(2007/04/13) The United Evangelical Mission (UEM) is raising funds to support the emergency aid for refugees of the Methodist Church of Sri Lanka, MC-SL. The MC-SL is one of the UEM member churches in Asia.

Violent clashes between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and Sri Lanka's military have displaced more than 300.000 people in the northeast of the country in the past weeks.

One of the biggest refugee camps in the East of Sri Lanka is situated in Batticaloa, with 3.500 refugee living in tents provided by the United Nations.
The Methodist Church provides the refugees with food rations, clothing and toiletries. The situation in the camps has worsened due to heavy rain and flooding. The fear of epidemic of water bourne diseases is high.

Children and adolescents are particularly at risk. Human rights groups have reported abductions of minors for military operations. According to UNICEF, the LTTE splinter group of General Karuna abducted 45 children from December to February 2007. Human Rights Watch said that the LTTE also forcibly recruit women and girls. Some of them were abducted from refugee camps.

The Liberation Tigers have been fighting for a Tamil homeland in the north and in the east of the island since 1983. Both the Tigers and the military are, officially, still observing a 2002 ceasefire which has become meaningless in practice.

In recent weeks the army has made gains into Tamil Tiger territory in the east.
The Tigers are fighting for a Tamil homeland in the north and east of the island. 

Donations for the refugee aid of the MC-SL may be paid into the following account:

United Evangelical Mission

KD-Bank eG

Sort code: 350 601 90

Swift code: DENO DE D1 DKD

IBAN: DE45 3506 0190 0009 0909 08

account number: 90 90 90 8

F.d.R.: Birgit Pfeiffer, Telefon: ++49.202.89004-101, info(at)vemission.org
Kristin Jäger, Telefon: ++49.202.89004-198, jaeger-k(at)vemission.org