COLOMBO (AFP) – Tens of thousands of civilians on Monday escaped from the area still held by Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers, signalling that the rebels' "complete defeat" was imminent, President Mahinda Rajapakse said.Showing AFP aerial video from a military spy plane over the tiny area where the Tigers are staging a last stand, Rajapakse said 35,000 non-combatants had crossed the lines into government-held territory within a five-hour period. The military said the surge of civilians had continued 10 hours after the initial exodus of men, women and children.
"The footage clearly shows that the people are defying the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) and escaping. They are running to safety," the president said.
"What we are doing is not a military operation, but the world's biggest hostage rescue."
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Sri Lanka gives rebels 24 hours to surrender
By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 13 mins ago
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka gave the Tamil Tiger rebels 24 hours to surrender or face a final military assault, after the military rescued 35,000 civilians from the last swath of rebel territory, officials said.
The government issued the ultimatum, giving the Tamil Tiger rebel chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and his fighters 24 hours starting Monday at noon to surrender before the military launches a final assault aimed at crushing the insurgents and ending the island nation's 25-year civil war.
READ THE STORY
Sri Lanka gives rebels 24 hours to surrender
By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 13 mins ago
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka gave the Tamil Tiger rebels 24 hours to surrender or face a final military assault, after the military rescued 35,000 civilians from the last swath of rebel territory, officials said.
A video grab taken from an unmanned aerial vehicle and released by the Sri Lankan government shows thousands of people the military said fled an area held controlled by the Tamil Tiger separatists in northeastern Sri Lanka on April 20, 2009.
The government issued the ultimatum, giving the Tamil Tiger rebel chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and his fighters 24 hours starting Monday at noon to surrender before the military launches a final assault aimed at crushing the insurgents and ending the island nation's 25-year civil war.
READ THE STORY
Bravo the forces. Bravo the brothers Rajapakse. This could have been over 15 years ago with all the deaths avoided if Chandrika and her family did not play games with the money and the people.
ReplyDeleteSo much for the honesty of the Bandaranaikes and the Ratwattes. There should now be inquiries into where the defence budgets went all along and why the Top military Officers were insisting that theirs was an impossible task. Balagalle, Weerasuriya were only looking for a political solution and allowing the LTTE to take the upper hand thereby enhanceing their armoury. Mjr. Gen Janaka Perera was the only soldier who swore that the LTTE could be defeated with the Deep Penetration Units which were his brain child.
Amen to that!
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