The Ceylon News

Claiming that LTTE has lost 18,000 cadres and most of its heavy weaponry in the fighting with security forces over the years, Sri Lankan Army Chief Sarath Fonseka on Tuesday vowed to eliminate terrorism from the island nation and crush the Tigers' "dream" of a separate state.

"We have destroyed their (LTTE's) weaponry, planes and sea craft," Fonseka said in a message on the occasion of the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.

The Army Chief said the civilians held hostage by the LTTE have now begun to trust the humanitarian operations conducted by the security forces as he lauded the work of the armed forces in this regard.

"Hospitality, friendliness, kindness and other noble qualities shown towards the civilians on their arrival to cleared (government-controlled) areas have proved that we are a disciplined and friendly Army," Fonseka said.

He said the Army fought for nothing but to establish peace for all Sri Lankans. "Ever rising number of civilians reaching cleared areas .... confirm this truth. Those who are still under LTTE detention will see their freedom soon."

Fonseka said the security forces have been able to reduce "the LTTE landscape to a tiny swathe of 23 sq km land from the previous 13,000 sq km."

At the same time, he said, the LTTE, "crazy after the dream of Eelam (a separate state)," faced the "most humiliating defeat" as it lost around 18,000 of its "barbaric fighting terrorist cadres."

"Our objective should be to eliminate terrorism and the LTTE's 'Eelam Dream' entirely from the country and let the flowers of peace blossom in the near future, as expected by all of us," Fonseka said.