Fifty-five thousand died in Sri Lanka's civil war -UNDP

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 14 September 1999, 15:40 GMT]
"Around fifty five thousand people have died so far in the civil war in Sri Lanka" far more than those killed political and communal violence in Pakistan (since 1995) and India (1954-94) says a UN report released today. The report 'Human Development in South Asia 1999' was prepared and released by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

"Ethnic and religious minorities are often faced with limited opportunities for economic and political empowerment (In south Asia). More than three thousand people have been killed in politically motivated violence in Karachi since 1995. Between 1954 and 1994, there were approximately fifteen thousand communal riots in India which resulted in 13301 casualties. Around fifty five thousand people have died so far in the civil war in Sri Lanka.

Unless there is a new compact between the citizen and the state, underpinned by humane governance, the majority of people in South Asia will continue to be shut into a downward spiral of deprivation and distress" says the UNDP report.

A press conference was held today at the Taj Samudra Hotel in downtown Colombo in connection with the report's release. UNDP representative Peter Witham and other addressed the conference.