U.N. patience thins over Sri Lanka rebels

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- The Sri Lanka government says it needs money to care for nearly 300,000 displaced Tamils but U.N. patience appears wearing thin, officials say.

The United Nations funds the main refugee camp for Tamils who fled the fighting in the months before the civil war ended in May. But, the agency told the BBC it cannot continue indefinitely.

U.N. officials want civilians sent home as soon as possible but Sri Lankan authorities say they are still screening everyone for possible links with the Tamil Tiger rebels.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa said this week that it could still take six months to a year to decide who should be prosecuted.