03 February,2009 12:03 PM IST | | Agencies
The Sri Lankan government has said it cannot guarantee the safety of civilians living among Tamil separatists in the north of the country.
"The government cannot be responsible for the safety and security of civilians still living among LTTE terrorists," said Lakshman Hulugalle, a government spokesman.
He urged civilians to seek shelter in a government "safe zone" - where there have also been reports of shelling, but did not say how the civilians would be able to flee if they were being held against their will as human shields, as claimed by the government's military.
About 2,50,000 people are stuck in a 300sq km area near the northern town of Mullaittivu where advancing government troops are said to have surrounded the rebels, according to the ICRC. The government puts the number at about 1,20,000.
The army has declared that rescuing civilians trapped by its offensive against the Tigers is one of its top priorities.
The LTTE denies government allegations that it is using civilians as human shields, and says instead that people are refusing to go as they fear being abused by the army.
S Pasupathi, the co-ordinator of the World Tamil Relief Fund, said that Tamil civilians "simply don't trust the Sri Lankan government"."It is impossible for the LTTE, with a small number of soldiers, to hold on to 250,000 Tamils," he said.
Hundreds of civilians, including children, have been killed or wounded in fighting since last week, the Red Cross has said. Colombo disputes the figures.
No independently confirmed figures for casualties in the recent fighting are available.
The Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for a separate homeland for ethnic minority Tamils in the north and east.More than 70,000 people have been killed in the civil war since then.
