Sri Lanka is rejecting UN calls for aid worker access to civilians trapped in the fighting between Sri Lankan forces and Tamil Tiger rebels. An estimated 100,000 people have fled the last remaining Tamil stronghold since Sri Lanka intensified its military assault earlier this week. On Thursday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged all sides to stop fighting.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “I would like to take this opportunity to strongly urge all the parties concerned to respect the call of the Security Council made yesterday in full and without further delay. Too many lives are at stake. The United Nations stands ready to do whatever it can to provide emergency humanitarian assistance and to protect the civilian population. I would again strongly urge LTTE to lay down their arms and to do whatever to protect the civilian population. So many lives have been sacrificed. There is no time to lose.”

The UN is now estimating some 6,500 civilians have been killed and another 14,000 wounded in the last three months of clashes.