Civilians caught in the crossfire in Sri Lanka

There is currently a massive humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka. Since mid-January 2009, the Sri Lankan military has been on the offensive. As a first step, Colombo’s forces encircled the last remaining LTTE (Tamil Tigers) in large pocket in the north-west of the country. The army has been systematically squeezing the rebels’ position, designating the area as a “free fire zone”. The situation is desperate for the civilian population caught behind the rebels’ lines. It is estimated that there are currently 60,000-100,000 Sri Lankan civilians trapped in the crossfire between the two forces. Reports from the frontline have civilians being killed by the hundreds and perhaps thousands. Meanwhile, neither side is facilitating the easy relocation of the civilian population. The army is hesitant to let civilians leave, fearing LTTE fighters will also escape; on the other hand, the LTTE’s military interest lies with the civilians to remain, so to act as cover and a resource base. The distressing situation in Sri Lanka begs a number of questions. The first being: where is the American media? How can most Americans still be completely unaware that such a staggering number of people are caught in the crossfire between two hostile armies? We at the PRC project have long been focused on events in Sri Lanka. For background and analysis on the conflict see Securing Peace: An Action Strategy for Sri Lanka.