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Sri Lanka Army 'Finally Defeats Tiger Rebels'

by lalith | May 16, 2009 at 04:12 pm

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Saturday, 16 May 2009 15:55

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa says his country has finally defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels after 25 years of civil war. He announced military victory during an international gathering in Jordan.

He said "with the total commitment of our armed forces" his government has "finally defeated the LTTE militarily," referring to the rebels by their formal name, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Mr Rajapaksa added that he will be returning to "a country that has been totally freed from the barbaric acts of the LTTE."

Earlier, Sri Lankan troops took control of the coastline and surrounded the remaining rebel fighters.

The military reported that fighting is continuing in the war zone along the north-east coast - but soon the rebels would be left without any territory.

On Friday, the country's government vowed it would defeat the Tamils within 48 hours, as further refugees joined the tens of thousands who have already fled rebel-held areas.

There have been international calls for a truce, and the Red Cross has told of an "unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe", with thousands left wounded by the fighting.

The Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned that the country "stands on the brink" after repeated calls for violence to cease.

The announcement form the President of Sri Lanka did not come as a surprise. It was coming and the question was 'when'? Now, everybody is in anticipation of the President's address to the Nation, perhaps on Sunday or Monday.

Gordon Brown, the British Prime Minister all of a sudden is taking a tough stance in Sri Lanka. While warning both sides, he warns the Sri Lanka Government "there will be consequences for its actions". Mr. Gordon is presently strapped with a problem with his MPs who played out Government money for personal use and already a Minister has resigned from his Government.

He is also tied up in Afghanistan by Brown Nosing (no pun intended) the Americans. He forgets that it was the British who initiated this problem in Sri Lanka by adopting a 'divide and rule' system.

Although Brown's statement came in a bit too late, it is hoped that he will join the Sri Lankans in the resettlement of the refugees.

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Hiranya Malwatta

at 20:31 on May 16th, 2009

Sri Lankan soldiers have reached the concluding phase of their humanitarian operation in the Island's northeast as they rescued over 36,000 civilians from LTTE hold during last 24 hours.

According to the battlefield sources, Army 58, 53 and 59 Division soldiers have entered into the area where LTTE leaders have been cowering among the civilians during last couple of weeks. Soldiers are now looking for sick and disabled people that may be left in the area as almost all the others held at hostage by the terrorists have been rescued.