Sri Lankans Celebrate Rebel Defeat
By VOA News
22 May 2009
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa delivered a victory speech Friday before tens of thousands of people who gathered to celebrate the government's defeat over Tamil Tiger rebels.
Mr. Rajapaksa praised his military commanders for defeating the rebels and bringing an end to the 25-year-old civil war.
The festive celebration on the parliament grounds included cheering crowds and traditional dances and music, a stark contrast to the devastation caused by the war in the north.
In the first independent assessment since the conflict ended earlier this week, a senior U.N. official said the region looks "ravaged."
U.N. representative Vijay Nambiar told reporters in Colombo Friday he saw burned vehicles, battered tents and no signs of civilians - a scene he described as "almost eerie."
Nambiar is chief of staff to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka late Friday to tour the conflict zone and and visit nearby camps.
Mr. Ban is expected to press Sri Lankan officials to allow aid agencies unhindered access to the nearly 300,000 displaced Tamil civilians currently living in government-run camps in the north.
Sri Lanka said it plans to resettle most of the civilians and dismantle the camps by the end of this year.
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