Doctor Reports 378 Dead in Sri Lanka

By Jeremy Shaub

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/world/asia/11lanka.html?ref=world

In Sri Lanka the Tamil Tigers are still fighting, but recently a doctor has reported that 378 people are dead in Sri Lanka. The Sri Lanka government and Tamil Tigers were throwing accusations back and forth to who's fault it was on the shelling. The government doctor, Doctor V. Shanmugarajah noted that this is some of the worst carnage he has seen as the government tries to rid of the rebels. But the civilians that are still in the hot zone barely have anything left. They have little food and little portable water and only makeshift homes to get by. But on Sunday there were about 700 people that escaped the hot zone. Even though the Sri Lanka government still claims they are stopping use of heavy firing, but western diplomats do not think they have and are still trying to force a period of no fighting so that the civilians can escape. The Tigers still control over 2 square miles of area and is holding some civilians as human shields. So the fighting is still intense and there are still many people being killed.