The Netherlands has pledged an additional one million euros of development aid to Sri Lanka for the relief of tens of thousands of civilians displaced following the last part of the offensive by the Sri Lankan army against the Tamil Tigers.

The final act of Sri Lanka's civil war played out on a narrow strip near the north eastern coast, with civilians holed holed inside the conflict zone.

Development Cooperation Minister Bert Koenders said the allocation of the money was conditional on aid workers having direct access to the refugee camps. He urged the government in Colombo to work together with the United Nations and other relief organisations to tackle the humanitarian crisis arising from the conflict.