans don't count . our voices are not heard we are insulted with falsehoods all bc we want to live in peace, free of terrorists . no west want us to ceasefire with terrorists who kill us in mass (including during past ceasefires) . shame! we will not forget.

fp is yet to correct or balance the article by a racist from international crisis group that was published here few weeks ago filled with falsehood on falsehood ( all verifiable as such ) . shame! we will not forget.