Lanka war refugees held by govt: HRW

Thousands of Tamils fleeing heavy fighting in the north of Sri Lanka are trapped by the government and being denied basic provisions, Human Rights Watch said yesterday.
People who have fled areas under control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels to seek safety in government-controlled regions are detained in army-run camps, the New York-based rights group said in a report.
"Civilians are trapped in a war zone with limited aid because the government ordered the UN and other aid workers out," HRW's Asia director Brad Adams said.
"To add insult to injury, people who manage to flee the fighting end up being held indefinitely in army-run prison camps."
HRW said the camps were short of shelter and sanitation.