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A new flare-up of fighting in Sri Lanka has disrupted people returning to their homes in the northeastern Muttur town, the scene of recent violence and military operations, according to the UN refugee agency. "We had seen some families returning to their own homes, at least in the daytime, but that movement has now come to a halt," a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told reporters yesterday. The new shelling around Trincomalee came as the number of civilians displaced within Sri Lanka since April reached nearly 2.14 lakh. "This may not reflect the full number," the spokesman cautioned, "since we do not yet have access to all the areas hosting displaced persons." In addition, more than 11,000 Sri Lankan refugees have fled to southern India since the start of the year, crossing the Palk Strait in boats that the agency says "are often overloaded and unseaworthy." On Wednesday, the UN launched an appeal for USD 37.5 million to help victims of violence in the country. Although 23 lorries carrying food for displaced civilians were granted access to Kilinochchi district on Tuesday, the spokesman said that "with so many mouths to feed, more supplies are urgently required" and called upon the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to allow critical humanitarian aid to reach those in need. The spokesman welcomed the easing of restrictions on freedom of movement in Batticaloa District. UN agencies and their partners are now permitted to enter the LTTE-controlled area, and UNHCR "expects further access to reach larger sectors of the displaced population," he said.
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