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| Sri Lanka |
| Sri Lankan rebels declare unilateral cease-fire |
| 2009-04-26 |
| Tamil Tiger rebels declared a unilateral cease-fire on Sunday as a top U.N. official pressed Sri Lankan leaders to let aid into the northeastern war zone where tens of thousands of civilians are trapped. The rebels asked the international community to pressure the government into halting its campaign, saying the "humanitarian crisis can only be overcome by the declaration of an immediate cease-fire." The rebels, who have voluntarily halted their fight before, said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press that they would immediately stop fighting. The United Nations and others have been pushing for a truce to allow civilians to escape, as reports have grown of starvation and casualties among those trapped by the fighting. Sri Lanka's Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa rejected the call, however, saying the rebels were "running" from government forces. In recent months, troops have pushed deep into the Tamil Tigers' strongholds in the north, surrounding the beleaguered rebels and vowing to end the quarter-century war. In a sign, the rebels are feeling the pressure of army's monthslong offensive, 23 insurgents surrendered on Sunday. Dressed as civilians, they turned themselves over to the advancing troops, said Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara, the military spokesman. Last week, two prominent rebels - the group's former media spokesman, Velayutham Dayanithi, whose nom de guerre is Daya Master, and an interpreter for group's political wing, known only as George - surrendered. The rebels, listed as a terrorist group by many Western nations, have been fighting since 1983 for an ethnic Tamil state in the north and east after decades of marginalization by governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority. After more than three years of intense fighting, the military stands on the verge of crushing the group. Fighting, meanwhile, continued Sunday in the ever-shrinking war zone, with sea battles and infantry clashes. Navy patrol boats destroyed three rebel boats, killing at least 12 insurgents early Sunday, said navy spokesman Cmdr. Mahesh Karunaratne. He said that the guerrillas were preparing to attack army troops on the coast. |
| Posted by:Fred |