World news...

[Peikko 1,575]

Tamil Tigers announce plan to surrender

• Rebel fighters reported to be blowing themselves up

• Military says 50,000 civilians escaped in last 72 hours

Sri Lankan troops were today mopping up the remnants of the defeated Tamil Tigers as thousands of civilians trapped for months between the warring sides made their way to safety.Some of the rebel fighters were reported to be blowing themselves up as troops approached, and a large explosion in a bunker prompted speculation that the Tigers' leadership had killed themselves. The army claimed that intercepted radio communications had revealed a mass suicide plan.

Selvarasa Pathmanathan, the Tigers' chief of international relations, said the rebels had abandoned the fight and were laying down their arms. In a statement on the pro-Tamil website TamilNet, he admitted that the three-decade war was over. "This battle has reached its bitter end," he said.

The same website cited the Sea Tigers commander, Soosai, claiming that thousands of bodies were lying on the ground or in bunkers.

The military said more than 50,000 people had escaped from the fighting in the last 72 hours. It claimed to have boxed the remaining rebels into a 400-metre by 600-metre pocket of land.

Earlier, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, the Sri Lankan military spokesman, said: "Suicide cadres are coming in front of troops in the frontline and exploding themselves."

The wherebouts of the doctors who treated civilian casualties inside the so-called no-fire zone during the fighting, and who provided a running commentary on the scale of the unfolding humanitarian catasrophe, remained unknown, although one – Thurairaja Varatharajah – was reported to have been badly wounded trying to escape. It is believed that medical staff were detained by Sri Lankan forces as they joined civilians fleeing the area.

The president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, scheduled a nationally televised news conference for Tuesday morning, in which he is expected to tell the country the war is over.

Thousands of Sri Lankans poured into the streets this morning, dancing and setting off celebratory fireworks, after Rajapaksa made an initial declaration of victory. "We are celebrating a victory against terrorism," said Sujeewa Anthonis, a 32-year-old street hawker.

Downing Street said the prime minister, Gordon Brown, had made several phone calls yesterday to Rajapaksa urging him to end the violence.

There were no reliable figures ­available for civilian casualties, but with tens of thousands of people crammed into an area of less than a square mile, humanitarian agencies feared the worst. "It is hard to think of a worse place on earth to be right now than on that stretch of beach," said James Elder, the Unicef spokesman in Sri Lanka.

The military said last night that 10,000 civilians had breached the Tigers' inner cordon and were being shepherded to safety under fire from the rebels. Elder said those who remained in the zone were at the mercy of "indiscriminate firing" from all sides.

"It is a bloodbath. It is a catastrophic situation," he said. "We are seeing a complete disregard for civilian life. Everyone's worst-case scenario is coming to pass."

About 20,000 people are believed to have escaped from the no-fire zone between Thursday and Friday afternoon, but Elder said many of those who had managed to get out were in a terrible condition.

"When you look at the state of the first people to leave three weeks ago, there were malnourished children and women, and people with gunshot wounds and shrapnel injuries, and these people now have been there for another three weeks with next to nothing to eat in terrible conditions. It is going to be a nightmare," he said.

Gordon Weiss, a UN spokesman, said reliable reports from inside the war zone had dried up after the "courageous" doctors who had been working out of the last makeshift hospital at Mullaivaikal East primary school were forced to abandon the building in the face of heavy fighting on Friday. "We are most concerned about the fate of the 30,000 to 80,000 people who are left inside the combat zone," he said. "This is precisely the situation we feared all along – that they would be left inside at the penultimate moments of the battle."

On Friday, the Sri Lankan army completed a pincer movement to surround the Tigers, seizing control of the coastline and cutting off the rebel group's escape route to the sea. Attempts by the International Committee of the Red Cross to evacuate thousands of wounded civilians failed last week. The organisation said the scale of the fighting made it impossible to get casualties out.

Wasn't it the Tiger's that came up with the idea of suicide bombing? Anyway, seems as thought their current bid for Tamil home land is over...not very amusing for the populations caught up in this tug of war.

Edited May 17, 2009 by Madame Cleo

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

World news..., Yes, there is a world outside of the good 'ol USofA

Like the Queen reading Brown the riot act and MP's going to jail? I didn't think anyone would be interested in that story.

Edited May 17, 2009 by Mister_Bill

[c_and_a 0]

The Tamil people were really given a bad hand due to the fact that the Tamil Tigers, up until now, have monopolized their representation. There have always been bids among the Tamil people for more moderate leadership but the Tigers have always crushed these elements.

And now everyone has to pay for it.

[Peikko 1,575]

But, that's not the story I offered, this time. Personally, I find the politics in the UK fascinating at the moment but of course, I would.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

But, that's not the story I offered, this time. Personally, I find the politics in the UK fascinating at the moment but of course, I would.

I don't know enough about the story you posted to really comment. It does seem like a tragedy, yet at the same time there appears to be resolution, at least from what was posted. There are many such tragedies happening, or about to happen worldwide.

[Peikko 1,575]

That's sort of my point Mr Bill. Outside of the US this story has been in and out of the news for the 30 years of the struggle. Thousands of people have died because of a group of extremists who had a point, but could not bear to make their point in a more compromising fashion. Ideology is a terrible thing at times.

Edited May 17, 2009 by Madame Cleo

[c_and_a 0]

That's sort of my point Mr Bill. Outside of the US this story has been in and out of the news for the 30 years of the struggle. Thousands of people have died because of a group of extremists who had a point, but could not bear to make their point in a more compromising fashion. Ideology is a terrible thing at times.

Another problem is that Tamil expats who weren't on the ground to completely appreciate the situation were putting their support and American dollars behind the LTTE.

Here is an interesting article about that: http://experts.foreignpolicy.com/posts/200...iaspora_of_doom

Edited May 17, 2009 by c_and_a

[Peikko 1,575]

It's a lesson to us all, or should be.

[c_and_a 0]

Yep, suicide bombings are never going to help anyone achieve their aims. This only hinders peace.

[Tygrys 143]

Hopefully, this is really an end of this war and the Tigers won't reorganize and start over in the next few months. It's time for a political solution there, although I have my doubts that Sri Lankan goverment will be willing right away to talk with any Tamil representation.

[Peikko 1,575]

Tamil Tiger leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran shot dead, end to war declared.

Link

[fozzie 41]

Wow, thats huge.

[Peikko 1,575]

Reading the article though, they may be down but the goverment predicts they are still not out with 'sleeping cells' ready to strike. They reckon 2 years to eradicate terrorism and let's not forget, the Tamil Tigers introduced us to the suicide bomber. They also carry cyanide because their dedication to the cause is more important than any other allegiance. Hard to put that out of business.

[almaty 19]

the Tamil tigers were at one time a force..even killed an Indian prime minister..

[fozzie 41]

Its a step in the right direction....hopefully. Or it could lead to a dozen new Tamil Tiger leaders replacing the dead one and we will find out that this guy was the moderate force restraining the tigers. I hope not but you never know.