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S.Lankan Army Announces Ceasefire in New Year Holidays
The Sri Lankan Armed forces will impose a four-day ceasefire to mark the occasion of traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year on Friday and Saturday, the Defense Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
The statement said that the ministry has issued instructions to commanders of the armed forces to halt offensive against separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the war zones in the north and east of the country. The ceasefire will begin from midnight on Thursday to 6 a.m. local time next Tuesday.
The army has also decided to release 10 LTTE captives presently in custody. A list of names of the LTTE rebels under arrest were given.
In the past, the government also imposed truce to mark important religious occasions.
The LTTE rebels are observing their unilateral ceasefire which began on the Christmas Eve last year. They extended monthly ever since then.
In a statement issued last Saturday, the rebels reiterated their demand for a reciprocal truce from the government. They also wants the government to lift the ban on them and allow fuel and cement to flow to the areas controlled by them before they enter the Norwegian-backed peace negotiations.
The rebels have been fighting against government forces since 1983 for a separatist Tamil homeland in the north and east of the country.
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