Ten days have rolled by since the transport facilities to army controlled Jaffna and LTTE controlled Vanni came to a stand still. A grave humanitarian problem has risen following the non- availability of food items, medicines and fuel. As a result, several thousands of people are severely affected. This problem is worse in the Sri Lankan army controlled areas.

On the one hand, Tamils in the North-East experience fear of war and the harassment by Sri Lankan army. On the other hand, they face curfew. Even when the curfew is suspended for a short time, civilians are denied the right to movement to safer areas seeking refuge.

This atrocity by the Sri Lankan forces to prevent people fleeing to safer areas is nothing but an attempt and a tactic to use them as human shields to Sri Lankan army.

There is now a pressure on the Sri Lankan government by the International community to provide humanitarian relief to the North-East.

There are two parties to the present ethnic conflict. One is the Sri Lankan government and the other is the LTTE . There is a greater responsibility on a legitimate and responsible government to provide such relief to its affected citizens. The international community has reminded the government of this cardinal principle.

Last Wednesday, Koffi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations has talked directly to President Rajapakse over the phone for about 15 minutes regarding this humanitarian problem. He has pointed out the sufferings of the people in the North-east and the need to attend to their humanitarian problems.

Koffi Annan has emphasized the urgent need to remove all restrains imposed by the Sri Lankan government and enable the relief officials of the UNO to visit the affected people and to undertake quick relief measures.

Likewise, the United State has sent Chief Deputy Assistant Secretary as it special envoy following the recent escalation of violence in the North-East to Colombo. This official held a two hour discussion with President Rajapakse. Thereafter he met several important persons and discussed this problem. It is understood that the US official too stressed the urgent need to undertake immediate humanitarian relief.

It is believed that the US official reiterated the duty of the government to take legal steps against violence unleashed on innocent civilians and NGO aid workers and to bring the culprits to book without any delay.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Embassy officials, diplomats, and executives of non-Governmental organizations who met Mangala Samaraweera, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister told that it was a bounden duty of the Sri Lankan government to alleviate the sufferings of innocent civilians in the North-East.

It is a solace to the Sri Lankan Tamils in war-zone that they have not been abandoned in this hour of peril and that they have the supportive solidarity of the international community including that of Tamil Nadu.

An English translation of the Editorial in Uthayan , a Tamil daily , based in Jaffna

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