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Thursday, November 11, 1999 Published at 15:58 GMT
World: South Asia
Civilians flee Sri Lankan town
A soldier watches as civilians leave
Thousands of Sri Lankan civilians have been fleeing the government-held town of Vavuniya after Tamil Tiger rebels broadcast an announcement warning them to leave.
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| The BBC's Susannah Price: "The town centre is reported to be almost deserted" |
Three-quarters of the 100,000 population of Vavuniya, some 260 km north of the capital, Colombo, is estimated to have left. Trains coming south are crowded with families.
"It is difficult to give exact figures, but the town appears to be empty," said Harsha Gunawardena, a spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). He said the relief agency was keeping its office in the town open.
![[ image: Many have fled already]](/olmedia/510000/images/_514692_refugee150.jpg) |
| Many have fled already |
Meanwhile, aid agencies have expressed serious concern about nearly 2,000 refugees and hospital patients who have not been allowed to leave because they lack proper documents.
BBC correspondent Susannah Price in Colombo says Tiger radio named three locations in the region where civilians should gather, but it did not specify whether an attack on the town was planned.
Click here to see a map of the warzone
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Vavuniya has come under threat after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) began their latest offensive, codenamed "Unceasing Wave 3", on 2 November.
The army has increased its presence in the area with tanks and soldiers patrolling the streets.
![[ image: ]](/olmedia/500000/images/_504277_lanka_fctbx.gif) |
Fighting continued in the north and northeast on Thursday as government forces attempted to regroup after recent losses to the Tigers, in which there have been scores of casualties on both sides.
In the northeastern Welioya region, army troops and rebels continued to exchange artillery and mortar fire that has forced thousands of villagers to flee their homes, officials said.
The Tigers have now regained a large proportion of the land taken by the army during its 19-month offensive - Operation Jayasikuru, or Victory Assured - which was abandoned last December.
The LTTE is fighting for a separate homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east of Sri Lanka.
![[ image: ]](/olmedia/510000/images/_514692_sri_lanka_north.gif) |
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Relevant Stories 10 Nov 99 | South Asia Sri Lankan calls for Tiger talks 10 Nov 99 | South Asia Sri Lanka: The ethnic divide 08 Nov 99 | South Asia Extra troops sent to face Tigers 08 Nov 99 | South Asia Analysis: Kumaratunga under pressure 28 Jan 98 | South Asia Timeline of the Tamil conflict 04 Aug 99 | South Asia Sri Lanka: Searching for a solution 30 Sep 98 | Sri Lanka Sri Lanka's unwinnable war |
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