ICRC Press Release No. 06/100

Geneva / Colombo 29 August 2006

As a result of the increased violence in Sri Lanka in recent weeks, a significant number of people have been displaced in the east and north of the country. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Sri Lankan Red Cross Society (SLRCS) are concerned about the impact of this displacement on the links between family members. While phone lines are generally working in most parts of the country, allowing families to keep in touch, communications between the conflict areas and the rest of the country have been cut off and many families are left without any news from their relatives.

The ICRC yesterday launched a special webpage, available to people in Sri Lanka and throughout the world, to help those seeking to re-establish contact with their relatives. The page is in English and can be accessed at  www.familylinks.icrc.org.

People in the conflict areas can register to announce that they are safe, while those looking for people in the conflict areas can check the list for the names and contact details of relatives with whom they have lost contact. Both in the conflict area and elsewhere, people can also register the names of people with whom they have lost touch. Registration and checking of the lists can be done directly through the  www.familylinks.icrc.org website or at any of the ICRC's offices in Sri Lanka.

This website is managed by the ICRC in cooperation with the tracing services of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The ICRC has no means of verifying the information sent via the site and cannot accept responsibility for any inaccurate information.

The information given on the website is not confidential – anyone can read it. It is the responsibility of those registering to ensure that no harm is caused by registration. Neither the ICRC nor any other component of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement can accept responsibility for any consequences to an individual arising from registration.

For any further information, please contact your nearest Red Cross or Red Crescent office. People who have re-established contact and therefore wish their names to be removed from the list should follow the instructions on the webpage.

For further information, please contact:
Davide Vignati, ICRC Colombo, tel. +94 11 250 33 46 or +94 77 728 96 82
Florian Westphal, ICRC Colombo, Tel: +94 11 250 33 46 or +94 77 345 77 66
Carla Haddad, ICRC Geneva, tel. +41 22 730 24 05 or +41 79 217 32 26
or visit our website:  www.icrc.org