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Fifteen Humanitarian Workers Killed in Sri Lanka

ACF (Action Against Hunger) Suspends Programs, Demands Investigation into Apparent Executions

On Sunday, August 6, 2006, Action Against Hunger's offices in Paris confirmed the deaths of 15 of the organization's aid workers in the Sri Lankan town of Muttur. Benôit Miribel, Director-General of the organization described the disaster as the worst in Action Against Hunger's 27 years of existence.

The killings occurred on Friday, August 4, 2006, in the northeastern town of Muttur, where Sri Lanka's army has been engaged in heavy battle with the rebel Tamil Tigers. Before the killings, Action Against Hunger had 15 expatriate workers and 224 Sri Lankan employees in the country. (The organization employed 3 expatriates and more than 50 Sri Lankan staff members in the district of Trincomalee where Muttur is located.)

The aid workers, 11 men and 4 women, were found dead, lying face-down in their office compound, by Jeevan Thiagarajah, Executive Director of the Consortium for Humanitarian Agencies, who identified them by their Action Against Hunger T-shirts. The workers were involved in post-tsunami relief work and could not be evacuated due to the fighting. The Sri Lankan army holds the Tamil Tigers responsible for the killings. The Tigers blame the army.

Read the full release at the website below.

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IssuesHuman Rights, International, Politics/Government, Africa, Peace/War
Homepagewww.actionagainsthunger.org
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Posted on August 8, 2006 in News Elsewhere by intern