Dear Friends,
I want share an update on the situation in Sri Lanka received from Godfrey Yogarajah, General Secretary of the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL). Please pray for this country and for the Christians who risk their lives to reach and care for those caught in this civil conflict. While the world’s attention is fixed on the equally tragic events in the Mideast, little media coverage is given to the Sri Lankan civil war that is taking scores of innocent lives and displacing thousands of people in the island country. The August 3rd, 2006 issue of The Economist referred to the situation in Sri Lanka as a “renewed and full-blooded civil war.”
Update from Godfrey Yogarajah:
The war has started once more in Sri Lanka. There is heavy fighting going on. Every day civilians are caught in the crossfire and are dying in great numbers. Thousands of civilians are displaced. Our (NCEASL) staff is working night and day to send supplies, relief aid and medicines to the war affected areas. Today is Saturday and we are all in office working to get 1000 relief packs ready by evening to be sent to the east of Sri Lanka. Two churches and several schools where people were taking refuge got caught in the shelling and were badly damaged resulting in considerable loss to life and property. Hundreds are injured needing medical assistance but can’t get out of the conflict zone. An ambulance got caught in the crossfire and all in it perished. Aerial bombings of these areas too are taking place. The most affected are the women and children. Many are being conscripted forcibly to fight, including children.
Please pray for the situation. Very little news is coming out of Sri Lanka even though BBC carried a few stories including Kofi Annan’s statement calling for a cessation to hostilities. Much of the news coverage is focused on the events in Lebanon and Israel while the Sri Lankan war is not getting much publicity. Consequently, the world is ignorant to the suffering of the people here. We will do my best to keep you informed. Thanks for your prayers.
Let us remember the people of Sri Lanka and lift up our brothers and sisters in prayer; may there be a swift and peaceful end to the fighting and bloodshed.
Your servant in Christ,
Geoff Tunnicliffe
Contact Information:
National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka
32 Ebenezer Place, Dehiwela, Sri Lanka.
Tel: 94-11-5511358 / 9
Fax: 94-11-2718823
Hotline: 94-777-255469 / 94-777-255439
E-Mail: [email protected]
Pauline Chang, Press Secretary
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +[1] 202.223.7556
Sylvia Soon, Chief of Staff
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel: +[1] 604.838.3922
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