Amnesty International Calls for Action on Sri Lanka

The human rights group Amnesty International warned yesterday that "An all-out massacre is about to take place in Sri Lanka any day now" if the international community did not intervene rapidly to save civilians in the war zone.

Earlier in the week, Amnesty publicized satellite images released by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) which revealed "evidence of probable artillery shelling as well as major population displacement" in areas where displaced people were settling. Last weekend, some 400 civilians were killed in shelling of a so-called 'safe zone' by government troops.

President Barack Obama has called on the government to end its "indiscriminate shelling" and echoed the UN Security Council's condemnation of the Tamil Tiger's use of human shields and history of terrorism.

"Tens of thousands of innocent civilians are trapped between the warring government forces and the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka with no means of escape," said Obama.

The above video, by Channel 4 News, a UK televison station displays the shoking conditions faced by displaced civilians. The Sri Lankan government has denied the claims in the video.

For background on the conflict, click here. To view a Human Rights Watch slideshow of photographs depicting the extent of the violence, click here.

On May 5, Outreach International issued a 'Call to Action' for Sri Lanka, saying "Our Sri Lankan team has already started collecting dry food and health care items, ensuring that food supplies, clean water and sanitation are supplied for the refugees." To donate to Outreach's Sri Lanka effort, click here.

To urge President Obama to take strong action to end this humanitarian disaster, click here.

-Matthew Bolton