The remaining United Nations (UN) staff leave the Wanni following a government statement that it could not guarantee the safety of aid workers because of increased fighting. Earlier, hundreds of protesters had blockaded UN offices seeking to prevent them from leaving the area.
Quotations
“With the exception of the ICRC [the International Committee of the Red Cross], other aid workers must to leave the Wanni by 29 September,” Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister for Disaster Management.
“We hope that [our departure] is temporary so that we can reach the people. What we do know is that it is too dangerous for us to operate at the moment and our operations are being asphyxiated by the conflict,” Gordon Weiss, U.N. spokesman.
“It’s a short-term measure. Very soon they can go back. … We are focusing on war. We can crush them. Why can’t we? They are in the jungle and our forces are also [there now],” President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Press Conference, 16 September 2008.
Sources
Last U.N. staff safely leave Sri Lanka war zone, Reuters, 16 September 2008; UN pulls out of Sri Lanka war zone, rebels deny plane downed, AFP, 9 September 2008; UN says pleading crowds halt Sri Lanka pull-out, AFP, 13 September 2008.
