VAVUNIYA, 20. februar 2009: Outside the primary school in Vavuniya, northern Sri Lanka, the warning signs are everywhere.
Scores of civilians caught up in the crossfire between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who have been fighting for an independent Tamil homeland since 1983, stand in the midday heat awaiting assistance.
The school is one of 16 government transit sites set up to help fleeing Tamils since the beginning of this year.
Yet things are only going to get worse, warned aid workers, who are already struggling to cope. In this scenario, maintaining international standards of humanitarian assistance for those inside will prove impossible, said aid workers, who asked not to be identified.
At 18 February, some 35.000 conflict-displaced or more than 8.000 families had arrived, with many more expected.
– In the last 10 days there has been a very sharp increase in the number of people coming out, UN spokesman Gordon Weiss told IRIN News in Colombo.
– And we expect it to increase still further, he added.
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