COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 25 (UPI) -- At least 150,000 civilians are in danger of starving, the Tamil Tigers say, but the Sri Lankan government puts the number at 10,000.
A United Nations spokesman said at least 50,000 people are caught between the rebels and the Army, Voice of America reported Saturday.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam -- widely known as the Tamil Tigers -- have been fighting for years for an ethnic homeland in Sri Lanka. The government recently went on the offensive and says the Tigers are trapped in a tiny area.
Lakashman Hulugalle, director general, Media Center for National Security, blames the Tigers for the plight of civilians in the area.
"What we have sent to those areas is not being distributed to the innocent people. It's been robbed by LTTE," he said. "This is the only government in the world feeding terrorists and fighting against terrorists."
