COLOMBO, April 26 – A cornered LTTE today announced a unilateral ceasefire, but Sri Lanka quickly dismissed the offer calling it a “joke” as troops captured Vlayarmadam area from the Tigers and encircled the remaining strip of land where rebel leader V Prabhakaran is believed to be hiding. The truce offer by the LTTE, currently confined to a 5-sq km strip of land in Wanni region, came amid calls from UN, US and UK and other countries for a pause in the offensive in the northern region for the safety of civilians.
The LTTE said it announced the ceasefire in the face of an “unprecedented humanitarian crisis” and in response to the calls made by the UN, EU, US, India and other countries.
However, the Government said it is not taking the truce offer by the LTTE seriously and termed it as a “joke”.
“It is an attempt by the LTTE to deceive the world and get time for them to regroup. There is no meaning for a ceasefire at this time with a losing force like the LTTE. It is a joke,” Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said.
The developments came on a day when the troops captured Vlayarmadam area as 23 Tamil Tigers manning the rebels surrendered to the Sri Lankan army.
Meanwhile, UN humanitarian chief John Holmes, who is currently in Colombo, asked the government to halt its military offensive against the LTTE in order to allow aid workers to help civilians trapped in the ‘No Fire Zone’.
The LTTE said in the statement published in TamilNet.Com: “All of LTTE’s offensive military operations will cease with immediate effect. As the first step we have now announced this unilateral ceasefire and call upon the international community to pressure the Sri Lankan Government to reciprocate it.”
Rajapaksa said the “rebels will have to surrender or get eliminated.”
He said the government will undertake another rescue mission if the LTTE does not release the civilians it is holding forcefully.
“We will undertake another rescue mission. As such, everyday the civilians are coming out of the area. Only 5 sq km land is left with them,” he said.
Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona said the ceasefire offer is a trick played by the LTTE to “deceive” the world.
“It is a cynical effort on the part of LTTE to exploit the visit of Under Secretary of UN John Holmes to Sri Lanka. LTTE is down on its knees and has nothing to bargain with,” he told PTI.
“Declaring the ceasefire is a joke, because we have told repeatedly and the world has told it repeatedly to surrender, lay down its weapons and let the people whom it is holding hostage go free,” he said.
The LTTE said the “suffering inflicted on our people by the Sri Lankan armed forces in violation of all international humanitarian laws has now reached its peak.” – PTI
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