Strikers starve for Sri Lanka
by Charles Tan
A group of nine youth activists launched a four-day hunger strike at Martin Place on 28 January, urging the Australian government to condemn the killings of innocent civilians and call for a ceasefire so humanitarian aid can reach the affected areas in north-east Sri Lanka.
The activists wrote to the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, welcoming the Australian government’s latest decision to increase humanitarian supplies for the affected areas.
According to estimates by The Red Cross, 250,000 people were trapped by intense fighting in a 250 square-kilometre area. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, also expressed concern over possibly serious human rights violations committed by both parties in this long conflict.
