Sri Lanka

Hundreds of Tamil supporters joined by Christian religious leaders and human rights activists on Wednesday protested the "genocide" of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Organized by the Ecumenical Christian Forum for Human Rights (ECFHR), the "protest fast unto justice" was held in India's capital to draw the attention of the government as well as the international community on the mass murder of innocent and unarmed civilians trapped in the Safe Zone in northern Sri Lanka.

Expressing solidarity with the Lankan Tamils – caught in the crossfire between the Mahindra Rajapakse government and the LTTE – were mainstream church bodies including the National Council of Churches in India, Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, Evangelical Fellowship of India and Church of North India. more >>

The World Council of Churches called upon the Sri Lankan government to release Santha Fernando, a noted Christian activist who was arrested last month in Colombo.

Fernando, executive secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission of the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka, was detained at Colombo's international airport on March 27 while he was on his way to address a Christian meeting in India.

In a letter dated April 21 to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, WCC general secretary the Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia demanded an immediate release of the Christian activist. more >>

Hundreds of thousands of civilians caught in Sri Lanka’s escalated civil war will soon receive food from a church-based relief group that, like many other charities and governments, is alarmed at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the north.

Working with partners on the ground, Lutheran World Relief is responding to the crisis by distributing food baskets that contain essential items such as cooking oil, rice and beans, the Baltimore-based ministry said Friday.

"A food basket costs only about a dollar a person and can be delivered quickly,” explained Tim McCully, LWF’s vice president for international programs. “The distribution of baskets will help sustain families as they deal with this crisis.” more >>

The Vatican City-based humanitarian agency Caritas Internationalis has appealed for $2.5 million to provide emergency assistance to the war victims in Sri Lanka.

The major appeal comes as up to 120,000 people remain trapped in the war zone north-east areas still controlled by Tamil Tiger rebels. Reports indicate the rebels are keeping the civilians for use as human shields.

On Thursday, Sri Lanka pleaded for international help to assist the more than 100,000 people who have fled the conflict zones. With so many people now homeless, there are concerns over how to house them adequately. The island country has called it an "emergency humanitarian situation." more >>

Religious freedom groups are calling on Christians around the world to pray for humanitarian efforts to reach uprooted Sri Lankan civilians affected by the ongoing civil war and for the country to respect religious freedom.

In “The Toronto Statement,” the Religious Liberty Partnership (RLP) addresses proposed anti-conversion laws, the need to support those affected by the conflict between the Sri Lanka government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and the need for prayers for churches located in conflict zones.

“This is yet another example of the Christian family worldwide standing together and calling its members to pray into a complex, but very serious political situation,” said Mervyn Thomas, CEO of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, UK and chairman of the Religious Liberty Partnership. “The Toronto Statement is in full accord with the RLP’s reputation for taking a balanced approach in these issues and we trust that this call to prayer will be heeded by Christians globally.” more >>