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Sri Lanka's Tamil Rebel Ceasefire Mislead Int'l Community
Sri Lankan government on Wednesday scoffed at the self-imposed one-month ceasefire by separatist Tamil Tiger rebels as a farce and a ploy to mislead the international community in a bid to rebuild themselves in the war against government forces.
There are 49 occasions of ceasefire violation by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) since the Tamil Tiger rebels announced a one-month unilateral ceasefire starting from Christmas eve last year, the government said in a statement.
"These incident make it abundantly clear that claims of unilaterally enforcing a ceasefire is only a transparent ploy by the LTTE to mislead the international community, to buy time to recruit, re-arm and re-train its cadres," the statement said.
Government forces have been compelled to intensify their military operations due to the increased acts of violence by the LTTE rebels after the enforcement of the ceasefire, it said.
Government troops launched massive offensive against LTTE rebels on Tuesday and Wednesday inflicting heavy casualties to both sides. A seven kilometer territory and two other positions under LTTE control in the northern Jaffna peninsula have been recaptured.
The latest fighting against the LTTE rebels is aimed at wrestling back the Elephant Pass, an isthmus leading to Jaffna peninsula which was lost in April last year.
The fierce fighting followed Norwegian envoy Erik Solheim's two- day visit here last week during which he tried and failed to revive peace process in the country.
The LTTE rebels said in a statement from their London headquarters on Tuesday that they were putting up fierce resistance and warned that the latest government military action will intensify the war and seriously impair the current peace initiatives under Norwegian facilitation.
The LTTE rebels announced a one-month ceasefire starting from Christmas eve last year and wanted the government to reciprocate their truce offer. The government stressed that a ceasefire would be considered only after peace talks between the two sides head toward a settlement for the long-running ethnic war.
The LTTE rebels have been fighting since 1983 against government forces in the north and east of the country in an attempt to set up an independent homeland for minority Tamils there. The rebels entered peace negotiations with the government several times in the past but they violated agreements with the government and resumed fighting soon.
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