We are coping with the exodus, says Govt.

Government officials assisted by police and security force personnel were this week pressed into service in a frantic bid to accommodate the sudden exodus of civilians from the LTTE-controlled no-fire zone as the UN appealed for more aid from international donors to meet the humanitarian crisis.

People, including day-old infants to the old and feeble, continue to flee into government-held areas even as the guerrillas engage the security forces in sporadic fighting to interrupt the mass flight.

According to official estimates, about 110,000 people have entered government-controlled areas over the past week, raising the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS) in the government-held areas to more than 178,000. Read more