Sri Lanka faces refugee challenge
Updated
Up to a quarter of a million people displaced by the fighting between the Sri Lankan military and the last of the Tamil Tiger rebels could soon be living in refugee camps in the country's north.
That's the assesment of the national director of World Vision Sri Lanka, Suresh Bartlett, who has just returned to the capital, Colombo, from a visit to the refugee camps.
The government has rejected the Tamil Tigers' offer of a ceasefire, saying it is on the brink of totally defeating the separatists.
The rebels say 160,000 civilians are still in rebel-held territory, the United Nations puts the figure at up to 50,000, while the government says there are 15,000-20,000 civilians in the small rebel zone.
Suresh Bartlett says the growing number of people who have already escaped the fighting recently are facing difficult conditions in refugee camps.
Presenter: Bruce Hill
Speaker: National director of World Vision Sri Lanka, Suresh Bartlett:
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