New clashes in Sri Lanka as foreigners head for safety

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2006

COLOMBO (AFP) — The Red Cross has ferried 150 foreigners to safety from the besieged Jaffna peninsula as the Sri Lankan military claimed it killed 12 Tamil Tigers when repulsing a rebel attack on an army position. The ferry arrived at the port of Trincomalee in the country's northeast in the early hours after many aid agencies pulled out foreign staff amid ongoing clashes between rebels and security forces.

The 152 passengers included two locals needing medical care and people visiting families in the disputed northeast and aid workers on tsunami related projects. Charity workers said it was unclear when they could return to help tens of thousands who have fled fierce fighting between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the security forces. More than 40,000 have...