Sri Lanka refugees top 100,000

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Source: CCTV.com | 04-23-2009 09:20

The country's military has cornered the Tamil Tiger rebels into a tiny strip of land. Two senior rebels surrendered to government troops on Wednesday. But more civilians have been caught up in the conflict and have been forced from their homes.

Civilians escape an area controlled by Tamil Tigers in  north-eastern Sri Lanka in this photo taken on April 20, 2009.[Agencies]

Taking to the sea to escape the war, thousands more Sri Lankan civilians are surging out of the war zone. The military says some 100-thousand people have registered in refugee camps.

These displaced people left behind destroyed homes and thousands of fellow villagers who are still stranded amidst the fighting.

The UN and humanitarian groups called for an immediate cease-fire to allow more civilians to escape. But the government has ignored those calls, saying that victory was near and they are taking care not to harm civilians.

Brigadier Nanayakkara, Sri Lanka military spokesman, said, "We never used any of the heavy weapons and tanks, and due to that even we suffered casualties because we had to use only the small arms considering the safety of the civilians being kept hostage by the LTTE".

Currently, things are moving in favor of the government troops. On Wednesday, the rebels' former media spokesman and an interpreter for the insurgents' political wing turned themselves in. They are two of the most senior ranking officials captured so far.

The military says troops now control all but 13 square kilometers of the island nation.

Editor:Zhang Yun