Church cares for refugees fleeing increased fighting in Sri Lanka

Published: 2007-01-24

BATTICALOA, Sri Lanka (CNS) -- The Catholic Church has been caring for hundreds of ethnic Tamil refugee families who have poured into this troubled city on Sri Lanka's eastern coast. "We are struggling to put up 300 shelters immediately," said Father Sritharan Sylvester, director of the Eastern Human and Economic Development center, the social action wing of the Batticaloa Diocese. "We are trying our best to help as many refugees as possible." Since mid-January the diocese has been caring for 300 refugee families in addition to 400 refugee families who had been under church care for months, he told Catholic News Service Jan. 23. Father Sylvester said the condition of the newest refugees is very bad. "Many of them do not have any identity documents, and they cannot go to work. They could also face harassment" for being suspected as rebels, he said. "How long can these people survive like this? This is one of the worst crises we have had in Batticaloa."

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