As the civil war in Sri Lanka continues, the Sri Lankan army has hemmed in the rebels, the Tamil Tigers, in the northeast corner of the country. Caught in the crossfire are an estimated 250,000 civilians who live in the area. Food stocks are dwindling, and Sri Lanka’s president today is urging Tamil Tiger rebels to allow the civilians trapped there to leave. For a closer look at these troubling events, we turn to Somini Sengupta, the New Delhi bureau chief for the New York Times.