3:08pm UK, Tuesday February 10, 2009

Alex Crawford,
Asia correspondent, in Colombo

The Red Cross is trying to organise a beach evacuation of around 400 wounded civilians stranded on the Sri Lankan coast.

Sri Lankan troops cross a lagoon in Vishvamadu

The patients had all fled the last functioning hospital in the war zone last week.

They had moved into a disused community centre and a school near the coast, still in rebel-controlled territory.

It was considered too dangerous to try to make their way through the intense fighting between the Sri Lankan forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

But when the makeshift health centre was also attacked, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) renewed its intense negotiations with both fighting sides to get the wounded out of the war zone.

A ferry flying the Red Cross flag has left the government-controlled town of Jaffna in the north and is heading towards Putumattalan where patients have been stranded.

The Red Cross believes it has got the agreement of both sides to pick up the patients and take them out of the war zone to medical help further down the coast at Trincomalee.

More and more civilians have been dodging the fighting forces to get out of the battlefield.

More than 6,000 crossed on Monday – the same day a female suicide bomber blew herself up as she mingled with the hoards.

Amnesty International condemned the attack as a clear violation of international law.

“Blurring the distinction between civilians and combatants means that thousands of ordinary people, desperate to flee the conflict area, are at greater risk of reprisals and getting caught in crossfire,” said Yolanda Foster, the London-based group’s Sri Lanka researcher.

The Tamil Tiger rebels have accused government forces of deliberately targeting civilians and firing into densely populated areas.

The United Nations has said it is concerned about the deteriorating human rights situation in Sri Lanka.

“A climate of fear and intimidation reigns over those defending human rights, especially over journalists and lawyers,” said Margaret Skaggya appointed by the UN as an independent human rights expert.

But Sri Lanka’s foreign minister, Rohitha Bogollagama, told Sky News any suggestions the media is being intimidated is “a myth”.

“There is no fear among the journalists,” he said.

Several Tamil and Singalese journalists we have spoken to insist they are harassed and hounded if they express criticism about the government’s policy.

A leading newspaper editor was shot dead in broad daylight last month and the offices of a private television station were entered and set on fire.

Both the editor and the TV channel were well known for outspoken criticism of the government.

Mr Bogollagama – who led the government delegation during peace talks with the rebels in 2006 – also ruled out any further negotiations with them now.

“The LTTE never took up our call for a negotiated settlement. Today they still continue to be a major terrorist organisation in terms of having a suicide bomber – in a child – coming as a suicide cadre and killing so many of your own people, your Tamil people.

“Where could you tolerate this type of thing? The LTTE has had enough and more time to respond to our call.

“Today’s call to the LTTE is surrender immediately and renounce violence.”