The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that it dispatched senior officials to meet with U.S.-based organizations to discuss the ongoing violence in Sri Lanka, where a military standoff between the army and rebel Tamil Tigers has caused major civilian casualties and accusations of human rights violations on both sides. “Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher and U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake met with several U.S.-based organizations representing members of the Tamil diaspora to discuss the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka,” the Department said in a statement. Boucher and Blake “welcomed the opportunity to listen to the concerns and perspectives of the American Tamil diaspora community and to share the steps the United States is taking to address the humanitarian crisis,” the statement added. The State Department said the United States remains concerned about civilians trapped in the “no fire zone” in northern Sri Lanka. Boucher and Blake “called on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to release the civilians. They reiterated that both the Tamil Tigers and the Government of Sri Lanka should stop firing into and from the no fire zone. They outlined the steps the U.S. has taken to support the civilians in the no fire zone,” the statement said. The State Department noted that the United States has donated $23.6 million towards International Committee of the Red Cross regional activities in addition to $5.9 million in non-food support to the UN and international NGOs operating in Sri Lanka in 2008. “Assistant Secretary Boucher and Ambassador Blake emphasized the urgent need for the Government of Sri Lanka to engage Tamils, including diaspora communities around the world, to find a political end of the conflict,” the statement concluded.
