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The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called upon the LTTE leadership to allow civilians to leave the conflict area of their own free will. In a statement from his office in New York, secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said he "deplores the forced recruitment of civilians, particularly children" and urged the Tamil Tigers to let them leave the area. The statement said the "severe restrictions on their freedom of movement violate international law". Mr Ban also reminded the government "of its responsibility to protect civilians, and to avoid the use of heavy weapons in areas where there are civilians, as promised". Both warring sides deny the accusations. UN enovy Kalin Meanwhile, Mr Ban's envoy for refugee rights, Walter Kalin, has been visiting relief centres in the north of the country which help house some 60,000 civilians who have fled the fighting. Aid agencies have said there is no freedom of movement for the people inside these camps and some are overcrowded. Mr Kalin said the government was making an effort and the UN was discussing with Sri Lankan officials ways of improving the situation in the camps, which he described as "not ideal". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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India's frustration with Sri Lanka over Tamils