Britain bans ‘Mercy Ship’ bound for Wanni

By Jamila Najmuddin
The British government has banned the humanitarian aid ship ‘Mercy Mission’ from leaving the shores of Britain to deliver aid to thousands of civilians trapped in northern Sri Lanka until the appropriate clearance was given by Sri Lanka, government sources said yesterday.

The ship was expected to carry over 2,000 metric tonnes of food and medical aid for the civilians in the Wanni collected by British politicians and celebrities, various British Tamil charities and British based organisation ‘Act Now’ over the last few weeks. The ban, preventing the ship from sailing to Sri Lanka was declared by the British government after serious concerns were raised by the Sri Lankan authorities about the ship’s cargo.
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Boucher raises possibility of talks with LTTE for surrender

US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Richard Boucher has raised the possibility of having an individual meeting with LTTE leaders to discuss a surrender under which the LTTE would lay down their weapons.

This was discussed during a meeting with Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona who had met with top U.S. State Department officials on Friday where the end of the 25-year-long conflict with the LTTE was at the core of the discussions, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry said.
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So what happened to US policy of not negotiating with terrorists? -SINHAYA

Dr. Palitha Kohona denounced allegations that Sri Lankan security forces are shelling civilians

Washington DC, 12 April, (Asiantribune.com): Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona vehemently denounced allegations that the Sri Lankan security forces are shelling civilians within the government-declared no-fire zone. He said there is no substantiated evidence to support this claim. "Furthermore," he added, "there is no advantage at all to the security forces in shelling civilians."

The Foreign Secretary also noted that it was the government -- not the LTTE -- that had declared the no-fire zone to protect the civilians the LTTE had "herded" into this small area. “The government believes that 30,000 to 60,000 civilians are held forcibly by the LTTE as a human shield in a small area north of Mullaittivu," Dr. Palitha Kohona said .
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