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Sri Lanka attacks rebel-held village after rejecting truce
Ed Harris and Rashid Razaq27 Apr 2009
THE Sri Lankan army today launched a fresh assault on the Tamil Tigers with a machinegun attack on a rebel-held village.
It came hours after the army rejected the Tamil Tigers' plea for a truce, dismissing the offer as a ploy to avoid certain destruction, a rebel-linked website reported.
The military moved on the coastal village of Mullivaikal from the north, south and west in the early hours, TamilNet claimed. The village is in a no-fire zone that the government demarcated inside rebel territory as a civilian refuge, and it was claimed the area was densely populated with tens of thousands of civilians. "Confrontations are taking place. We are moving forward," military spokesman brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. Hours after the assault the Sri Lankan government said the army would stop using heavy weapons in the war zone.
Diplomatic pressure was growing today for a ceasefire to allow civilians trapped in the war zone to escape.
UN humanitarian official John Holmes met Sri Lanka's foreign minister to express his fears for the trapped civilians, who number at least 50,000. He was then flying to a village south of the war zone to inspect displacement camps overwhelmed by the massive influx of war refugees in recent days. Britain also said it was sending Foreign Secretary David Miliband with his French and Swedish counterparts on Wednesday to attempt to mediate in the conflict.
Government forces stand poised to crush the rebels and end a 26-year-old civil war. A recent government offensive forced the rebels out of their strongholds in the north and cornered them in a narrow coastal strip less than four miles long. The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for an ethnic state in the north and east after decades of marginalisation by governments dominated by the Sinhalese majority.
A Tamil student on hunger strike in Parliament Square, in protest at the Sri Lankan government's offensive, today vowed to continue his protest until the end after he stopped drinking water.
Prarameswaren Subramaniam, 28, from Mitcham, said: "I will continue with my hunger strike until my last breath." Hundreds of Tamil protesters have been gathering in Parliament Square for the last three weeks.
Reader views (8)
Tamil tigers first killed tamil leaders, now killing everyone.The protesters who protest around the world are holding the tamil tiger flag and picture of tiger leader, they will not get any sympathy from anyone.
- M.K.Goundinyar, Ilford,Essex, 14/05/2009 19:11
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It is extremely sad to see that Tamils overseas cannot get out of the myths propagated by the LTTE. In principle who is to be blamed for the civilian plight? The LTTE. How many times the LTTE has been asked to release these human shields? Innumerable now. What are they doing? Conscripting children even young as 12 years old. Read comments by UN reps. in Colombo.
It is true that Sri Lankan government has used an excessive force to wipe out the tigers which has caused a considerable collateral damage. But given the tactics of the Tigers the govt. cannot be blamed for doing so. Had the LTTE been able to conduct this war with their newly acquired weaponery, Sri Lanka would not have been in existence now.
What the world should now do is that to help Sri Lankan govt. to finish the LTTE off and then to assist in the reconstruction process. Then they can hold the govt. responsible.
If the Sri Lankan govt. is committing a genocide how can over 2 million Tamils living in other parts of Sri Lanka without any problem?
So, Tamil diaspora must now invest their time and money in useful activties. They should not waste resources of host countries, time of the diplomats of Indian and Sri Lankan missions. The Tamil diaspora should realise that the LTTE is gone and dead and time has come for a fresh start forgetting hatredness against Sinhalese. If they are fear of their visas in western countries, if peace returns to Sri Lanka, they have no choice but to leave to face hard times.
- V Kanagalingam, London - UK, 14/05/2009 18:11
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At last the world is seeing what Tamils have known for 25 years - that the duplicitous Sri Lankan government is intent on wiping Tamils out under the guise of combatting terrorism.
Please help these people before it's too late.
- The Truth Will Out, London, 14/05/2009 18:11
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What's happening in BHUTAN, samething in Sri Lanka. Bhudists wants to make the countries to themself. World will NOT ACT, because there's no money in these countries. Tamils always going to be refugees in their own land just like Non-bhudists in Bhutan.
- Greg, U.S.A, 14/05/2009 18:11
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Sri Lanka has suffered enough at the hands of the LTTE. Let the government do its job. And in the meantime, Gordon Brown and his hounds are trying to put a stop to a very successful military operation because it is terrified of the Tamil vote base in UK. And they have shown over and over again how gullible they are to Tamil extremist propaganda, probably half-willingly.
- Schweigen, London, UK, 14/05/2009 18:11
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SLA opens fire on all fronts of safe-zone.Sri Lanka Army (SLA) began firing from all points along the north, west and south of safe-zone in the early hours of Monday around 3:45 a.m., according to initial reports. Heavy gunfire was reported in the north and south of Mulli-vaaykkaal. The aggression by the SLA comes a few hours after Sri Lanka rejected LTTE announced unilateral ceasefire. I appeal British Govt, the British people and th medias give pressure to stop genocide and save the tamils life.You are having only few hours to stop killing
Please think about 160000 Tamils.Please take action now.
- Moorthy, germany, 14/05/2009 18:11
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This Sri Lankan genocide of innocent TAMILS, aided by the duplicity of external players will not cease but merely be masked to continue in a silenced vacuum. Will the international community not learn from its mistakes in Darfur, Rwanda, Bosnia..or is the plight of the Tamils simply not on your agenda? An unparalleled humanitarian crisis is unfolding in front of our eyes, the United Nations if serious about its responsibility will call for an immediate ceasefire, but John Holmes et al are simply pawns in Sri Lanka’s war game. "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends" as Martin Luther King eloquently put it. Please take action NOW!
- Gaspar T, London, 14/05/2009 18:11
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Latest is that Srilankan government has ordered its military to not to use heavy wepaons. What a joke? Sri lankan goverment has been totally denying the use of heavy weaponery until now and it is saying this will stop. The Sri lankan government is fooling every body, and it is going to learn its lesson in the near future as the international community has woken up at last to verify the atrocities caused by the stupid Rajapakse brothers to the entire tamil race. It seems that they scored a victory against the tamils, but in the long run they have facilitated the entire world to understand the justice in the tamil cause.
- Satha Anathan, UK, 14/05/2009 18:11
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