Sri Lanka, Asia's often forgotten war (Avaaz)

Dear friends,

In Sri Lanka, Asia's longest-running and often forgotten civil war is coming
to a bloody climax, with 250,000 desperate civilians trapped in the
crossfire.

The US government, Sri Lanka's biggest trade partner and one of its biggest
development and military aid donors, has the most influence. The US has
called for safe zones to protect civilians, but needs to use real diplomatic
pressure to persuade both sides to agree to this, making clear that aid and
trade deals as well as international legal consequences could be at stake.

Senior US diplomats have agreed to brief Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
on the number of messages sent by Avaaz members over the next few days --
and to respond to our messages in writing. This is a real chance to persuade
the Obama team to play a constructive role in this serious crisis. Click
here to easily send a pre-written or personalized message now:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/sri_lanka_civilians

There have been atrocities and tragedies on both sides of Sri Lanka's long
war -- most of them unrecorded and hidden from the world, due to the
government's brutal campaign against independent journalism. The end of the
fighting won't, by itself, resolve the injustices that ultimately caused it;
after the guns are silenced, the legitimate concerns of the Tamil and other
minority groups must be addressed throughout the political dialogue and
reconstruction that will follow.

But right now, in these final weeks or days of fighting, the quarter-million
trapped Tamil civilians must not become the war's final casualties.

Let's add our voices to those activists and human rights advocates who
throughout the years have fought against the marginalisation of minority
groups and the deterioration of basic rights across Sri Lanka.

Click here to urge U.S. Secretary of State Clinton -- Obama's top
diplomat -- to support the threatened civilians in Sri Lanka:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/sri_lanka_civilians

With hope,

Luis, Ben, Graziela, Ricken, Paula, Alice, Iain, Pascal, Paul, Milena, and
the rest of the Avaaz team

SOURCES:

Press Release by Human Rights Watch on appalling situation of civilians in
Sri Lanka
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/02/03/sri-lanka-disregard-civilian-safety-appalling

United States and United Kingdom Joint Statement on the Humanitarian
Situation in Sri Lanka, 3 February 2009
http://srilanka.usembassy.gov/sdpr-3feb09.html

"Sri Lanka Rebuffs Pleas for Truce, Says Rebellion Near End" - New York
Times, 5 February 2009
http://www.avaaz.org/sri2b

Joint Statement by the so-called Tokyo Co-Chairs (Norway, Japan, US and EU)
expressing great concern about the plight of Sri Lankan civilians
http://www.avaaz.org/sri1

News release by the International Committee of the Red Cross on repeated
shelling and evacuation of hospital in the conflict zone
http://www.avaaz.org/sri2

Q&A: Sri Lanka crisis, by BBC News
http://www.avaaz.org/sri3

Global media rights groups condemn "culture of impunity and indifference" in
Sri Lanka
http://www.avaaz.org/sri4

Fwd by
John Willemsens,
Advayavada Foundation.
<http://www.euronet.nl/~advaya/index.htm>