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Sri Lanka announces temporary ceasefire

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, April 12, IRNA -- Sri Lankan on Sunday announced temporary ceasefire for forty eight hours, during New Year festivities which begin from Monday.

President Mahinda Rajpaksa, who is also the supreme commander of the defense forces, has directed the armed forces to restrict military operations during New Year to those of a defensive nature, calling it a temporary ceasefire or a humanitarian pause.

This comes a day before the festivities of the New Year begin in full swing. The Sinhala and Tamil New Year is being celebrated on the 13th and 14th of April.

This will also give an opportunity to the trapped Tamil civilians to come out and celebrate these festivities in a suitable atmosphere and to have uninhibited freedom of movement from the 'No Fire Zone' to the cleared areas.

The press statement by the Sri Lankan Information Department says, "As the nation celebrates the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year, the president is deeply conscious of the need to give the civilian population entrapped as hostages by the ruthless actions of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the opportunity to celebrate these festivities in a suitable atmosphere and to have uninhibited freedom of movement from the 'No Fire Zone' to the cleared areas.

"With this objective in view, the president has directed the Armed Forces of the State to restrict their operations during the New Year to those of a defensive nature.

"The Sinhala & Tamil New Year is symbolic of the amity prevailing amongst all communities in Sri Lanka.

"In the true spirit of the season, it is timely for the LTTE to acknowledge its military defeat and lay down its weapons and surrender. The LTTE must also renounce terrorism and violence permanently."

Meanwhile, with the killing over 525 LTTE cadres in 72 hours of fierce battle for Puthukkudiyiruppu, the military said that the troops were 'close to the last leg of the war' against the LTTE which has been fighting for a separate state over the past quarter century.

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End News / IRNA / News Code 431727