Montreal, May 6, 2009 - Development and Peace is committing funds to emergency relief for the 170,000 Sri Lankan Tamils that have left the conflicted province of Vanni in Northern Sri Lanka to settle in Government-run camps.

Partner Caritas Sri Lanka has access to all the camps and is currently providing cooked meals for 10,000 newly-arrived families, basic medical services through 13 mobile clinics, school and play materials and trauma counseling.

"The information that we are receiving from Sri Lanka is quite worrisome", says Debbie Bucher, Asia Program Officer at Development and Peace. "Hundreds of thousands of people are completely stranded and have been traumatized by months of intense violence. Many have seen their family members killed and are sitting in the camps with no belongings and little hope."

Development and Peace has already sent $ 250,000 to Sri Lanka and will shortly be sending another $ 350,000.

Violence flared in January between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government as army forces seized the northern town of Kilinochchi, the Tamil Tigers headquarters. Since then, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been caught in the crossfire, living in constant fear and increasing poverty. The United Nations estimates that 6,500 civilians have been killed in the region since January.

Development and Peace is accepting donations for both emergency relief and long-term reconstruction in Sri Lanka.

Contributions can be made by telephone (1 888 664-3387), online, or sent by cheque (marked "Emergency: Sri Lanka") to the following address: DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE 1425, René-Lévesque Blvd. West, 3rd floor Montreal (Quebec) H3G 1T7

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Media contact: Eleonore Fournier-Tombs efournier@devp.org 514-884-0758 ext. 307