Thousands flee rebel battles in Sri Lanka

Heavy fighting in rebel-held parts of eastern Sri Lanka has forced over 15,000 civilians to flee their homes in the past two days, the Red Cross said today.

Fighting resumed this week between government troops and separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in the region after a lull of a few weeks.

International Committee of the Red Cross official Davide Vignati said there are some 105,000 displaced people are now living in Batticaloa – the largest number of refugees living in one district.

The latest influx has added to tens of thousands of displaced people who have arrived in the government-controlled areas since November and are living under flimsy tents.

A Tamil Tiger spokesman said they had fought off an assault by government commandos on their base in eastern Sri Lanka and denied military claims that the camp had been overrun and 20 guerrillas killed.

Meanwhile, the military confirmed today that eight people, including soldiers and wildlife officials, had been killed inside a wildlife sanctuary bordering the northern conflict zone.