The situation in northern Sri Lanka is "desperate," United Nation's top human rights official Navi Pillay said today, criticizing both the government and the Tamil rebels, according to dpa. "The current level of civilian casualties is truly shocking, and there are legitimate fears that the loss of life may reach catastrophic levels, if the fighting continues in this way," Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said. "Certain actions being undertaken by the Sri Lankan military and by the LTTE may constitute violations of international human rights and humanitarian law," the South African jurist said. Pillay said the government was shelling zones it declared to be "no fire" areas, placing civilians at risk. According to Pillay's sources more than 2,800 civilians may have been killed and more than 7,000 injured since 20 January.
