M.I.A. has called upon Oprah Winfrey's help to raise awareness of the bombing of civilian camps in the singer's birth country of Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lanka government admitted last week that its air force have bombed a safe haven set up for refugees escaping from the bloody conflict between the army and Tamil Tigers.

Posting on her Myspace, 31-year-old M.I.A. said she met Oprah at Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People bash in New York and said she got on well.

She writes: “(Oprah) SQUEEEEZED MY HAND SO HARD , I WAS CONVINCED SHE CARED. MICHELLE OBAMA GAVE A SPEECH AND THERE WAS MAD SECRET SERVICE IN THE AIR SO I DIDNT GET TO THROW A PAPER PLANE AT HER SAYING " STOP THE BOMBING OF THE TAMILS IN SRI LANKA"

“I MET MANY MORE PEOPLE , SOME KNEW ME , SOME DIDNT ....... I WASNT SURE ABOUT MY INFLUENCE BUT........IF I DO HAVE ANY INFLUENCE, I WISH I COULD GET THE MEDIA TO SPOTLIGHT THIS:”

The singer then posted a link to a report about the dire conditions refugees are being forced to live in, before continuing:

“OPRAH CAN YOU DO SOMETHING BOUT THESE CAMPS PLEEEEEEEEEEASE?”

(by Scott Colothan)