Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger Rebels Extend Unilateral Ceasefire for One More MonthSri Lanka's separatist Tamil Tiger rebels announced Thursday, two days before their truce expiry, they would extend their unilateral ceasefire for another month until March 24.The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels said in a statement issued from their headquarters in Wanni in the north of the country that they were extending the ceasefire as a gesture of goodwill to promote Norway's efforts to broker peace in the war-torn country. The Tiger rebels also appealed the international community to put pressure on the government to reciprocate their ceasefire offer. Last month the LTTE extended their unilateral ceasefire by one more month till the 24th of this month. The alleged ceasefire began on December 24, the Christmas eve last year. The Norway-backed peace process has come to a deadlock over the issue of ceasefire. The government has accused the Tiger rebels of violating their ceasefire offer more than 75 times. The LTTE rebels have been fighting against government forces since 1983 in the north and east of the country for an independent Tamil homeland. More than 60,000 people have been killed in the bloody war. |
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