As more and more civilians cross out of the battle zone in northeastern Sri Lanka to government-controlled areas, Buddhists and Catholics have joined forces to transport truckloads of relief items to the displaced people. “We collected milk powder, toothpaste, rice and eggs from Muslims, Buddhists and Christians,” Akurana Gunarathana, a Buddhist monk, told UCA News. He began his eight-hour journey northward around 3 a.m. March 8 with Buddhist monks and Catholic priests. An estimated 150,000 ethnic Tamils are still trapped in a small patch of Tamil-controlled area in the northeast of the island country . Since 1983, the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have been fighting for independence from the Sinhalese-led government in an effort to establish a Tamil state in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The conflict has claimed close to 80,000 lives.
Sri Lankan Refugees in Need of Aid
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
Some of the “made in the U.S.A.” bombs Israel Defense Forces are dropping over Gaza include 2,000-pound bombs that have been responsible for some of the most devastating—and questionable—strikes of the months-long campaign against Hamas.
Many Jesuits schools have recently been sites of passionate protest, peaceful activism and regrettably some incidents of anti-Semitism.
Directly ending human life—at any stage—tears the metaphysical tapestry of existence.
”The division and hatred that have been part of these protests and demonstrations do not come from the true God,” Father Roger L. Landry said.