Concern Over Abductions in Sri Lanka

(09 Mar 08 -RV)Soldiers attacked Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka with tanks, mortars and artillery in
fighting that killed 23 guerrillas and seven soldiers, the military said today.Troops backed by helicopter gunships pushed across northern front lines yesterday and destroyed eight rebel bunkers. The fighting killed 10 rebels and four soldiers.As the continuing conflict in the north persists, the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons says it is pulling out of the worn-torn island. The team of foreign judicial and forensic experts says that the government has failed to investigate a series of high-profile abduction cases, including the killing of aid workers.
Rights groups have recently reported widespread abductions and disappearances of Tamil men, children, journalists, aid workers, clergy and teachers. Jehan Perera is the Executive Director of the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka in Colombo. He says that both the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lankan government are responsible for the abductions.