"They had to take the threats seriously because some of their colleagues who ignored similar threats got killed later"

“Even in a war, there are certain (groups) that are not touched, such as the Red Cross symbol and NGOs.”

‘One of the most serious recent crimes against humanitarian aid workers worldwide’

As Sri Lanka’s military launched a new offensive against the Liberation Tigers this week, India re-iterated that war was not the way to resolve the island’s conflict.

“We do not believe that war is the way out...We do not think violence, whether from LTTE’s side or an armed conflict, can resolve any issue,” press reports quoted India’s Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran as saying in Delhi Monday. Meanwhile, The Hindu newspaper reported that, worried over the violence in Sri Lanka, peace-facilitator Norway and India “are engaged in quiet consultations to defuse the situation.”

“About 12 to 15 members of the Pakistani Armed Forces, including four or five from the Pakistan Air Force, are stationed in Colombo to guide the Sri Lankan security forces in their counter-insurgency operations” - Mr. B. Raman

The army told us, if there was any incident, any violence by the militants, they would come and kill my wife, kill my child'

“I can’t see anyone getting back to peace talks until a clear change in the balance of power on the ground has been accepted, and likewise with the ceasefire.”

Analysts say the real reasons for the fierce fighting could run deeper than the government’s explanation that it has launched a “humanitarian gesture” aimed at ending the Tamil Tiger blockade of the Maavilaru waterway.

‘Now we cannot trust them’

“The number reaching Tamil Nadu each day is less than a hundred but they continue to come non-stop.”