Today has been an entirely chaotic day - not unexpected. By the time I got into the office, I'd already had 10 or so phone calls about responding to what has become a dire humanitarian crisis in the north, where the army is battling Tamil Tiger rebels.

As often happens in Sri Lanka when there's calm before a storm, the sleepiness of the last 10 days of extended holidays has suddenly been shattered by frantic and almost panic-ridden attempts to get into areas where people who've fled the conflict zone are crowding into government-run camps.

So far there has been very little access as a result of what can best be described as a political tennis match being played in Colombo between the heads of aid groups and the government.

It's very clear the eventual losers will be those 100,000-plus civilians who have been displaced - all in all, a very frustrating state of affairs as the emergency escalates. As my colleague said, "It is a crime that we are sitting here with all our equipment ready to help people and not doing anything."

While the need to sign an operating agreement with the government has been an additional and unwelcome bureaucratic hurdle, the attitude from some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has also been unhelpful.

One weary ministry official told me, "Look we have learnt from the tsunami. You guys came in with loads of money and promised the sky and the moon. Some of that was not delivered and some of that ended up in the wrong hands. We don't want to take any chances." It's difficult to argue with that, but you just have to persevere.

Thankfully it seems access will be granted and we will be let in. So today has been spent trying to ensure all our equipment, supplies and staff are ready to swing into action.

This week, in particular, we've watched images flash across our screens of people crossing lakes and rivers and being met by the Sri Lankan armed forces - "the biggest humanitarian exercise in history", according to the president's claim. As the physical fighting seems to be reaching a conclusion, the battle has moved to cyberspace, where claims and counter-claims are being levelled at each other.

TIME TO PUT ASIDE POLITICS

It's obvious from following the discussions on Youtube or Facebook, or even for that matter on AlertNet, that feelings run very deep on both sides. This has also been played out on the streets of Europe, much to the surprise of many here in Sri Lanka, and in some cases disgust.

One of my friends told me, "You know, I can understand the deep distrust and resentment of Tamils to the Sri Lankan government. They have suffered in the past. What I don't understand is why they choose to fly the flags of the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)?" This is the one argument on everyone's mind.

Thinking about all this, the analogy of a shattered mirror comes to mind. Each of us holds a piece of that shattered mirror, meaning you find parts of the truth everywhere and the whole truth nowhere.

This past week, more than ever, there has been a need to cast aside preconceived notions. If the images of malnourished women and children haven't struck a chord in your heart, then surely the sight of over-run hospitals with the injured and wounded has. The need of the hour is for a moratorium on politically charged thoughts.

Why can't all sides, for once, focus on those innocent civilians who need our help? This shouldn't be about the politics of the situation, nor about right and wrong. Still, I'm not suggesting people forget past grievances, which would dishonour all those who have suffered.

We shouldn't forget the blot on Sri Lanka's history in 1983 when Tamils were forced to leave Sri Lanka in their thousands; nor should we forget those Muslims who had to get out of Jaffna in 1990 and who've been in refugee camps since; nor those who have been killed directly or indirectly as a result of the conflict, not forgetting the poor rural Sinhalese villagers who make up most of the armed forces.

The immediate challenge facing us is that more than 100,000 civilians - through no fault of their own - are in desperate need of help. This is a logistical nightmare for any government to handle, and the need of the moment is for support from all stakeholders.

Already there are signs that people want to help. Our office has received many offers of assistance and donations for those displaced in the north, and some have even volunteered to work with us on the ground.

There is genuine feeling for the plight of suffering, voiceless people - and this gives me some hope that the shards of shattered glass could be pieced back together into a mirror that reflects a peaceful and more united image of the future.

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