Related News
Tamil cease-fire branded a joke
Source: Agencies |
April 27, 2009, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE Tamil Tigers declared a unilateral cease-fire yesterday but Sri Lanka dismissed it as a "joke" and said only a surrender would stop troops from finishing the last battle in Asia's longest modern war.
The Tigers' truce declaration came as the United Nations' humanitarian chief visited the Indian Ocean island to press for the protection of tens of thousands of people trapped in the apparent final battle of a war that started in 1983.
Sri Lanka's ruling party won a resounding victory in a provincial poll, seen as a referendum on President Mahinda Rajapaksa's war effort and another step to shoring up his power before possibly calling an early national election.
The Tigers have offered a cease-fire repeatedly as the military has pushed them to the brink of defeat but have refused international calls to free stranded civilians, who witnesses say are kept from leaving by deadly force.
Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the president's brother, laughed at the truce declaration.
"That is a joke. They were not fighting with us, they were running from us. There is no need of a cease-fire. They must surrender. That is it," he said.
The Tigers' truce declaration came as the United Nations' humanitarian chief visited the Indian Ocean island to press for the protection of tens of thousands of people trapped in the apparent final battle of a war that started in 1983.
Sri Lanka's ruling party won a resounding victory in a provincial poll, seen as a referendum on President Mahinda Rajapaksa's war effort and another step to shoring up his power before possibly calling an early national election.
The Tigers have offered a cease-fire repeatedly as the military has pushed them to the brink of defeat but have refused international calls to free stranded civilians, who witnesses say are kept from leaving by deadly force.
Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the president's brother, laughed at the truce declaration.
"That is a joke. They were not fighting with us, they were running from us. There is no need of a cease-fire. They must surrender. That is it," he said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
