OTTAWA - The Canadian government offered $3 million in humanitarian aid to strife-torn Sri Lanka on Monday, but received no assurances about the plight of civilians there.
International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda made the announcement during a visit to the country's capital, Colombo.
The money will provide food, medicine and shelter through independent NGOs such as the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.
However, the Sri Lankan government offered little when Oda asked about the situation of minority Tamils trapped by fighting.
Oda says she asked the government for a ceasefire and full access for international monitors in the country's Tamil regions.
"They listened to us politely. They weren't willing to comment on the ceasefire request," Oda told a conference call with Canadian media.
Sri Lankan forces claimed to be closing in on Tamil insurgents from three sides, pushing deeper into rebel-held territory Monday amid a report that navy gunboats heavily shelled an area packed with civilians.
The government was similarly non-committal when Oda demanded more open access to the conflict zone. She said she was told that the Red Cross and United Nations were already able to enter to retrieve the most at-risk civilians.
There were no promises, either, when Oda asked that international media be allowed to enter the zone.
"They indicated there were some restrictions now. They also indicated that they were very aware of the need for this to happen. (They) suggested it may open up sometime in the future -- in the near future," Oda said.
Canada donates $7.5 million to civilians in Sri Lanka, which has seen a decades-long civil war between the ethnic Sinhalese-majority government and Tamil minority rebels.
