Thousands leave Sri Lankan camp

Nearly 6,000 Tamil refugees have been released from Sri Lanka's main camp for war displaced people, officials say.
The 5,700 refugees who left Menik Farm on Thursday are among almost 40,000 people due to be resettled over the next few weeks, the government says.
This would be the largest single batch freed since the Tamil Tigers were defeated in May. Some 250,000 civilians are housed in military-run camps.
The authorities have been criticised for the slow pace of resettlement.
Pressure
Rehabilitation Minister Rishat Badurdheen told the BBC that another 36,000 refugees would be resettled "over the coming weeks".
Those who left Menik Farm on Thursday include Tamils from areas previously controlled by the rebels.
It is the first time people have been allowed to return home to areas the Tigers used to hold.
About 15,000 refugees have been freed up to now - but all of from areas that were not controlled by the rebels.
The BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan says the government's announcement comes at a time when it is under increasing international pressure to resettle the tens of thousands of people displaced in the final stages of the conflict.
Sri Lanka's government earlier said it intended to release 80% of the refugees held in camps by the end of the year.
The government has previously defended itself from human rights groups, many of whom have criticised the slow pace of the releases.
It argues that it needs to weed out rebels from the camps and ensure that areas in the north are de-mined before refugees return home.
Aid agencies have repeatedly expressed concern over conditions in Manik Farm - near the town of Vavuniya - and have warned that flooding and poor sanitation will become worse when monsoon rains, which are due at any time, eventually arrive.