Civilians at a refugee camp outside Vavuniya, in northern Sri Lanka. The camps around this town are woefully overcrowded. David Gray/Associated PressUN Urged To Release Sri Lankan Civilian Death Toll -- AP
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A leading human rights group has asked the United Nations to publicize its estimate of civilian deaths in the final weeks of Sri Lanka's civil war amid escalating reports over how many died.
Amnesty International said in a statement late Friday that it has received "consistent testimony" that both government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels killed thousands of civilians trapped in the war zone and called for an independent international investigation. The group did not say who had testified to the alleged abuses.
The U.N. said earlier that 7,000 civilians were killed and 16,700 wounded from Jan. 20 through May 7. However, these estimates circulated among diplomats were not released publicly.
Amnesty cited an investigation published on Friday in a British newspaper, The Times, which said some 20,000 civilians were killed in the final phase of the war. The report cited unnamed U.N. sources.
Read more ....
More News On the Aftermath Of The Sri Lankan Civil War
Aid Slowly Reaching Sri Lanka’s War Refugees -- New York Times
Rights Group Asks UN to Speak Out on Sri Lanka 'Bloodbath' -- Voice of America
Sri Lanka's death toll much higher, groups say -- Toronto Star
Amnesty calls for probe of Sri Lanka civilian deaths -- AFP
Calls mount for Sri Lanka probe -- BBC
Sri Lanka toll 'may never be known' -- Al Jazeera
Sri Lanka Disputes Report of 20,000 Dead -- New York Times
Killing Rajiv was LTTE's biggest mistake: Rajapaksa -- Press Trust of India
Sri Lanka Stirs an Economy Racked by War -- Wall Street Journal