Surrender to advancing troops
Save lives of fleeing cadres, Army Chief tells LTTE
leaders:
By Shanika SRIYANANDA
[email protected]
With the Eelam dream of the LTTE fading Army Chief Lt. Gen. Sarath
Fonseka has called upon the LTTE leaders and other cadres to surrender
to the advancing troops as the fighting intensifies into the Tiger
heartland.
The soldiers have nearly two more miles to reach the LTTE’s
administrative capital.
Gen Fonseka told the Sunday Observer that the LTTE leaders - Soosai,
Theepan, Banu, Lakshman, Vidusha, Swarnam and Nadeshan - can surrender
with their cadres to the army.
He has called upon all ordinary LTTE cadres to lay down their arms
and cross over to the liberated areas.
“Instead of Velupillai Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman we can give
protection to all cadres who are willing to surrender. Prabhakaran has
been given a 200-year imprisonment term and he is wanted by the Indian
government.” He said Pottu Amman, is also a wanted man under the law and
added that they would otherwise have to die in fierce battles as the
security forces have intensified their offensive in Kilinochchi and
Mullaithivu.
The security forces lost control in Kilinochchi in 1998 and the LTTE
built the area as their administrative capital where many of their
offices and important camps stand.
“It is the best time for the LTTEers to surrender. Arrangements are
being made for them to be rehabilitated”, he said.
The Army Chief who served as the General Officer Commanding at
Elephant Pass before it fell into the hands of the LTTE said that the
advancing troops could now see the LTTE’s buildings and the city is
within the artillery and mortar range.
According to Lt. Gen Fonseka, the cadres who wish to surrender can
cross at any point where the troops are stationed.
“They can coordinate with the intelligence sources. A significant
number of cadres has already started negotiations with the security
forces”, he said.
However, a group of 14 LTTE cadres who tried to surrender to the
security forces last week were killed by the LTTE before they crossed
over to the liberated areas.
The group had used an alternative route to cross over instead of what
was given to them by the security forces.
Meanwhile, defence sources said over 100 LTTE cadres and ten soldiers
were killed in clashes during the past three days while fighter jets of
the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) had destroyed some of the main bases of
the LTTE including the office of the Head of the Political Wing P.
Nadesan, at Driyarukulam, a kilometre away from Trirukulam.
Two no fire zones declared
From Ranil WIJAYAPALA in Anuradhapura
Two no fire zones have been declared to guarantee the security of
civilians now fleeing from Kilinochchi after pitched battles erupted
between Government troops and Tigers in the outskirts of the Kilinochchi
town, Army Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka said yesterday. The Army
Commander told journalists attending the annual flag blessing ceremony
yesterday to mark the 59th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Army, that the
LTTE is fighting its final battle in Kilinochchi.
Civilians have already vacated the town and are fleeing towards
Vishvamadu and in the direction of Puthukuduiruppu as troops intensified
operations targeting the Kilinochchi town within the past few days.
According to the Army Commander there are around 250,000 civilians
trapped in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu.
“We have declared two no fire zones, each 10 square kilometres in
Vishvamadu and Oddusudan in the Mullaitivu district to guarantee the
security of these civilians”. “We have educated civilians about these
two no fire zones through the Government Agents in Kilinochchi and
Mullaitivu”, he said.
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