Lankan refugees live under trees

Sri Lankan refugee, Fawseya, (42), who was injured in a shell attack at the town of Muttur in Sri Lanka's north-eastern district of Trincomalee sits at the main hospital in the town of Trincomalee Friday. PHOTO: AFP

The first ones to get out of the coastal Muslim town of Muttur were holed up in four schools here where hundreds of Sinhalese were already living as refugees after Tiger rebels cut off their water supplies last month.

"We have no place to go -- that's why we're sleeping here," a Muslim man said as he sheltered under his bullock cart that brought his family as well as neighbours along a 45km road to this farming town.

More troops and police were seen in the town providing security to the refugees, some of whom used plastic sheets to set up makeshift shelters as the official death toll in 11 days of fighting rose to 326.

Four schools in Kantalai sheltered thousands of people fleeing Muttur.

"We have a list of 14,380 people already on the move," administrative officer H. K. Karunawathi said. "There are many more who have not been registered yet. They belong to Sinhalese, Muslim and Tamil families."

However, the majority are Muslims from Muttur where there have been heavy artillery battles between security forces and Tamil Tiger rebels since Wednesday, she said.

Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake said arranging cooked food for the refugees was a major challenge and authorities brought in extra supplies.

"We have arranged for cooked meals to be given from this morning," Dissanayake told reporters as he visited refugee centres and the hospital here where some of the wounded and sick were taken.