Thousands in Sri Lanka Forced by War to Flee Their Homes

July 28th, 2008

Tens of thousands of people in northwestern Sri Lanka have been forced by aerial bombardment to leave their homes and are living out in the open. The Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Savundaranayagam, Bishop of Jaffna and the Rt. Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph, Bishop of Mannar have both written pleas to the government asking that the bombing stop and the internally displaced people be assisted with food, medicine and shelter.

Press Release from the Bishop of Mannar (Download PDF)
Letter addressed to the President of Sri Lanka from the Bishop of Jaffna (Download PDF)

In a related story, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Colombo told the BBC Sandeshaya that politicians in the south should get together and offer a political solution to engage in discussions with the Tamil Tigers. Saying he was misquoted by a government spokesman in an earlier news story, the Archbishop clarified that “I clearly said that I do not share the opinion that the war is the solution”.

“We have always advocated for finding a political solution. We have always been against violence from whichever quarter it comes from. So I think, all political parties in the south should get together and offer a political solution paving the way for discussions with the LTTE and other Tamil leaders”. Archbishop Oswald Gomis told the BBC.

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